Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes
WEST JORDAN — When ChatGPT first came out, the Jordan School District restricted access to it on the district network.
That didn’t mean the district wanted to completely dismiss using artificial intelligence in its classrooms.
“I was looking for a solution, and I was looking for a way that we could connect students and teachers with artificial intelligence in a meaningful way,” said Anthony Godfrey, superintendent of the Jordan School District.
Ironically, it was at a national conference where Godfrey discovered School AI, a Lehi-based company working to integrate generative AI into K-12 classrooms.
“Sometimes it takes having someone from out of town who is close to you who can help you with what you’re trying to do,” Godfrey said.
Godfrey linked School AI to the district’s information systems team and launched the program with 100 teachers over the summer. It turned out to be “hugely popular”.
One reason for this is that School AI has regular meetings with teachers in the district where teachers can provide input, allowing School AI to develop software based on that input. They were getting.
At the start of the 2023-24 school year, 300 more teachers signed up to integrate School AI into their classrooms, bringing the number to 2,350 teachers.
But what does school AI do to help both teachers and students?
The platform offers over 1,000 activities with AI tutors, interactive games, simulations, wellness check-ins and a library of grade and subject-specific activities. Teachers also benefit from dashboards with real-time feedback and moderation, allowing them to easily track student progress and create tailored learning plans to meet students where they are.
“It’s like a tutor for students and teacher support for teachers,” Godfrey said.
He added that SchoolAI can create assignments that are calibrated to the needs of individual students. For example, if a student is having trouble with run-on sentences, SchoolAI can create exercises to practice correcting run-on sentences—all while tailoring lessons to the student’s reading level and personalization. Tailors to interests.
When you put great tools in the hands of teachers, they become even better as teachers innovate and think about how they can improve learning for their students.
– Anthony Godfrey, Jordan School District Superintendent
“We built SchoolAI because artificial intelligence can transform the learning experience for both students and teachers,” Caleb Hicks, CEO of SchoolAI, said in a statement. Enable them to deliver personalized curriculum at scale.”
“Future generations won’t know the world without AI, so it’s critical that we deliver it to students to take it to the next level,” Hicks continues. “We’ve given teachers a solution that helps them reach their goals with their students while opening up their bandwidth to focus on what’s most important: each student and their requirements.”
Even with the help of school AI, teachers are still in control of what lessons and assessments look like.
“When you put great tools in the hands of teachers, they become even better because teachers innovate and think about how they can improve learning for their students,” Godfrey said.
Eric Price, principal of West Jordan Middle School, was one of the “foundations” who pushed for the integration of AI into classrooms to help prepare the current generation of students for a future with AI.
“Artificial intelligence is going to become a part of everyday life for our students. If we’re not updating our concept of what it means to teach and learn with all the tools available to us,” Price said in a statement. I said. “As educators, we have to move beyond content sharing, the way the curriculum has been structured, and embrace a new era of teaching our children the skills they need to think critically and imaginatively, no matter what. Also starting from the surface. The classroom.”
A teacher’s job involves many tasks that take time away from student-to-teacher interaction, Godfrey said. SchoolAI gives teachers more time to work directly with students.
“As access to knowledge and information increases, we have to adapt the way we teach students. When the calculator came out, we had to adapt our instruction. When the Internet came out and search engines became available, we had to adapt our instruction. “Had to adapt. — and the same is true for artificial intelligence,” Godfrey said. “Every time it’s a step forward. Every time there’s a step forward and it can be worrisome, it can be a cause for concern. But I think it’s about enhancing the students’ education and preparing them for the future.” It’s a great opportunity.”