Mullingar Community College pioneers AI tech in classroom
Use of Merlyn Mind at local school a national first
Mullingar Community College has announced that in early 2024, it will become the first school in the country to pilot the innovative Merlyn Mind Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in its classrooms.
This ground-breaking initiative is set to revolutionise the way students learn and educators teach, providing an advanced and personalised educational experience.
Last March, the ground-breaking work of a group of Mullingar Community College staff was acknowledged nationally when they were awarded the overall ‘Excellence in Education’ prize at the inaugural ETBI Awards in Croke Park.
Now with the scheduled introduction of Merlyn Mind’s AI technology, Mullingar Community College aims to further elevate the quality of education and set a new standard for modern learning environments nationwide.
At the push of a button, Merlyn’s generative AI creates lesson plans, grading rubrics, professional communication, assessments, and differentiated learning experiences.
Merlyn is the only AI solution offering safe and secure voice control of classroom technology. With Merlyn, Mullingar Community College teachers will be able to operate their computers, front-of-class display and internet applications from anywhere in the room via their voice or remote control, thus, freeing up the teacher to be among their students.
Through this pioneering technology, teachers can use their voice to control Merlyn’s AI chat experience, which means that during active instruction, teachers and students can tap into the power of generative AI to reward curiosity and foster higher-order thinking.
The opportunity to become the first Irish school, and one of the first in Europe, to pilot this technology, presented itself through a connection made by MCC teacher Joe Rayfus, while he was a panellist at the recent Learnovation 2024 Summit at the Aviva Stadium.
Joe, assistant principal and HSCL co-ordinator at Mullingar Community College, said: “The theme for this year’s Learnovation Summit was ‘Learner Disruption and Technology Evolution’, and I was invited to attend as a formal education panellist to discuss the role of technology in the classroom.
“It was at the summit that I met Jason Mayland, who had flown in from the USA to attend the event. Jason is the vice -president of Merlyn Mind and when he explained how his technology works, I saw the potential for its application in the Irish classroom. One week later, Jason and his colleague, Ian Nairn, flew back to Ireland to deliver a special presentation and demonstration of the Merlyn Mind AI to our staff.”
Seamus Mohan, principal of Mullingar Community College, expressed enthusiasm about the new endeavour: “We believe that technology can be a powerful tool to support teachers and students. Merlyn Minds technology will help us offer a more personalised and adaptive learning experience, which is essential in today’s rapidly evolving world.
“Mullingar Community College will be closely collaborating with US based AI experts, Merlyn Mind, throughout the pilot programme, to fine tune the technology and ensure it aligns with the school’s educational goals.”
Liz Lavery, the chief executive of the LWETB, said the new technology will be a “wonderful tool to support teachers and students in the future”.
Mullingar Community College is a co-educational post-primary school and part of Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board.