Summary:

Join Dr. Jim as he explores the transformative power of AI in the K-12 education space with Dr. Brian Graham, Superintendent of Grand Island Central School District. Discover how AI tools are reshaping learning by enhancing critical thinking, reducing teacher workload through differentiated instruction, and overcoming challenges of integration in education. Dr. Graham shares insights on leveraging AI for improved student outcomes and maintaining educational integrity, even amidst change resistance. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the future of AI in education.

Key Takeaways:

• AI has the potential to revolutionize K-12 education by reducing manual workload and enhancing personalized learning experiences for students.
• Tools like Khanmigo utilize Socratic methods to tutor students, fostering critical thinking rather than spoon-feeding answers.
• Resistance to technology and change can be mitigated by demonstrating AI’s capacity to preserve educational quality and integrity.
• The integration of AI in educational settings supports differentiated instruction, helping teachers cater to diverse student needs efficiently.

Chapters:

00:00

Leveraging AI to Enhance K-12 Education

05:04

Leveraging AI to Enhance Reading Accessibility for Children

07:16

Finding Joy and Resilience in Educational Leadership

11:25

Grand Island's Unique Schools and Scenic Location

13:25

Balancing Innovation and Tradition in Educational Leadership

18:30

Integrating AI in Education Amid Privacy and Plagiarism Concerns

23:53

Balancing AI Integration and Genuine Learning in Education

24:31

Evolution of Study Aids from CliffNotes to Online Tools

25:21

Transforming Education Through AI and Critical Thinking Skills

29:59

AI Tools Revolutionizing Education Through Differentiated Learning

35:24

Leveraging AI Tools for Educational Efficiency and Innovation

39:23

Leveraging AI in K-12 Education for Enhanced Student Learning

Connect with Dr. Jim: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Connect with CT: linkedin.com/in/cheetung

Connect with Dr. Brian Graham: linkedin.com/in/brian-graham-ed-d

Music Credit: Shake it Up - Fesliyanstudios.com - David Renda



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What's interesting is that AI has massive potential to take a lot of the grunt work off of our plates and free us up for more high quality, high leverage work. We've seen this. Shift occur in a lot of private sector spaces. So the question becomes when we're thinking about the future of education and building the 21st century school.

How can the power of AI be leveraged in the K through 12 space so that teachers and administrators are focused more on high level, high leverage activities? That's the conversation and questions that we're going to be tackling today. So who's going to be guiding us through that discussion? Today we have Dr.

Dr. Graham is the host of two educational podcasts, achieving joy and mastery in public schools and inspiring Viking values. Dr. Graham is presented at two national conferences at the Curriculum Mapping Institute in 2008 and 2010. He's also presented at the National Middle School Conference in November of 2010, as well as the, NYSCOSS conference and the RTM superintendent forum, both in 2023.

So with all that being said, Brian, welcome to the show.

[00:02:02] Dr. Jim: I'm super excited to have you on it. I appreciate the the kind words. I think. That this is going to be a really interesting conversation on a number of different fronts, because I think this will be one of the first AI centered conversations that we've had in our podcast. So I'm looking forward to that.

But I think before we get into the meat and potatoes of this discussion, it's going to be important for the listeners to get to know. a little bit more about you and more specifically, some of those key moments in your career and life that shaped who you are as a leader and innovator today in the K through 12 space.

So why don't you share with us a little bit more about some of those critical moments in your career that impacted you?

And so I did that work for seven years and transitioned to the Board of Cooperative Education Services, which is called BOCES in New York State, did work there for two years. And then the pivotal moment in my career was. Becoming a special education teacher at the Alden Central School District, where we had an innovative principal, Tom Lyons, who just did a fantastic job in encouraging teachers to grow every day.

And collecting that information digitally, as we all know, [00:04:00] is a commonplace now. So we're using HyperStudio and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. And for children with severe physical disabilities, we're using adaptive switches so that they could have control over their lives. That's a control for the quality of life, vocational control, and academic control.

And that was an exciting time to really have a principal in Tom who said, yes, I will get that for you. Yes. Let's try that. And that was a turning point in my passion for integrating technology into the classroom.

