How teachers are utilizing, at times even embracing, AI in the classroom

BLAINE, Minn. — Artificial intelligence has drawn a lot of attention lately. Between lawsuits and new legislation, there's no doubt a lot of questions surrounding the new technology.

"I have always loved exploring new technologies," Blaine High School vocal music educator Alyssa Ellson said.

Ellson had a piano, a pedal and a problem with her high school choir class, and an eagerness to solve it.

"One of the things we struggle with in choir is how to memorize when we have a lot of text and a concert coming up soon," she said.

She enlisted help from AI.

"We went on an image AI generator and we together, as a class, created images for each little chunk of the song," Ellson said. "We went from sheet music on our own page, to together with our images and then eventually, we reduced the images until we were down to nothing. And completely memorized!"

Last spring, the method helped her class memorize Prince's "1999."

"And they remembered it better and faster. It was amazing," she said.

Blaine High School technology coordinator Daryl Boeckers says it's one of many ways teachers are grabbing hold of AI in the classroom.

"It is this really lovely tool that has two sides to it," Boeckers said.

Two sides that educators are weighing out carefully.

"You have this ethical dilemma that we are trying to coach students with, and we're also trying to equip teachers to harness it," he said.

In some cases, it's reworking lesson plans to remove temptation or spot signs of cheating. But a lot of the time, like in Ellson's class, it's prompting creativity.

"I'm glad to be a part of a team to facilitate that, along with the leaders in this building, to think forward. Students should do even more than a five-paragraph essay in an English class," Boeckers said. "And they're doing that."

Blaine is part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District, one of Minnesota's largest school districts.