Summer PD · AI Literacy · High School
Teach AI Literacy This Fall.
Take the Course Yourself This Summer.
A complete semester-long AI literacy program for high school classrooms — delivered through PocketLab Notebook. Teachers take the same program this summer on Conceptual Academy, earning up to 40 CEU hours, then teach it to students in the fall.
With every new technology, the pattern is the same: kids embrace it first, adults scramble to catch up. With artificial intelligence, that pattern must reverse.
Effective AI use requires wisdom, judgment, and the kind of critical thinking that takes years to develop. It requires knowing when a confident-sounding answer is wrong. Knowing when flattery is manipulation. Knowing what questions to even ask.
These are adult skills. And right now, our students need adults to lead the way.
It's understandable that AI in education arrived first as a set of tools and tips for teachers. That conversation matters. But there's a larger question we haven't gotten to yet: when do we start teaching students about AI itself?
Not just how to use a particular tool, but what AI is and isn't, what it gets right and gets wrong, and how to think responsibly in a world that AI is reshaping around them.
That program now exists.
Understanding and Working with AI is a complete, semester-long course built specifically for high school students. Eight chapters across two volumes cover:
- what AI actually is and how it learns
- how to communicate with it effectively
- where bias enters and why it matters
- how algorithms make high-stakes decisions about real people
- how to detect AI-generated misinformation
- and what an AI-powered future might mean for your students' lives, careers, and democracy
It's not a unit. It's not a module. It's a full course — rigorous enough to be meaningful, accessible enough that no prior AI background is required. It fits naturally within social studies, CTE, computer science, and language arts.
And because we believe teachers should know this material from the inside — not from a workshop about it, but from living it — the same program is available this summer as a self-paced professional development course on Conceptual Academy. Up to 40 CEU hours. Start anytime. No expiration date.
Your students are ready for this. So are you.
Program Overview
See the Program in Action
A quick look at what teachers experience and what students gain from this curriculum.
Summer Professional Development
Learn It Before You Teach It
Teachers take the course on Conceptual Academy — the same eight chapters, same labs, same AI experiments your students will experience. Earn a 5-CEU certificate per chapter. No cohort, no schedule. Start whenever your summer opens up.
Foundations & Practice
Chapters 1–4 · 20 CEU Hours
- Ch. 1 — Intelligence: Three kinds of intelligence, types of AI, first lab experiments with Alia
- Ch. 2 — Teaching Machines: How AI learns by example, the knock-knock joke journey, creativity
- Ch. 3 — Prompt Engineering: Basic prompt structures, context & clarity, building simulations
- Ch. 4 — AI Bias: What bias is, hidden patterns, cultural assumptions, the flattery problem
upon completion
Course ID: UAIVolume1
Society & the Future
Chapters 5–8 · 20 CEU Hours
- Ch. 5 — Magic from Math: Probability, AI's crystal ball, predictions, and sentience
- Ch. 6 — AI Algorithms & People: High-stakes decisions, hiring algorithms, criminal justice, fairness
- Ch. 7 — AI in Media: Real or fake, deepfakes, misinformation, democracy & information quality
- Ch. 8 — An AI-Powered Future: The next 10 and 50 years, power, wealth, and control
upon completion
Course ID: UAIVolume2
No expiration date — work at your own pace. Each chapter earns a 5-CEU certificate upon reaching the mastery threshold.
Proven Track Record
Conceptual Academy Powered by PocketLab
Best known for award-winning high school science programs in physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth science — now bringing that same rigorous, accessible approach to AI literacy.
Texas SBOE Approved
Our programs are among a select few approved by the Texas State Board of Education.
Fully Standards Aligned
Complete alignment documentation for C3, NGSS, and state-specific CTE pathways — ready for curriculum coordinators and administrators.
Used Across the Country
A clear, accessible, and experiential approach that works for teachers without any prior AI background.
The Student Platform
Built for the High School Classroom
PocketLab Notebook is designed specifically for the high school environment. Eight chapters delivered as structured lesson collections — Core, Lab, Discussion, and Project Days — ready to use from day one.
Teachers can customize lessons, adjust reading levels with a single click, and deliver content in any language. AI integration means auto-grading is built in.
Alia, the embedded AI learning assistant, operates with curriculum-specific guardrails — staying within course content and guiding students Socratically rather than giving direct answers.
View a Sample Lesson →
Understanding and Working with AI on PocketLab Notebook
Teacher Support
Everything a Teacher Needs
No prior AI background required. The program includes a full suite of instructor tools grounded in cognitive science.
Teacher Guides
Lesson-by-lesson guides with suggested scripts, facilitation tips, discussion prompts, and assessment rubrics. Built on cognitive science best practices for both new and experienced teachers.
View a Sample Teacher Guide →Standards Alignment
Complete documentation for C3, NGSS, and state CTE standards — ready for administrators and curriculum coordinators to place this program within existing frameworks.
View Standards Alignment →Alia AI Built In
Alia operates with curriculum-specific guardrails — she stays within course content, guides students Socratically, and never completes assignments for them. A safe, focused, and effective AI experience for every classroom.
Get Started
Ready to Bring AI Literacy to Your School?
Enroll directly — no waitlist, start anytime — or reach out if you'd like to talk through how this fits your school's needs. Student program pricing is handled through PocketLab.