Pictured: Christina DiMicelli, Pinkerton Academy’s Director of EdTech Learning & Growth, presented a keynote in the Oyster River Middle School’s Morse Recital Hall.
March has been an artificial intelligence (AI) focused month in Oyster River. On March 5, the ORCSD School Board adopted policy EHAG, its first generative AI-related policy. The new policy, available on the district website, defines the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI and a framework for the approval, adoption, and maintenance of generative AI tools and resources.
On March 13, ORCSD teachers and educators gathered in the Oyster River Middle School’s Morse Recital Hall to kick off a teacher workshop day focused on AI with keynote speaker, Pinkerton Academy Director of EdTech Learning & Growth, Christina DiMicelli.
DiMicelli’s presentation focused on the day-to-day applications of AI and the many ways it intersects not only with the realm of education, but in everyone’s life, the reality being that adults and students alike are already using AI out of the classroom. She suggested that an educator’s role is to help guide students through AI literacy frameworks while supporting academic honesty and integrity, and to recognize the importance of critical thinking when using generative AI.
After the keynote, attendees were invited to attend two workshops among a total of 17 different offerings. The workshops were offered by ORCSD teachers and educators who shared their knowledge with their peers.
Six Oyster River High School students also offered a total of four workshops: Bryce Pelletier-Taylor (“Building Stronger Foundations: AI Support for Learning Differences”), Diyashree Sridharan and Rayan Barakat (“Artificial Intelligence in Education: Foundation, Tools, and Ethics”), Caitlyn Plourde and Amalie Trump (“Unlocking AI for Students in the Classroom”), and Vivian Best (“Fostering Connection: Using MagicSchool to Individualize Coursework and Connect with Students”).
Thank you to our digital learning specialists Celeste Best, Sarah Curtin, Susan Leifer, Jade Terrill, and Accessibility Specialist Kristen Hughes for coordinating these learning opportunities.
Superintendent Shaps opened the teacher workshop day with an inspirational message highlighting the importance of adapting to students’ evolving needs in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
.png?mask=1)
ORHS junior Vivian Best presented a workshop called “Fostering Connection: Using Magic School to Individualize Coursework and Connect with Students.” Her mother, Digital Learning Specialist Celeste Best, also presented a workshop in a classroom next door.
.png?mask=1)
Special Education Teacher Heather Stanley presented “Using MagicSchool to Unlock Every Ready: Leveling, Summaries, and Scaffolds for all Learners.”
.png?mask=1)
Accessibility Specialist and High School Science Teacher Kristen Hughes presented “Prompt Lab: How to Get AI to Do What You Really Want.”
.png?mask=1)
A team from Moharimet (Marybeth Joosten, Renee Torr, and Sarah Curtin) co-presented “Getting Started with MagicSchool: Using AI to Work Smarter, Not Harder.”