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ASSIGNMENT
Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment. Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to this Module forum as a Reply to this post.Also, please respond to at least one other participant’s post in this forum.
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Wow! what a wealth of information that was in this module. The potential of all these tools and how they could really help in the education setting is amazing.
The tools that I really really liked were Diffit. Differentiation is more important in this day and age. . It will really help address time constraints for teachers in this regard. The scope for the EAL children was outstanding.
The powerpoints and presentation on Gamma were brilliant too. Gamma is something I will be using going forward.
Twee is an excellent find too! Fantastic for testing comprehension of work covered. Thank you so much for these excellent resources.The impact of such AI tools will have an unimaginable effect of schools today. It is so exciting as a teacher to see such tools, which will help transform school for the children who sit before us.
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Hi Clare,
As mooted, Diffit is definitely a standout tool for differentiation, especially when time is limited and learner needs are diverse. I agree that its potential for supporting EAL learners is particularly strong. Gamma too, with how it simplifies presentation design while keeping things visually engaging. Twee is another excellent tool, its ability to generate comprehension questions quickly is great for formative assessment. The range of tools in this module shows how AI can enhance teaching, learning and assessment and it certainly is exciting to think about how these can be adapted to suit different classroom contexts.
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This is such a great idea! Local history is something that is so important in an age where the world is more accessible than ever. Most towns and villages across Ireland have as many interesting stories and characters as any other place in the world! Using AI to help research and create presentations about localities for children is a great way to help them gain knowledge about their local area!
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I found this module both engaging and informative, offering a wide range of tools and ideas to explore. Two tools that stood out to me were Reading Coach and Gamma, both of which I’m keen to incorporate into my teaching this year to enhance learning and assessment. Reading Coach struck me as an incredibly practical and valuable resource—it listens to students read aloud, assesses their fluency, and identifies difficult words. This is especially useful given how challenging it can be to find individual time to assess every student’s reading.
Gamma also seems like a huge time-saver, helping to quickly generate age-appropriate, visually appealing presentations without having to spend hours searching online.
Overall, the impact of AI tools like these on teaching and learning could be hugely positive. Reducing the time spent on planning and resourcing means more time for direct student interaction and support—which is always a win. -
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Yes I think Diffit will prove to be a very useful tool for teachers, particularly when it comes to differentiating work for pupils. There can can be such a huge range of abilities within a particular class, Diffit will simplify the process when generating resources, assessment materials etc. It would be particularly useful in a multi grade setting also.
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Hi Clare,
I agree that this module was excellent with so many exciting things to try out. As you said differentiation is so important and Diffit makes it so easy at the click of a button. I also had a look at Gamma and again like you said the powerpoints generated in seconds is just brilliant. Like you I am excited to get using a range of the tools in September.
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There are so many options to choose from I really feel spoilt for choice. I look forward to investigation some of these during the holiday and generally playing around to get a feel for them (I am new to using AI in school). Content can be presented in so many ways and on different levels. This is encouraging for children who learn differently.
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Thanks for sharing your reflections, “fellow Clare”. I plan to trial Gamma and Twee, if possible, with a small group first to see how they might support teaching and learning in our own context. I’ll also look at how best to introduce these tools to staff in a manageable way, with clear examples and support. There’s great potential here, but the rollout needs to be practical and focused.
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There was a lot to take in in this Module and so many useful tools. Microsoft Reading Coach has huge potential and could be used to easily differentiate reading material for pupils. It is very difficult to ensure pupils receive adequate time for reading and to listen to them read. The fact that pupils can record their reading and receive personalised feedback, complete post reading challenges is extremely useful and certainly a tool I would love to use in the future. We use Google Apps in our school rather than Microsoft. I wonder is there a Google equivalent? Likewise with Microsoft Copilot, it can be challenging to communicate to pupils how important it is to use effective description and to include more detail in their writing. Microsoft copilot would be very effective if pupils were to input a description, see the outcome, and then see if they could create a more detailed picture. I think pupils would really enjoy using this tool and it would certainly help illustrate the importance of painting a clearer picture for the reader. It makes everything more visual for them and they can see the impact/end product of their descriptions once they input it in copilot.
Both Gamma and Diffit are tools which could save teachers a huge amount of time when it comes to resource creation. I could see myself using Gamma in the future for creating presentations and it could be a useful tool for pupils to present work to their peers also.
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I agree with you James that Microsoft reading Coach could be a very valuable resource to use in a school. It is difficult to have time to listen to children reading aloud, and the fact that the children can record themselves and then receive personalised feedback certainly seems very useful and beneficial.
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Hi Geraldine, I too would be interested in Microsoft Reading Coach as I find it challenging to find the time to hear 30 children reading aloud! I think it be be a nice situation where the children have accountability for their own reading and can self-asses in how far they have progressed in their reading throughout the academic year. I will certainly have to learn more about the App myself though!
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Hi James,
It’s right to say that there was a huge amount of content to take in during this module, with the same being true of many courses in this field. It is certainly one to save as a PDF and refer back to at different points in the year. I always find that there is only ever one or two things you can immediately take from any CPD session and implement – however, going back a few months later can jog my memory. With regards to Google, Gemini is the competitor and equivalent of CoPilot. Your school admin is likely to need to approve its use for school email address but this can be done by one click in the admin console.
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I felt exactly the same — my mind was genuinely blown away by how many AI tools are out there and the range of abilities they offer! It was a lot to take in, but so exciting at the same time. I was especially impressed by tools like Microsoft Reading Coach too. The idea that pupils can get instant, personalised feedback on their reading without always having to wait for teacher input is incredible — it really supports independent learning and differentiation in a way that’s practical for busy classrooms.
We use Google Apps in our school too, so I’ve also been wondering about equivalents. I know there are some Google Workspace extensions and tools like Read&Write for Google Chrome, but it would be great to explore more Google-based alternatives that can offer similar personalised learning experiences.I completely agree on Copilot – using it to show the impact of improved description in writing is such a clever way to bring visual, tangible feedback to pupils. I hadn’t thought of using it like that before, and now I really want to try it! And yes, Gamma and Diffit are such time savers! Honestly, I’ve already started playing around with Gamma for presentations and it’s so intuitive. I can absolutely see students using it too for sharing projects and developing their digital communication skills. This module has truly opened up a whole world of tools I didn’t even know existed — I’m feeling much more optimistic and curious now going into the new school year!
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Like Lina I am amazed by the variety and capability of AI apps. Thank you for highlighting so many in this module. They have the potential to simplify how we prepare and present lessons.
I like all the Microsoft Learning Accelerators. The Reading coach could be used in SET to support struggling readers. I like how it can be adapted to meet individual needs, can track progress and give feedback.
Search Coach could be engaged with as part of Media education. We utilise webwise resources every year when trying to teach children about the internet. I think the material in the Search Coach App could take this learning to another level by helping children to critically analyse what they see and hear online. I also believe that this app is as important for teachers as it is for students.
At a personal level I really enjoyed learning about Speech Coach and definitely see how it can help us all with our presentation skills.
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I agree James. Microsoft have zoned in on education for schools and offer great resources, especially for struggling learners but it can get complicated when you try to use their products outside of their own suite – fair enough I guess. Google don’t have the equivalent raft of dedicated tools but immersive reader is available on helpbird which can be downloaded as a google chrome extension.
Parents may have microsoft accounts though – so it could be something you set for homework, maybe….
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The idea of using CoPilot Image Creator was very interesting in this module. I loved the way the child was encouraged by the teacher to improve on the image by adding more descriptive words and adjectives to the prompt given. This would be an excellent lesson on introducing adjectives in a fun and more engaging way for the children rather than the traditional workbooks. I also think this image generator tool would be excellent for working on descriptions of characters in fictional writing. The children could write their own descriptions of the characters and see what image is produced. This would encourage editing also and a great way of extending the writing process in a more modern way. It is also a great idea to flip this idea and give the children the image first and they then need to write the prompt to match it.
I thought that Reading Coach was an excellent tool for using in the classroom. We don’t have kids Microsoft accounts unfortunately but I feel using this tool in SET would be fantastic on a one to one with some kids. It’s tailored to their levels and I love that you can pull out the practise words after. They would love the novelty of reading aloud too and the computer recording them for accuracy.
Speaker coach is a great tool when working on oral language skills. If the children were giving presentation orally they would love if speaker coach was turned on and gave them feedback. It is especially useful that you can use it with Powerpoint slides.
Twee is a brilliant resource for creating questions to text and videos and Gamma also seems to be very useful at making presentations.
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I agree, Anne Marie that Copilot would be a fantastic resource to use for creative writing. Encouraging the students to come up with descriptive prompts to create images and reversing the process by asking them to respond to a given image by describing it using detailed language would certainly be motivating.
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Really liked your thoughts on the CoPilot Image Creator. Such a fun way to get kids thinking about adjectives and character descriptions. Flipping it and getting them to write prompts from images is a great idea too. Totally agree that it makes writing feel a lot more modern and engaging.
Reading Coach sounds brilliant for one to one work, especially with SET. Shame about the Microsoft accounts, but the idea of it recording them reading is great for motivation and feedback.
Speaker Coach and its link with PowerPoint is a clever touch. Kids would definitely enjoy getting that kind of instant feedback. And yes, Twee and Gamma seem like handy tools for making class resources quicker and easier. All round, great tech ideas!
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This was another excellent module with plenty tools to help educators with teaching learning and assessment. Microsoft Reading coach looks like a really brilliant resource and something that under confident readers will really benefit from. It’s visual, personalised and children can be responsible for their own progress. The fact that it’s graded too is a good incentive for the children and it’s a resource that could be used in SET initially.
With so much irrelevant and sometimes inappropriate content on the internet now, Microsoft Search Coach is a superb tool in getting pupils into the habit of finding believable and accurate information online. This is something that I will be introducing when pupils are doing project work.
Magic School looks like another exciting resource that can make life a good bit easier for the teacher. It has IEP help, email compilers, feedback templates and so much more. This could save so much time within the hidden curriculum and gives the teacher more time to focus on the class.
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AI is already starting to change the way we teach and learn, and I think it’s only going to grow. Loved exploring the resources mentioned in this Module as I had only heard of Gamma-never explored it.
Part 1:
Two tools from this module that I would be interested in using are MagicSchool and Diffit. MagicSchool potentially could save so much time by helping create lesson plans and worksheets Diffit would be fantastic also -really handy for making differentiated engaging resources quickly.Part 2:
In the classroom, I can see these tools , really supporting both teaching and learning. I also love how Diffit can take a topic and instantly generate differentiated reading materials based on reading level—perfect for mixed-ability groups and for SESE subjects .It would take the stress out of trying to meet all children’s diverse needs all at once. Gamma is such a fast way to make presentations-I did need to edit a bit when exploring like suggested in the slides.Overall, these AI tools help cut down on admin and planning time, allowing focus on supporting students in the class, I really think these tools can make teaching more efficient and learning more inclusive if embraced and used effectively both now and into the future.
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There was a huge amount of learning in this module. I can definitely see myself using Diffit to develop resources for my SEN learners. I like how easy it is to modify and tailor to meet individual needs.
I can also see myself using Image Creator in SET to support oral language development, reading and writing. I really enjoyed the presentation material using Charlotte’s Web and can see how it can be applied at all age grades and expanded to account for capabilities and cultural diversity.
Gamma is a fantastic tool for helping to create presentations. This will really help me as I lead SSE within the school.
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Thanks for sharing your reflections—it’s great to hear how you’re already identifying practical ways to use the tools from this module! I completely agree with you about Diffit—it’s such a useful resource for creating differentiated materials quickly, especially for SEN learners who need tailored support to access content confidently. The fact that it allows for customisation really helps meet students where they are.
I also loved your idea of using Image Creator in SET to develop oral language skills. Visuals can be such a powerful prompt for storytelling, vocabulary building, and writing, especially for younger students or those learning English as an additional language. It’s also brilliant to hear how you connected it to cultural diversity—this could really open the door to more inclusive and engaging learning experiences.