To some of the emerging technologies and how that could potentially shape education in general and special education in particular. What are some of the things that you're keeping your eyes on that you feel that other administrators and education leaders should have [00:05:00] on their radar when it comes to serving better serving their entire student body?

But what I started to recognize immediately was that it could level text. So if we just start there, being able to take dense Text and inserted into an AI tool and have that AI tool level it to the readability level, the independent readability level of Children is a remarkable accomplishment. If that's the only thing you do, I would encourage you just to experiment with that immediately because, as We work with children who have reading disabilities, dyslexia, and one of the challenges is providing them with text that's dense and allowing [00:06:00] them to read at that grade level.

Although the struggle is that their read, their grade level readability may be two, three, four grade levels below. So being able to take dense text and ask it to level it to, for a seventh grader and level it to third or fourth grade text is remarkable. Keeping all the content similar, but then providing that content in an easier, more manageable way for children to digest the content and be doing work alongside their peers at their grade level.

So that is the first thing that I started to experiment with as it relates to chat GPT and some other tools.

That, that's that's something that I resonate with. One of the other things that I'm interested in understanding a little bit more about has to do with your background. Now, the shelf life of typical superintendents is usually two to three years. When you think about your staying power in the district, what do you attribute that to?

The amazing students, their parents, the teachers, the staff, our school related professionals who give of themselves every day, right? Our administrators and our board of education. When you can grow a [00:08:00] culture where we're celebrating what's, all the good that's happening all around us, it makes those challenges that come up naturally as well, much more easy to manage.

So I think I'm very blessed, to recognize all the good that goes on around us, and then from there, building a team. That's moving in the same direction. We're all working to inspire our children to achieve their greatest potential. And when you all focus on those things some of the obstacles or barriers are easier managed.

heaped onto districts in general that makes Front the life of frontline educators very difficult makes the life of principals and [00:09:00] administrators very difficult So when you look at the circumstances on the ground and you pair it against finding joy in what you do How have you embedded that at the cultural level across the district so that people are not getting?

beaten down By some of the things that they hear around them coming from the general public that doesn't really know or understand the work that's being done on the front lines.

The world had become quickly polarized and to your point that That occurred everywhere, all across the United States and here in Grand Island as well. So the key to that success in being able to move and [00:10:00] provide high quality education for students in a time where COVID was there, the key to that Was communication and teamwork and collaborating with each other developing plans so that we can mitigate some of those challenges and celebrate really what's great about public education and yet acknowledge that we're not perfect and we're always continuously improving and growing every day.

It also helped Jim, that my own child was attending here at Grand Island High School. So everything my child was experiencing, everything that I was experiencing as a superintendent was not only part of my life professionally, but part of my life personally. Personally and throughout my family.

To do the best possible job that we can.

[00:11:25] Dr. Brian Graham: Grand Island, New York is located about 15 minutes north of Buffalo and 15 minutes south of Niagara Falls. So we're literally nestled and surrounded by the Niagara River. And if you know anything about our area Lake Erie flows into Niagara River flows and goes over the Niagara Falls, and then it deposits into Lake Ontario.

And yet it's just a fantastic place to raise your family. So that's grand Island and we have 2, 800 students in our school system. And we have five different schools. We have a primary school, which is very unique. It's a K one. K 1 building with Universal Pre Kindergarten as well. I have about 480 children in that primary center.

And then those children branch off either to the north end, which is our Huth Road Elementary, or the south end, which is our Kegelbein Elementary School. And those schools are grades two through five. And then, of course, everybody comes back together for middle school, which is grades six through eight, and our high school, nine through twelve.

I was marching in the parade and I said hello to one of the citizens and this particular person said, Hey, we're so great to have you. But just as long as you don't make any changes. So I think Mhm. If we're always going to strive to continuously improve and grow, change is part of that equation.

So helping our community understand that and see that has helped us be successful in, in, in our journey, working with kids.

So when you start hearing about [00:14:00] resistance to change, how did that shape your sort of plans and initiatives when it comes to transforming a district?

