Applications of AI for School teachers and children with special needs

Sofia Goel
School of Computer and Information
Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi, India

sofiagoel@gmail.com

Abstract.

One of the cutting-edge technologies that can now change every aspect of our social connections is artificial
intelligence (AI). AI in education has started to develop novel teaching and learning techniques that are
currently being evaluated in various forms. The stakeholders in the field of education will be able to understand
from this paper how much AI will be used in education and its anticipated advantages. This paper gives
examples of how AI is being used in school education by teachers. It also emphasises the tools of AI in
providing lectures to children with special needs and helping them to achieve sustainable development goals. In
addition, it highlights the types of projects that could be implemented at the school level. In this paper, we
present the role and potential of AI in present applications along with the issues and challenges associated with
school children's education. Finally, approaches to handle the challenges and their prospects are proposed. We
hope that the information collected here will help mentors and academicians to drive the digital world with
better understanding.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, education, learning, school, digital.

1. Introduction

One of the cutting-edge technologies that can now change every aspect of our social connections is artificial
intelligence. AI in education has started to develop novel teaching and learning techniques that are currently
being evaluated in various forms. The stakeholders in the sphere of education will be able to understand from
this work how much Artificial intelligence is the most promising field in the era of the fourth industrial
revolution. Digital technologies have already made the world small, and it has transitioned from connected
devices to connected humans [1]. The advancements in this area date back to Alan Turing's proposal of Turing
machine, which stated that artificial intelligence exists when humans are unable to distinguish between a human
response and a computer response. Applications for artificial intelligence include speech recognition, natural
language processing, expert systems, and machine vision/computer vision. A machine can analyse and
comprehend the visual environment by using computer vision.

Artificial intelligence is based on several models, such as Deep Learning, Machine Learning, and Neural
Networks. The modern arena of education has massively revolutionized and overturned in a digitally driven
world, one such technology that has slowly paved its way inside the world of education is artificial
intelligence.AI contributes significantly to the education world in various forms. Firstly, AI enabled hyper-
personalization to help in developing customized learning in an environment based on the ability to perform the
mode of learning and experience [2]. Secondly, the use of smart assistants (Amazon Alexa, Google Home,
Microsoft Cortana) and associated technologies offer significant potential to help students. Thirdly AI systems
can assist specially abled children with secondary tasks such as voice recognition, writing, drawing, and
sketching and provide personalized responses to the students facing problems in handling routine and repetitive
paperwork and dealing with academics and career-related matters[3]. AI-based analytics can help with academic
research within various disciplines and potentially transform day-to-day requirements to provide a richer and
simpler user experience. In this research paper, various tools and techniques are reviewed to give promising
solutions to the students to improve the learning process.

1.1 Framework of Artificial Intelligence

The term artificial intelligence was coined by McCarthy in the year 1956 who wrote, "Machines as simple as
thermostats can be said to have beliefs, and having beliefs seems to be a characteristic of most machines capable
of problem-solving performance." Artificial intelligence refers to technology that simulates human intelligence
and behaviour to think like humans and imitates human actions which are developed based on working
principles and technology [4]. Moreover, it can recognize, learn, and automate tasks without human command.
It aims primarily to make computer performance more comprehensive and cultivate intelligent patterns of
thinking linking humans to computers to make them smarter. Artificial intelligence technology framework can
be classified into four types of functionality as follows:

 Perception – is the capability of a machine to interpret data using sensors like cameras, microphones,
wireless signals, tactile sensors, etc. in a manner that is similar to the way humans interpret the signals and
further relate to the world around them. The basic method that the computers take in and respond to their
environment is through the attached hardware.
 Problem analysis – includes the formulation of the steps required to achieve goal which includes problem
identification, its action, transition and testing.
 Abstract knowledge – it is the ability of computer system to abstract knowledge from perception in one
domain and apply it to another.
 Experiential learning – The ability to continually learn from real-world data patterns and refine
perception and knowledge

Fig1. Framework of Artificial Intelligence

There are only a few things that forced transitions in the global field of education to change and are as listed
below [5].

• Adjustable Learning Environment

• New Opportunities

• Improved Efficiency

• AI-driven Education Platform

Artificial intelligence, with such changes in the education sector that enhances learning may be seen as one of
the emerging technologies.