And yes—Gamma is a game-changer for presentation work! I can imagine how helpful it’ll be for leading SSE projects. Looking forward to hearing how it all goes in your classroom
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There are two tools that I would find very useful in my classroom for the forthcoming year.
One being YouTube AI Translation. The reason for that being there are 10 people in my class that have English as an additional language. It can be used to break down language barriers and leave content accessible for all, whether in the classroom or at home (as it empowers the children how to use the it at home) . Using Twee then you can generate comprehension questions on the topic you have just watched on YouTube. This is a huge time-saving tool that can be used not just for the children with EAL but also for the whole classroom.
Another one that I would find useful in the classroom, is Diffit- particularly for science based lessons, for visual purposes e.g. life cycle of a chicken.
This would make teaching a lot more stimulating for all students in the classroom, learning a lot more fun (and accessible by breaking down language barriers). Assessment can come in the form of comprehension of what you are teaching while you have instant access to the answers making teaching, learning and assessment more efficient.
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Hi Daniel,
Thank you for sharing how you wish to use the selected AI tools. What has been great about the contributions on this forum is the variety of tools selected, with the primary reason being the desire to meet the needs of individual children. It is fair to say that tools like AI Translation for YouTube will be far more suitable in your context than in an classroom with no EAL learners.
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Part 1:
One way I can use AI tools from this module to improve my teaching is by using MagicSchool to quickly generate differentiated lesson materials tailored to a range of ability levels. This allows me to provide more targeted support to students without spending hours planning separate tasks. Another valuable tool is Immersive Reader, which supports learners with additional needs by making text more accessible—through features like text-to-speech, line focus, and background colour changes—improving their engagement and comprehension.
Part 2:
Reflecting on the potential classroom use of these tools and others from Module 3, it’s clear that AI can significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of teaching, learning, and assessment. Tools like MagicSchool not only streamline lesson planning but also make it easier to implement differentiated instruction, helping all learners access the curriculum more effectively. Similarly, Immersive Reader promotes inclusivity and independence for students with literacy challenges or learning differences. Other tools like MASH Plus and AI feedback generators offer exciting opportunities for formative assessment by providing real-time, personalised feedback that can inform both teaching and student reflection. The key impact going forward will be using AI to reduce teacher workload while increasing student engagement and progress. However, it’s important to maintain a balance—ensuring AI supports, rather than replaces, our professional judgement and the relational side of teaching. Used thoughtfully, these tools can truly enrich classroom practice.
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I feel that I would use Co-Pilot most effectively for teaching as it would support the planning and preparation of lesson plans. As I teach younger classes, I believe that for learning and assessment Magic School AI would be the most beneficial. It can create worksheets, multiple choice tests, social stories and word problems in maths. The creation of these resources with the use of AI will save valuable time, allowing teachers to produce a greater variety of materials for lessons and for the general classroom environment.
In the classroom, these tools could make learning more engaging and tailored to pupils’ needs. Co-Pilot could help ensure that lesson plans are well structured, while Magic School AI could provide resources that match pupils’ abilities and interests. Other AI tools from Module 3 such as Diffit for Teachers and Gamma, could further enhance creativity, efficiency and inclusivity, helping to provide more personalised and responsive teaching and assessment in the future.
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This module provided so many AI tools and platforms that can save so much time in the classroom. I was particularly interested in Diffit, as differentiation is something that I find so time consuming in the classroom. Being able to create worksheets to suits the needs of each child in minutes was invaluable. The endless resources included that can be tailored to the child is amazing. It would support the teacher in assessment of the child’s learning.
Another platform I will enjoy using is gamma. When I think of the amount of time I have spent trying to create powerpoints and this platform allows me to create in minutes. Allowing me extra time to make it as engaging as I can for children. I am already thinking it will help me create a welcome powerpoint entailing rules and expectation for the year ahead.
I am looking forward to showing my class reading coach and I think this will really help to get children more engaged in reading and developing reading skills. A lot of issues I found is finding books that were of interest to the child. I think reading coach will allow them to create fun stories that will be enjoyable for them to read. Children also love when they can unlock other characters and settings, especially in the younger classrooms. This could be a game changer for my class this year and I look forward to using it.
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Microsoft Reading Coach and Microsoft Search Coach
Both Microsoft Reading Coach and Microsoft Search Coach have lots of potential in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning as well as assessment in the classroom. Microsoft Reading Coach can support literacy development and improvement by providing individualised reading practice, immediate feedback on fluency as well as suggestions on improvement. This allows the students to work at their own pace. It helps teachers track their progress and suggests strategies. Microsoft Search Coach helps students develop their digital literacy and critical thinking stills by guiding them in evaluating online sources and forming effective search queries. This improves the students digital skills and helps them evaluate information in this digital age. These tools can also help teachers assess their students and track their students progress. These tools can help students not only gain confidence but also independence. There are a few issues to be considered though such as access to devices, digital literacy skills and ensuring safety online as well as the time students spend on devices.
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Hi Lisa. I am excited to use microsoft tools for teachers. I definitely see the need for the Search Coach. It is essential that we show kids where to get there info. I love the content around fact v opinion. And how langauge in the search affects what the search engine throws back at you. I agree about teh Reading Coach too. Glad I left this course until this late in the holidays. Finally, my procrastination has paid off.
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Hi Clare, I completely agree with you about Diffit being a brilliant tool for differentiation. Like you said, it’s such a time-saver and really helps with EAL children too. I also liked your point about Twee — I hadn’t thought of using it as much for comprehension, but you’re right, it would make checking understanding so much quicker. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
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I will definitely be using Diffit – it should save loads of time. It could be great to do topic work in history or geography. The presentation and speaker tools could also be used here. Fact checking AI could be used to verify and edit work. It is also important to encourage checking information and questioning it where applicable.
I really like the look of Magic school Maths story. A simple step like using the children’s names will make the problems more meaningful and fun. I could envisage using this for multiplication , division, data as well as time/ money topics. It could be applied in all sorts of ways to improve engagement.
I have set up some of these accounts so I’m ready to go in September and can experiment with them before then.
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The amount of times I’ve typed up my own problems with the children’s names! AI is a time saving tool without question. All we need now is time to spend exploring these tools. Love the facility too that we can differentiate these problems for the different groups in our class.
Like Inez said set up your account, explore and we will be ready for September.
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I completely agree Inez, I can already imagine how excited my class would be in seeing their names in their maths problems and I think it would also help them generate their own maths problems. This can really transform maths lesson regarding a topic that can cause such stress for children to be more engaging and fun and meaningful.
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I too love the scope that Diffit has for differentiation. I have a large 6th Class next year with 33 children and a variety of abilities so it will be vital to have tools such as this to ensure equal access to learning across the board. And the Youtube translator really makes it easier for EAL kids to access more subject-specific topics with difficult vocabulary and help them to expand their English learning whilst doing so.
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Hi Inez,
I agree that Diffit will be a very useful tool for teaching. I also think that fact-checking AI will be crucial as we begin to use these tools more frequently and more freely in our planning and preparation. I have heard of AI generating false information and I have experienced it myself when using ChatGPT to create cloze procedures, as it made several mistakes about the novel they were based on. It is a good reminder that while AI can save us time, we still need to review its output carefully.
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I will definitely be using Diffit – it should save loads of time. It could be great to do topic work in history or geography. The presentation and speaker tools could also be used here. Fact checking AI could be used to verify and edit work. It is also important to encourage checking information and questioning it where applicable.
I really like the look of Magic school Maths story. A simple step like using the children’s names will make the problems more meaningful and fun. I could envisage using this for multiplication , division, data as well as time/ money topics. It could be applied in all sorts of ways to improve engagement.
I have set up some of these accounts so I’m ready to go in September and can experiment with them before then.
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Claire, I agree Gamma looks very useful too. Any new ways of doing comprehension is always good so I will be looking into Twee for sure. They are sure to engage children especially as they can be differentiated more readily and children can work at their own level. I like the sound of the self assessment aspect of the reading coach which could really help encourage reluctant readers. They love anything with a ‘streak’ aspect which creates a challenge for them. Sorry my first post went up twice – site went down.
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Diffit sounds like a great resource for differentiation, particularly when class sizes are big and teachers are dealing with diverse needs. Reading Coach could be very useful to teachers, allowing them to listen to students read aloud. In doing so, teachers can assesses their fluency and find areas of difficulty. I find the day is so full that it can be difficult to find time to assess every student’s reading one-to-one so can really see the benefit of this tool.
I can see myself using MagicSchool in future for creating social stories in SET and word problems for numeracy groups. Gamma seems like a very useful resource for simplifying presentations and creating age-appropriate, visually appealing resources quickly. Twee seems like another great tool, allowing teachers to generate comprehension questions, which would be a very helpful assessment tool.
Module 3 demonstrated lots of examples of how AI can enhance teaching, learning and assessment.
These tools can help reduce the time spent on planning and creating appropriate resources and allow more time for teacher-student interaction and support.
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Part 1:
The tool I was most drawn to in this module was the Speaker Coach for assessment. I will have 6th Class in September and I would do a lot of work on the children creating projects and presenting them to the class who then given feedback as do I. I feel the speaker coach tool provides wonderful objective feedback in terms of pace, intonation, language, informal speech, filler words etc. allowing me as a teacher to focus on the learning/content and child’s knowledge of the content as well as the visual elements of the presentation. I find it very challenging to take notes and be present at these presentations as they happen so fast and there are 33 kids one after the next. I also think it would be very useful for kids when practicing their presentations as it will give them concrete tips to work on to improve.
The second tool I will use in my teaching is the Gamma app for generating Powerpoint presentations on topics. I find these help children to engage and keep lessons focused and ensure key information is shared. They do take time however and it would be great to get auto-generated presentations even as a framework to then edit and tailor to the class needs/interests.
For the second part of this assignment the tools that I would be most likely to use are Twee for Youtube video question generating, Maths School for personalised word problems in specific areas of Maths and Diffit to allow children with literacy difficulties to access the same content in subjects like history etc. at their own levels.
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Hi Vikki,
I completely agree with Speaker Coach for presentations and project work as it would allow the children to practise before presenting to the class. The ability of the Speaker Coach to provide feedback as they practise is great and it might even slow them down, clarify topics and encourage them to look up and take a breath. In my 5th and 6th classes, I have given the children opportunities to practise ahead of presentation day and require a specified time limit but they often just focus on reading their words within a time limit. I have also encouraged self-assessment and peer evaluations with 2 stars and wish but the real time aspect of the speaker coach is great and unbiased. I look forward to trying it with my class but I know not every device will have access as not all our school devices are made the same! I had to online search how to get it on my teacher laptop and we need a microsoft account with the school laptops don’t all have. I’m sure one device could be rotated but between your 33! Hope you have better IT than us.
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Thank you for sharing these thoughtful choices. I agree that Speaker Coach could really free you to focus on content while offering pupils clear, objective feedback on their delivery. Piloting it with a small group in 6th Class sounds like a great way to see its impact before rolling it out more widely.
I also like your plan to use Gamma for presentation frameworks—it makes sense to start with an auto‑generated outline and then tailor it to our pupils’ interests. Your combination of Twee, Maths School, and Diffit covers a broad range of needs, from comprehension to personalised maths challenges and literacy support.
As principal, I’d be happy to organise a short staff workshop where we can demo/play with these tools and share practical tips. This would help colleagues feel confident experimenting and ensure we have the structures in place—such as device access and training—to make these tools work effectively for our learners.
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Task 1
I would like to explore how Diffit can support EAL students in my classroom. One way I plan to use it is by creating leveled reading materials. For example, if we are covering a topic like the water cycle, I can input a relevant article or video transcript into Diffit and select a lower reading level.This can create a simplified version of the text, some key vocabulary with definitions, and basic comprehension questions. This makes the content more accessible and supports students’ language development alongside subject knowledge.
