The Brighton Central School District is one of the latest local K-12 districts that deploy artificial intelligence tools for educators.
Several school districts including Fairport in Greece East Ironed Group -Also, they integrate AI technology into their work, but other technologies like East Rochester are not currently integrated into the curriculum.
In Brighton, the deployment of Magicschool, a platform for teachers and administrators, began this summer after about a year of planning.
“We hope that AI will become a tool to become a place where students are,” said Allison Lison, the assistant director of the curriculum. “We want to prepare them for life. AI is a tool that will help you get there.”
He added that AI tools from the platform, such as worksheet generators and report card comment generators, are prominently interested in using them among some teachers, as they can help increase teaching time with students while streamlining other productivity tasks.
“Special education teachers are at the peak because AI can be used to distinguish teaching in ways that they couldn't do before,” she said.
If schools use AI platforms for educators, they must protect the privacy of their student data State Education Act 2-D.
In Brighton, the plan is to continue moving slowly as it unfolds, with tools available to students within the platform that students can use, but that is not yet in place as of the third week of school.
“Before we unleash this on our students, let our teachers first develop a little more competency.
The approach to AI in schools is homing by professors at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education.
“They spent their school district focusing on AI for the district and what they mean for the classroom,” said Kristen Love, an assistant professor who was part of the Brighton Planning Committee.
Moves in school districts like Brighton that incorporate AI show a wider shift in academia towards embracing technology and balancing opportunities it presents while navigating risks to student information privacy, student learning outcomes, and the misuse of AI.
“When you think about AI literacy, the first question you want to ask yourself is what your goal is?” said Professor Raffaella Borasi, director of UR's Center for Digital Age Learning.
“And if you're talking about K-12 students, I think our main goal is to make sure they can use AI effectively, safely and ethically,” she added. “I don't want to use AI to cheate testing, but I would like to use it as a thinking partner. It may be useful in the task, and in some cases it may help with repairs.”
For Borasi, the benefits of AI in education help educators open up more time to collaborate with students in the most effective way to maximize learning.
“Teacher time is the most valuable product we have. So how can we use it for the best benefits of our students?” Borashi said.
