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District AI task force proposes pilot work, professional development and public Tech 'Technanigans' event
Summary
The district’s AI task force summarized pilot work, staff professional development and a June 3 EdTech conference called 'Technanigans' focused on AI literacy; task force members urged staff training first, pilot use in classrooms, and development of guidance and guardrails for student use.
Kelly Sain, Chief Technology Officer, and members of the district’s AI task force briefed the board on emerging work to introduce artificial‑intelligence tools into classrooms, teacher practice and professional development.
Sain said the task force is focusing on three strands: guidance or policy (with an emphasis on the need for adaptable guidance rather than static policy), pilot classrooms and professional development. She announced a district‑hosted EdTech conference, titled Technanigans, scheduled for June 3 and featuring educational technology expert Matt Miller. The event will include classroom demonstrations and panels with educators and students.
Task force members who spoke included Anne Dewey (manager of EdTech and Digital Media Services), third‑grade teacher Mikaela Penick, principals Marky Ramirez and Jamie Lockwood, and digital‑literacy coordinator Sheena Kelly. Panelists emphasized teacher capacity as a first priority. “Before we get there, how do we make sure that staff are prepared to talk about AI literacy?” a consultant said during vendor discussion; Dewey and others urged training and hands‑on pilots so teachers can see classroom applications.
Panelists discussed vendor tools aimed at schools (notably MagicSchool, SchoolAI, NotebookLM and others), data‑privacy protections, the need to avoid feeding personally identifiable information into public large language models, and strategies teachers can use to set “guardrails” and classroom prompts that foster student thinking rather than replace it. Sheena Kelly described using NotebookLM as a curated, school‑vetted resource that can answer staff questions based only on district‑provided materials.
Board members asked about outreach to families and the community. Sain said staff will prioritize training for teachers and leaders before rolling out formal family sessions, then will host community events to explain guardrails and how the district is piloting responsible use. No formal policy vote was taken; the task force asked for the board’s continued engagement as pilot work and guidance development proceed.