I also see value in using Diffit to scaffold writing tasks. Ideally I would like to work with the student and gain their input and ideas. For a topic such as “my favourite holiday,” I would take the students’ ideas and input a writing prompt and receive sentence starters, vocabulary support, and a graphic organiser. This structure will help EAL students express their ideas more confidently and clearly. Diffit can make it easier for me to differentiate tasks and support students who lack English proficiency.
Task 2
I work in AEN and am excited to integrate AI into my classroom, I see great potential in tools like Magic School, Microsoft Reading Coach, and Search Coach. I look forward to using the Magic School tools that can support planning. I would like to try using tiered questions to build fluency, reasoning and then problem solving. This will help me save time in differentiating more effectively. I’m particularly interested in using Microsoft Reading Coach to provide personalised reading support. We already use Readworks and I am interested in exploring the connection to help build reading fluency, comprehension and confidence. Search Coach is another tool I’m keen to explore. The class I support enjoys project work and I was looking for a solution to guide pupils in how to search safely and critically online. These skills are important and they will require practice to interpret information and present it in their own words, rather than copying. These AI tools can help me meet individual needs while encouraging more independence from the students.
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Part 1:
The Idea of image creating and descriptive writing – this is an excellent way to teach, encourage and improve adjectives and write descriptive passages. The idea of asking the class to input precise descriptions to achieve the same image is a great way to motivate and will definitely be something I will be doing.
Speaker coach is a great tool for improving presentations and debating.Part 2:
Accuracy in writing has always been an issue in my classroom with trying to find the balance between too much irrelevant information or not enough description. Using the prompts in AI will require the children to be more accurate and the idea of using an image creator AI and the children’s own prompts to match the writing to an image. This is an idea I will be using in my classroom. The Speaker coach will be a great support for project work presentations and debating. The new requirements for second level education and project work includes presentation elements and using speaker coach in my 6th class will be a great way of improving clarity and presentation skills and preparing them for secondary school.
The Math Story word problem generate is a great tool I will be using as our classrooms all have problem solving areas with a problem of the week and I found it challenging to find suitable problems based on the current topic in class. Being able to prompt what the AI tool to give exactly what we are looking at that week is awesome.
Twee is a brilliant tool for composing comprehension questions on a range of materials, would be great for getting questions on the children’s own compositions and checking for both comprehension and memory skills plus it gives answers. Will be using this too!
So many useful tools in this module that I will be using and hope will both improve my lessons and allow me more time.-
I really enjoyed reading your reflections—there are so many creative and practical ideas here! Using AI image generation to support descriptive writing is such a clever way to develop precise language and editing skills. I also love how you’re planning to use Speaker Coach to build confidence for presentations—especially for 6th class preparing for secondary school. The Math Story Generator is a fantastic solution for weekly problems and I agree that Twee will be brilliant for comprehension questions, especially on pupils’ own writing. It’s exciting to see how these tools can enhance learning and save time for teachers!
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Part 1:
There were so many amazing tools mentioned in Module 3 and I intend on exploring lots of them in more detail but I really liked Gamma and the Microsoft Learning Accelerators. I have spent so much time searching for powerpoints or making them from scratch so Gamma would save me so much time by creating the bones of the presentation. It can also be hard to find time to hear each child read so the Reading Coach would be a great tool to use. I love that it also gives the child feedback on their reading. I think the children would really enjoy using this tool.
Part 2:
Anything that can help with improving descriptive writing is well worth using. I loved the ideas for using Copilot Image Creator to enhance descriptive writing by encouraging children to add more detail to their writing in order to provide a more accurate image. In the past, I have asked my children to draw what a friend has described in their writing but this takes it a step further. It would also create a great sense of excitement for the children waiting to see what image AI will create for them. It really shows the importance of including lots of detail for the reader to really visualize what they are writing about. I also love the idea of showing the children the AI generated image and asking them to create the prompt for the image.
I found that Magic School looks like another great AI tool – I have already signed up for the free account! The Social Story tool would be amazing for any child who finds social scenarios difficult. In the past, I have spent so much time creating word problems with my children’s names in them so I will definitely be using the Maths Story tool in my teaching.
Finally, Twee looks like such an amazing tool for helping with reading comprehension. I love that you can even create questions based on YouTube videos!-
Stacey I have found thr amoun of children not reading outside of school context is growing and therefore they are not exposed to the same amount of creative language. By using the creative language to create the image it will benefit them greatly and they see how detailed the description needs to be.
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I use youtube and powerpoint a lot to support teaching in SESE, I will use Gamma and Twee to improve the presentation and student activities to assess these topics. I am looking forward to exploring them more. Diffit seems like a game changer being able to differentiate texts within seconds. I have an emerging reader within the house this summer so I’m going to play around with Microsoft reading coach to see how I can incorporate it into the classroom for next year.
Magic school looks like a great platform for the whole school to use to create pupil portfolios, last year I had a class who loved to sing and I just used it to generate a song about robins using a song they are already familiar with – Green Green Grass. There is plenty of scope in the one place there to help improve lessons and increase engagement and to assess. There is also a helpful lesson planner and a report comment generator. Out of all the tools I might chose this one to focus on first.
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Like you, I use PowerPoint often but find it time-consuming and the results sometimes underwhelming. That’s why I’m really looking forward to trying Gamma and Twee—both promise to streamline the process and create more engaging, interactive presentations with far less effort. They sound like real game-changers!
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Speaker coach is the tool I am most drawn to for use next year in my learning support role. I can already see the benefits as follows.Builds ConfidenceStudents can practice speaking privately before presenting in front of the class.Real-time feedback helps reduce anxiety by preparing them for public speaking.Supports Language DevelopmentGreat for English language learners or students with speech challenges.Helps improve vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency through regular practice.Encourages Self-ReflectionAI gives objective feedback in a kind, non-judgmental way. Magic tools is an amazing AI tool also. Will be spending my offline course time investigating the many tools mentioned here.
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Hi Orla,
I completely agree, Speaker Coach is such a powerful tool for building pupils’ confidence, and it really suits a learning support setting more than a mainstream class. One low-tech idea you might try next year is pairing SC sessions with a paper journal. After each practice, pupils could write down one thing they improved and one thing they’d like to work on. It’s a simple way to help them reflect and track progress alongside Speaker Coach’s AI feedback. Lastly. very much with you on Magic School, a tresure trove for teachers!
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Orla, I also agree with you that Speaker Coach is a very useful tool. I can see myself getting great use from it with my 4th class next year. There are so many benefits. Like you said, it builds student confidence by allowing students to practise presentations in private, reducing the pressure of speaking in front of others. It also enhances language and communication skills, especially for EAL pupils and students with speech or language challenges by helping improve pronunciation, fluency, tone and pacing through repeated, guided practice. Lastly, it’s easy to use and very accessible. It can be used at home or in school with minimal setup.
It empowers students to take ownership of their learning and presentation skills, linking in nicely with UDL principles.
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Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
I really liked Diffit. It allows you to generate differentiated reading materials and questions tailored to different reading levels. When covering a topic like climate change or Ancient Egypt, I can use Diffit to create three versions of the same text- simplified for lower-ability readers, standard for the majority, and advanced for high achievers. This ensures that all students access the same content but at a level they can understand, making lessons more inclusive. It also supports assessment by allowing me to track comprehension across ability levels with tailored questions. It simplifies differentiation hugely. I can see myself making great use of it with my 4th class next year.
I also liked Twee. It helps create engaging literacy and language activities such as vocabulary games, comprehension tasks, and grammar quizzes. I can see myself using Twee to generate fun, context-based vocabulary exercises linked to a class novel or topic in SESE. This will make literacy activities more interactive and less time-consuming to prepare. For assessment, I can use the generated questions to check understanding or track progress over time.
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Part 1
First tool I’ll be using in September will be Gamma. I often use P/Point presentations as things stand but haven’t found Twinkl’s stock of resources to match the specific goals of the lesson I’m teaching. Being able to pass this over to a bot and refine the results I’m presented with feels like I’ve got a cheat code of sorts which I’m happy to have. So much that I can use from it.
I’ve also liked what I’ve seen from Diffit, specifically differentiating specific comprehension sheets for the mixed ability 6th Class I’ll teach next year. I also like the translation function as I’ll be teaching international students whose English is decent but who’ll appreciate the opportunity to learn from a bilingual sheet.
Part 2
Above anything else they’ll save time. It seems that gone are the days of devising your own P/Point slides or even Kahoot when you can pass that over to AI. Can’t say I’ll miss searching for images! I imagine becoming used to the possibilities of the resources outlined in the modules and using them so that they become best practice is the challenge for someone who’s been teaching for a long time and still harbours ‘chalk and talk’ tendencies.
I also like the assessment possibilities, being able to quickly see what’s been understood/misunderstood. The facility for pupil-designed assessment is also something that appeals, giving the children a chance to feel like they’re fully participating in their academic journey.
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Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your post here. The reality is that no one textbook or one digital resource website will have exactly what we need to meet the needs of the children in our class. However, AI offers huge time-saving potential. Instead of going to numerous online stores or sifting through 3 more textbooks from different publishers, we can generate an alternative immediately. You mentioned that you are happy to take ‘as much as I can use from it’. This is the key here – not everything will be useful or beneficial – if you do not have enough from your first prompt you can ask it to be more specific at a certain point or to offer alternatives for one aspect of the return, etc.
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Part 1
I can see how I might use two tools from this module—Diffit and Speaker Coach—to improve teaching, learning, and assessment in a school setting:(A) Diffit offers tailored support for differentiation by adapting reading materials to suit a range of learning levels. This could be particularly beneficial for our pupils with literacy difficulties or those learning English as an additional language. It also supports assessment by helping to gauge comprehension levels more accurately.
(B) Speaker Coach provides real-time feedback on elements such as pace, tone, and the use of filler words during presentations. This could support pupils in building communication and oral language skills while offering teachers another form of formative assessment.
Both tools are practical and accessible, and they align with curriculum goals such as developing literacy, self-expression, and learner confidence.
Part 2
While I do not currently have a class myself, I see clear potential for these tools to support classroom teaching and learning in meaningful ways. Tools like Diffit and Speaker Coach could help teachers meet the diverse needs of pupils, support inclusive practice, and streamline preparation time. From a whole-school perspective, any integration of AI tools would need to be gradual, manageable, and guided by our Digital Learning Plan, with clear structures for staff support and Board of Management oversight.In light of our own school’s assessment outcomes—particularly around comprehension and vocabulary—there may also be value in exploring additional tools such as Gamma and Twee. These could offer creative and engaging ways to support vocabulary development, narrative structure, and reading comprehension.
This module has given me valuable insight into how AI can be purposefully used to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment—not just through individual tools, but through a strategic, well-supported approach to digital integration.
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Task 1:
As a teacher in a primary school I could use Diffit to quickly create differentiated reading materials for a mixed-ability class. I can now see how, for example, if my class is learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly, I can input a standard text on the topic into Diffit and generate multiple versions at different reading levels. This saves significant time in lesson preparation, allowing me to focus on instructional strategies rather than material creation.Immersive Reader significantly enhances accessibility and inclusivity for all students. For a student with dyslexia, hearing the text read aloud while simultaneously seeing the words highlighted can greatly improve decoding and comprehension. For an EAL student, the translation feature can bridge language barriers, allowing them to grasp the content of the lesson more effectively.
Task 2:
The integration of AI tools like Diffit and Microsoft Learning in Irish primary schools holds immense potential for revolutionizing education. Diffit’s ability to instantly differentiate content allows teachers to cater to diverse academic needs, saving invaluable preparation time and ensuring every child engages at their “just right” level. Similarly, Microsoft Learning tools, particularly Immersive Reader, champion accessibility, breaking down barriers for students with learning differences or those new to English. This fosters a truly inclusive environment where every child feels supported and capable of success.
