Hemlock Public Area Schools recently announced a new partnership with Magic School AI, a platform branded as one that removes stress and burnout from teacher’s schedules using generative artificial intelligence.
The program can be used to build lesson plans, quizzes, IEP/504 plans, and more.
Students will also have access to the program, being able to discuss topics with a monitored chat bot and use it to help complete their classwork.
Don Killingbeck is the superintendent of the school district. He told WCMU that schools should embrace AI and make use of it, training students on ethical and responsible AI use rather than shrugging it away.
“I think my favorite quote of 2023 is that AI is not going to take your job, somebody using AI will,” Killingbeck said. “It’s about our commitment to innovation, it’s about empowering our staff and teachers. So when you put this tool in the hands of teachers that are spending hours on tasks that could otherwise be completed by AI, or at least helped along by AI, you know you’re giving back, you’re helping curb burnout."
Magic School AI was created by teachers for teachers, with the knowledge that there is no avoiding AI in schools anymore, it's website wrote. They have also stated they will not sell data. This will guarantee that any information inputted by students or teachers will remain secure.
Bloomfield Hills teacher Rachel Matz is someone who has integrated the use of Magic School AI into her daily work. She said offloading some of her work to the AI frees up time for her to be more hands on with students.
“Our students are going to need to use this technology, and if we are refusing to teach it then not only are students going to use it poorly and without our support or consent, but they’re going to be behind when they get to universities, when they get to the workforce,” Matz said.
“As educators we are going to need to continuously adapt," Matz continued. "We are going to need to understand as much about AI as we possibly can so that we can recognize when students are using it, but also motivate them to see that they don’t need to go to AI to do the writing for them, that they are capable of doing well and achieving without it.”
The use of generative AI in classrooms has been regarded as controversial, through data selling from companies to train the artificial intelligence how to get an intended result.
According to the Digital Education Council, 86% of students now use AI in some form as a part of their education, with just over half of them using it on a weekly or daily basis.
"For us, it’s about student centered learning and making sure that you know our focus is on having the best outcomes for kids,” Killingbeck said.
