OpenAI Academy trains more than 220 Phoenix educators in practical ChatGPT use
The sixth K–12 Educator Jam of the summer covered IEP documentation, substitute lesson plans, classroom visuals and assessment-led student grouping
More than 220 educators attended OpenAI Academy’s sixth K–12 Educator Jam of the summer in Phoenix.
OpenAI Academy has delivered AI training to more than 220 educators in Phoenix, Arizona, showing teachers how ChatGPT could support tasks ranging from Individualized Education Program documentation to lesson planning.
The in-person event was the sixth stop in OpenAI Academy’s K–12 Educator Jam series this summer. Many participants had used ChatGPT before, according to OpenAI, but the session introduced them to features including skills, plugins and scheduled tasks.
The examples presented were demonstrations and proposed workflows rather than evidence of measured classroom or student outcomes. They did, however, show where teachers at the event saw potential for AI to assist with specific parts of their work.
Teachers test AI against everyday classroom tasks
One special education teacher explored how ChatGPT could support the drafting of Individualized Education Program documents and ease some of the associated paperwork.
A substitute teacher considered a different problem: preparing a lesson when the regular classroom teacher has left limited materials. The proposed workflow involved asking students what they were learning, then using that information to create a lesson plan with ChatGPT.
Educators also identified potential uses across grade levels and roles, including producing classroom visuals and anchor charts. OpenAI says the event demonstrated the safe and responsible use of its tools, although its account does not specify the guidance or safeguards covered during the session.
Assessment data informs student groups and interventions
Fourth-grade teacher Lindsey Thames demonstrated how prior spring assessment data could be used to form student groups and identify interventions at the beginning of the school year.
“It’s going to make a major difference in working with the kids in terms of planning and creating projects,” Thames said at the event.
OpenAI frames the examples as evidence of educators beginning to view ChatGPT as a working tool rather than solely as a source of information. The Phoenix session was delivered with The Walton Family Foundation, Vertex Education and Legacy Traditional Schools.
