Educational Technology
Department of Educational Technology
Welcome to the Educational Technology (EDTech) Office at the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, where innovation meets education. Our dedicated team is driven by a passion for leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences for students, educators, and the entire school community. With a focus on integrating cutting-edge tools, platforms, and strategies into the curriculum, we strive to empower students with the skills they need for success in the modern world.
_1753900405.jpg)
As the Director of Educational Technology, my primary mission is to ensure that our digital tools serve as a catalyst for student growth. While much of my role involves managing the complex operational side of our district, that work exists for one reason which is to create a safe, stable environment where transformative teaching and learning can flourish.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence represents a pivotal shift in education, creating both opportunities and responsibilities that require deliberate stewardship to integrate it safely, effectively, and responsibly in classrooms and within systems. We’ve recently created this guidebook to serve as an initial framework for implementation ensuring that AI aligns with our mission to provide high-quality, inclusive educational opportunities that inspire our community of learners. Our decisions are anchored in our core values of wellness, equity, and engagement, along with our Vision of a Graduate, and our district’s 2026-2031 strategic plan: AB Forward.
On the operational side, we are leveraging a recent Massachusetts cybersecurity grant to fortify our digital infrastructure. We have upgraded to a next-generation firewall and are transitioning toward a Zero Trust framework to ensure only verified users and secure devices can access our resources. By expanding multi-factor authentication, providing continuous staff training, and establishing district-wide incident response guidelines, we are keeping our students, staff, and data safer than ever.
Amy Bisiewicz,
Director of Educational Technology
What Is Generative AI?
Traditional AI
Is great at categorizing and predicting (e.g., "Is this email spam or not?" or "Based on your history, you’ll like this movie")
Generative AI (Gen AI)
Is great at creating (e.g., "Write a poem about a cat" or "Create an image of a futuristic school")
Tips for Talking with Kids About Gen AI
Take AI Test-Drives Together
Think of it like practicing driving before getting a license. Explore AI together to understand how it works.
Try this Activity
Work alongside your child to try a gen AI tool for something they'd actually use it for, like a fun creative project, or finding info about a hobby. This helps you both see the different ways AI can be useful.
Build Critical Thinking
Just like we teach kids to question social media, help them think critically about AI. Not all tools are trustworthy.
Activity: Check the Creator
Research who developed the AI tool. Discuss why knowing the creator matters when trusting the information.
Activity: Fact-Check Together
Have your child ask AI about a topic they know really well. Compare the AI's response with what they know to be true and identify any mistakes or gaps.
Understand Prompts & Wording
Generative AI tools aren't human. How you phrase things makes a big difference in getting accurate results.
Try this Activity
Ask your child to write a simple prompt, then slightly change the wording. (e.g., "Explain climate change" vs. "Explain how climate change affects animals"). Compare the responses and discuss the importance of being clear.
Key Terms to Know
Large language models (LLMs)
AI systems (like ChatGPT or Gemini) that analyze and create human-like text based on patterns learned from huge amounts of data.
Prompt
The instruction or question you give an AI to guide its response.
Chatbots
AI tools that can chat with you, answer questions, and help find information.
Deepfake
A fake video or image that looks real but has been digitally altered to mislead viewers.
Hallucinations
When AI makes something up that isn't true but presents it as fact (e.g., wrong dates or fake book titles).
Bias
Because AI learns from internet data, it can reflect patterns that favor certain viewpoints, potentially reinforcing harmful stereotypes or discriminatory content.