With school back in full swing, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and what it can bring to the table has been a hot-button topic for many.
And although there are some cases where AI has not been used properly — from plagiarism and cheating to falsifying information — there are still many positive uses and practical applications of this cutting-edge tool. Especially when it is put into the hands of teachers and administration who have found a variety of ways to utilize this tool to save time, resources and enhance the overall educational experience:
Enable More Personalized Learning
Although AI shouldn’t be used to write your class’s entire lesson plan, it can be used as a resource to help teachers better engage with students and personalize learning experiences.
With an AI-powered platform like Microsoft Copilot for Education, teachers can quickly analyze a student’s strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. Teachers can also use AI to create comprehension questions tailored to the needs of students or generate modules and descriptions for classes based on the subject, grade level and learning objectives.
With all this input, AI can ultimately help teachers create more customized learning plans, content and recommendations that better tailor to the student. And AI being used in this manner over the past year has yielded very positive results. In fact, 75% of teachers reported improved learning outcomes because they adopted AI technologies.
Automate Grading and Assessments
According to recent surveys from Merrimack College, the average teacher spends about 5 hours every week just grading assignments and providing feedback on student assignments. Over the course of an average 36-week school year, that’s an extra 180 hours of work! And that’s not even including the other tasks teachers must perform in between, such as writing lesson plans, assessing student understanding, facilitating classroom activities and completing administrative duties.
AI can help combat this time crunch, however. By leaving the repeatable tasks to AI — such as grading of assignments and exams — you can save teachers valuable time, allowing them to focus more on interactive teaching and student support.
Enhance Administrative Efficiency
AI doesn’t just help with educational tasks though — it can help administration and educational leadership as well. By streamlining administrative tasks such as scheduling, attendance tracking and resource management, AI can reduce the administrative burden on school staff and help ensure that resources are used efficiently.
Education leaders can have AI do more than just manage daily operations too — AI can help leaders shape policies, make better data-based decisions, monitor achievements and even give ideas to help improve faculty development.
Language Translation and Accessibility
Not only does this tool help administration, it can help specialized teachers as well when it comes to teaching English as a second language (ESL) students and other students with additional accessibility needs.
AI-powered translation tools help bridge language barriers, making educational materials more accessible to non-native speakers. Additionally, AI can provide assistive technologies for students with disabilities, such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text applications.
Microsoft's suite of AI-powered solutions helps play a pivotal role in fostering this kind of inclusive and equitable learning environment as well. Students can gain access to tools such as Copilot and Learning Accelerators at no extra cost, provided they utilize a school-issued Microsoft account and meet the necessary age criteria. This commitment to accessibility ensures that all students, regardless of background, ability or financial means, can leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance their educational journey.
Data Privacy
Finally, one of the biggest benefits AI can provide to learning experiences is a need for extra layers of data privacy and security. Many AI applications are data-driven and utilize machine learning to adapt and provide the personalized experiences discussed above. As a result, it makes many school districts re-evaluate and improve their data security and privacy policies so these insights can be used responsibly and ethically.
Safeguarding the privacy of this data is crucial to preventing breaches that could jeopardize the privacy of students and educators alike, as well as the reputation of an institution. This improvement in data privacy also helps ensure individuals have control over their personal data's collection, usage and sharing.
Ready to Revolutionize Education With AI?
TD SYNNEX and Microsoft are ready to help you make the right choices for your client’s school districts. To learn more about AI in education and how AI tools like Microsoft Copilot can improve the educational experience for everyone, visit TD SYNNEX’s Microsoft Education website at https://content.tdsynnex.com/business/microsoft/education/main.aspx.
