I often get this question- I run an AI-powered college and career readiness platform with lots of automation to make counselors’, students’, and districts’ workflows much more efficient. However, the word “automation” has a negative connotation in education, more so than in other industries. When you mention automation in a school district (it depends on the culture of the community), it is as if you are not only destroying their entire Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid from the very bottom but also destroying their students’ future by taking away all the jobs. I get where the sentiment comes from.
My answer is yes and no. It depends on your job. Technology should change the way we work in a positive way. We all want our students to take the lead, learn and use cutting-edge technology, and be effective and current in the workforce. So why not model this type of behavior as an adult?
It is as simple as this: will you teach your students to do monotonous tasks like data entry or low-skilled functions that can be automated, hoping they can eventually add value to society in exchange for stable pay? I think the answer is no. So why should teachers or counselors hang on to “jobs” that can be automated? Counselors should focus on the future and gain the skill sets that machines can’t do. After earning, it would be better for our students to derive more value from each experience they have from a specialized entity. A simple example is that having a computer program handle error-checking for a graduation plan is way more efficient and error-free than having an overworked counselor go through a stack of papers late at night after a long day.
Now, I’d like to discuss the value concept and how that relates to the “no” part of my answer. I don’t think our partner districts are paying for our product. I fundamentally believe that people pay for products and services because of the value they can derive from them. The value of being in an education system extends far beyond the content you learn or the report card you receive. I truly believe in the phrase.
“We are all made of our experiences, and whether these experiences are online or offline, human interaction powers it,” I argue that teachers create the most important value by shaping and engaging students in these experiences. It is the most important part of the course planning example, and the program handles error checking. At the same time, counselors have meaningful discussions with studecounselorshy they choose courses and how that will impact their future. That experience will be much more beneficial for the counselor and the student than checking for graduation requirements ever could.
In short, humans are irreplaceable, but tasks and jobs are automatable. This technological evolution extends beyond the education industry, so we all need to learn to adapt, increase, and realize our value.
