As part of our Classroom Challenges series, Lexis Greene explores how CCISD will integrate AI into classrooms this year.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Artificial intelligence is becoming the new standard in classrooms across school districts.
Carrie Perales, director of blended learning for the Corpus Christi School District, said she is excited to be part of the district's 10th year of Tech 2 Teach, an opportunity for teachers to learn from other teachers about what is and isn't working for them.
“We're always thinking about what's next,” Perales said.
She said she would like to take advantage of the application, which would be paid for by the school district.
“CCISD has put money into certain technology applications and we want to make sure we leverage that investment,” she said.
Perales said it's important for teachers to understand how to take advantage of all the technology applications available and feel confident teaching those skills in the classroom, the latest being introduced this year being the integration of AI.
“We really started looking into how to roll this out to teachers last year,” Perales said.
According to Perales, they believe that the use of AI, or artificial intelligence, is helping teachers be more productive.
“Saving students time is something we all need, and so is how we slowly introduce AI to students and make it relevant,” she said.
Dennis Wisner, an instructional technology specialist with 20 years of experience with the district, said technology can be intimidating for some, but they are proud that now they have a one-to-one campus and every student has access to a device to take home.
“Artificial intelligence was something we quickly understood and we knew what the future held,” Dennis said.
Wisner said the teacher training will help level the playing field for students who are already learning, and he's heard positive feedback from teachers who plan to use the tool in their classes this year, but it will come with guidelines.
“Teachers may be really excited about it, but some parents don't know, and we want to make sure they know how it's being used in the classroom,” Dennis said.
Two far-flung teachers at the conference who are using AI in their classes already said the learning options are endless.
“You can either talk to someone who died 100 years ago and learn how they thought, or you can create an image that matches what you've already learned,” educator Christine Merrill said.
For those who are still hesitant that AI could be used for the wrong purposes…
“Let's be realistic, Google has been around for a long time and ways for kids to cheat have been around for years. We need to teach kids how to use technology responsibly and that's why we're all here,” said educator Joe Merrill.
