Santa Rosa County District schools use AI tech to break language barriers in classrooms
By Hailey Samples
New technology is coming to Santa Rosa County District Schools, and it's tackling language barriers one conversation at a time.
It's a two-way communication device, using a artificial intelligence (AI) to translate conversations in real time. It communicates in 138 languages.
One county staff member says this all stemmed from a medical emergency with a student last year. The student's first language was not English and there was not a translator on campus.
Officials with the school district say this highlights a need for more inclusion and communication in the district.
Right now, school administrators are using the devices to communicate with parents whose first language may not be English. Staff members say this is just the beginning.
Santa Rosa County District Schools is finding a new solution to language barriers.
"I was a non-English speaker in the 1970s," said Gulf Breeze High School Assistant Principal Joe Trujillo. "I think this would have benefitted me at that point."
It almost looks like a cell phone. The handheld technology takes conversations to a whole new level. If you say a sentence in English, the device will automatically translate the phrase in the desired language.
The idea is for students to communicate with staff in times of need or to ask a homework question. Staff members say the county did research for devices that were military-friendly and make communication as easy as possible.
"It allows them to engage in curriculum in a meaningful way without having to fumble through Google," said Amy Parker Santa Rosa County School District coordinator of social studies and world languages.
Parker says students in the district speak 42 different languages, with Spanish and Russian being the top two. There are more than 400 English-learning students in the county's schools.
Trujillo says the new tool will be useful for kids, regardless of what language they speak.
"Even our English speakers could want to maybe speak another language," Trujillo said.
"This could probably bridge the gap for them," he said.
Trujillo says this device is critical for the school system but it's not perfect.
"AI will never replace a human being," said Beth Cunningham, the school district's special assignment teacher world languages. "So it might say something instead of 'I have asthma', it might pick up 'I have acne.'"
"So you do have to be in the moment and look at the context, and use it to the best of your ability," she said.
Cunningham says every day she sees the language barrier between students and staff. She says there's even more kids coming to the district with limited English.
In addition to the devices, administrators wear flash cards around their necks.
"They can communicate with the students, give simple instructions and make them feel safe and like they know what's happening," Parker said.
The county received a grant to purchase one device for each school in the district.
"If this one, $41 device helps us love, educate and prepare those students, then it's absolutely worth it," said Parker.
Parker says these devices are in their early phases. The staff says they hope to purchase even more of these devices in the future.