STEAM is always a hot topic of interest for schools. That’s why I was intrigued by STEAM 4 Schools table in the Exhibit Hall at the Education Service Center, Region 9 event. There, I had the opportunity to chat with Henry Sandoval.

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Miguel: I’m at the Education Service Center Region 9 conference and I’m here with Henry Sandoval representing STEAM for Schools. Tell us a little bit about this. You say you’re a revolutionary collaborative AI platform. What does that mean?

A Teacher-Driven AI Platform

Henry Sandoval: Yes sir. We created this AI platform where we partner with teachers, so it’s a teacher-driven product. We use AI to create lesson plans for your students that are based on their interests. A teacher can go into the platform and input student interests, like whales, basketball, football, or the color blue.

Then, if a teacher is teaching ninth-grade biology, for example, they can select the specific TEKS standard they need to meet for that week or six-week period. We meet standards for all states, but being in Texas, you can select the biology standard you’re teaching. The platform will then generate a lesson plan around that student’s interest, whether it’s whales or basketball. The entire lesson plan is driven by what the student is interested in, which captivates them and makes them want to engage with the material.

This saves the teacher time. It takes about 20 minutes to create a full, TEKS-aligned lesson plan. On top of creating the lesson plan, it also creates quizzes with multiple-choice, long-answer, and short-answer questions, and it generates a PowerPoint for the teacher. It’s a one-stop shop for teachers to quickly create lesson plans that are interesting to their students and have everything they need, allowing them to focus on what they do best: inspiring and engaging their students.

What Sets STEAM for Schools Apart

Miguel: A lot of folks have access to a variety of AI tools. What do you think sets STEAM for Schools apart from other sites that can do similar things?

Henry Sandoval: That’s a great question. When you go to a tool like ChatGPT, it gives you a very broad, generic answer based on what others have asked. You don’t get what we call an “ethical classroom experience,” where the teacher is teaching what is expected for a particular standard.

We have built a curriculum into our system that pulls information directly relevant to what the teacher needs. I wouldn’t call it a closed-circuit AI, but we’ve filtered the information so teachers aren’t getting generic questions, answers, or scenarios. It is tested to ensure teachers get what they need to fully support the student experience.

How to Get Access

Miguel: Henry, thanks so much for sharing. If you could point people to one website or email, what would that be?

Henry Sandoval: Sure. They can go to STEAMforschools.ai. I’d also love to give a promo code because right now, we’re just trying to get this into classrooms for teachers to use. If you go in and type in “region9” as the promo code, you’ll get free access with up to 50 tokens, which allows you to make up to 50 lesson plans. We are looking for feedback from teachers on their experiences.

Miguel: So whether you’re in Region 9 or Region 20, just type in “region9” and that will be the promo code folks can use to get 50 credits?

Henry Sandoval: Absolutely, yes. That code will stay open through the rest of the summer, and you’ll be able to create lesson plans, build your classroom, and add your student interests.

Miguel: Fantastic. Henry, thank you so much for your time this morning and for sharing about STEAM for Schools.