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Hi Fiona,
Thank you for you post and for sharing your thoughts with us here. AI tools within programmes such as Diffit and Microsoft can be transformational in terms of accessibility and really lend themselves to a UDL approach in classrooms. They are constantly evolving and new features are being added and tailored on a monthly basis. Immersive Reader offers huge functionality within Microsoft, but recent Co-Pilot updates offer huge scope for accessibility to be prioritised within the 365 apps.
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Hi Fiona,
Thank you for you post and for sharing your thoughts with us here. AI tools within programmes such as Diffit and Microsoft can be transformational in terms of accessibility and really lend themselves to a UDL approach in classrooms. They are constantly evolving and new features are being added and tailored on a monthly basis. Immersive Reader offers huge functionality within Microsoft, but recent Co-Pilot updates offer huge scope for accessibility to be prioritised within the 365 apps.
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2 ways that I could use some tools identifid in module 3 are to Diffit to help me make simpler, more suitable texts and activities for my junior infants, especially for children learning English. It would save me time and help me meet different needs in my diverse class. Magic Schools MATS story tool could help me create fun. An easy to understand maths problems as stories for young children to enjoy. This would make learning maths more meaningful. An engagement for assessment. These tools could help me see who understands and who needs more help overall. They can support me in planning, teaching and checking learning in a way that suits. All my pupils.
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Part 1
• I love the idea of using Copilot image creator to spark discussion around creative writing and to stimulate ideas. A great way to bring a child’s description of a fictional character to life also.
• I love the idea of using Magic school to create word problems for the children specific to them and to things they would be interested in, Maths in the higher levels can be boring but this is a great way to keep everyone on task and engaged.Part 2:
I think the examples and programmes shown in this module can have a huge impact on my own future teaching learning and assessment alongside those of my colleagues.
Copilot was one that really stuck out for me, coming up with topics for creative writing can be tricky, having a visual to engage the children prior to writing would be brilliant. I also love the idea of creating a picture based on what they themselves have written. This allows the children to visual what they have written and see the importance of using descriptive words and adjectives when writing or describing something in their piece.
Teaching maths in the higher classes in primary school can be challenging to keep everyone engaged, I really liked how magic school created word problems using the children’s own names and how it also used topics that would be of interest to them. This will be of huge benefit to my class and would be a great extension activity for further learning and reinforcement of topics. -
Part 1:What a module! I believe Magic School AI can generate social stories for my students as well as visual timetables and emotion regulation resources. These toold are incredibly useful and helpful to support routine, transitions and self- regulation in my ASD classroom.
Part 2:
AI tools have significant potential to support learners with autism by offering personalised, structured, and visually supported content. In my classroom, pupuls benefit from consistency, visual aids and scaffolded instruction. Therefore, Magic School AI or Chat Gtp can help generate quickly and accurate resources. These tools are definitely a life changer for a teacher when it comes to planning, creating resources, making lesson plans reducing significantly the workload and supporting students needs.
I believe AI can also enhance assesment by offering alternative formats like visual quizzes or simplified comprehension checks. Additionally, using AI to track learning progress can help idenfity patterns in behaviour.
When used thoughtfully, AI tools can empower autistic students by promoting independence, reducing anxiety and allowing individual expression.
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Hi Bianca,
Thank you for your post here. It’s great that you have been able to see the benefits of using Magic School and the specific areas where it can help you as a special class teacher. The sheer variety of resource available and the different layouts available in Magic School makes it a real ‘one stop shop’ when it comes to creating classroom resources and learning materials. Indeed, you have also pointed to other uses of AI within the special class setting, particularly around the creation of assessments. The sheer time this can save us as teachers is something we need to embrace.
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One thing I will most definitely use will be Microsoft reading coach. I love the way it listens to the student reading. To be able to create a story is great. Unlocking certain options if the student reads for 20 minutes or more is a great motivator.
I also like and intend to use Microsoft Speaker coach. It is such a vital skill for children to feel confident while speaking in front of others.
Magic School will also be used. The Social stories and word problems examples in the module were very interesting and I can see myself using this in September.
The impact of such AI tools will have an unbelievable effect of children’s learning. As teachers, to have access to such tools will help in a huge way.
It will save time. I won’t miss creating my own P/Point slides or even Kahoot when you can pass that over to AI. I also like the assessment linked with AI, being able to quickly see what’s been understood/misunderstood.
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I agree about Microsoft Reading Coach. It is very user friendly and, as you mentioned, I could see the game element (unlocking characters etc.) as being really appealing to the pupils. Magic School is a stand out as well – I think in time we’ll probably all become completely reliant on these programmes and wonder how we ever managed without them. It’s great that they can take away all the time spent on creating your own content, but I suppose it’s also good that you can still tailor it to your needs afterwards, so as not to become completely removed from it.
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I agree as I’m also very excited to try Reading Coach, which hopefully will be a brilliant way to motivate and support fluency. Speaker Coach is also an interesting one, not sure if I will use myself but great to be aware of these. All very useful resources to be ready to use for September. Totally agree , AI will save us time.
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I really liked the idea of speaker coach in this modeule and would find it amazing in my school which caters for children with special needs whose speech can be very difficult to understand at times but speaker coach would give them the confidence and independence to learn and assess their own learning.
Diffit was the other one that really stood out for me and one I would not only use in a classroom setting but I could also see myself using it with my own kids! It is great you can generate a couple of the same text for different levels using the same input which will save teachers so much time.For the second part of the question I think is Gamma to generate power points on different topics and to be able to make it motivating for the children based on their individual interests will make such a difference. There is so much to choose from and when you figure out how to use correctly I think it will make it so much easier for teachers. I really liked the look of magic school too and the social stories
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So many useful information in this module- now to have the time to use them in September. I will probably start with Magic school Maths story – this year my class found word problems difficult and by using their names and their interests makes the work more fun and meaningful. It will save so much time and work on my part. It could be used to teach and reinforce all the topics in maths. Children could come up with ideas too.
I will also be using twee – such a good tool to produce interesting and current material to enhance student learning and cut down on teachers workload. It can be used to make SESE topics more interesting and gives assessment opportunities in the form of quizzes or multiple choice – great for literacy too – for novels – comprehension and new vocabulary.
I have noted all the other great resources, but as there are so many – I will keep the course notes and instead of trying to do too much, will get the above two up and running before I add in others like diffit, immersive reader & Microsoft speaker coach.
Also Gamma to produce powerpoints presentation was so interesting – will cut a lot of time making my own!
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Hi Mary,
Thanks for your post here. It is so valuable to have specific groups of children to be thinking of when exploring an AI tool. Having a purpose in mind is key to exploring the effectiveness of these tools, as often aimless exploration can leave us with more questions than answers. Involving the children themselves in this learning and creating problems that are embedded in a real-life context and relevant to the children is actually listed under the ‘applying and problem solving’ element of the PMC. Sometimes a small switch in the wording of a problem can be all it takes to see it in a different light and aid exploration.
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I alao loved the idea of using magic school AI’s maths stories. Children need maths to be relevant and have context, to aid their comprehenion and grasp of skills. The use of their names and generation of problems that is meaningful to them will bring the maths lesson to life and intrinsically motivate students. I hope to create maths problems using this tool based off all things Minecraft, GAA, and Dogman next year.
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I agree Mary – the amount of different tool available can feel overwhelming but it makes sense to start small. I’m also going to focus on just a couple of tools to begin with and plan to refer back to the course notes when I’m ready to explore others. It’s all about building confidence and using each tool effectively.
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Part 1
The first tool I’m planning to use in September is MagicSchool AI’s Maths Story. Many children really struggled with word problems, and I think using their names and interests in the questions will make the tasks far more fun and meaningful for the children. I can see it as a great way to personalise learning, and I can already see how it could be used to teach and reinforce all the key maths topics. With the new Primary maths curriculum and the focus on Maths talk, I will be able to identify the areas of difficulty, and then create more targeted worksheets specific to the children and their needs.
Another tool I was really impressed with, was Gamma—it will save a huge amount of time creating PowerPoint-style presentations, and the results should look much more professional. It appears easy to edit once the framework is developed. With practice I can see how it can be refined and adapted to any class grouping. In my experience children love visually appealing slides and I feel the slides produced using Gamma will help helps children grasp key concepts more easily and fosters deeper engagement, particularly for visual or independent learners.
Part 2
Module 3 has shown me how AI tools can enhance teaching, learning, and assessment in practical, time-saving ways. One standout tool is MagicSchool AI, which allows me to create personalised content tailored to my class. This personalisation can boost motivation, particularly for students who struggle to connect with abstract or generic material. It also supports differentiation, allowing me to quickly adapt lessons for a variety of ability levels without having to create multiple resources from scratch.
Gamma is another valuable tool, which offers so much flexibility and I can see how much time and effort it will save developing resources suited to the needs of the students in our school.
Importantly, these tools provide access to a wider range of content, including modern themes and diverse, up-to-date sources—a major improvement over the outdated textbooks and often expensive SEN resources I’ve relied on in the past. Tools like Diffit will allow me to adjust reading materials for different comprehension levels, while Microsoft Speaker Coach will help students develop oral communication skills through instant, constructive feedback. I will be recommending these tools to my colleagues and can see a great use for Speaker Coach when classes are preparing for debate competitions and so on. Together, these tools offer more inclusive, personalised, and efficient ways to support all learners in the classroom.
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Part 1:
I really enjoyed that module and cannot believe the number of tools in it that would be so useful and I cannot wait to try out in my own teaching.
One of the main issues we have as teachers is lack of time. There is so much for us to research and scroll through to find the resource that we would find suitable for the class and the diverse range of abilities within the class. Diff gives teachers a tool to use to create the resource they need that will also benefit the learning of every child in the room.
To add to this the use of Twee can enhance teacher preparation and gives various options for creating activities for the students for learning and assessment. The variety of forms means you can explore ways that best suits the children or specific children in your class.Part 2:
I really like the idea of using copilot image generator to develop and enhance students’ descriptive skills.
Microsoft speaker coach is an interesting tool to try. I have taught 6th class for a number of years and have constantly trying ways to help them improve their presenting skills. It is such a great skill to develop which will benefit them through school and into the workforce as an adult. As an AP in the school, I will also use it myself for staff presentations I have to do myself.
Magic School and Diff are both excellent tools that I will using and encouraging my colleagues to use also. The time and energy that teachers can spend creating word problems or finding texts that suit the topic and various abilities in the classroom. Both seem like invaluable resources which will support teacher preparation for class and ensuring inclusion around the room in every topic and subject. -
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Anyone who has taken the time to read my posts will think I sound like a broken record. I’ve just signed up for magic school. It didn’t want my bank details, no subscription required it is a free resource.i had never heard of and thanks to this course not all have I signed up I decided to try it out. Teaching multi grade Spiders will be one of my topics and while Junior Infants will be enjoying Incy Wincy Spider my first class will be compiling spider facts etc so I did as taught in this module. I went to the video on YouTube got transcript and put it into generate qsbfrom video. The questions were suitable as I chose the correct grade, of gave me freedom to edit, add more and save it. As a quick example I was very impressed as I currently spend a lot of time writing my own comprehension, writing questions suitable for each level etc. At the start of the module I loved the idea of generating the image from a child’s character. We write our own class stories a lot and then children write their own. How amazing for them to describe the character well enough to create the image. The image created can then be analysed, is this what you expected her to look like? What did we not put in? What features did we omit and AI substituted. It gives them the opportunity to be creative but also to expand. We look at adjectives in first class so then can analyse what did we say about thr character, the setting in the story, her likes and how we can edit our character. It is very important to use the AI wisely and it is not a substitute for a child’s drawing, painting, imagination but instead should work alongside this. As a new student to the world of AI and being aware of environmental costs of it and of the security risks I have to balance use of it in my work life. I do like the feedback option so it will improve answers provided. As the tutor of this module says we need to take whatever resources provided and use our pedagogical methodology to teach.
