Shawn Braxton, executive director of IT customer excellence for the district, says digital tools can help when one-on-one time is limited.
CLEVELAND — Artificial intelligence is now part of the learning day in Cleveland Metropolitan School District classrooms. Leaders say the technology is meant to strengthen instruction and give students added support.
Shawn Braxton, executive director of IT customer excellence for the district, says digital tools can help when one-on-one time is limited.
“I look at it as an opportunity to be able to take the technology that we’re now having the ability to use and really do some of the things that we can’t do because we don’t have enough people to do one-on-one instruction with a student,” Braxton said.
Teachers can match programs to each student’s reading level, allowing them to move forward independently while the class continues.
“The technology now gives us the ability to assign tools to students that a teacher can actually assign at that student’s lexile level and really help them to grow at their own pace without holding the entire class back,” he said.
Braxton notes that tools are in place to ensure students do not use AI to simply be given the answers to their assignments.
“I think the misconception is that some of these AI tools are set up to reduce students’ ability to think,” he said. “With some of the tools that we have personally deployed, they assist students in working through the process.”
The safety of students and staff is also a focus for the district. Some platforms, including ChatGPT, are blocked on student devices. Companies must also agree to protect district data before their tools are approved.
“Any tool that we use, we have an agreement with the developer to make sure our data is protected and that it remains our data. There is no selling of that data or transferring it to any party outside of the organization that we’re working with or the technology developer,” Braxton said.
The district drafted its artificial intelligence policy in October and is now updating it following state guidance. Braxton says the revised version will soon go to district leadership for board approval.
All in all, Braxton believes the technology will benefit students and their families.
“I see right now artificial intelligence being another area where students will work in employment opportunities that they never imagined,” he said.