You're willing to experience changes because you trust in that process and you trust in that philosophy. And so that's something that's happening right now. In September, we started and with Con Amigo, which is an artificial intelligent tutor for every student in our high school.

[00:15:03] Dr. Jim: One of the interesting things about this change conversation that we're having is that I tend to see a couple of different flavors that districts take from a philosophy perspective.

One, Is on one end, you have this this tendency to stick with what works and really be slow to innovate. And then on the other end of the spectrum, you have this tendency to go with the latest fad or the latest innovation that people seem to be talking about. So it becomes difficult to build consistency.

Or innovation, depending on what bucket you tend to fall in. So when you look at both of those polar opposites, how did you figure out what the right balance was for your district?

Mom and dad come and sit with the teacher. So if you're the English teacher, Jim, they meet with you. And then 15 minutes later, they're with me for math. And then the next teacher, we, I wanted to blow that up and start over and think about it from the lens of a student and how cool would it be if the student and the parents came to the conference and the student led the conversation of their learning through a portfolio approach.

Jim, boy, that, that idea did not resonate well with the people I was working with at that school because it was so dramatic and it was such a major change in the way uh, schools operate it. But I will say that over time faculty meetings, reading literature about it. Approach like that and having a team pilot that approach, boy, that really helped move that initiative forward.

And then sometimes the approach just needs a leader to say, Hey, we're moving in this direction. Let's get started. What's the best way to get started so that it benefits our kids immediately? And I think that's a leader can understand that it's okay to wait a little bit. And grow and follow a trustful process.

And then there are times where we need to really dive in because this is really what's best for kids.

So how did you get [00:18:00] line of sight into the effectiveness of these new programs or initiatives that you took on?

And I said if a child didn't put their portfolio together with guidance and love and support from their teachers, that communicates the need for more services, more interventions for the child. So it was having those deep conversations that moved one initiative forward and then with respect to integrating A.

So every child has a Chromebook, they can access their AI tutor at any time. And when you have gone through what we all went through with COVID and switching to digital learning and, video conferencing with kids our teachers elevated their technology skills faster than ever before.

So each initiative is a little different in how you move things forward. But this one, boy, I'm so impressed with how our teachers have embraced this tool and it is going to take a little bit for more and more students to embrace [00:20:00] it. And I would say, Jim, the biggest reason is they don't like that.

Conmigo uses a Socratic approach to coaching and tutoring them. They want chat GPT to tell them the answer. So having this tool that slows things down and teaches them a process and a way to get to a better understanding is. Much so much better educationally.

It's a it's at the bleeding edge of a lot of technology and you've seen private the private sector space adopted in a number of different ways. But the private sector in the K 12 space are completely different animals. So what do you think has been some of the hesitance in the K through 12 space and adopting more AI technology and embedding that into the day to day?

There's no doubt that is a fear and that's a barrier or obstacle when we're talking about integrating AI into classrooms. I think the second obstacle was the power that people saw of chat GPT. Writing a 500 word essay comparing and contrasting Socrates and Plato in a second or in two seconds when people saw that they were naturally frightened about plagiarism.

So all of those things Immediately have educators saying, Whoa, wait a minute. Whoa we're going to ban chat GPT. We're going to stop this because we're just afraid of it. I think to help overcome those obstacles is having a deeper understanding of what's happening behind the scenes having a deeper understanding that There are tools that A.

I. companies have created that protect the privacy, not unlike the tools we used before A. I. was evident. Here in New York State, we have a education law that we're required and the companies that we work with are required to sign off that they're going to protect student privacy. That's a law that we all have to follow.

We're worried about when AI became evident.

One. It doesn't actually teach you how to actually write and think and execute the task, but the other piece of it is that because it's churning out all this sort of stuff, if you're of the mindset to take a shortcut and just have somebody else do the work for you, you're also probably one of those people that isn't going to check the, That the actual truth of what spit out.

[00:24:10] Dr. Brian Graham: Boy, I love that. That is a absolutely perfect question. And I'm going to take us back a moment, just a moment, to when I was in school. And I would go to Walden Bookstore. I don't know if you had a Walden Bookstore in your local mall. But I would go to Walden Bookstore and I would buy something called Cliff Notes.