2. Artificial Intelligence in School Education System

Artificial Intelligence is an all-encompassing branch of computing science to create systems that can function
independently and intelligently just like humans. It comprises neurons, structured like a human brain to copy
intelligence [6] [7]. It works in a similar fashion of learning from experiences, thus helping in prediction based
on previous reports generated. Artificial intelligence offers various benefits over conventional approaches used
in the education system [8]. AI can combine the bulk of data in a fast and efficient way and can perform
repetitive processing, which enables the software to process the data efficiently. Not only private sectors and
individuals are in the race of promoting artificial intelligence rather government has taken a big initiative to
implement AI in schools for education transformation. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has
recommended introducing contemporary subjects like Artificial Intelligence in the curriculum, at relevant
stages. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has initiated the process for the
preparation of a new National Curriculum Framework for School Education in pursuance of the NEP, 2020
during which the possibility of introducing an introductory course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at secondary
level would also be explored. Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced
Artificial Intelligence as a subject in class IX from session 2019-2020 and in Class XI from session 2020-2021
in their affiliated schools.

Artificial Intelligence has already been applied to education primarily in some tools that help develop skills and
testing systems. Artificial Intelligence can drive efficiency, personalization and streamline administrative tasks
of teachers providing time and freedom to have better understanding and adaptability [9]. By leveraging the
best attributes of machines and teachers, the vision for Artificial Intelligence is one where they work together
for the best outcome for students.

2.1 Role of AI for Teachers

Teachers play a vital role in driving a successful education system whether it is offline or online, the quality of
the lecturer heavily depends upon the mentor. Presently, many of us believe that AI is becoming a fear factor for
the teacher as it could replace them and could reduce the number of job opportunities in future. But this is just a
myth rather Machines are becoming more proficient at evaluating written exam responses to evaluate if they
effectively address the questions posed and are assisting in empowering teachers to create more customizable
lesson plans in less time. To identify areas where students' performance needs improvement, these tools can also
analyse the test and lesson results [10] [11]. The algorithm can offer adjustments to the curriculum and how the
lesson is taught if students repeatedly miss a question by a greater than usual percentage of the class.AI helps in
detecting emotions based on responses and child’s behaviour thus helps in proper guidance.AI is also becoming
a tool which acts an intelligent assistant for teachers in various ways like making notes, lesson plans,
personalised attention to students and complete administrative work in a fast and efficient manner. On listing we
find there are thousands of potential applications that free up time for teachers, ensure students receive the
intervention support they need and allow students to learn independently in a way that is conducive to how they
think. One of the major applications of AI for teachers is personalised learning for which there are following
two most commonly used products:

1. Intelligent tutoring system (ITS),

2. Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPA)

2.1.1 Intelligent tutoring system (ITS)

AI intelligent tutoring system is a computer-based learning system that uses artificial intelligence to provide
human-like lessons without a human teacher. It allows us to create a personalised learning experience that
provides immediate instruction and feedback to students, usually without human intervention. For example, in a
tutoring system to teach algorithms, the system will not only present the theory and its related examples rather
the system will ask questions to the students. Based on their understanding the system will be tested and trained
repeatedly to deliver the best solution[12]. This should then affect their learning so the students will be able to
solve problems in the related domain. Thus, an intelligent tutoring system looks into the insight of every student
acting as augmenting aids for teachers. To develop an ITS teachers require to provide the following data to the
machine:

 Previous subject knowledge: it includes the complete background knowledge of the subject being taught
including the teaching strategies, applied along with its learning outcomes and reasons of misunderstanding
of the concepts.
 Past experience: it plays an important role in gathering data about how students react with other students,
their class behaviour, how fast they learn, what actually students generally forget or find difficult to
understand. This can be information about students in general or about a particular student.
 Subject preference: includes about the importance of each topic and its desire for learning to achieve its
complete understanding and usability, ITS can mark the observations of a student's test results and its
interaction or repulsion with the system. Students may also ask questions and help for support.

