Transforming Education: The Role of AI in Classrooms

Teachers always express that they have multiple duties within their roles. They have to keep track of student data to drive instruction, maintain communication with parents and administration, learn new curricula, write lesson plans, grade papers, and so on. Teachers are always looking for ways to make their lives easier in the classroom. Can AI become an effective tool for teachers in the classroom? Well, the implementation of Artificial Intelligence has changed the way teachers can complete their tasks. AI allows teachers to remove some of the cognitive load in their day-to-day tasks. Let’s take Microsoft Copilot as an example. If you have 60+ English Language Arts papers to grade, a teacher can input a simple formula by asking AI to grade each student sample on a given scale/rubric. Microsoft Copilot will then take the given rubric, the student samples, a teacher’s input, and help with grading. Then, Microsoft Copilot will ask if they want to provide student feedback. A task as tedious as grading papers can become simplistic with the use of AI. But is AI a one-stop shop?

Pros of use (not limited to):

-          Grading writing with constructive feedback for students.

-          Develop lesson plans that center around a specific text or task.

-          Assist in writing emails to parents to remove bias and tone.

-          Create games to engage students in a learning process.

-          Giving teachers a starting point on an assignment and/or assessment.

Cons of use (not limited to):

-          Vetting the content being produced to ensure accuracy before presenting it to students.

-          Teachers can rely too much on AI, which will cause teachers to become stagnant in student growth and learning.

-          AI has not mastered producing math content for teachers.

-          Making sure teachers take the right precautions to protect student data and privacy.

AI Platforms for Educators (not limited to):

-          Microsoft Copilot: Sign in with school district credentials, and it will protect student data and privacy.

-          Magic School AI: Made for educators by educators. This platform also has a student version.

-          ChatGPT: Simple tasks can be completed to assist teachers.

-          Canva: Uses AI to create engaging and interactive lessons for student learning.

References

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (2024). AI in schools: Pros and cons. College of Education. https://education.illinois.edu/about/news-events/news/article/2024/10/24/ai-in-schools--pros-and-cons