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Hi Shirley,
Definetely not a broken record, you’re making very valid points and great to hear you’re finding this course useful and it’s great to see how you’re applying the course content in practical ways, for instance as you’ve outlined, using MagicSchool for differentiaion.
You also have higlighted important ethical and environmental considerations of AI Couldnt agree more, these tools are most effective when guided by thoughtful practictioner, ‘The Human in the Loop’ as they say.
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Part 1
There are some wonderful applications demonstrated on this module that I could really see myself putting to good use – all of them in fact! Just to pick two: every year I have the pupils create projects to be researched, created and then presented. Once they’ve picked their topic, they will sit at the computer and invariably say “I don’t know where to research!”. A lot of time is given over to demonstrating some good and reliable websites to start with and the hope is always that they’ll take it from there. One issue I’ve found is that their topics can be very wide ranging and it can be difficult in a short time to find sites that are both specific and reliable enough. Microsoft Seach Coach is the ideal answer. It allows me (and the pupils) to take a step back and devote more of the initial stage of the project-work into learning ways of finding relevant research websites – adding significantly to the learning borne out of their project work.
With that, presenting their work is an important stage in developing their confidence, oral language skills and so on, and I am very impressed with the Microsoft Speech Coach as I could see it being used as a preamble – where they could use it in tandem with advice from the teacher, to work on improving their presentation skills before they stand up in front of their peers. It’s a great assessment tool also as it provides feedback for both the teacher and the pupils simultaneously.
Part 2
As mentioned in Part 1, all of the tools are extremely useful. Microsoft Reading Coach is a wonderful resource. Every year I have pupils in the class who have limited English or significant reading issues. The versatility of this application is ideal for helping those pupils to access reading material at their own level. We already use a programme called Reading Eggs for some pupils, which is expensive, but the Reading Coach programme can do a lot of the same and the fact that it has such a wealth of differentiated reading material is ideal. It would be an excellent resource for a target reading group, for example, where the teacher is able to monitor closely their individual levels and learning development. Another extremely impressive tool is the Magic School programme. I only wish it was around years ago! It’s difficult to home in on what it’s best used for, but the social story and the maths question generation demonstrated in the module are great examples and it feels like they are only dipping a toe into what is possible with such a wealthy resource. I think of SESE topics where I have often spent considerable time creating content or setting questions. The ease with which presentations are created and the ability to build questions out of this input is incredible. Likewise, translating Youtube videos and creating material based on this so rapidly will open a world of access for our EAL pupils. Furthermore, it’s difficult to quantify the impact a programme like Diffit will have for the teacher. Reducing the workload with the provision of automatically differentiated content frees up time for actual teaching, monitoring pupil well-being and for tailored assessment.-
Great post Brian! I agree that Search Coach would be an invaluable tool for teaching children how to search responsibly online and how to critique the reliability of the information that is provide by any Artificial Intelligence platform. Like your 6th class this is a skill that students at the senior end of primary school must master as they transition into second and third level education, where they will be expected to evaluate sources.
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Two tools from this module that I would like to use to enhance my teaching and assessment are: Diffit and Microsoft Reading Coach. Diffit allows you to generate differentiated texts and questions based on a topic or theme. It would be particularly useful in SESE and literacy, where I can tailor content to different reading levels in my junior classroom. Microsoft Reading Coach is an AI tool that supports early reading by listening to pupils read aloud, giving feedback on pronunciation, and tracking progress over time. It would be ideal for supporting my emergent readers.
In the classroom, these tools could personalise learning and provide meaningful practice opportunities. Reading Coach could build pupil confidence through immediate, individualised support. Diffit could help with inclusive literacy planning, making texts accessible to all learners. I also see potential in Gamma for creating engaging, visual presentations to support oral language development.
Going forward, AI can transform assessment by offering real-time insights and more learner-led practice. However, careful integration is essential to ensure tools are age-appropriate, ethical, and enhance, rather than replace, teacher-led learning.-
Thanks for sharing how you plan to use Diffit and Microsoft Reading Coach—both examples show how well these tools can support junior classes. They’re definitely powerful for personalising learning and building confidence in early readers.
Since you’re already using Reading Coach, you might also try Microsoft Reading Progress. It works really well alongside Reading Coach, allowing pupils to record themselves reading so you can track fluency over time. While Reading Coach is designed to support and guide pupils as they practise, Reading Progress focuses more on capturing and assessing their reading.
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Module three highlighted a wealth of new, exciting tools and resources that can be used in the classroom. I particularly liked the idea of ‘diffit’ which will greatly enhance my differentation in the classroom. It is vital to further challenge our higher ability students and the use of higher cognitive questions, alongside the lower cognitive questions (which are generated in seconds)will help extend each students learning. Furthermore, it will act as a means of assessment as all reading material and questions are tailored according to ability. I look forward to using this tool in my planning in the new academic year.
I also loved the idea of speaker coach – which is a tool beneficial beyond the classroom. I love giving students an assignment or project based on a topic we have studied in class. Speaker coach helps students build their confidence and highlights their strengths and weaknesses when public speaking. Often students ( and adults!) find public speaking daunting, this tool allows for practice with no inhibitions. Microsoft search coach and speaker coach will be two tools I will utilise this year during project work, and I am intrigued to see if they will contribute to a higher standard of presentations.
The final AI tool which I enjoyed was the co-pilot image creater.This tool will engage the reluctant writer and convey the vitality of adjectives and detail during descriptive writing. Often students do not see the point in detailed writing, this is a fun activity which acts as a game of sorts. Using co-pilot image creater we engage the students and keep them on task as they write as detailed as possible in order to portray the image as accurately as they can. In turn this improves their literacy skills and writing abilities.
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That’s a brilliant summary of Module 3’s gems! I completely agree about the excitement for these new tools and resources.
Your points on Diffit really hit home. It’s truly a game changer for differentiation; quickly generating tailored questions, both higher and lower cognitive, will be fantastic for genuinely extending all our pupils. And using it as a direct assessment tool for tailored reading material is super clever such an efficient way to check understanding.
And Speaker Coach sounds incredibly powerful, especially for those project based assignments. Giving pupils a safe space to practise public speaking and get instant feedback will be invaluable for building confidence. I’m just as intrigued as you are to see if it boosts presentation quality!
Finally, the Copilot Image Creator is a stroke of genius for descriptive writing. It’s such a fun, visual way to get reluctant writers invested in using detailed adjectives. Turning it into a ‘game’ to accurately portray an image is brilliant for keeping kids engaged and improving their literacy. I’m eager to try these out next year!
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There were so many amazing resources mentioned on this module that it’s difficult to choose.
As a 6th class teacher I see the difficulty some children have with oral presentation and public speaking, even in a small group with their close peers many children are reluctant to participate. I will definitely be using Speaker Coach to tackle this issue. It offers children the opportunity to practice public speaking in a low pressure environment, giving them constructive feedback on what they need to improve on. Probably something I could use as an adult also.
I also really liked Gamma for creating powerpoints. Within seconds they can create something that could take me hours to prepare. It will be particularly useful for helping with SESE. While paid websites like twinkl have these already available it is great to be able to create something so specific like a Powerpoint about your locality which is what I had asked it to do and within seconds it was complete.
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By incorporating these AI tools, my classroom can become an even more dynamic and responsive learning environment, allowing me to focus more on the art of teaching and less on the repetitive tasks, ultimately benefiting my students’ learning journeys.
i would use copilot image creator and magicschool.ai to improve my own primary school teaching, learning and assessment.Copilot image creator:
I would do a range of crosscurricular lessons, for example. when using it for my younger classes for descriptive writing, report writing, newspaper articles. Some of these benefits is that it will help more visual learners, it will allow me to differntiatite and most importantly for younger classes, it will be visually and aesthetically engaging and appealing for the learners. This really helps with assessment too as encourages children to recall and apply their kowledge in a creative but hands on way!MagicSchool
I can’t believe I have never heard of this! I will definitely be using this in future for creating social stories and I am going to be speaking about thsi at my next staff meeting. it can be used across the board from mainstream to SET to autism classes in my school. I have made up my own social stories before for classes and specific students, so this is golden for saving time! it will literally help children so much and again can be modified to suit each indivisual child!-
Hi Harriet,
It’s clear from your post that you’re already thinking creatively about how GenAI can enhance teaching, learning, and assessment in your classroom. As you mentioned, Copilot Image Creator is a great tool particularly for younger classes, as outlined, its visually engaging, great for differentiation, and really useful for supporting hands-on assessment.
As for MagicSchool, it really has taken off of late and agreed it’s a huge time-saver and so adaptable across mainstream, SET, and ASD classes. Coincidentally, I was at the BETT show in London last January, and the MagicSchool stand was one of the busiest (and biggest)hard to believe they weren’t even there the year before,
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Hi Harriet,
Totally agree with the 2 tools you chose. Copilot image creator has so many opportunities to be used and not just in English. I like your idea of using it for a newspaper too. Could be an idea for the Moon Landing. I also never heard of Magic School and think it will be a great tool for social stories in SPHE.
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Microsoft Copilot image creator could be used for students who find creative writing tasks challenging to engage with. Using the student prompts to produce a visual representation, a simple template can be used to plan the writing response, using the detailed image as guidance. The practice of providing more detailed prompts to produce more detailed images can be discussed and transferred to the writing task.
Microsoft Search Coach is a valuable tool to encourage children to think about the information they are exposed to. It can teach children how to critically evaluate information and how the author(s) may be biased or subjective and attempting to mould the thinking of the reader. Children can be encouraged to think about what is not said, rather than accept online information as fact.As teachers and learners we are still in the infancy of Artificial Intelligence’s role in education. Reflecting on the tools and resources mentioned to date in this course I believe it is critical that we are responsible with how we use AI. Critical thinking and evaluation of information are in peril of being diluted through the availability of information and the acceptance that AI can think and produce more productively than the human brain. Absolutely promote ‘work smarter, not harder’, however are these boundaries being pushed are the expense of a healthy work ethic? This is where the teaching point comes in – the information that is received through AI should not be the final stroke, yet the beginning of critical discussion and analysing and filtering information in a responsible fashion. I would hope the Department of Education and Youth provide adequate professional development opportunities for educators in this regard.
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So many tools and useful resources mentioned in this module, I’m not sure where to begin however one point did stand out to me and that is how using some of these tools can help make lessons more inclusive for children in a class. MagicSchool alone will generate differentiated resources tailored to students’ varying abilities. I can create reading comprehension questions at different levels for the same text, making lessons more inclusive. This saves planning time and ensures all learners are challenged appropriately. In the classroom, this supports mixed-ability groups and allows for more targeted support which is something I find myself spending a lot of preparation time on.
Another tool, Speaker Coach, can help students improve their oral presentations by giving them feedback on pace, clarity, and filler words. Oral presentation was a part of our SSE so this tool would be a fantastic resource.
Reflecting on tools like Gamma for interactive presentations and Diffit for simplifying texts, it’s clear AI can significantly enhance teaching, learning, and assessment. These tools allow for more personalised learning experiences and efficient lesson planning. Going forward, I see AI becoming an essential part of classroom practice, helping educators to meet diverse needs while freeing up time for more meaningful interactions with students.
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I completely agree with your points. AI tools are opening up exciting new possibilities in the classroom. In addition to Minecraft and IXL, I’m particularly interested in using tools like Diffit and Microsoft Reading Coach. Diffit allows teachers to take any content and instantly adjust it for different reading levels, making differentiation much quicker and more effective. This would be so helpful for mixed-ability classrooms, especially when preparing texts across subjects like SESE and English. Microsoft Reading Coach is another great tool that supports individual reading fluency by listening to children read aloud and giving instant, personalised feedback. It’s a great way to help children build confidence and track progress over time. However, I do think ongoing CPD is vital to help us feel confidnet in using these tools. With the right support, AI has the potential to really enhance teaching and learning, in my opinion
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I’ve used Diffit to adapt reading material to suit different ability levels in my class. I also found it very useful and helpful for both SEN and EAL pupils in my classroom.
