MassCue (Computer-Using Educators) and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents sponsored their annual fall conference at Gillette Stadium October 16 and 17. More than 2000 teachers, administrators, school board members and other education stakeholders attended. The conference theme this year was Beyond the Surface. It featured dozens of workshops, demonstrations and presentations by thought leaders and educators on how to enhance teaching and learning with technology. Eileen Wedegartner, Greg Cunningham and Mike Mino collaborated on a lecture/demo on JFY’s new AI Writing Assessment Tool. Eileen and Greg filed the following reports on the conference.
MassCUE Was a Win for All
AI proves an essential new tool for teachers
by Eileen Wedegartner
The MassCUE fall conference at Gillette Stadium was a unique and exciting experience. I’ve visited Gillette for Patriots games and concerts like U2, Pink Floyd and Taylor Swift, but this was my first time attending a professional convocation at the iconic venue. There’s something special about learning in a space where so many memorable events have occurred. It brought a new level of energy to the academic conference.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its transformative role in education reverberated throughout the many presentations. I had the privilege of presenting a session with my colleagues on the JFY Writing Assessment Tool, where we demonstrated how AI can enhance writing instruction by providing detailed, individualized feedback on student essays. The tool allows teachers to submit entire classes’ essays, offering timesaving, scalable feedback aligned with the state learning standards that underly MCAS. We demonstrated how we do batch uploads and assess a whole class of essays in a matter of minutes, freeing up teacher time to do individualized instruction and focus on iterative improvement in writing. Sharing the fruits of our collaborative efforts at this historic stadium was exciting. Beyond our presentation, the conference offered an impressive array of AI-focused sessions. One standout was the AI playground, an area where people could check out some of the ways teachers can use AI in the classroom to improve student performance, increase engagement, and coach all learners.
The conference revealed how rapidly AI is being woven into the fabric of education. AI isn’t just a futuristic fantasy: it’s here now, making real changes in how we assess, teach and interact with students. From cybersecurity to personalized learning tools, AI has the potential to reshape our educational landscape by making teaching and learning more efficient and more tailored to individual student needs.
Leaving the conference, I felt energized and optimistic about the future of AI, and of education. It’s an essential new implement in the teacher’s toolbox. Gillette Stadium represents a history of achievement on the field. This event brought us closer to realizing the potential achievement of this new technology for the classroom. It was a big win for teachers, for students, and for all the stakeholders in education. In other words, for everybody.
Eileen Wedegartner is a JFYNetWorks Blended Learning Specialist.
The Power of Collaboration
Two thousand points of light at Gillette Stadium
by Greg Cunningham
Last year, Gillette Stadium unveiled a new 22,000 square-foot video board inside the stadium. The sweeping parabola mimics the contours of the stadium and features HD quality video and images of any event taking place in the stadium.
Undiscernible by the naked eye are the millions of pixels, each 2.5 millimeters in diameter, that compose the board. If looked at individually, each pixel would emanate a beam of light of intense brightness but no recognizable form. Joined together, they create a cohesive image full of color, and vividness, presenting both entertainment and information for viewers.
I thought of these individual beams of light at the MassCue Fall Conference at the stadium this month, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, where more than 2000 teachers, administrators, presenters, and product and service vendors came together to share thoughts and information about technology in our schools. Each of these individuals serves as a beam of light in the world of education. When brought together a clear picture emerges of collaboration and cooperation
The conference functioned as an analogue to the colossal video board, creating compelling stories and connecting individuals, lending order to a gathering that otherwise could have looked like chaos. When so many like-minded people gather in one place, the real winners are the students who will benefit from the sharing of ideas and the exchange of information.
Free exchange of information and ideas is the heartbeat and bloodstream of education. It is an affirmation that we are all in this together to share best practices so that all our students receive sound, equitable education. Whether STEM or humanities, the MassCue conference provided fertile learning opportunities for all. When all the pixels shine their beams together, the collective radiance illuminates the power of collaboration.
Greg Cunningham is a JFYNetWorks Blended Learning Specialist. As a longtime Patriots fan, he has spent many hours at Gillette Stadium.
Other posts authored by Eileen can be found here.
Other posts authored by Greg can be found here.
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