Have you ever heard of Cliff Notes?

[00:24:36] Dr. Brian Graham: And imagine a time before AI where kids could go and buy cliff notes and use the cliff notes to create, an essay on what the literature was all about that cliff notes evolved into spark notes, right? And spark notes has evolved even more through Wikipedia and other online tools that will give you information.

So this has been a part of our lives since the Guggenheim Press. And so we really have to keep that in perspective when we're working with Children. And I would say, Jim, probably the most exciting thing about AI is that it'll force our educators to think differently on how we measure learning.

When kids have to actually apply what they've learned, then it's taking them on a higher order of thinking so that now they can analyze. They can synthesize, and they can evaluate the information that they got from CliffNotes, SparkNotes, Wikipedia, or ChatGPT.

Tell me a little bit more [00:27:00] about how embedding that method into. Teaching and learning has driven some higher level outcomes from a student's perspective in terms of how they how they're capturing the the material.

So when you look at those elements and what our state is saying should be the portrait of a new graduate, it's really going to [00:28:00] move us away from just memorizing facts and producing products of learning that could be You know, written by chat. GPT. It's going to move us away and push us in a different direction so that kids are really showing us what critical thinking is all about.

Are they able to look at a couple different documents? Maybe one from an A. I. Source and another one from some other source and critically think about it. To analyze both documents, to synthesize the similarities and differences, comparing and contrasting, and then evaluating those documents to, to understand, are they coming with inherent biases?

And I think if we focus on that in classrooms, using tools like Conmigo and that Socratic method, kids will, Really begin to develop those skills in a way that they will be able to manage their world on what that world looks like in five or 10 years from now.

The nuances of all these different pieces of information and producing an output that's consistent with demonstrating what you've learned. So [00:30:00] that makes sense. I'm still a little fuzzy on how this can be implemented across a district. To take the load off of the educator team. So tell us a little bit more about how AI can actually lead to higher value work being done at the educator level.

In Conmigo. The teacher can ask Conmigo to help them develop a unit of instruction or a lesson plan. That is differentiated for his or her students. It sounds like you have a strong background in education. Some of the great thinkers in education [00:31:00] have been Wiggins and McTighe and their work in understanding by design and developing units of instruction that follow a process that they have developed.

They create it. You can ask AI to do that for you to give it the information. Say, Hey, I need the standards, the science standards for third grade. I need I want to create a unit of instruction. That's two weeks long and we're going to learn about. Butterflies. I want to make sure that it's differentiated for the students.

So I'm going to need to understand and pre assess the kids at the baseline. Where's their baseline knowledge before we start teaching that unit? And then given that baseline knowledge, how can it differentiate and create a personalized pathway for Children. Jim, you might, if you were a student in my classroom, you might have already learned about butterflies because your parents took you to the butterfly conservatory.

Super powerful. These ideas have been around education for a long time, but the AI tools will lift off that heavy work and make it easier to apply that work and in which case then create a more joyful experience as a teacher.

[00:32:56] Dr. Brian Graham: Yeah. And for our, your listeners today in your [00:33:00] audience they should look at carol Ann Tomlinson's work. She has written, she's probably the national guru the national educator in differentiating instruction. And when you try to apply her work, it's hard work.

This is hard work. And when you believe in that philosophy, And then you have AI tools that will make that hard work easier. Boy, it's a marriage, made in heaven. I would also say, and add this, that Conmigo and Magic School AI and School AI have other tools to assist individual teachers who specialize in special education.

Sometimes it's a challenge when we're working with kids who present to us behaviors that we don't necessarily understand the root cause of the behavior or the antecedent to why behaviors emerge in classrooms. These tools, without putting personal identifiable information in, you can describe behaviors.

So these tools are incredible and we're really just scratching the surface on what it can do.

[00:34:40] Dr. Brian Graham: Yeah, excellent. I use chat. Gbt. I pay for it. It's my own account. So I paid the 20 a month for that pro version. I also use Claude AI. And I pay my personal account for that. I also have perplexity, which is actually free because I [00:35:00] use a tool called the rabbit, which is a little orange retro looking tool.

