EDUCATION & SCHOOLS

AI Revolution: How one Utah teacher and a student say AI brings learning to life

Aug 1, 2024, 10:36 PM | Updated: Aug 2, 2024, 12:11 pm

MIDVALE – School’s out for summer, but inspiration is firing at East Midvale Elementary.

Fifth grade teacher Laura Bettison is experimenting with artificial intelligence and getting creative as she plans for the coming school year.

Bettison wants to take a lesson on exponents from boring to fun, so she asks an AI bot for help. Its answer? Remove any mention of “utilizing” exponents – and teach from the perspective of a math wizard who relies on the magic of exponents to handle big numbers.

Bettison says AI aced the assignment.

“I don’t want to hear the word ‘utilizing’ exponents when I’m 10,” Bettison said. “I want to hear about the math wizard!”

She says it’s just part of imagining a classroom where learning comes to life while keeping the focus on helping each student learn and prepare for a high-tech future.

Bettison isn’t alone in using AI for planning and preparation.

A study out this year from RAND research organization found 18% of instructors teaching Kindergarten through high school use AI. The top uses: tailoring a lesson to fit their students’ levels and generating quizzes and assignments.

While the KSL’s crew was visiting her classroom in July, Bettison designed a math lesson in just moments that she said would have taken her an hour without the assist from AI. She said this technology frees her up to do what she does best: build relationships with students.

“Technology cannot replace the relationship that is the absolutely crucial, number one vital thing before learning can happen,” she said.

Bettison’s idea to use AI came from a relationship closer to home — inspired by her daughter, Mia Cruz.

Mia’s getting ready to start fourth grade and showed KSL how she uses an AI program to interview historical figures. Mia chose Amelia Earhart as her subject, telling KSL, “She’s really brave.”

Wanting to learn more about life aboard a tiny plane, Mia typed a question asking the famed aviator about what she ate and drank on her record-setting flights. From her laptop speaker, a woman’s voice responded: “For long flights, I packed simple, non-perishable foods, like hard-boiled eggs sandwiches and fruit.”

Mia said she liked learning more based on her own curiosity.

“You can ask the questions that you want, and you don’t just get answers that you don’t want to know,” she said.

It’s this sort of rapidly advancing technology that could help create increasingly realistic models of historical figures, so that soon enough students might be immersed in events they’re learning about.

The Utah State Board of Education is also thinking through how AI could and should be applied in schools across the state. The board released guidance in April saying AI has benefits and risks that must be thoughtfully managed.

It’s encouraging schools to take a balanced approach, allowing students to develop their skills but keeping security measures top of mind.

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AI Revolution: How one Utah teacher and a student say AI brings learning to life