Students, Teachers Learning How to Safely Incorporate AI Technology into Education

After recently receiving a 75-page document, Nicole Stabell found a perfect tool to test the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence. In just a handful of minutes, Stabell prompted the innovative technology to turn the content into a 15-minute podcast. The result was a crystal-clear discussion between two voices that dissected the information.

“This can really be a positive,” said Stabell, who is in her first year as the Hendrick Hudson School District’s K-12 Instructional Technology Facilitator. “AI can makes the work you do exceptionally more efficient. Things that used to take hours can take minutes.”

To help provide a safe AI tool to enhance teaching and learning for teachers and students, Hendrick Hudson recently purchased SchoolAI, an AI-powered educational platform designed for students of all ages. The program protects the personal information of students who use it, but also creates a space for teachers to rapidly differentiate and customize learning for them.

“It’s a more unique, student-facing platform,” Stabell said. “It allows students to experience AI in a low-stakes situation that is safe and can be very motivating.”

Stabell has spent the fall visiting classrooms, helping to integrate technology into lessons in an effort to enhance the student experience.

“This position was part of our district’s three-year technology plan,” said Vineetha Joy, Hendrick Hudson’s Executive Director of Technology & Innovation. “We want to ensure we use all of the tools available to us. Infusing technology into classroom lessons when possible can help lead the district toward more project-based learning.”

Stabell visited each of the district’s five schools a day at a time last week to provide staff with training about the features and functions of SchoolAI. The program came as the result of input from a district subcommittee on how to integrate AI in a safe environment that both protects personal information and establishes guidelines for how the technology can be used.

“I think it’s really beneficial to expose teachers and students to something they will use every day,” Stabell said. “AI is everywhere now. It’s a tremendous positive to give them access to a 21st-century skill in a safe and supportive way.”