Roller coasters, poetry, and AI

Keeping classroom projects fresh for students year after year is time-consuming work. The complexity of designing learning experiences that simultaneously hit academic standards, demand higher-order thinking, and capture our students' attention prevents us from consistently creating more new projects. Trish Schreck is an Elementary Technology Lead Teacher who has always leaned toward project-based work. She also identifies as someone who likes to mix things up for her students each year. The idea of turning to an artificial intelligence platform that promises to save teachers time with lesson planning appealed to her greatly!

Trish and her fifth-grade team at Stony Creek Elementary recently used Magic School AI to re-design an annual classroom STEM project. Magic School AI was built with the mission "to help lighten the load, so teachers can save their energy for where they shine best—in the classroom, in front of students." She started with the Lesson Plan tool in Magic School and prompted the platform to generate a STEM project that matches the following state standards. 

3-5 ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5 ETS1-2  Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5 ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

The initial output wasn't quite what she had in mind, so Trish kept adjusting her prompt to reach a satisfactory project outline. Here is a bonus: Magic School maintains an output history, and she can revisit past versions as needed. Her fifth-grade team met on the February 14 eLearning day to finalize everything. The project also includes partnering with local business SMC Manufacturing, and the culminating learning celebration will be a Kings Island trip in May.

Trish has also used Magic School AI to enhance lessons to meet 5th-grade poetry theme and analysis standards. Again, she tweaked what Magic School AI generated to make it her own. When the initial lesson seemed a little bare, she asked for additional poems and learning activities. She also had Magic School generate quiz questions, which she later exported and pasted into Canvas Quizzes. I'm excited to check in with Trish this spring to learn how the roller coaster project went. But with Trish's gift for facilitating project-based work, I have no doubt the answer will be "a most fun ride!" 🎢

 
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach