Ensuring that educators are practicing these tenets of appropriate use can be difficult for school districts facing high levels of turnover. “There are so many new teachers in education right now, and there are so many new administrators. With any type of change, even one that’s positive, it’s difficult,” says Pendergrast. “There’s a bit of fatigue with all the change.”
McNabb and West point out that teacher training creates an additional layer of complication. Training on a new technology can pose challenges for new and experienced educators. However, educators, IT professionals and administrators alike should understand the benefits of AI and how, with the right approach, they can outweigh the difficulties.
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Direct and Indirect Benefits of AI Educational Technology
There are many ways AI can benefit student learning, though some of those benefits may come indirectly by helping teachers improve their workloads.
“Today’s teachers are expected to be superhuman, connecting with a room full of students with diverse learning needs while juggling an endless stream of devices, distractions and behavior,” Sanford says. “AI has the potential to automate low-value tasks in common instructional workflows, making more time for teaching and learning.”
“Now, we’re in an environment where we’re saving teachers time,” Pendergrast says. “So, teachers will have more energy to develop healthy relationships with the kids and have more impactful lessons.”
There are also more direct benefits to students and student learning.
“For students with varied learning abilities, AI can quickly digest complex material into concepts that can be easily understood at their current level of learning,” says Newline Product Training Specialist Kathleen West. It also helps prepare students for the technologies they will see and use in the workforce, she adds.
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