Generally, a traditional tutoring system covers all aspects of teaching only, but an ITS is based on self-paced
learning which involves the smart ways of teaching by continuously tracking student progress and providing
next-step hints and practice problems that help students learn new skills. It will develop a shortcut; in which
they would attempt to demonstrate all possible ways of solving a problem. Thus it will be able to teach in
problem solving manner, not just how to solve a specific problem.

Another milestone of AI for teachers is Intelligent Process Automation(IPA)

2.1.2 Intelligent Process Automation

IPA is a wonderful application of AI that has the ability to organise and maintain information of the user like
emails, corrections of worksheets, report card generation, student grading etc. It can perform the most concierge
type of tasks based on Voice input. running on your phone, is now powerful enough to support a multitude of
educational activities. Learn while you're cleaning the dishes, raking the lawn, or anything else that keeps your
hands busy but doesn't require your full attention. There are a number of studies that look at specific
technologies in the context of engagement, including interactive whiteboards and social media tools such as
Twitter and Facebook[13]. Teachers themselves report that technology increases student engagement in their
classroom. A recent study asked teachers to describe an exemplary lesson utilizing technology; respondents
named everything from educational games to interactive writing exercises. A majority of those teachers reported
that their perceived level of student engagement was high during these classroom lessons.

More specific to the issues of this study, intelligent personal assistants could be implemented or accessed in a
number of different environments, including one-to-one computing environments (where students all have
access to a device, either during class or assigned to them for class and home use), bring-your-own-device
policies (where students utilize personal smartphones, tablets and/or laptops in the classroom environments), or
even labs of tablets or desktop/laptop computers.

Voice recognition and conversations to intelligent personal assistants are likely to become human-like with the
evolution of so-called natural language understanding (NLU).Connection to apps, databases and other Internet
resources could make intelligent personal assistants “crazy smart”.

2.1.3 How students can start learning Artificial Intelligence

The most fundamental step to developing any AI application is by learning some programming languages which
teach students to develop their algorithms and research existing ones. There are various programming languages
like Python, C++, Java and LISP etc., which can be learnt at the school level. These languages have powerful
libraries. For example, tensor flow and Scikit is used for machine learning workload and datasets. SciKit is used
to train the machine learning modules. PyTorch and R are used for natural language processing and computer
vision. CBSE has started the course on artificial intelligence.

3. Artificial Intelligence for physically challenged students

The main obstacle in the life of a physically challenged student is to obtain resources that are appropriate for
them It includes mainly viewing and reading. They are heavily dependent on others when they want to read
some articles and transfer that information successfully. Also, people with special needs face problems locating
public places like stores, restaurants, and hospitals. As a result, this presents a hurdle on their path. Many people
are working to overcome these issues. Scientists work on AI to develop applications which use a variety of tools
and techniques to make their lives liveable[14]. Traditionally one of the most famous applications developed for
visually challenged people was Braille counterpart. The Braille printer is a solution developed by Tsukuda et al.
that outputs Braille characters for the input text. It encountered a variety of difficulties, including time
constraints, costs, the inability to handle longer texts, etc. After Braille auditory design of resources was created
and attempted in reading. books in the form of Cassettes and tapes broke down from continuation spots for the
readers when they start reading. It has to be followed in order and one cannot get or divert back to the
continuation spot of the text. It was difficult to hear the text iteratively. Thus one or other resources were not
completely serving the needs of such people[15]. The introduction of AI-based applications has made their lives
much easier. In this paper, various latest tools are reviewed which are shown in the block diagram below:

Fig2. AI tools for physically challenged students.

3.1 AI applications for visually impaired people/blind:

Artificial intelligence is not only meant for people with knowledge of technology or for meritorious students
rather it is serving students in multipurpose applications. Here some of the tools are mentioned which are
specially designed for visually challenged people.

a. PeopleLens: One of the latest AI applications is PeopleLens. It is a platform that uses computer vision
algorithms to interpret images and videos and then translates that information into braille or audio output.
The PeopleLens platform consists of a wearable device and a cloud-based service. The device captures
images of the surrounding environment and sends them to the cloud-based service, where they are
processed by the machine learning algorithms. This information is then used to generate descriptions of the
surrounding environment sent back to the wearable device. With the help of peoplelens This information
can be in facial recognition, object recognition or Automatic Speaker Verification. This allows blind people
to engage more easily with their social surroundings.

