How Colorado school districts are approaching AI
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AI-powered tools are becoming more common in Colorado districts, prompting educators to figure out ways to move forward with the technology.
Driving the news: Colorado Springs Schools District 11 this year is working with HopSkipDrive, a child transportation provider for kids, to test out its new AI offering called "Strategic Routing."
How it works: HopSkipDrive accounts for factors like the number of students who require pickup and where they live to make suggestions about a route, which can be used by traditional buses or passenger cars.
- Company CEO Joanna McFarland tells Axios its goal is to address a bus driver shortage affecting Colorado and districts across the country, and to reduce student absenteeism.
Flashback: The Colorado Education Initiative and the AI Education Project in December announced a statewide steering committee to provide guidance on AI tools used for education.
- Its goal is to explore the impacts of AI in schools, support collaborations and shared learning, and test how those tools can be used and scaled for learning.
Zoom in: The Eagle County School District on the Western Slope is forming an AI think tank to learn more about its benefits — and pitfalls — reports the Vail Daily.
- Local educators, including the district's superintendent, will meet four times in the spring before providing a summary report for the district and school board in May.
- The district currently doesn't have an AI policy, though the think tank may help develop guidelines for future policies.
The intrigue: Denver Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, doesn't have a ChatGPT policy for students.
- However, district spokesperson Scott Pribble tells us students don't have access to OpenAI with district credentials, but can use it with personal accounts.