When I was in high school, I was never particularly gifted in science. I excelled in English and took as many arts classes as I could: choir, orchestra and music theory. I was a theater kid and president of the speech team.
So when it came to biology and chemistry classes, I muscled through the best I could and then pushed my grade over the edge in the extra-credit department. In my classes, there was usually an opportunity to boost your grade at the end of the semester by working on a creative project that showcased a science topic we’d learned in the last few months.
I wrote songs about protein synthesis and chemical bonding, and shot music videos to go along with them. It was fun! But it took a lot of work.
Now, with generative artificial intelligence, also known as AI, anybody with a phone or laptop can create a new science-y song in a matter of seconds. All you have to do is type in a prompt, and AI spits out new books, poems, songs, images and other content in the blink of an eye.
This new technology is taking the education world by storm. Teachers are using AI to write emails to parents, come up with new lesson plans and, yes, write songs to help kids remember crucial equations and scientific facts. They’re also committed to introducing AI to students in ethical, responsible ways that don’t compromise learning.
While this is all very exciting, my heart breaks a little thinking of the artsy kids like me who have been able to stand out in the past through their creativity. If everyone can make an AI-generated song about the digestive system, does that take away from the kid who writes one herself?
There are still a lot of questions about how to best use AI in schools − or whether to use it at all, in some cases. I learned a lot from our local educators while reporting for this story, and would love to hear your thoughts, too.
Office hours: Come say hi at your local library
Do you have a hot take on AI use in schools? Or is there another schools-related question or topic you’d like to share? Let me know.
You can find me at a local library once a week for public office hours. Here’s where I’ll be the rest of October:
- I’ll be at the Westwood Branch Library, located at 3345 Epworth Ave., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
- I’ll be at the Campbell County Cold Spring Branch Library, located at 3920 Alexandria Pike, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
- I’ll be at the Hyde Park Branch Library, located at 2747 Erie Ave., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
You can also reach me any time at memitchell@enquirer.com or message me on X, formerly known as Twitter.