I’m planning to try MagicSchool next to help with lesson planning and might try to create some powerpoints and or worksheets. It looks like a great tool to save time in planning. Again, i think it might be especially useful when differentiating in the classroom.
Part 2: In the future I will also try Twee. I have tried something along the same lines as twee to generate questions from YouTube videos but TWEE seems much better. Looking ahead, I think AI can transform assessment in a very positive way. As we have been shown, AI tools that give instant feedback or track pupil progress in real time would help identify learning needs earlier and more accurately. I also feel that many of these tools could really enhance how I personalise teaching while saving valuable time.
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There were so many useful tools in this module that I cant wait to use next year with my class. I know that I’m going to use Microsoft CoPilot if we can get the children microsoft account because that would be very useful for teaching descriptive writing and the image generator in particular. Secondly, I thought Magic school is brilliant in terms of keeping all of the resources in one place and makes it really accessible, I thought the math problem generator is a real time-saver too. However, the best tool that I am going to use in my classroom is Diffit. I found this to be mind-blowing how much time it is going to save. To be able to search for a topic and have open/closed questions as well as other resources available at the click of a button is helpful. The fact it gives you differentiation and helps EAL children too is excellent. This will undoubtedly aid my teaching and assessment too. Gamma is another excellent resource for creating presentations because these are usually very time-consuming. You have presentations made for you in a way that are going to fully engage the children as well as tick all of the boxes in terms of differentation, assessment and EAL learners.
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Planning and Differentiation – Tools like MagicSchool and Diffit can be a real support when I need to prepare materials for mixed-ability classes. Diffit is especially useful for adapting texts to different reading levels. I can generate resources that are age-appropriate but accessible to my EAL learners or those who need simpler language. MagicSchool helps create lesson ideas or even behaviour management tips based on situations I type in.
Presentation and Engagement – I recently discovered Gamma, which helps create clean, engaging slides without the hours spent in PowerPoint. It’s useful for visual learners and keeps my lessons dynamic and clear. These tools let me focus on what matters most—how the children are responding and learning in real time.As a busy teacher, I’m genuinely curious and cautiously hopeful about AI in the classroom. Tools like ChatGPT, MagicSchool, Diffit, and Gamma have already shown me how they can reduce planning time and support differentiation. For example, instead of spending hours searching for appropriate texts, I can generate three reading levels in minutes with Diffit. MagicSchool helps generate rubrics, letters to parents, or even behaviour strategies. These small time-savers really add up.
Still, I do have concerns. How much is too much? I don’t want to rely so much on AI that I stop thinking creatively myself. Teaching is not just content delivery—there’s intuition, empathy, real-time judgement. I also worry when I’ll find time to learn all these tools deeply.
But one thing is clear—used wisely, AI is a support, not a replacement. It can give us time back for connection, feedback, and reflection. It’s about balance, ethics, and choosing tools that truly serve our students. I believe we’re just at the beginning, and with the right mindset, this can be a very exciting shift in education.
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Hi Lina,
You’ve clearly shown how tools like Diffit and MagicSchool can support differentiation and planning, especially for mixed-ability and EAL learners, and I agree, the ability to quickly adapt texts or generate lesson ideas is a huge time saver.
Your use of Gamma for presentations also highlights how AI can enhance engagement without adding to workload. It’s great to see how it’s reducing time spent in PowerPoint, and more generally, how AI tools like ChatGPT, Diffit, MagicSchool, and the aforementioned Gamma are allowing you to focus more on pupil response and less on formatting or admin.
Your concerns around the overuse or dependence on GenAI tools are well founded, and I agree with you, getting the balance between efficiency and professional judgement is key. AI should support, not replace, the creativity, empathy, and responsiveness that a good teacher provides. The mantra I repeat when using AI myself is, “Working with GenAI, the final touch should always be human.”
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Part 1:
Magic School AI
1. Lesson Planning Assistance: Magic School AI can generate differentiated lesson plans tailored to diverse learner needs, helping teachers quickly design content for students with different abilities.
2. Formative Assessment Creation: It can create quizzes, exit tickets, or reflective questions aligned with curriculum objectives, enabling more frequent and targeted assessments.
Gamma
1. Interactive Presentations: Gamma helps transform static lesson content into interactive, visually engaging presentations, improving student engagement and understanding.
2. Student-Led Learning Projects: Students can use Gamma to present research or projects, encouraging ownership of learning while developing digital communication skills.
Part 2:
The integration of Magic School AI and Gamma into the classroom holds significant potential to transform teaching, learning, and assessment practices. With Magic School AI, I can streamline lesson planning and quickly generate differentiated content, which allows me to better meet individual student needs. Its ability to create instant formative assessments supports more regular, data-informed instruction. Meanwhile, Gamma introduces a creative and engaging platform for delivering content and supporting student-led learning. Using Gamma, students can present their ideas in dynamic ways, promoting deeper engagement and communication skills. These tools not only save time but also enhance pedagogical effectiveness by personalising instruction and encouraging active learning. Looking ahead, I see these technologies supporting a more responsive teaching approach, where assessment drives instruction and students take a more active role in their learning journey. Ultimately, these innovations foster a more inclusive, engaging, and reflective classroom environment.
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Thinking about tools like Diffit and Reading Coach, and all the other AI stuff we’ve touched on in this module, AI really could change how we teach, learn, and even check progress in a big way.
Using Diffit myself means I can genuinely make sure every child gets content that suits them, which just makes learning better. I also think Reading Coach would be an excellent tool. It would give me loads of detail and instant feedback that really helps tailor each child’s reading journey.
For the kids, these tools mean lessons that are more fun and made just for them, plus instant feedback, helping them learn more deeply and on their own. For us teachers, AI looks set to free up loads of time from boring tasks, so we can focus on building relationships and generally teaching better stuff.
Of course, there are tricky bits. Making sure every child has fair access, and giving us teachers enough good training so we don’t get swamped, is key. Then there’s the whole ethical side looking after pupil data and keeping that human touch in the classroom, which is important. But honestly, the good bits make AI a really exciting and necessary part of our future.
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Hi Ciara,
I agree that the apps and tools mentioned in this module have the potential to change how we teach, learn and assess as teachers. Differentiation can be hard in class and very time consuming to organise but these apps certainly have shown that it can be achieved in a small amount of time. In fact, the worksheets and texts generated are so much better than I’d create myself. I also agree that these tools can make learning more fun for the children. I feel the ‘reading coach’ is particularly clever in that way – allowing children to unlock various characters as they progress and also allowing the children to create their own stories. While I understand your hesitation around a.i., I don’t doubt that us teachers will always put the pupils first and foremost and ai cannot cater to most of their needs. It will just help us to do our jobs more efficiently.
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The possibilities the apps demonstrated in Module 3 by Seamus really illustrate the potential there is to significantly enhance your effectiveness and efficiency in yje classroom. As I mentioned earlier, I teach in a Multi Grade classroom, 3rd-6th so one of the tools I particularly appreciated was Diffit. The importance of differentiation in teaching is obvious but it is hugely consuming of time. This resource could be invaluable in helping teachers manage their time more effectively. While I do not currently EAL students in my class, Diffit’s usefulness for supporting these students is very impressive.
The Water Cycle presentation created with Gamma was also amazing. I fully intend to incorporate Gamma into my practice from now on. This will save the many hours in the school year putting together powerpoints on a range of subjects,
Twee was another great discovery — an excellent tool for reinforcing students’ understanding and checking comprehension of material covered.
The influence of AI tools like these on modern schools is far-reaching and will certainly impact the learning of our students more and more in the coming years. As a Multi Grade teacher, it’s very exciting to see the innovations that will reshape learning experiences for the students.-
Its great to see the variety of ways that these tools can be used across the multigrade classroom. Differentiation has always been a difficult concept in the modern classroom and had become endlessly time consuming. Tools like Diffit really allow the teacher to cut these time constraints to a minimum.
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Part 2
Copilot image creator:
Every year, in the first term I put a focus on narrative writing with an emphasis on developing descriptive writing. I have plenty of strategies but I don’t think any could be as effective as this tool. It is so visual and engaging. It is rare to find a strategy where the children’s descriptive language is so clearly demonstrated. I will definitely embed this in my teaching.MagicSchool: Social Stories
I really related to this as I’m sure most teachers did. This is an area where we can sometimes struggle to gauge how much understanding a student developed from a chat/discussion with us following a incident/issue with other students. For example, an incident on yard where a lack of regulation escalated the problem. It can be difficult for some children who do require these social situations to be explicitly explained, much like a subject area. This tool offers that approach which I’m sure I will use with certain students in the year ahead. -
This module had many ideas on how to use AI in my teaching. I would use Co-pilot image generator. I think the example of using it with the class novel was great. I think it would be great to use for cretive writing. Diffit would also be very good for class novels. It would be great to summarise chapters for SEN pupils and also it could produce a translated summary for EAL pupils.
I can also see the potential for Microsoft reader coach and speaker coach in my classroom – and they are something that can be used at a variety of levels. Also GammaAI would be great to generate presentations and documents. I like how you can decide how much input to give and that it can generate an editible presentation.
I have signed up for MagicSchool AI and look forward to trying it’s many functions. I hope that it can make creating resources quicker and more engaging for the children.-
Hi Grainne,
You’ve explored a great mix of GenAI tools and how they could support teaching, learning and assessment in your classroom. From creative writing and differentiated reading support, to resource creation and presentation tools, your examples like summarising chapters and translation for EAL pupils, cleraly show how AI could be integrated across subjects and diverse learner needs.
To build on what you’ve already outlined, you could use Copilot or MagicSchool AI to create a class glossary for a novel or or another subject area. Pupils could contribute key terms or questions, and the AI could help structure and visualise the content. This would support revision, vocabulary development and collaboration, while also giving pupils a real sense of agency.
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I also loved the idea of using the Co-pilot image generator with a class novels and stories. I think it could really help bring characters and settings to life, especially for visual learners or pupils who struggle with comprehension. I’m planning to try it during our next creative writing unit—I’ll have the children describe a character or setting, then use the image generator to bring their ideas to life. It could also be used as a prompt for writing in the younger classes. It would save time scrolling through google photos, looking for inspiration pictures when doing a ‘write about the picture’ exercise.
As for MagicSchool AI one way I’m hoping to use it is to generate custom Gaeilge vocabulary games and differentiated comprehension questions. It seems like a great way to save time. -
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The three stand out tools from this module that I will use going forward are Diffit, Co-Pilot and Gamma.
Diffit will give my EAL students greater access to the curriculum- with over half my class EAL it will be a huge help for both teaching and learning.
Gamma will help me make more specific powerpoints for the lessons I am teaching and I can see myself using it on a daily basis.It will make lessons more engaging and relevent.
Co-pilot image generator I will use for creative writing, oral language and differentiation.
Never used or heard of any of these before this module so delighted with what I have gained from this module. -
Reading Coach looks like a fantastic tool to get children reading about topics they’re interested in for 20 mins a day. We use google so it means setting up microsoft accounts for the kids but we could definitely do this in the reading unit and for children who have Assistive technology access in class. Also it might be something to mention to parents who already have microsoft acocounts at home.
I love the fact that Diffit differentiates and offers all kinds of resources from graphic organisers to cloze tests. Fantastic for planning , creating activities – even for stations in class and of course assessment. I just realised after I signed up though, that the free trial last for 60 days after signing up! Its probably worth teachers noting these things before we jump in with both feet – though I never mind paying for something thats worthwhile.
I love the idea of creating questions from You Tube videos. I have used Edpuzzle and loved it. I also paid for a subscription for Quizziz to be able to do this but I was very limited in what I could upload and use. Hopefully Twee has better access.
