She doesn’t have to wait for her teacher, Brittany Garcia, to give her feedback, because now a new artificial intelligence (AI) app called Snorkl can immediately check her work.
“I like to use Snorkl because it is something to do when you’re done with your work and problems to do about what we learned in math class,” said Lily, a fifth grader in Garcia’s class at Crockett Elementary School.
“Problems like adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, it will tell me how to improve my work and gives me a grade on my response like 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 with work shown,” Lily said.
Since AI arrived in the recent past, it has revolutionized many aspects of daily life. Physicians use it in operating rooms, businesses use it to conduct daily functions, and manufacturing facilities use it to improve efficiency and speed on assembly lines.
AI has also found all manner of applications in public schools. The Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District is using several AI apps like Snorkl to improve education.
“We are embracing AI,” said Shane Strubhart, assistant superintendent of community engagement and strategic partnerships.
“We knew at the onset that we had to take the initiative to learn how it was going to impact education,” he said. “Dr. Hruska led that charge over a year ago.”
Jessica Hruska is the director of innovative practices and library services.
“When we think about AI, it’s a necessary tool,” she said. “It is something that is our future. We understand that it is something that we need to prepare our kids to learn how to use ethically and powerfully for their future.”
In response to this new technology and its potential for education and its potential for abuse, the district began more than a year ago to develop what Hruska calls digital responsibility guidelines.
“Those guidelines are something that our design team helped create,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of research on how to use tech in the classroom. How does AI integrate that tech piece?”
The team also addressed digital wellness.
“How do we tackle digital citizenship, not only how we’re using it in the classroom but how to make sure we’re promoting balance of technology used in the classroom with other modalities of teaching that we know are proven practices as well as citizenship,” she said. “Are we teaching kids to be ethically sound using technology not only in the classroom but teaching them those rules that signify everyday life?”
As with any innovation, there is always a phase of disruption, Hruska said. AI is currently in that disruption phase.
The issues which have arisen with this innovation include how AI is being rolled out in education. There are many good things which come from AI, but there are still a great many variables.
“There are still a lot of variables being pushed out that have to be vetted,” she said. “That’s exactly what we’ve done. We have come up with approved AI tools for students and teachers that have been completely vetted. Because we know that there are many new ones that pop up every day, we’ve come up with a process to vet those and integrate those to our system.”
The application of vetted AI apps in classrooms seems to have enhanced the concept of interactive learning. Brittany Garcia, a teacher at Crockett Elementary, has used Snorkl to revolutionize schoolwork activities in her class.
“Me as the teacher, I’m the one that’s using the AI,” Garcia said. “I put out assignments, I plan them according to our higher quality instruction material. I tie in all the Eureka vocabulary with our AI.”
Eureka Math is a curriculum program for elementary and middle school students.
“When the kids get the prompts, they know they are going to have to get their grid paper, show their work, take pictures, record their voices. They write it down as a script and then they record themselves. When they’re done they click submit, AI grades it for them, and they get instant feedback.”
She also uses Snorkl for reading and language arts.
Her students seemed thrilled with the app and the new learning process.
“I love Snorkl!” declared fifth grader Mikenly Garcia.
“It’s the best thing ever,” Mikenly said. “Snorkl is a very good app because when we do use it, I get so excited. When I am done writing and finding the answer, it tells me feedback on how to fix my mistakes and when I read it, I go back and fix mistakes.”
Strubhart sang high praises for Hruska’s work in bringing this new innovation to the school district.
“She did such a great job that actually she had a huge sponsor that paid for an AI conference that we hosted,” he said. “She just got back from a Google conference that she was invited to for leaders. It had to be by invitation only, and it was because of the work that she has been leading in.”
© 2025 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
