In the United States, a startup found a way to get students to use generative artificial intelligence (the same as ChatGPT) not to “cheat” in assignments, but to master writing techniques, informs Fast Company.
The startup in question is Pressto, founded in 2021 by journalist Daniel Stedman. The idea actually came from his dissatisfaction with the way schools taught children to write.
From then on, the company thought about using artificial intelligence to create lesson plans for teachers and help students overcome the anguish of seeing a blank screen and not knowing where to start writing.
To achieve this, Pressto created a tool that offers clickable text blocks so that young people have a way to structure their ideas. Then, artificial intelligence suggests topics, offered in command boxes attractive to children.
An example: Pressto can generate topics for a text that compares two Pokémon (such as Wilbur and Pikachu). And everything students write is collected into a zine, which can be shared virtually and physically.
The tool also gives feedback on texts, praising what was done well or encouraging students with tips on how to write better.
More confidence in writing
Since it was launched in January 2023, Pressto's platform has been used by more than 1,300 teachers from almost 700 schools in the United States (and four other countries).
One such teacher, Todd Henry, says that even his less interested students in writing classes respond differently when they can write about what they want “in a medium that is 'cool,'” he says.
He uses AI to serve students at different learning levels and give more confidence to those who are afraid of writing — “especially older elementary school boys, who are generally reluctant to express feelings, opinions and thoughts,” he says.
