Campfire Session — Successful Flint Pilots (Americas + Europe)

Suggestions for running a successful pilot of Flint's AI in a school, complete with suggestions for setting up the pilot, encouraging continued use, and more.

Lulu Gao, Head of Teacher Experience at Flint | LinkedIn

Rolling out a new edtech product is hard enough, and on top of that AI has so much mystery and confusion attached to it. Most schools are still figuring out their strategy for meaningful and sustainable AI integration and really the most experienced schools have only been using AI for a year or two.

With what we do know, how can a pilot best be set up? What should metrics should schools be measuring? What promotes the most consistent usage both during and after the pilot? We answer these questions and more in this session.

This campfire covered:

Pilot structure recommendations
Methods for promoting continuing usage
Success stories from schools

Slides from the presentation can be found here.

Got more questions, comments, or feedback for this topic? Feel free to raise them within the Flint Community. The next session will cover the same topic, but with international schools in Asia and Oceania as the audience instead. We'll have some updated slides with additional suggestions as well based on feedback from this session.

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Introduction • 00:00

Lulu introduces the session and agenda.

Ice-breaking news • 01:01

Insights on AI adoption in schools were shared. A shift in questions from schools regarding AI usage was noted.
Concerns about the cost of AI tools for schools were discussed. The impact of pricing models from large companies on educational institutions was highlighted.
The rapid pace of innovation in AI tools was acknowledged. The uncertainty in selecting a product that will evolve with future needs was expressed.

Initial pilot structure • 05:05

Suggestions for pilot structure are provided. Diversity in teacher selection is emphasized.
Importance of teacher engagement in the pilot is discussed. Establishing communication and training is highlighted as crucial.
Training requirements for teachers are clarified. A guide for using Flint is mentioned as a helpful resource.
Concerns about AI literacy among teachers were expressed. Strategies for professional learning using Flint were discussed.
David shared experiences with Flint's rollout. Positive interactions with the platform led to increased teacher engagement.
Lulu Gao highlighted the importance of equitable access to AI tools. Excitement from students regarding technology usage was noted.
Insights about student training teachers are shared. Students demonstrate how to create prompts effectively.
Recommendations for selecting pilot teachers are provided. Emphasis is placed on choosing teachers with a flexible mindset.
Discussion about expanding Flint's usage beyond K-12 is initiated. Interest in including higher education lecturers is expressed.

Pilot goals and metrics • 23:01

The importance of pilot goals is emphasized. Two to three teachers should consistently use Flint for effective results.
Strategies for engaging hesitant teachers are discussed. Activities can be created for teachers to demonstrate Flint's value.
Insights on competitor tools are shared. Various educational technology tools are discussed.
Metrics for pilot programs are outlined. The importance of teacher feedback is emphasized.
Concerns regarding how other tools eventually set up paywalls is shared. A request for more flexible payment options is made.
Analytics chat features for generating reports are recommended. The ability to categorize activities by subject is highlighted.

Continuing usage • 35:53

Strategies for encouraging continued usage of Flint are shared.
Collaboration and communication among teachers is emphasized as a key method for increasing adoption.
Emphasizing support available to teachers is suggested.
Expanding perceptions is discussed. AI literacy training for teachers and students is cited as a way to promote and expand creativity of Flint use. The importance of understanding AI's limitations and benefits is highlighted. Keeping up with Flint's updates is also touched on.
Recurring meetings for teachers are emphasized. Lunch and learns are suggested as a way to engage educators.
Overall, patience and persistence will be necessary. To make an initial decision about the pilot, it would be best to ask yourself, "Does Flint offer a means for us to fully explore the possibilities of AI that we currently want to and will it grow with us as we grow?"

Shareout • 45:02

A pilot program's structure is shared, focusing on collaboration and research. Feedback mechanisms and teacher engagement strategies are outlined.
The importance of teacher enthusiasm is emphasized. One or two excited teachers can drive engagement.
Technical updates are discussed as crucial for successful use. Teachers are reminded to ensure devices are updated before using Flint.
Another successful pilot program is highlighted. One department's engagement led to broader student exposure to Flint.
A desire for earlier adoption of AI tools is expressed. Training sessions for teachers are planned for next year.
AI literacy lessons for both teachers and students are discussed. Integration of Flint into learning objectives is emphasized.
Resources for rolling out Flint are mentioned. Upcoming sessions focused on different regions are also highlighted.

Conclusion • 56:47

Upcoming campfire sessions were announced.
Lulu also shares QR codes for the Campfire Calendar and new Flint Community forum.