How AI-Powered Innovations Can Revolutionize School Technology Systems for the Digital Age

It’s no secret artificial intelligence may be the biggest technological advancement of the century. Still, many schools aren’t using it to the extent they should. If they did, they could revolutionize their current systems and bring themselves into the digital age.

Why Do Schools Need AI-Powered Innovations?

Most schools seem like they’re still stuck in the stone age. Luckily for them, they can replace their decades-old textbooks and outdated administrative systems with AI. They can use its crazy-powerful capabilities to bring themselves into the digital age.

Despite AI’s usefulness, less than 10% of schools have policies on it as of 2023. Most educators feel uncertain about it because it’s so new and has adapted quickly. They might not realize it, but the rapid technological advancements will leave them in the dust if they don’t act.

If you’re tech-savvy and aware of AI’s benefits, you likely want to incorporate it into your systems. In fact, 57% of IT departments think their schools should upgrade their current technology. You’d be wise to listen to them — after all, they’re their institutions’ reigning technology experts.

How Can AI Revolutionize School Technology Systems?

AI can revolutionize school technology systems by making them faster, more consistent, and more accurate. It can overhaul everything from scheduling to software to assistive devices.

1. Optimize bus routes

   
   

Most schools use clunky software or manual drawings to plot their bus routes. Even though those methods have held up over the years, nothing can adapt on the fly like AI. If you upgrade the system with machine learning technology, you can adapt to any road blockage or schedule change.

You could even power a vehicle directly with AI. For example, one city in India used significantly less fuel and got students home much faster after putting it into 15 buses. It helped them plan routes, optimize diesel use, and shrink tailpipe emissions.

2. Improve grading

   
   

While manual grading is a slog for teachers, there was no substantial progress in the area until AI came about. Since it can receive specialized training and rapidly process massive data sets, it’s the perfect technology for the job.

It can get through heaps of assignments with accuracy and speed — without human bias. Class clowns and disruptive students can rejoice at the fact they won’t be unfairly docked points for being general nuisances. Best of all, the IT department can program it with fun functions like plagiarism detection.

3. Upgrade assistive technology

   
   

Sometimes, students need some extra help in the classroom. Luckily, you can use AI to help people with vision, hearing, or learning impairments. For example, you can use it to read text aloud, translate words in real time, or build a custom lesson plan.

4. Boost classroom management

   
   

While you shouldn’t expect technology to replace teachers anytime soon — unless the AI takeover is successful — intelligent algorithms can already guide classrooms. They can take over most of the management duties humans usually handle.

More specifically, generative AI can create lesson plans, learning activities, and assignments. Alternatively, you could use ML to track someone’s progress and adjust their path to reflect their goals and capabilities.

5. Refine testing

   
   

Standardized testing — also known as the bane of every student’s existence — is far past due for an overhaul. Schools would benefit significantly from using the innovative power of AI to revolutionize their current test technology.

They could use natural-language processing during the grading process or generative technology to create personalized tests. Where standardization lets students fall through the gaps, AI-powered testing empowers and leads to greater success.

6. Improve utility use

   
   

Utility management might be on the less exciting end of AI innovation, but it’s essential nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, the powerhouse that is AI can simultaneously monitor electricity, water, and Wi-Fi school-wide. If anything goes wrong or breaks, you would immediately get an alert and be able to fix it before things get out of hand.

Also, AI can optimize utility use. For instance, one business saved over $356,000 and 3,400 megawatt-hours of energy by using it. If schools use it to track their electricity and water use, they stand to save thousands of dollars.

7. Enhance administrative systems

   
   

All those tedious administrative systems like payroll and scheduling could benefit from becoming AI-powered. ML technology can ensure records are accurate and manage everything autonomously. Plus, it reduces human error and bias in the process.

Best of all, it can adapt to changes and grow with the school with time — unlike traditional software that eventually becomes outdated. If you switch to AI-powered technology systems, you won’t need to upgrade for ages.

The Power of AI Could Revolutionize Education

AI has enough functions and applications to make your head spin if you think about it for too long. You could use it to revolutionize the entire education sector if you wanted to. If schools want to stop playing catch-up, they need to overhaul their current systems with AI-powered technology.

Sources:

1st Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/-hgJu2ykh4E

2nd Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/apP7443MXIQ

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-survey-less-10-schools-and-universities-have-formal-guidance-ai

https://www.ravennasolutions.com/blog/why-upgrade-your-schools-accounting-technology-today-3-questions-to-ask/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengalurus-school-bus-operators-rely-on-ai-technology-to-beat-traffic-blues/articleshow/94441288.cms

https://energydigital.com/articles/managing-utilities-leave-it-to-artificial-intelligence

https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/artificial-intelligence-education/

https://www2.ed.gov/documents/ai-report/ai-report.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666412722000137