Next, the invention of Smart glasses has optimised Artificial intelligence to assist the visually challenged.
Envision is a company which has introduced the latest smart glasses to help those who are having low or no
vision The fundamental principle of these smart glasses is to organize different types of information from visual
cues and verbally translate the information to the user. This enables the user to find missing items in the house
and identify objects and even in getting transport[7].

Another app called as Soundscape is very useful.It describes blind people their surroundings with audio 3D
technology. They can easily be aware of the points of interest near them and the intersections. Quite convenient
to enjoy the city.

Apart from these there are many more applications which are acting as powerful assistants like

a. VoiceOver: which is a screen reader directly integrated on iPhones. Although its main use is to
enunciate any email or textual message, VoiceOver also uses AI to describe apps icons, the battery
level and even in part images.
b. TalkBack: the equal of VoiceOver for Android smartphones. It enables users to fully use their
smartphones.
 c. Siri: iPhones virtual assistant. Thanks to voice control, users simply have to enunciate their request:
from doing a Google search or dictating a text message to send to a friend. People with a visual
impairment can easily use Siri and stay in touch with others.
d. Cortana: a virtual assistant created by Microsoft and implemented on Windows. It helps blind or
visually impaired users to navigate on their computer using simply their voice. In a sense, it’s similar to
Siri.
e. Google Assistant: an app activated by voice control. Users can easily set up an alarm or manage
their schedule, the same way as Siri.

3.2 AI applications for people with hearing problem/deaf:

There are number of applications which have made the life easy for people who have hearing problem. Among
which some of the most beneficial applications are listed below:

a. Ava: is an instant transcription app that uses AI to instantly transcribe the conversation of a group of
people. Its algorithm adds punctuation, the name of the person who is talking and the necessary
vocabulary from the user’s dictionary[6]. It’s a wonderful app for people with a hearing impairment to
communicate and follow a conversation with several people without lip-reading.
b. RogerVoice: is a new app that’s set to make calls for the people wo have hearing impairment. With a
powerful speech recognition system, the app transforms phone calls into a series of live instant
messages for the deaf user. It's automatic and it works in real time. The text translation appears in the
app at the same time as the person is speaking.

3.3 AI applications for people with physical disabilities:

a. Virtual assistants: Google Assistant, Google Voice Access, and Microsoft Siri are very powerful
tools that assist people with reduced mobility. People can use their smartphones by voice command.
Google Voice is specially designed for people with reduced dexterity.
b. IFTTT: IFTTT derives its name from the programming conditional statement “if this, then that.” It
provides a software platform that works like a single tool and offers the ultimate automation service
that manages all internet-connected things conveniently. The user just needs to join and create an
account on the IFTTT app or website to integrate all other applications. For example, suppose the user
has a smart bulb at his home, and he wants it to blink every time he receives an email, so it’s easily
doable with the IFTTT platform which especially helps people with hand mobility to integrate all their
day to-day tasks in an easy manner.
c. Voiceitt: Voiceitt’s new technology supports a larger and more dynamic vocabulary for people with
non-standard speech. Earlier speech delivered by such people was difficult to apprehend but this app
normalizes their speech to create an output of audio or text so that people with speech impediments can
still communicate with others and be understood [4].
d. Evelity: The first indoor wayfinding app for individuals with disabilities is called Evelity. It enables
simple navigation in intricate and crowded spaces like subway networks, colleges and universities,
commercial centres, and stadiums. Evelity provides detailed directions and functions like a GPS. It is
specifically designed to meet the demands and profile of each user:

In addition, AI enabled built-in library of idioms, slang and phrases that are unusually used for people with a
mental impairment. Machine learning mimics a browser, the same way it mimics humans, to automatically
adapt what’s on the screen and make it accessible for people with disabilities. Artificial intelligence technology
fully enhances accessibility and inclusion [3].

AI technology solutions enable people with disabilities to gain more autonomy and be comfortable in their own
homes. AI takes accessibility to the next level.

