3 AI Trends to Watch for in 2022 K-12 Environments
The past few years have presented many challenges in our everyday lives due to the pandemic. But it has also presented a number of technologies that try to make everyday life simpler, such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
As schools rushed to make remote learning work with very little notice, many facilities incorporated AI and Machine Learning. The two technologies are gaining traction in U.S. Classrooms, and as such, here are 3 trends to look for in 2022:
1.) AI as Digital Assistants
One way classrooms used AI was in the form a device like an Amazon Echo as a digital assistant. The Echo was also used at home by parents to help in educational routines.
A school district in California has taken this technology a step further with the Symphony Classroom device from Merlyn Mind. This device is considered the world’s first digital assistant for education. Powered by Edge AI, the Symphony Classroom device combines AI with edge computing technology.
Brian Fish, an English teacher at Rancho Verde High School in California thinks it’s a way of getting technology to kids where and when they need it.
“Nothing can replace a teacher. However, technology can expand teaching,” Fish says.
Jennifer Thornton, a first grade teacher in the Val Verde Unified School District says it comes in handy because through voice commands she can use the AI device to navigate tabs on her computer or play a YouTube video for a lesson.
“It’s helped a lot with the classroom management,” she says.
2.) Next-Generation Cybersecurity Solutions Integrate AI Technology
The use of AI and ML is also shaping cybersecurity and the IT industry. These technologies can offer IT security professionals a way to enforce good cybersecurity practices and shrink the attack surface instead of constantly chasing after malicious activity.
So what does this mean for schools?
According to an Absolute Software survey of over 10,000 schools and district representatives, between January and May 2020, the use of remote management and collaboration apps increased by 87 percent and 141 percent, respectively in K-12 environments.
Despite a rise in online applications for teaching and learning, “educational institutions are spending more on endpoint security yet gaining less visibility and control. Forty-one percent of schools say tracking devices is one of their most significant challenges,” Forbes reports.
That is where next-generation endpoint security comes into play. According to a report, “This advanced protection leverages artificial intelligence to recognize potentially dangerous threats – both known and unknown – in real time without the need for signatures, increasing speed-to-action via a proactive, streamlined security protocol.”
Cybersecurity solutions that are powered by AI and ML are becoming increasingly popular in K-12 environments because they allow small IT teams the ability to scale security with the introduction of large device fleets.
3.) Chatbots Rely on AI to Improve Communication and Tutoring
AI-powered chatbots improve classroom efficiency and help teachers communicate with parents.
Tutoring is seen as a solution to help students overcome COVID-19 learning disruptions. Chatbots are a way to help bridge the equity gap between students who can’t afford private, traditional tutors and those who can.
“To me, AI is just a set of simple tools that we can use, in this case, to figure out some problems that teachers and kids are persistently having,” researcher Neil Heffernan, a computer science professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute says. “The real magic is giving human tutors and teachers a little bit of information on what’s going on so they can be more efficient.”
In November, Google released an AI tutor. The applications in this software suite, called Student Success Services, also include virtual assistants and can be customized for use in K-12 classrooms.
Which of these AI trends are you most excited about?
Story via EdTech Magazine
