Teachers Learn First as Red Wing Students Prepare for a World With AI

Before students learn how to use artificial intelligence in new ways, Red Wing teachers are doing some learning of their own.

Across Red Wing Public Schools, staff are spending time with the same questions many families are asking. What can AI help students do? Where can it get in the way? How do students know whether information is accurate? What does responsible use look like in a classroom? What’s the difference between using AI to get help and using AI to “cheat”?

Those questions are now part of the district’s Flight Path 2030 work.

During the first year of Flight Path 2030, Red Wing teachers and staff took part in professional learning connected to AI, data, computing, and classroom instruction. Staff reviewed guidance for appropriate AI use and helped develop processes for evaluating new tools before they are used with students.

This behind-the-scenes work is important because students are already growing up in a world where AI is becoming easier to access. They may see it in search results, apps, writing tools, homework help, creative programs, and everyday technology. 

In Red Wing classrooms, the goal is to help students understand AI and know how to use the tools available to them ethically and appropriately.

A student might use AI to brainstorm an idea, organize information, or explore a question from a new angle. But the learning cannot stop there. Students still need to read carefully, check sources, explain their thinking, protect personal information, and decide whether the answer they received actually makes sense.

That is where Red Wing teachers come in.

Teachers know when a student needs a tool, when they need a challenge, and when they need to wrestle with an idea a little longer. They help students understand that technology can be useful without being trustworthy in every situation. They help students see that asking a better question is often more valuable than getting a faster answer.

Red Wing Public Schools has also taken steps to review tools before they are used widely with students. Through a review process, all technologies and AI tools are continually analyzed within the district. Students and families may see some changes as new tools are approved for use, or other tools are phased out. Red Wing Public Schools has also joined the SWWC Data Privacy Coalition to support careful review of tools used by staff or students.

For families, this means AI use in Red Wing schools is being approached with care.

Students will continue learning from teachers who know them, support them, and expect them to think for themselves. As new tools become part of the learning experience, strong academic expectations remain at the center of the classroom.

Flight Path 2030 is helping Red Wing Public Schools prepare students for a future in which technology will continue to evolve and be part of every career field. All Red Wing graduates will have opportunities to build digital fluency, understand data, use technology responsibly, and be prepared for the future ahead.