Swampscott launches screen-free AI literacy courses with Overture
A new 'paper-and-pencil' program teaches youth and adults AI concepts without putting students in front of screens.
The Swampscott Recreation Department is partnering with AI literacy company Overture to launch a series of courses for youth and adults this fall. The program teaches the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and creative tool usage while intentionally keeping students away from screens.
Under Overture's "paper-and-pencil" model, students design their ideas and prompts on paper while instructors manage the technology. Teachers operate AI tools, including Google Gemini and Runway AI, to generate and display results for the class. The fall schedule includes an introduction to AI on Saturdays (Sept. 19 – Oct. 24), video game design on Fridays (Sept. 18 – Oct. 23), and movie making on Thursdays (Sept. 17 – Oct. 22). A dedicated course for adults also runs on Thursdays from Sept. 17 to Oct. 22.
This initiative arrives as the Swampscott school district develops its first comprehensive AI policy to balance technological innovation, privacy, and academic integrity. While the district has provided professional development for high school teachers, a gap remains in AI education for younger children. Overture's program fills this void by focusing on safety and literacy.
Beyond Swampscott, the program is available in Illinois and several other Massachusetts towns, including Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Everett, Cambridge, Lexington, Sudbury, Wayland, and Winchester. Christina O’Connor-Rice, Swampscott’s recreation program coordinator, noted this is the first time the town has worked with a company specializing in AI literacy to introduce the technology to residents in a safe manner.
The program addresses the tension between the ubiquity of AI in daily life—found in tools like YouTube and Alexa—and parental concerns regarding unsupervised AI use and excessive screen time. By decoupling conceptual learning from the device, the curriculum emphasizes human agency and critical thinking over passive technical consumption.
Aspen Buckingham, a co-founder of Overture, stated that the goal is for students to become "responsible AI users and critical thinkers and good teammates and creative writers and digital leaders." This approach shifts the focus from the machine's output to the student's creative process.
As AI continues to integrate into educational environments, the success of these screen-free pilots may influence how other districts approach early AI literacy. Observers will be watching how the Swampscott school district's forthcoming AI policy aligns with these community-based efforts to ensure students are prepared for a digital future without sacrificing developmental milestones.