By a 4-3 margin, the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools on Monday approved an application from Unbound Academy to open a fully online school serving grades four through eight.  Unbound already operates a private school that uses its AI-dependent “2hr Learning” model in Texas and is currently applying to open similar schools in Arkansas and Utah.

Under the 2hr Learning model, students spend just two hours a day using personalized learning programs from companies like IXL and Khan Academy. “As students work through lessons on subjects like math, reading, and science, the AI system will analyze their responses, time spent on tasks, and even emotional cues to optimize the difficulty and presentation of content,” according to Unbound’s charter school application in Arizona. “This ensures that each student is consistently challenged at their optimal level, preventing boredom or frustration.”

Spending less time on traditional curriculum frees up the rest of students’ days for life-skill workshops that cover “financial literacy, public speaking, goal setting, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving,” according to the Arizona application.

  • w3dd1e@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    “Time for home economics! Today we learn to make pizza. Be sure to use plenty of glue on the dough so the cheese doesn’t slide off!”

  • childOfMagenta@lemm.ee
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    5 days ago

    “This ensures that each student is consistently challenged”.

    They will be challenged alright.

  • NutWrench@lemmy.ml
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    6 days ago

    And by “AI” they’ll just have the kids solve captchas for 2 hours.

    “Which one of these pictures is Jesus?” with pictures of:

    Bacon

    Swastika

    AR15

    Trump

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    5 days ago

    Great, one AI to set problems and another to solve them.

    Those kids are gonna get pretty good at Fortnite though.

  • kipo@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    the AI system will analyze their responses, time spent on tasks, and even emotional cues

    That means every student is going to be recorded with a camera and microphone? Is anyone else horrified by the fact that the AI software is going to be actively watching and listening to these kids?

    Or is it going to analyze typed responses only? (which is still creepy AF, btw)

  • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Online charter schools are horrifying. There is no expectation that the teacher know or understand the material they are teaching your child. High school is basically working through an online work book by yourself. Teachers use AI to “look up” answers they don’t know yourself.

    It’s hell.

  • Snapz@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    This seems like a great machine to create republican voters, purposefully undereducated and perpetually frightened - the school to joe rogan pipeline

    Arizona State Board for Charter Schools

    Imagine the AMAZING individuals that must make up this group.

    In its Arizona application, Unbound says its bold claims about how much its students will learn are based on the experiment it’s running on students in Texas, inspired by Elon Musk.

    The cancer that had metastasized to all systems

  • DNU@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I also think this sucks massively, yet the possibility of a well made curriculum focused on one Person dies sound enticing. So much less time wasted on stuff one child has no problems with vs another that’s just stuck at some logical step. Ofc no social interaction is such a big - it almost can’t be fixed.

  • paraphrand@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    My suspicion is students who understand the situation will try to game the system. Like they do with organic teachers, too.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      They already do with online charters. Teachers don’t know the material, they just spam AI generated essays and answers. Teacher work loads are so much that they don’t check the responses.

      • paraphrand@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I work in education. Grading is always a burden, yeah. Homework/activities often need to be designed for the students AND for grading load.