A teacher from 1926 could never have predicted a classroom full of calculators, cell phones and laptops.
It’s only been a hundred years — a relatively short period of time for human civilization — but how people interact with each other and the world has changed dramatically. For decades now, teachers have had to be vigilant, keeping an eye out for students looking up test answers on their phones or copying a Wikipedia article into their essays.
But what do school administrators do when artificial intelligence, the latest technological advancement taking the country by storm, gives students and teachers the ability to create, submit and publish work that has never been touched by a human?
The Park City School District last year established a committee with representatives from each school to tackle that very question. Since then, the district has constantly revised and updated its approach to artificial intelligence in the classroom, including a school-sanctioned AI program to be used as a teaching tool.
Ryan Garey, a technology specialist for the district, presented information to the school board on Tuesday regarding the district’s current approach to AI in schools. He said the goal is to use AI ethically and intentionally to support personalized learning. However, he also emphasized the importance of academic integrity and said the district’s experimentation with AI will help students learn how to integrate evolving technology into their lives as a core skill.
Students were never allowed to access ChatGPT on campus, and teachers were prohibited from the platform last year when the AI system started incorporating explicit content. But Garey said a new AI system designed specifically for educators, called MagicSchool, was made available for both students and teachers in August.
MagicSchool differs from other AI programs because it relies solely on parameters established by teachers. Students can’t log in and use MagicSchool whenever they want. Instead, teachers need to create standards and input information to guide students on how to use the AI tool.
In many cases, MagicSchool simply provides students with personalized feedback on their assignments at a faster rate than a teacher could by hand.
Garey said MagicSchool was also a good program for the district because it doesn’t share data or analyze inputs. AI systems like ChatGPT constantly monitor the conversation between the AI and its user to teach and improve the system. MagicSchool, however, is “static,” meaning it does not retain any of the information entered into its system, including teacher instructions.
Garey added that the rollout of MagicSchool was done slowly and intentionally to ensure it functioned how it was supposed to and that there were guidelines in place for how to use it. The pilot phase was from August to December, and 108 teachers were using MagicSchool as a teaching tool by winter break. It is up to each teacher’s discretion as to whether they want to use AI in the classroom.
Another 342 Park City staff members are using MagicSchool’s “teacher tools” outside of class.
Teachers are also allowed to use other AI systems, including Google Gemini, Canva, Adobe Express, Diffit and Nearpod. Diffit and Nearpod are AI tools specifically marketed to educators to create lesson plans, search for instructional materials and format classes to be more interactive.
“We’re continuing to remind our staff that it is a tool, not the tool,” said Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman. “Think about calculators, laptops, now AI. It’s a tool, but it should never replace that human interaction and the relationship piece that our teachers are so good at.”
Garey said the district plans to roll out MagicSchool to its elementary schools soon, but it will mostly be a tool for teachers. AI will be restricted in classrooms for students until fourth grade.