Using Technology to Engage Science Students

This headline has been all over my feed: “...AI tutor rockets student test scores..." Everyone take a deep breath. We’ve seen this before, and it’s not the educational breakthrough we crave. We’ve been on this ride for 15 years—it’s just “adaptive practice”. But, to be clear, adaptive practice IS great. Putting students in front of personalized learning tools like Khan Academy would be better than a traditional lecture-based approach. And, I think those tools have a significant place in the future of school. But, we've seen this hype before: adaptive learning tools promise miracles, yet most students won't care. Their motivation remains untouched. The core issue is simple: teenagers aren't robots. Adaptive practice, even AI-enhanced, often feels like more efficiently delivered broccoli—still bland, still something adults make them eat. Even reducing schoolwork to three streamlined hours doesn't address the deeper issue: it remains disconnected from students' personal interests, dreams, and sense of purpose. Without meaningful context, shorter periods of adaptive practice simply reduce boredom—they don't eliminate it. That bargain will win over some students, but most won’t budge. Teenagers want meaning, community, and relevance. They engage deeply when learning connects with their interests and real-world goals. Picture this: instead of isolated science homework, students explore "Colonizing Mars," learning chemistry by balancing equations essential for rocket propulsion and sustaining life. Suddenly, chemistry matters because it connects directly to their interests. They deeply feel WHY the learning matters. Contents should be repackaged to fit into interesting, real-world problems. Those problems then animate all the thinking and hard work behind enduring learning. This isn't hypothetical—it’s called "interdisciplinary, inquiry-based learning," the approach we've embraced at Sora Schools. Adaptive tools become powerful when integrated into meaningful, real-world contexts, transforming chores into meaningful experiences. True educational innovation won't come from yet another adaptive learning iteration. It demands a fundamental shift—connecting knowledge to contexts students genuinely care about. Until then, we'll keep spinning on this edtech merry-go-round.

95% of teens have smartphones, and half report being online "almost constantly" — a 24% increase in just a decade. The knee-jerk reaction? "Less screen time." But what if that's the wrong approach? Instead of "How do we reduce screen time?" perhaps we should be asking: "How do we transform screen time into something valuable?" At our tech schools across America, we've discovered that deliberate screen time can actually double learning speed. The data proves it: Our Brownsville school took kids from the 31st percentile to the 86th in just one year. The 5 Elements of Transformative Screen Time 1. Creation Over Consumption Our 3rd graders don't watch YouTube - they: • Produce news broadcasts • Build business plans with ChatGPT • Program self-driving cars and drones • Create school ambassador presentations 2. AI-Powered Personalization Every student gets a custom AI tutor that: • Adapts to their exact level • Adjusts material in real-time • Identifies knowledge gaps instantly • Tracks genuine mastery (not memorization) 3. Strategic Time Limits The secret is just 2 hours of focused tech learning daily. The rest is hands-on projects and real-world skills. This isn't theory—we've proven it across 10+ schools. 4. Building Status Through Contribution Research shows teens desperately need to feel competent and valuable. We transform passive scrolling into active creation, where students build real confidence through meaningful digital contributions. 5. Adult-Guided Innovation Parents and teachers don't just monitor—they collaborate: • Join coding projects • Review business plans • Guide content creation • Shape tech habits actively What have our results been? Students are more engaged, learning faster, and developing skills they'll actually use. The digital world isn't going away anytime soon. Traditional schools use tech to deliver the same old lectures. We use it to unleash potential. The challenge isn't screen time itself. It's teaching kids to use technology as a tool for growth instead of an escape from boredom. Because the next generation of entrepreneurs, creators, and innovators won't come from less screen time. They'll come from better screen time.

What if students could create their own science simulations with AI? I've been exploring how AI can help create interactive science simulations without writing any code. Using tools like Claude, I recently developed three simulations that bring complex concepts to life: wave interference patterns, flocking bird behavior, and sound wave propagation. These simulations do more than just look impressive. They actively challenge common student misconceptions about physics and biology. For instance, the sound wave visualization clearly shows how energy moves while molecules stay relatively stationary - a fundamental concept many learners struggle with. What excites me most is how this technology gives educators and learners creative superpowers. If a non-programmer like me can create accurate scientific simulations, imagine what students could build to demonstrate their understanding? Link in the comments for the full post with interactive simulations.