Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

How to (correctly!) use ChatGPT for essay writing

Key points:

Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch in November 2022, it continues to bother teachers. No wonder:

The tool has a fascinating ability to craft texts that look like a human wrote them. Influencing the education niche, it’s a game-changer in the classroom. Not only does it make educators revise their approach to teaching academic writing, but some still see it as a threat to students’ academic integrity.…Read More

A cautious approach to using AI in education

Key points:

The November 2022 release of ChatGTP by OpenAI was an inflection point for AI technology. It was quickly followed by several competing AI systems: Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing search engine, Google’s Bard, and Meta’s Llama 2. And like so many technologies before it, companies are now in a rush to find ways to monetize and adopt AI, applying the technology to customer service, law enforcement, transportation–and education.

Guidance for using AI in education…Read More

Embracing AI for limitless learning potential

Key points:

  • Students will continue to use AI–educators should encourage responsible AI use among students
  • Stopgaps to block AI will only negatively impact underserved students who don’t have ready access to the internet at home
  • See related article: Is AI the future of education?

When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, many educators saw AI as a threat, assuming students were going to use AI to cheat. And they did. But in our haste to identify the pitfalls of generative AI, we have obscured examples of how students have used it to explore new topics, help with projects, and nurture creativity and curiosity. 

With the landscape shifting so quickly, we can no longer ignore the fact that back to school is going to look very different this year. …Read More

How to teach writing skills in the ChatGPT era

Key points:

When ChatGPT appeared in November 2022, most educators felt it could become a threat and change the whole niche forever. No wonder: This language model algorithm is smart enough to produce logical and grammatically correct texts for any prompt.

Today’s digital-savvy students welcomed ChatGPT with open arms and began using it for writing assignments. According to a new study from Academic Help, 67 percent of students use AI for creating texts – the basis for their essays and other papers.…Read More

ChatGPT caught NYC schools off guard–now, we’re determined to embrace its potential

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

As Chancellor of the nation’s largest school system, New York City Public Schools, I anticipated starting 2023 by continuing the crucial work of ensuring every student can read proficiently, preparing each student for well-paying jobs, and providing quality schools that are safe, welcoming, and supported by the entire community.

Naturally, our best-laid plans are sometimes disrupted by the advance of technology and innovation. …Read More

ChatGPT is the shakeup education needs

Key points:

  • Education must evolve along with technology–students will expect it
  • Embracing new technologies helps education leverage adaptive technology that engage student interest
  • See related article: AI tools are set to impact tutoring in a big way

Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has dominated conversations in the media landscape and within the education industry. A key conversation focuses on weighing its benefits versus risks, and many education institutions have been quick to implement bans on the technology altogether for fears of plagiarism in written works. But is this the right course of action to take?

As technology evolves, industries must evolve alongside it, and education is no exception – especially in an era where students heavily and regularly engage in technology and its applications. Instead of being afraid of the unknown, educators and leaders should navigate these changes with curiosity and an open mind and embrace the shake up the education industry has been waiting for. ChatGPT can be the answer we’re looking for in our search for the ideal, personalized student experience–and ultimately student success.…Read More

ChatGPT can generate, but can it create?

While artificial intelligence (AI) has been a relatively silent partner in higher education’s early warning systems, personalized learning platforms, and more for some time now, we might fairly say that ChatGPT is the big boom heard ‘round the university. The AI chatbot is taking many of us by surprise and startling more of us to attention, not in small measure by its charming, eager extroversion: it “talks” to us. What’s happening here? Is ChatGPT a threat? What happens next?

Diffusion of ChatGPT

ChatGPT has been quite the busybot, going to business school, law school, the office, Congress, and more. We are experiencing the unfolding of Rogers’ (1962) innovation diffusion in real time. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in research preview on November 30, 2022, we’ve been busy ourselves, curating links and disseminating our treasuries to each other. We’re also creating artifacts such as the Advancements in AI Timeline developed by the Center for eLearning Initiatives at Penn State Behrend. The twin goals of all of our awareness-building activities are to hasten the development of our individual and collective opinions about whether ChatGPT is aide or adversary and to decide our next steps accordingly.…Read More

Back by Popular Demand: SHP Donates $10,000 to Students Across Ohio

Cincinnati – Architecture, interior design, and engineering firm SHP is awarding $1,000 scholarships to 10 high school students. The honors were announced during a reception at the 2022 Ohio School Board Association’s (OSBA) annual Capital Conference in November. The scholarships were presented to school districts as part of a random drawing at the conference reception.  

Each winning district will award the scholarship to a student by their own selection criteria.  

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to give back to Ohio communities—specifically the students; the future of those communities,” said Lauren Della Bella, president, SHP. “I am hopeful that we can continue this tradition for years to come.” …Read More

Intelitek Opens the First of 20 STEAM centers in the Republic of Ghana

DERRY, N.H. – In partnership with the Ghanaian Ministry of Education and Israeli government, Intelitek and its parent company, Robogroup T.E.K. Ltd., have opened the first of 20 planned STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Mathematics) centers in the Republic of Ghana. Located at the Accra High Senior High School, the new center is part of the ministry’s initiative to increase student interest and instructional quality around STEAM. Students ages 6-14 will be trained to use advanced STEAM technology in a modern interactive learning environment.

The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education held a commissioning ceremony for the Accra High STEAM Centre in November. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, commended all involved for their commitment to the project and called the center a testimony of the government’s commitment to STEAM education.

“We can become a developed nation,” Dr. Adutwum said, “but it is going to emanate from how well we focus ourselves, how we remain determined and focused in the midst of challenges and say to ourselves we can.”  …Read More

Scribbles Software Selected as a Finalist for the 2022 NC TECH Awards

Pineville, NC – Scribbles Software, a leading provider of K-12 records and enrollment software located in Pineville, NC, was selected as a finalist for the NC TECH Awards, presented by the NC TECH (North Carolina Technology Association).  The program is North Carolina’s only statewide technology awards program recognizing innovation, growth and leadership in the tech sector. Scribbles is a finalist in the NC HQ Tech Company category, which recognizes North Carolina-based technology companies that have outstanding performance in revenue, market penetration, sales growth, and employment expansion. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 29th.

“For over 20 years, NC TECH has celebrated companies, organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement at the NC TECH Awards. As a finalist this year, Scribbles Software has distinguished itself as one of the state’s innovative and emergent leaders,” stated Brooks Raiford, NC TECH’s President and CEO.

Scribbles Software helps K-12 districts and schools across the country serve students and families through accessible, cloud-based records management and enrollment solutions. Throughout North Carolina, Scribbles serves more than 100 districts, private schools, and charter schools, including Wake County Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Guilford County Schools, and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools. Nationwide, Scribbles serves more than half of the top 50 largest districts.…Read More