Bring on the Robots
Note: if you are pressed for time, the key takeaways and action steps for this post are provided at the end.
People in the media like to speculate about when in the future artificial intelligence will become a reality. The fact is, though: AI is already here. And this includes already being part of education, where it powers some learning tools that are supported by compelling data for their ability to accelerate the progress of kids in school.
Ideally, your school is already making these AI-enabled systems part of the education of your kids, but if not—and sadly, my kids’ school is in this ‘not’ category—there are ways to access some of these advanced learning enhancement systems for our kids outside of school, which I describe below.
But first, let’s take a look at AI to better understand how it enhances education today.
When commentators speculate in the media about AI as something in the future, what they are typically referring to is an extreme form, as in the AI that passes the Turing test—a test in which a computer is able to fool humans into thinking they are dealing with a fellow human.
Or they are thinking even beyond that level of AI and going full science fiction, the point at which our machines are learning and possibly achieving a level of autonomy, at which point, if we humans haven’t prepared in advanced, things could get dicey.
The reality is, though, that we are today already surrounded by artificial intelligence—something which I am reminded of every time our microwave makes a little ‘ding’ sound. It is reminding me that, once again, I have forgotten to retrieve the mug of coffee that I was heating up.
Despite being over 10 years old—and being a very cheap model when first purchased—that janky microwave routinely outsmarts me. How does it know me so well! I am thankful for its intelligence, because throughout my childhood there was always a forgotten mug of coffee in the family microwave, 24/7, as if that is where the mug belonged.
The point I am making is that AI is a relative concept. It is something that creeps into our lives without us fully realizing it. As a result, we keep redefining what AI is, not acknowledging that, in a time when we can catch ourselves getting mad at our Echo, it is already here.
This arrival includes K-12 education, which is something your kids know, or intuit, when they are taking certain assessments at school. As the kids work through these tests, the questions get harder, easier, or stay the same, depending on how each student is performing.
Assessments like these are said to be powered by adaptive engines, and they have been among the earliest and most broadly used forms of artificial intelligence in education, bringing a variety of benefits, including shorter testing times and richer data insights into student ability.
While assessments are how adaptive intelligence was first used in schools, the technology is now widely seen in the proliferation of online learning platforms that kids today work with to practice the concepts that they are learning in class, practice that aligns to the relevant educational standards (or learning targets) for their grades.
There is a good chance that you are already familiar with some of these platforms, with leading brands including DreamBox, Lexia, and iReady. Whether focused on math or ELA, platforms typically are able to adapt the practice problems and materials that are presented to your child, based on how your child is performing.
They also often include other types of intelligence, including gamification to further nudge your child’s behavior to continue practicing and some form of instruction, such as a voice that will interject when a kid is struggling and the system offers suggestions regarding the step that they might be struggling with.
This is all a long way from the photocopied math worksheets that represented cutting edge practice technology when many of us were growing up. Not surprisingly, the results are better, with a number of the vendors able to point to research-back efficacy data that shows that the systems make a real difference in the progress our kids make.
But there is problem. In the case of my kids for example, it turns out that their middle school has not heard the good news about the impact technology is having on student learning. Or maybe it is a budgetary issue. All I know is that in the case of my sixth-grader, her school is kicking it photocopy style when it comes to practicing. AI be damned.
I have no idea how common it is that schools are relying on old school practice methods, despite the impressive evidence for the way technology-enabled systems can advance learning, but I am sure we are not alone.
And as is hopefully becoming clear to readers of my posts, I think a core strategy that we parents should adopt when today’s educational system is not making sense, particularly when it is a matter of being antiquated, is to take matters into our own hands and seek out alternative paths so that what our kids are nonetheless experiencing a state-of-the-art education.
In this case, I was thrilled to discover that DreamBox, which is the math practice platform my daughter had used in elementary school, now sells individual licenses for home use, which is not at all the norm. Take it from someone who has worked in this space, it is far more lucrative and efficient to sell a large number of licenses to entire districts.
You can obtain a six-month license for around $10 per month (after first trying it out for free). This is well within most family budgets, and is an incredible bargain given the technological sophistication involved, which includes a range of student reports parents can access on the dashboard, like the image below (showing progress on some six-grade standards).
I often sit near my daughter while she works with DreamBox, in case she needs help. When she does need help, we might turn to Sal Kahn’s video explanations on the topic she is struggling, as they are so much better than my explanations.
And then occasionally, we are still printing out worksheets, because there remains the issue of building fluency (or automaticity) with math fundamentals, which worksheets still do well.
Technology like this is going to make amazing strides in enhancing how education happens in the coming years, providing an increasingly powerful complement to the ever essential work that teachers do. But we parents need to realize that some of the advances, including AI, have already arrived, and, one way or another, should be part of kids’ educational strategy.
I could go on, but there is a ‘dinging’ sound coming from the kitchen, and I need to see what the noise is about.
Take-aways, caveats, details, fine print
Online learning systems that support students in AI-enabled practice in topics like math and reading increasingly show impressive gains in the degree to which they advance student learning.
If your school is, for whatever reason, not making these systems part of how your kids are learning, there are providers like DreamBox that will sell directly to parents and at very affordable rates.
Lexia and iReady do not offer individual licenses, but there are undoubtedly some other quality online practice platforms that do, for those interested in searching.
At our house, we combine the use of DreamBox with Khan Academy videos, when explanations are needed, and math worksheets for working on math fluency and automaticity.
In an ideal world, tools like DreamBox are a tool our teachers have access to—and they are especially impressive when teachers are accessing the data they provide about student progress and possible obstacles.
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