It's an AI assistant and perplexity came free with that tool. And I use replight. com. So let me just talk to you about how an administrator can use these tools. We just recently received a PDF document from the state education department that was 300 pages long. Okay. I took half of that document and about 157 pages made it its own PDF and deposited that document into Claude.

Hours, right? Almost reading an entire book. So that's one way you can. I took the New York state region's exam in algebra and I put that PDF document into Claude. Okay. Claude AI. I asked Claude. To analyze the Regents document and just for your listeners, the New York State Regents test in algebra is a concluding test.

It's a benchmark test that every child in the state has to take, regardless of ability or disability, and that, different school districts use that as a benchmark for moving forward, right? I took that document and I asked Claude to identify the most frequently utilized. academic terms in the Regents exam.

To help kids have a better understanding from the first day of school, what are the most important vocabulary terms in algebra that you're going to be exposed to throughout the entire year. That was powerful. I showed that to some teachers and they couldn't believe how powerful that was. Then, wait till you hear this, Jim.

So if you're a new teacher, oh my goodness, what a powerful tool that is to support your work in curriculum. These are just some examples. I mentioned ReapLight and Clod. I've been using Clod and ReapLight to create educationally based games for students to explore. I just created a game. That is root word based, and I got to give my goddaughter, Emily, the credit for this.

She told me that as a reading teacher, she would love it if her students in middle school could read and understand the root words the traditional root words that are Greek and Latin based. I use those tools to create a game. It's gamified. There's a leaderboard and points and achievements and study study skills aspect of it.

And it'll be even easier than how I'm doing it today.

[00:39:38] Dr. Brian Graham: Of course it's new and we started in September and my principal and I meet monthly with a advisory council of students. We have four ninth, four 10th, four 11th and four 12th grade students. We meet monthly. And our main topic has been talking about Conmigo and how that's helpful.

So as with any new. Innovation, it's taking a little bit of time to see how the students are using the tool, but our teachers are modeling it particularly our teachers that help with academic intervention services, our teachers who have special education backgrounds. The children are being exposed to it, maybe more so than other kids, but we're hearing from other children who are taking advanced placement physics, advanced placement chemistry, that they're using it every day.

[00:41:02] Dr. Brian Graham: Yeah. First look to see if your district has a policy already. Some some school district districts have already adopted policies on how AI is used. They don't have to be so in depth and so restrictive, but to be Okay. Be aware of what your po your district has already adopted. And then from there work with your administrator to make sure that what you're doing in the classroom is appropriate, that you're not just purchasing something on your own that doesn't protect the privacy of kids.

So making sure that whatever a school district is doing that's protecting the privacy of the children and the teachers, it absolutely has to, and by law in New York State, it has to. So make sure that's. Done. We did a book study in the summer. So all of our administrators read Sal Khan's book, Brave New Words.

I do not work. I'm not a Khan Academy sales agent, but Khan Academy and Conmigo is the tool that people should be thinking about using. It's inexpensive. What first Khan Academy is free. And then the AI tool is very inexpensive per child. And I would say that it covers a lot of those fears for you to the point, Jim, that even if a child was talking to Conmigo and typing something inappropriate, Conmigo will make sure that the teacher is aware that Brian just typed something inappropriate.

So because it does things in a Socratic way, it coaches, nudges, and mentors kids, it has a rich library of tutorial videos that kids can access. I can't think of a better place to start than there.

[00:43:26] Dr. Brian Graham: Yeah, I'd be happy to help anybody that's interested. I also have a website. It's Brian S. Graham dot com so people can go to that or they can find me on linked in as well.

But in our conversation, the big thing that stood out to me is how you've been able to leverage AI as a teaching tool that doesn't give away the answers. And I think that's a critical element of what should be considered when we're thinking about how do we implement and embed AI as a. Student learning tool that can really take learning to a different level, and

that's one of the powerful aspects of this conversation that I really appreciate that you shared. So for those who are looking at embedding AI, I think certainly looking at how we can be. Leverage from a Socratic point of view is going to be a big big influence in how the conversation around AI is shaped.