TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – While Topeka Public School students have limited access to Artificial Intelligence, teachers are encouraged to use it in their instruction.
TPS views AI as a tool to benefit its classrooms. It can be used to create lesson plans and even accommodate classes to the needs of individual students.
“You can’t sit with all 25 students at the same time and work with them individually,” TPS Technology Integration Specialist Gail Ramirez said. “This lets us do that.”
Some could be wary of bringing AI into the classroom. The idea of cheating comes into play, but Ramirez says the tools aren’t replacing teachers.
“It’s easy to read it and you know, because you’re familiar with this student, you built a relationship with them, you know what their work looks like,” she said. “When it doesn’t look like that, you know it’s not them.”
The district believes AI tools are just another step in the evolution of education.
“Education is always going to change,” Ramirez said. “You know, when the microwave came out, everybody thought it was going to ruin the world and give everyone cancer. When the cell phone came out, it was the worst thing ever. But it really wasn’t. It will be the same way here.”
Most school districts in Kansas, including Topeka Public Schools, are still working on specific policies around AI.
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