For the first time, South Windsor teachers and students will have access to a new AI (artificial intelligence) platform within their school, called “Magic School.”
This is a platform that was tested by teachers and students on the “AI Team” over the last school year before being rolled out to everyone this school year.
It's similar to ChatGPT but has stricter privacy standards and gives teachers full control over what tools students can and can't use.
“The first thing I do with any new technology is use it as a replacement for something I'm already doing, but what's great is that it redefines what we do in the classroom,” says Ed Duclos, technology coach at South Windsor High School.
Duclos said when OpenAI announced ChatGPT in 2022, school districts across the country tried to shut it down, but South Windsor didn't. South Windsor's technology team and administrators started looking into it instead.
Duclos said the possibilities for Magic School are endless. Students can use the student version, “Magic Student,” as a tutor to gain a deeper understanding of the material.
As an example, Duclos said, “I just gave you a lot of new information and stuff, but a lot of it didn't resonate with you. I know you had questions, some you didn't want to ask in class. We're going to fire up an AI bot tonight and it's going to tutor you, and students can come back anytime. It's a 24/7 assistant. Can you repeat this to me? Or actually explain it to me? Can you give us any ideas? Can you test this? So, when your students have that one-on-one with the AI bot and then they go back to the classroom, think about the possibilities there,” Duclos said.
Teachers could also use it to personalize instruction. Either scenario could lead to a better educational experience, Duclos said.
However, because this technology is so new, we owe it to staff and students to continue the conversation and share what we find leads to success.
“One of the things I believe most is that we as a staff are thoughtful individuals who can think about what works and what doesn't and work things out,” Duclos said.
Of course, there are concerns that AI could be misused to create fake content, such as deepfakes and plagiarized content, but Duclos argues that this is exactly why AI should be introduced into schools.
“This is an opportunity to teach responsible use and ethical use of AI tools. It should be within the school system. It shouldn't be something that's outside and students are trying to figure out on their own,” Duclos said.
