Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere: it’s a digital assistant on your smartphone; it’s a chatbot on a website to help you find what you’re looking for; it personalises your social media feed; and now it’s used by Google to quickly provide an answer to your query. These are just a handful of today’s uses of AI – but do you know there are also plenty of ways that it can be used in schools?
Whether it’s helping teachers ease their workload, supporting students in their learning, or streamlining how a school functions as a whole, there’s huge potential for AI in the education sector. And this advanced technology is already having an impact, particularly generative content tools like ChatGPT.
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know to get started with AI. It’ll cover what AI is in layman’s terms, break down how it works, and walk you through some of the different ways you can start using AI at your school.
What is AI?
AI is a set of technologies that enables computers and machines to perform cognitive functions that we associate with humans. It can simulate human learning and understanding, problem solving, decision making, creativity, and autonomy. The most common applications of AI include image recognition, speech recognition, content generation, and recommendation systems.
How does AI work?
AI can develop these human-like capabilities by applying large amounts of data to mathematical models called algorithms which use information to recognise patterns and make predictions. This process is known as training. Once trained, the algorithms can then be deployed where they will continue to learn and adapt to new data.
There are lots of technical terms you’ve probably heard in relation to AI – let’s go through some of them and what they mean:
- Machine learning: This is where computers learn from large datasets (a collection of data) by identifying patterns and relationships within the data.
- Neural networks: These are a series of algorithms that process data by mimicking the structure of the brain. The networks consist of interconnected nodes which process information and pass it on to other nodes, much like neurons in the brain. It can be used for recognising patterns in data and making predictions based on inputs, and can even learn from mistakes.
- Deep learning: This subset of machine learning uses a type of neural network that has multiple hidden layers through which data is processed to recognise increasingly complex patterns, make connections, and consider different inputs for optimal results.
- Natural language processing: This is when computers are taught to understand and produce written and spoken language like humans. It helps computers analyse text and voice data, and extract information from it. It’s often used for virtual assistants, like Siri or Alexa, or Bromcom’s voice assistant.
- Computer vision: This is the application of machine learning to process raw images, videos, and visual media, and then extract information from them. It is often used for image recognition and classification, and object detection.
To learn more about AI including the different types of AI and use cases, click here.
9 ideas for using AI in your school
There are countless possibilities for how teachers and school staff could use AI tools to streamline their processes, better support students, and ultimately improve attainment. But today, let’s just go through some of the most popular and impactful uses of AI.
Personalised learning platforms
Algorithms can be used by learning tools to create resources and tests tailored specifically to an individual’s specific abilities. As student performance data is reported, it can be analysed to optimise the sequencing, difficulty, and pace of learning for each individual.
Tutoring systems
AI tutor chatbots provide the one-on-one learning experience that help some students excel. They can even detect gaps in knowledge and address them via targeted lessons and testing.
Task automation
AI can automate a range of everyday functions, from marking homework to generating attendance reports. By easing teacher and staff workload, this can make more time for supporting students.
Augmented reality and virtual reality
Create more immersive learning experiences for students via AR and VR with AI. By offering the opportunity for interactive and experiential learning, AI unlocks a much greater range of teaching methods that suit all students.
Assistive technology
Support students with disabilities and dyslexia with tools like speech recognition software that can instantly transcribe spoken words into text (and vice versa). Not only does this improve understanding, it also encourages participation with the class.
Data and learning analytics
Instantly analyse data and generate insights across a range of metrics for students across the school with AI. From classroom attendance, behaviour, and attainment to grades, identifying trends and opportunities to optimise student performance has never been easier.
Content generation
Whether you need a lesson plan, a quiz for students, or even a letter to send to parents, AI content generation tools can help. Simply give it a short prompt of what you want it to say, in what tone, and the message format, and it will write it for you.
The government recently published this paper on using generative AI in education – it covers the opportunities and challenges it presents for education, as well as guidance on using AI safely and responsibly.
Administrative support
AI technology can assist with the most time-consuming, challenging admin tasks like timetable creation and scheduling, budgeting, and resource allocation
Plagiarism detectors
Identify and prevent plagiarism with AI checkers that compare your student’s work with a database of academic content, ensuring submissions are fully original.
Want to learn more about using AI in the classroom?
Our upcoming AI in Education webinar series will give you the chance to learn more about how educators can use AI and explore how artificial intelligence enhances school management information systems (MIS) – from automating routine tasks to providing data-driven insights for better student outcomes.
Come join the first webinar – AI in Education: From Curiosity to Confidence – on Thursday 3rd April to get a comprehensive introduction to AI for educators and discover how AI can transform education. We will be hosting two more webinars throughout the spring which explore the future of AI in schools and where we should draw the line with it. Click here to register for the webinar.
About Bromcom AI
Bromcom MIS includes a range of advanced AI capabilities including content generation, data analytics, predictive analytics, automated reporting, and insight-led workflow, designed to streamline the running of a school and improve performance.
To find out more about our cloud-based MIS and Bromcom AI, and how they could benefit your establishment, book a discovery call with our team
