Educators have been inundated with AI apps, programs, websites, all proclaiming to be a teacher’s new best friend. District and school reactions range from preparing initiatives to burying their heads in the sand.
With so many options, how to choose? In the AI wild west, how can districts and technology coaches guide educators to the schoolhouse before they stumble into that saloon? How can you find AI apps with privacy policies and ethics in place over those that may not?
Here are some questions to consider when encountering a new AI tool:
- What is its purpose and value?
- How was it designed and developed?
- How is it implemented and used?
- How is it evaluated and improved?
- Does it have a privacy policy?
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every AI tool or every educational context. But by asking questions, it is possible to make informed choices.
So where to start? Below are some favorites, ones I use professionally AND personally.
In early 2023, I met 2 of the founders of Curipod, Eirik and Jens, and was greatly impressed by their mission and educational perspectives. Curipod.com allows users to use AI to create interactive presentations from scratch or from already created presentations. Import from PowerPoint or PDF. With translation features and many interactive tools, it is user-friendly with responsive customer support. An older teacher friend who is usually not comfortable with technology, was creating Curipods within 5 minutes of seeing it in action.
While on a high school campus, a teacher mentioned her class had just finished reading The Great Gatsby. I opened Curipod and, in less than a minute, had an interactive deck to use with her class. No student logins required. Just a join code. It was a hit and is definitely one of my new favorite sites. Learn more about Curipod on their YouTube channel. 🧡
Goblin.tools is great for personal and professional use. My colleague, Stephanie, introduced the site to me and I have been sharing it with others ever since, from elementary students to graduate students to family and friends. It is a free site with no login required. From the Magic To Do list to formalizer and judge for text, I have found many professional uses, but personally, the Chef comes in handy. Put in what ingredients you have and it shares a recipe you might make. 👩🍳
I have used Diffit.me to create article discussion activities for my graduate students. Diffit recently switched from all features are free to some for a limited time, but it is one of those sites I would consider paying for due to the differentiation possibilities and the discussion slides it generates based on text or an article link.
In both my jobs as an adjunct professor and technology trainer, I have found uses for my 3 final favorites (at least, for now!): Designer.Microsoft.com, SchoolAI.com, and MagicSchoolAI.com.
While there are several sites for generating AI images, one of my favorite free ones is Microsoft Designer. In fact, the graphic for this post was originally generated in Designer and then copied into Canva.com for a few more edits. One downside of Designer is that it doesn’t always spell correctly, even when you put a quote into it. Becky Keene created a Wakelet collection with some fun prompts that entertained my young family members for an hour, building themselves as Funko and action figures. Create images for inspiring writing. Learning to use adjectives and adverbs to provide details. A Microsoft account is required, but they are free. Here’s a referral link for extra space: https://bit.ly/365referral
SchoolAI.com has opportunities for students to interact with AI in a structured environment. Imagine 6th graders chatting about Ancient Egypt with King Tut or talking about the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Besides Spaces, check out the more than a dozen free tools such as the syllabus, lesson plan, and multiple choice quiz generators. Creating an account is free, but you can use many of the features without logging in.
MagicSchool.AI has more than 60 tools, but 3 stood out to me as a former elementary special education teacher and current special education professor: Accommodation Suggestion Generator, BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) Suggestion Generator, and IEP (Individual Education Plan/Program) Generator.
So is MagicSchool.AI the saloon or the schoolhouse? With my graduate students, we had a deep discussion about the ethics of having AI write an IEP. A colleague, however, helped put this in perspective. If someone would use AI and just copy/paste without reviewing/revising or using AI as the starting point, they might not write a good IEP anyway. Interesting thought, but a reminder that (hat tip to Stan Lee in early Spiderman 🕷️) with great power comes great responsibility.
Other AI on my list to explore include AI features built into Canva (free for educators!) and Merlyn Mind, an AI chat tool for the classroom that uses OER (Open Educational Resources) to inform its AI, which can also control your classroom equipment. Imagine telling Merlyn to open your PowerPoint on the history of the American Revolution on your ViewSonic Viewboard while you are in the back of the classroom assisting students.
AI is like the internet. It opens a world of possibilities, some good, some bad. Take your cue from Spiderman and use the power responsibly.
GK Techies 