I really like the fast engaging ways to learn/teach through construction followed by deconstruction via AI, like the example shown here using copilot for descriptive writing. It offers so many perspectives, you can get a lot of depth in a lesson quickly and easily and get children practising thinking in different wqys.
AI tools make assessment and planning so easy and less time consuming which gives us time to monitor our students progress more. My approach to teaching will be very different in September, starting with digital literacy lessons which will include Search coach and Speak Coach and including far more interactivity with lessons thanks to AI tools shown here, plus my planning and assessment will be more cutomised and assessments yield better insights – all thanks to the AI tools shown here
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I have been enjoying exploring these AI tools—so many possibilities. Two that stood out for me are Diffit and MagicSchool. I’ve already started using Diffit to differentiate reading materials for my mixed-ability groups and I find it very useful. I can take a single article and instantly generate versions at different reading levels, which saves me loads of time and ensures all students can access the content.
With MagicSchool, I’ve been experimenting with generating quick formative assessments and I may use it to to quickly generate differentiated vocabulary quizzes in Gaeilge based on the same theme (e.g., An Aimsir, Bia, Sa Bhaile), but tailored to different ability levels. I would be interested to see how effective this tool is especially with Gaeilge as often I find that apps and AI cannot be accurate with our language and as such not be as useful as one would hope.
Reflection on AI in the Classroom
AI tools like Diffit, Twee, Gamma, and MagicSchool have the potential to completely reshape how we teach, learn, and assess. They allow for more personalised learning, faster resource creation, and more engaging content. For example, Twee could help to generate creative writing prompts or discussion questions tailored to specific topics, while Gamma can turn boring / uninteresting content into visually appealing presentations in minutes. This means more time for meaningful interactions with students and less time stuck in dreaded admin.
Looking ahead, I think AI will help us shift from a one-size-fits-all model to a more responsive and inclusive approach. Used correctly it empowers both teachers and students to be more creative and efficient. Of course, we’ll need to guide students in using these tools ethically and critically—but that’s part of preparing them for the future too.
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Hi Laura,
It’s great to hear how you’re already applying tools like Diffit and MagicSchool in practical ways to support differentiation. Using Diffit to adapt reading materials for mixed-ability groups is a strong example of how GenAI can save time while improving access for all learners.
I also like your idea of using MagicSchool to generate Gaeilge vocabulary quizzes but I agree we need to be mindful of the potential limitations of AI when it comes to minority languages. Possibly, trialling a few outputs and reviewing them for accuracy is the way to go and maybe, depending on their level, getting your pupils involved spotting errors, could turn a limitation into a learning opportunity.
To finish, your thoughts on the role of AI in gemeral leading towards more responsive and inclusive teaching ring true. As you and other participants have noted, the key is balance, using these tools to enhance creativity and efficiency, while continuing to guide pupils in using them critically and ethically.
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Hi Laura- I agree that Diffit and Magic Schools look like two very useful AI tools for teachers. I have used Diffit similarly to yourself with great success. The pupils enjoy the fact that their text is accessible and they can enjoy success with reading the passages.
I also think that Gamma is a tool that has great potential for teachers. It provides a great starting point for generating engaging presentations for teachers and pupils.
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This has been my favourite module so far as I feel it provided me with practical hands on tools to improve my teaching for the year ahead. Reading coach is a tool I would use if I was back in the junior end of the school. It is a very impressive tool that allows a reader to pick a character, setting, generate their own stories. They can choose their own adventure and unlock new characters. I feel this would be an incentive for a child to keep reading. I love how it highlights words that the children need to practice and it’s a tool that allows children to read at their own pace. I also like that it generates a progress report that shows your reading time, practices complete, accuracy and correct words per minute.
There were other apps I loved too such as Magic AI that has 60 tools designed to help teachers reduce time on lesson planning, creating assessment, writing IEPs etc. Gamma a.i. was particularly impressive, allowing the user to create documents, powerpoints and websites using the power of ai by pasting text, typing a one line prompt or uploading a file. It allows you to edit the powerpoint, website that it created too. I also really loved ‘Diffit’ too. I can see myself using this to generate resources in a time efficient manner. I’ve been using all of these apps today and I’m excited to use them during the year. -
I spent a bit of time exploring MagicSchool Ai and feel it is going to be a valuable too going forward for me. I especially liked tools to write an IEP or a behaviour support plan and modifying it with additional information/details to tailor it to our needs. This is going to be a time saver for us in school, especially when something like a behaviour plan is modified frequently over a number of weeks. Diffit is also going to be a huge time saver and invaluable tool for teachers, helping us to create differentiated activities/reading materials and also follow up activities, worksheets and options for assessment also. This is going to be a game changer when trying to cater for a number of different ability levels in class. Having resources such as these and also others like twee and Gamma are going to be so useful for me as an SET and also for class teachers.
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Hi Jacqueline,
It’s clear you’ve already identified how tools like MagicSchool and Diffit can support you in practical, time-saving ways in your SET context. As you’ve explained, using MagicSchool to draft and adapt IEPs or behaviour support plans is the way to go, particularly when those plans need regular updates. Diffit is also a great support for generating differentiated materials and follow-up activities when catering for diverse learners.
You mentioned that tools like Twee and Gamma will also be useful for both SET and class teachers. With that whole-school perspective in mind, you and your colleagues should consider setting up a shared folder or resource bank to store and adapt AI-generated materials. This could help promote collaboration, reduce duplication, and support consistency across the school.
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Hi Jacqueline,
I am looking forward to using tools like MagicSchool on my SET role this year. By the looks of it these resources are going to be a huge time saver when writing up the Student Support Plans and amending them as the year goes on. Twee will be a good activity generator for my EAL learners and literacy groups. I like that it can correct answers to cloze procedures and other questions.
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I found this module really eye opening and feel that I have learned lots of AI resources which I will be able to use in the future. I really liked magic school and the example of social stories (one tiny element of it). Currently I teach in infants and we often use social stories as a well or supporting our children with a familiar routine or a change that may be happening. I like how I can then modify it to personalise it further. I also really liked the reading coach resource. How it can tailor resources and support reading really is invaluable. However I also thought that speaker coach was so useful as public speaking can often be something which many dread or feel that they do not have the tools needed.
Diffit was another resource which I think is excellent (even the free content) and would definitely save time with literacy based subjects in the classroom. I loved the image creation and descriptive writing and the idea of flipping it and creating an image and trying to get the pupils to generate it. This really would motivate and engage older classes. I definitely would be using the copilot image creator even with my younger class and link it to familiar stories such as the little red hen or goldilocks. It may generate a different image and have them thinking differently about the story. Regarding assessment the Microsoft coach and reader can assess and give immediate feedback that would be not possible for a teacher to give to all pupils simultaneously. Furthermore many learners may react better to feedback from AI as it is more anonymous.
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I think you could be right about children reacting better to feedback from AI as it is more anonymous. Sometimes I feel like I am stuck on repeat with certain children when carrying out reading lessons, if I feel that way, I’m sure they do too! A different “assessor” would be good for all. I like the idea of peer reading but a child whose confidence is low in the area won’t gain from it. I think the Reading Coach would prove more beneficial in building their confidence.
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Thanks for a very informative module. I loved the piece on Diffit and Gamma. I have a very diverse ability range in my next class and am looking forward to using both tools.
Diffit provides primary school teachers with a powerful tool for differentiating instruction. I like the way it instantly generates reading passages, vocabulary lists, and comprehension questions tailored to various reading levels. This supports inclusive learning by ensuring all students, from struggling readers to advanced learners, can engage with the same topic meaningfully.Gamma enabled me to create interactive and visually engaging presentations without requiring graphic design skills. Its AI tools simplify content creation, and allowed me to turn ideas into polished, multimedia-rich lessons quickly. I hope this keeps young learners more engaged and improves their understanding through visuals, storytelling, and interactive elements suited for their age. I have spent hours preparing PowerPoint. Gamma will save so much time! Thank you
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Great to hear you found the module useful. Diffit should be a real asset when working with a diverse ability range in your next class. As you mentioned, it’s a great tool for differentiation and helps ensure all learners can access the same content at a level that suits them.
Gamma’s ease of use and time-saving features also make it a solid choice for creating engaging presentations, particularly when time is tight. That said, if and when you return to PowerPoint, maybe for a particularly bespoke or nuananced slideshow, it’s worth exploring some of its newer AI features like PowerPoint Designer, which can handle much of the layout and design work for you.
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I totally agree with you Catherine about how these AI tools can really aid inclusion which is what we are striving for. Diffit is wonderful for catering for all pupils needs from the reader who is experiencing difficulty to the advanced reader. I love the fact that it caters for all levels. Gamma is a very valuable tool as a starting point for creating presentations on various topics especially in the area of SESE.
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This was a really excellent and informative module with lots of very useful that can be used straight away with any school setting. Lots of the resources recommended are free and are very teacher friendly.
I thought the Magic AI site was particularly useful. It wasn’t a site that I had come across before. I tried out the social stories option this morning and it is a very useful option. It generates very useful social stories that can be made very specific to the pupil you are working with. Copying and pasting across to Twee allows you to generate questions and make the story more engaging for pupils. It is certainly an option that I will use next year and share with other staff members.
I also thought the IEP generator had potential to be very useful. You need to input good information when generating the IEP and it certainly needs editing and proof reading afterwards but it provides a good starting point for teachers and gives some good ideas for SMART targets that can be expanded upon.
I also liked Diffit and thought that it would be very useful to generate activities for pupils to complete. Again it needs teacher input but would provide a great starting point for generating resources. It certainly would save a lot of time for teachers with differentiation.
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This module provided a wealth of useful AI generator tools which will be very helpful in my teaching and the learning of students in my classroom next year. I found Magic School fascinating. I had not heard of this before but will definitely try it out in my ASD class next year. I particularly liked the tutorial on creating a social story and using Twee to generate questions.
I will look at Magic School when compiling IEPs for my students. I feel that this could be used as a guide but I will definitely use my knowledge of the students and their level to edit and draft my final document.
Diffit appears to be a game changer when it comes to differentiation which is what I am about in my classroom with levels ranging from Junior Infants to 4th class. I feel that this will be particularly useful when responding to group lessons in SESE and SPHE.
Gamma looks like an excellent resource to create PowerPoint presentations. Much of my curriculum is planned thematically and I feel that using this resource will save hours of work and research when creating images. -
I felt that I received such a wealth of practical information from module 3 that was so relevant to teaching and learning and would definitely enhance my teaching and save time gathering resources. What I really like is how specific all these tools can be tailored to suit the needs of each individual pupil. Diffit was fantastic from the point of view of differentiation and supporting the needs of EAL pupils. Youtube translation was such a simple idea of putting on the subtitles for EAL pupils. Magic AI was superb as not only can you specifically tailor it for each pupil but it captures their interests and allow the pupils the opportunity to create a story that they feel part of, therefore will motivate them more. I thought the pupil IEP tool was excellent as it gives you a guide that you are on the right track and I loved the idea of creating social stories which supports the social and emotional skills which can often to be difficult to find resources that aid this area. Module 3 was a wealth of knowledge and something I feel would be very worthwhile sharing with other staff members. It really promotes the practical and positive side of AI.
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Hi Teresa,
It’s great to hear how you felt this module highlighted the practical and positive side of GenAI. Tools like Diffit, MagicSchool AI, and the IEP generator, as you mentioned, can really support key classroom priorities like differentiation, pupil engagement, and planning.
You also noted the value in sharing these tools with colleagues, an approach I’ve encouraged often across this forum. In your case, you might consider leading a short sharing session or creating a shared resource bank to showcase some of these tools in action. This could be as simple as a quick demo during a staff meeting/Croke Park hour, or a shared folder with examples and links. It’s a great way to build confidence, encourage wider use, and start conversations around how AI can support teaching, learning and assessment.
