Roadmap creates guidance for AI use in Colorado schools
As AI technology continues to grow in its use and prominence throughout the world, Colorado is taking steps to ensure school districts have the guidance they need to adopt it in the classroom.
"If students aren't able to use AI, they're going to get left behind," said Andrew Gitner.
Gitner is a K-12 Ed Tech Specialist with Jefferson County School District. As someone who will be helping the district and its teachers learn about AI and pilot certain AI tools, as well as a teacher who used AI in his classroom, he says he knows how much of a game changer this technology can be. It isn't just helping some students achieve more, but it is also making it easier for teachers to focus on teaching.
"I have talked to so many teachers who swear by certain AI products because they've made the profession sustainable," he said.
In his case, he used an AI program called Cograder to help write feedback on student essays a lot more quickly.
"I used it to turn around about 90 essays in two hours, so students had really good, really actionable feedback the next day," said Gitner. "I never would've been able to live the kind of life without something like Cograder or other AI products I've used."
"The ability to have things translated quickly, the ability to have instruction differentiated to meet the personalized needs of students that suddenly is so much more possible than it ever was before," said Karen Quanbeck.
Quanbeck is the Vice President of Statewide Partnerships for the Colorado Education Initiative. The nonprofit published a roadmap this week offering guidance for AI use in K-12 districts.
One recommendation in that roadmap is creating professional development time for teachers to learn how to use AI.
"To become well versed in what AI literacy and AI fluency will mean for them in the classroom," said Quanbeck.
The other recommendations are developing a district policy that reflects how AI should be used ethically and transparently, and making sure families know how these tools will be used.
"I as a parent need to be paying attention to what are all the ways my child might be using AI," she said. "Most districts will likely be putting out communications to families describing how they're using it, if they're using it, what's ok, what's not ok for kids to do?"
Quanbeck says, ultimately, these recommendations are to ensure AI doesn't replace human interaction in the classroom but that it serves as an addition to learning.
"I might use it to grade," she said. "I might use it to create amazing lesson plans aligned to Colorado state standards."
"How do we use the technology so that we get to do more of the human things? How do we do less administrative work and more actually teaching and engaging my students," said Gitner.
