Machines Like Us

Imagine a writing teacher being able to assign 24 essays a year to each student in her class -- and not having to worry about grading a single one. That's the promise of a new computer-based writing program that will be rolled out at six elementary schools and three middle schools in the Capistrano Unified School District early next year, funded by a $971,614 federal grant to improve technology and electronic learning resources.

"Students will create and submit a piece of writing to an artificial intelligence software program, and immediately the system sends back a score and suggestions for improvement," said Susan Holliday, educational technology director for Capistrano Unified. "We're really focusing on students learning and not just on the technology."

Read full story in Orange County Register