VoteWise Colorado: Playlab Case Study
Teacher Zach Kennelly and his senior Civics class set out to make voting more accessible for their parents and ended up improving voting for all of Colorado.
Overview
Teacher Zach Kennelly and his senior Civics class set out to make voting more accessible for their parents — and ended up improving voting for all of Colorado.
Creator
Zach Kennelly & Senior Civics Class
Role
Head of AI Pilot, Civics and AP Psychology Teacher
Audience
High School
Organization
DSST College View
Location
Denver, CO
"I think that in education the stakes are higher than ever. I think we're at a spot where not teaching kids about the tech, not giving them the space to direct where this world goes in terms of the age of AI, is the foundational misstep. And so I hope to be a part of that solution — we hope to be a part of that solution — of inviting more people into the conversation of how and what is to be done next."
Zach Kennelly teaches AP Psychology and Civics, so he's given a lot of thought to what it means to take students into the next generation as good citizens and good stewards. For him, this goal is inextricably tied to the power of technology, which is why he pushes to get safe AI building tools like Playlab into the classroom.
Opportunity
"It was very messy. Very messy in the best of ways..."
Zach understands that progress follows passion, so as he planned to launch a class-wide AI project with his senior Civics students, he knew they would have to embrace a little bit of chaos to define their group project. Each student built and pitched their own ideas to improve civic engagement. One idea found widespread support: an AI app that could help register citizens to vote and equip them with the meaningful information they need to do so.
Most of Zach's students come from households where English is a second language. Too frequently, they saw family members who felt intimidated by the voting process-and by the state's 122-page voting guide. The students wanted to build an app that could provide clear and actionable support for voting.
Students broke into agile teams to build parts of the app. They learned to collaborate across teams to ensure everything worked. "I'm no AI expert; I'm learning right alongside you. We might fail, and we might fail spectacularly," Zach told his class. "That really sparks kids. It's exciting."
When the app was first shared with friends and family outside the classroom, students learned they had a lot more work to do to ensure the various parts of the app were working smoothly together. The class jumped back in with enthusiasm and began to address its problems. With some help behind the scenes from Playlab and other professionals (and a well-timed suggestion to reach out to local radio stations), the app, called VoteWise Colorado, was rolled out to the entire state of Colorado in time for the November 2024 political race.
Zach makes sure his students understand that, while AI can be powerful, they are the true creators.
"When we position students to leverage that power, especially to tell some sort of story or solve some sort of problem, they feel ownership. When they feel a deep sense of ownership, they feel like they can create. We want to de-center AI. It is not about the AI."
Impact
More than 1,000 people used VoteWise ahead of the November 2024 election and more than 10,000 messages were sent through the app.
VoteWise helped real Colorado voters.
The student-built app engaged many first-time Colorado voters— including the school's new CEO, who had recently moved to the state.
Students gained confidence and a fresh perspective on their futures.
Many students discovered a new interest in AI, tech, or civic engagement and began to dream a little bigger.
Students (and others Coloradans) became more engaged citizens.
Students gained a more thorough understanding of the voting process and what it means to be a voter in America.
"I don't know what AI is going to become, but I know it's going to become."
Zach doesn't claim to be an expert in AI but he is a strong advocate for employing artificial intelligence in education, has built dozens of apps in Playlab and on other AI platforms. "No way can we send these kids to college without exploring AI. Especially knowing who they're going to compete against and what the world is going to be," he maintains. "What I'm finding is this incredible accelerant for me to be creative, and then really wanting to share that with kids and community. Playlab has made that possible."