4. Summary of all tools of AI

The market for artificial intelligence (AI) in education reached $2 billion in 2021 and is projected to increase at
a rate of over 45% CAGR from 2022 to 2030. Rising investments in AI technology are likely to drive the
industry growth. Leaders in the digital economy and tech behemoths like Google, Amazon, and Apple are
driving investments in technology. They are jointly pouring billions of dollars into a variety of artificial
intelligence (AI) applications, from robotics to machine learning, virtual assistants, autonomous vehicles, and
computer vision to natural language processing. There are a variety of examples of how AI is being used in
education. Here is a list of some of these tools in summarized form given below:

Table 1. Tools of AI in school education

S.No Tools of AI in Role and importance of AI tools in

school education
1 Chatbots
2 Wolframalpha
education
 one can implement them in the school websites in order to clear queries regarding school
information/data.
 students can engage and can ask questions related to their studies. they can grasp the material much
quicker and for the teacher to pinpoint what they struggle at the most.
 an AI based program which can help solve problems related to mathematics,
science and technology, society and culture and everyday life
 If a student is having problem in finding solutions regarding school homework, real life problems,
depression etc.

3 Smartclass
 It is a very efficient tool used by teachers to teach students practically so that they can have a better
understanding of a concept.
 Nowadays almost every school has smart class and students are also able to grasp information quickly
which ultimately helps them in scoring good in their assessments.
Table 2. Learning Aids for Students with Special Needs

Learning Aids for Students with Special Needs

1 Otter voice  This app can create voice to text transcriptions in real time. It's a truly amazing AI based tool that
meeting notes makes it possible for students with hearing impairments to understand lectures and classes. this
app can also create detailed notes of a lecture or presentations for future reference.

2 Adobe Scanner  It is an AI based app which can be used by students to scan their school related files and later
upload them to services like google classroom for their teachers to view it.

3 Google classroom  It is an online app developed by google itself to help students interact with teachers, submit their
assignments etc. Students can submit their assignments to their teachers. This can help in distant
learning. This helps someone who cannot go to school for some reason.

4 Gradescope
 This AI tool enables students to assess each other while providing feedback, which are often time
consuming task without AI technology. It relies on a combination of machine leaning and AI to
make it easier to grade, which saves time and energy. Some features are:
 AI-assisted and manual question grouping
 Student-specific time extensions
 AI assisted grading
 Increased efficiency

5 Altitude Learning
 An online platform for professional learning, Altitude Learning is focused on learner-centered
education. Its main goal is to help students teach themselves through a self-learning educational
path. Its features are:
 “Learner-centered” model that enables self-learning
 Student-centered experiences
 Single destination where students and families access curricula, communicate, track student
progress, etc.

6 Knewton’s Alta
 It is a complete courseware solution that combines adaptive learning technology with openly
available content, which helps develop a personalized learning experience for each student.
features:
 Adaptive learning technology
 Personalized learning experiences
 Provides all required content for a course
 Multiple courses

7 Hugh Library  Hugh library is a voice-controlled one of the AI tools for education robots that helps library users
Assistant in finding the books in the library within a minute. These robots can move through the library and
are capable of taking the users to the location of the book.

5. Conclusion

In this paper, we have presented the meaning of AI and the parameters which make the AI model. Based on the
literature reviewed it is proved that 86% of educators state that technology, including AI, must be a vital
component of education. Thus AI enabling tools provide significant automation potential in education, with a
reduction of workload in clerical work and allow them to work with digital tools to improve the learning skills
of the students. Moreover, AI provides personalised learning to students by providing improved outcomes. In
addition, AI has significantly improved the learning process of especially abled students. Various applications
like Cortana, Siri, and Google Assistant not only made the day-to-day task easy but also acts as powerful tool
for their livelihood. Thus, AI is going to play an increasingly important role in education in the coming years,
and we need to start preparing for that now. It should be noted that careful planning of the AI framework for
education and training can deliver considerable benefits to educators, learners, parents and society. It is a reason
for considerable excitement and concerted intelligent endeavour. Thus AI when used in education will bring
changes to the entire ‘learning’ experience’. However, rapid technological developments inevitably bring
multiple risks and challenges, which have so far outpaced policy debates and regulatory frameworks thus a
constant balance needs to be maintained between the race of technology and human power so that everyone can
take the advantage of AI revolution.

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