What are we learning about AI at our school?
Share something you tried. What helped, what didn’t, and what would you do differently? Everyone working in our building is welcome.
Everything you share is welcome. Right now we’d especially like to hear about this:
What did you try with AI for feedback on student writing, and what happened?
5 entries, newest first
Special education · Reading and writing
I use it to break long assignments into short checklists for students whose IEPs call for it. I paste in the assignment only, never anything about the student. For an English essay it worked well, and one student finished a draft for the first time this year. For a biology lab it put the steps in the wrong order. I've seen colleagues paste in IEP details. Please don't. I still read every list before a student sees it.
Student learning observationThe student asked for a checklist for her next assignment, so I think it helped her get started.
Front office · Translation
We have more Spanish-speaking families this year, and only two of us in the office speak Spanish. I used Gemini to translate our attendance letter and early-dismissal notice. The early-dismissal notice was fine. The attendance letter was correct but so formal it sounded like a legal warning, so I rewrote it myself. It's a good first draft, but someone who speaks the language has to read it before it goes home.
Teacher · Social studies
I was skeptical going in and I'm more skeptical now. I ran ten history essays through it to compare with my own feedback. It praised one student for a quote that isn't in the documents. The student made it up and the tool missed it. It told three students "add more analysis" in almost the same words. Checking its feedback took longer than writing my own. I'm posting this because the notebook needs the "no" stories too.
Student learning observationTwo students changed their writing to match the tool's suggestions without understanding why.
Teacher · Science
My chemistry students struggle with stoichiometry, and the textbook only has twenty practice problems. Over a weekend I used Claude to help me build a simple web page that makes new problems, checks answers, and shows which step went wrong. I can't code, so I asked a lot of questions. I tested every problem type first and found two wrong answers, which I fixed. Students use it for warm-ups twice a week. It doesn't collect names or grades. The hard part was checking the chemistry.
Student learning observationStudents get more practice now, and the hints show me where the class gets stuck. Too early to say if test scores change.
Teacher · Communication with families
I had to email a parent about a student missing six assignments. Every draft sounded too soft or too harsh. I pasted it into ChatGPT, with no student name, and asked it to sound warmer but still clear about the deadline. It was close. I fixed a few lines that didn't sound like me and cut one that promised a meeting I hadn't planned. Ten minutes instead of thirty. I wouldn't use it for anything sensitive, but it's good for "say this kindly."