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A whole host of AI tools were explored in this module, all of them completely new to me. I’m amazed at what is available to us as teachers. Magic School offers a lot of valuable resources. I could not believe how quickly it generated a suitable social story with questions. This could prove useful in my role as certain behaviours can often determine the outcome of my day. Access to such a tool, that speedily generates appropriate social stories will prove really beneficial. I also loved the idea of personalising Maths concepts using the students’ names, a simple, but otherwise time-consuming resource for a teacher to create. Again, the time this tool will save teachers is incredible.
The advantages of the above tools aren’t limited to just time saving. They create meaningful content for children to engage with whilst allowing for assessment. Microsoft Reading Coach also caught my attention. The lessons are graded according with the child’s ability, the idea that the computer is recording them instead of the teacher and/or their peers would help develop their confidence in reading. All whilst assessing the child. I wonder how it would work for EAL students. Diffit also struck me as a useful tool, differentiation is crucial in all lessons but can be arduous and as a result effective differentiation isn’t always practiced. Diffit offers a solution to such time management issues. If all teachers learn about these AI tools and how to use them effectively, I believe our classrooms will transform.-
You’re right Sinéad, there are so many valuable resources available to us now and we can tailor them to our own needs and the needs of our students quickly and efficiently. We can cover the extra capable children, the whole class setting (with a nod to their own names), the EAL pupils and the children who struggle with dyslexia, ASD or general learning difficulties.
It’s like having our own educational toolbox to play with!
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This module was very eye opening and informative. Microsoft reading coach stood out to me as a tool that would be very useful in the classroom, particularly for SET or during team teaching initiatives. I like how Microsoft reading coach is really interactive and engaging for the student. Diffit also seems like a fantastic tool. I can certainly see how my teaching would be improved with the way in which it can support differentiation, provide resources etc.
There is huge potential for all the tools mentioned in this module to be used effectively in the classroom. I think a huge benefit to AI in the classroom is that it can be more engaging and varying for students. Teachers would also be able to work far more efficiently and productively with the assistance of AI tools to generate and organize ideas and resources.
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There are so many applications for the AI tools presented in this module. I could see my students really engaging in the Reading Coach programme. They would love generating & choosing all the stories, getting the feedback on their own reading and earning badges. I know they would find this really exciting and we would have a detailed progress report for each pupil.
I can see Magic School AI being of great use when it comes to Maths. Children love to see their own names in problem solving and this creates the worksheets in minutes.
I would love to have a go at the Diffit tool. I regularly pre-read the chosen class novel with my small SEN learning support group. I could see myself creating learning materials which would be complementary to what the children are doing in the mainstream class. They even have the novel “Under the Hawthorn Tree” on the system!
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PART 1
As I am not from the area I teach in, AI will be very beneficial when I’m researching information on the local area. Gamma will hopefully be able to produce a presentation.
I feel I will get a lot of use out of co-pilot in just the same way as shown on the video. It was a great example of how the children can be critical of their own writing and help them to see where they can improve.
PART 2
It’s fair to say that there was a huge amount of content to take in during this module. I have been making notes as I went along this module but It is certainly one to save as a PDF and refer back to at different points in the year, going back over my notes frequently can jog my memory. I have used you tube videos in the past to support teaching and learning but always generated the questions myself. With Twee this will be so much easier. I am excited to spend time finding my way around Gamma and Diffit for teachers as I feel these will be real time savers in the area of SESE and SPHE. This module has opened up a whole world of tools I didn’t even know existed — I’m feeling much more optimistic and curious now going into the new school year.-
Hi again Olivia,
Agreed, there’s a lot in the module, so best to download the PDF of the slides as mooted from the lesson homepage. While these are flat with no audio or video, they do include all the links and text from the slides. A quick search online for any of the tools referenced should lead you to the relevant YouTube channels or online how-tos, which work well as refreshers.
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Part 1
I really was drawn to Copilot Image Creator to enhance children’s writing. It’s very visual and a brilliant way to teach children how to enhance their writing. I really liked the idea of flipping it and showing the children the image and then asking them to write the prompt for it. It will certainly engage pupils and bring enjoyment to their learning. I loved MagicSchool Maths Story-word Problems. This was my first experience of it and WOW! It has such potential to save so much time by helping create lesson plans and worksheets. The language of Maths and problem solving are often very difficult for children. A simple step like using the children’s names will make the problems more meaningful and fun. I could envisage this for multiplication, division, data as well as time/ money topics. It could be applied in all sorts of ways to improve engagement.
Part 2
The array of amazing tools introduced in this Module is mind boggling! Despite this being my introduction to most of them I have certainly enjoyed hours exploring them. I am not teaching but see the potential for these tools to support teaching and learning in all school settings. Microsoft Learning Accelerators, (my personal favourites are the Reading and Speaker coaches), Diffit and Gamma, as well as the ones mentioned in Part 1 have the capacity to help teachers meet the many needs of pupils, support inclusive practice and be of great assistance to teacher planning. Many of the teachers in our school don/t live locally so I have just used Gamma to produce a PowerPoint about the town including many historical facts. This will be of interest to the teachers when teaching about local history. I think it’s important to mention that the integration of AI tools needs to be ethical, gradual and guided by the school’s Digital Learning Plan. There also needs to be supports and resources for staff and the Board of Management who will have to oversee it.
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Yes Annette, you can say that again. This module offers a vast range of wonderful ideas that we will delve into during the course of our new school term . The choice of AI tools have endless possibilities and will most definitely enhance our teaching from the point of view of devising personalized programmes for individual students , ongoing assessments and making learning fun through hands on interactive activities. Yes, of course the implementation of these AI tools will be a gradual process but with the school’s digital team on board, collaborating with school staff and engaging in CPD training in the digital field , we will make strides however long it may take!
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Absolutely Annette, I too love the idea of using Copilot Image Creator to enhance and support children’s writing. I think the idea of showing children the image first and asking them to write a descriptive prompt is a great idea. I think it would be really engaging for children and would definitely add enjoyment to their learning also.
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Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT ,Co- pilot to create reading comprehension passages, Gaeilge vocabulary practice, or maths word problems tailored to different ability levels in my class. I can adjust difficulty instantly for students who need extra support or more challenge. Generate stories or exercises based on my students’ interests (e.g. football, animals, Minecraft).
Use Kahoot / Blooket to create quizzes and interactive assessments automatically, aligned with what I taught — such as history topics like the French Revolution , or maths fractions. This can display immediate results and quickly display what topics pupils need more consolidation on .
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Two tools I found particularly useful in this module are Gamma and Diffit, both of which i hadn’t heard of before. Gamma will be great to create engaging presentations quickly, which can help make lessons more dynamic and easier for students to follow. It will save huge amounts of time and allows me to focus more on delivery and student interaction. Diffit also seems to be great for differentiation and especially useful when planning for mixed-ability groups, allowing all students to access the same content at a level that suits them.
Using tools like these along with MagicSchool and the Microsoft Reading Coach in the classroom will have a huge impact on future teaching, learning, and assessment. For me the biggest advantage is the allowance for more personalised and inclusive learning experiences and also saving time on planning. My main concern is that with so many tools available, it can feel a bit overwhelming. I think it’s best to start by introducing just one or two, using them confidently and effectively before gradually adding more.
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Part 1
Two ways that I could use some of the recommended tools identified in Module 3 to improve my overall teaching and learning are:
Diffit is a really useful tool for teachers . It offers a range of comprehension passages tailored to suit all reading levels which is ideal for differentiation purposes and is a major time saver too which is also an added bonus in terms of time planning each lesson! It will make such a difference to have ready made lessons at the click of a button! It helps scaffold the children’s writing tasks too which is another incentive for the reluctant reader and writer.
I’m looking forward to using Magic Schools Maths tool also with 1st class as it is very user friendly , visually attractive and it ties in nicely as an extension to the new Primary Maths Curriculum , incorporating word problems in a fun filled meaningful way while keeping track on each students progress and offering positive feedback in turn. It’s an ideal digital platform for the whole school to use and offers ongoing assessment. I can’t wait to try it out with my class in September! They will love it! It also breaks the monotony of listening to teacher’ instructions all the time and gives the student the opportunity to explore Maths problems through a variety of fun digital based activities.
Both Microsoft Reading Coach and Copilot Image Creator work very effectively also. Reading Coach is a useful tool to support EAL students as it helps develop their literacy skills , reading fluency and builds on their word vocabulary while also tracking individual progress and supports the emergent readers. The copilot Image Creator is also another impressive tool that I intend to experiment with , with my class. It encourages the reluctant reader to engage with descriptive writing content in a fun and creative way and helps to build self confidence when writing also . It promotes student interest and enhances learning through visual stimulas .
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Diffit seems an excellent support tool for differentiated instruction in which teachers can adapt texts to various reading levels quickly and easily. In the classroom, this allows all pupils to access the same content at a level appropriate to their needs, promoting inclusion and engagement. Diffit streamlines lesson planning and supports more personalised learning pathways. It can enhance teaching and learning by building pupil confidence and comprehension, especially for those who need additional support. The facility to create differentiated questions and tasks enables the teacher to assess pupils in a more accurate way based on individual progress and understanding.
Equally, Gamma can be used to deliver lessons in a more accessible way, capturing pupils’ attention and supporting different learning styles. Gamma encourages the integration of multimedia resources. It enhances learning by promoting creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy. In terms of assessment, Gamma supports more pupil-centered approaches by allowing learners to demonstrate understanding through project-based presentations.
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Hi Michael,
I agree, both Diffit and Gamma offer powerful ways to differentiate curriculum content in the classroom. As you’ve outlined, Diffit’s ability to adapt texts and generate questions allows all pupils to access content at their own level. Gamma’s focus on multimedia and engaging presentation creation helps foster creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy. Together, these tools offer practical ways to meet diverse learning needs in your classroom.
One way to use Diffit effectively is to introduce a shared reading text to the whole class, then use Diffit to generate differentiated versions of the same text for small group work. Each group can access the content at a level suited to their reading ability, while still engaging with the same topic. This is particularly useful in senior classes, where it can be more challenging to find texts that match the interests of older students with reading difficulties.
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It’s clear that this module showed a huge amount of content, which I look forward to spending the next few weeks going through and navigating myself. This will hopefully build my confidence for September.
I found Microsoft Reading Coach to be a very powerful tool that I feel will be of huge benefit for differentiating reading not only in my SEN classroom in September but also in the mainstream classroom as it will save me so much time while also providing individualised and differentiated reading passages based on each child’s reading level. I found it to be of great benefit too as it can adjust the difficulty as the children progress, ensuring that each child reads texts suited to their ability which supports an inclusive classroom.
Diffit can also be used to differentiate content and support inclusive learning to generate reading materials at multiple reading levels. As a class teacher it will allow the SEN children to access the same core content as their peers, in a way that meets their needs.
All of the AI resources presented in this module will not only save so much time for us teachers in our lesson planning, presentations/ powerpoint displays but also they will allow us to provide valuable time to focus more hands on and directly on the children in our classrooms
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Gamma is one of the tools that I am excited to try in the coming school year. Usually creating presentations takes quite some time which makes it more challenging to continuously create new ones for different themes and topics. Using Gamma would significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to create presentations, as I love using them with my classes and find they are good for introducing new topics. I think tools like this are so valuable in terms of the use of teacher’s time and would facilitate teacher’s to spend more time on other areas also. I also really like the idea of using Copilot and think it would really fun and engaging for children. I think it could be really beneficial to support children’s descriptive writing, so they can see what image is created and as a result see what areas they need to be more specific in. I think it would really support children who find creative writing more challenging and would scaffold their engagement in the writing process. These are just two of the many tools identified in this module that I am excited to use in my teaching.
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Hi Ashling,
Gamma certainly promises to help you get time back by simplifying and speeding up the creation of slideshows for your classroom next year. Also worth checking out is PowerPoint Designer which I’ve mentioned previously here, it brings some helpful ai-powered design assistance to the PowerPoint app.
I also like how you plan using Copilot to scaffold descriptive writing, particularly for pupils who find it challenging. Getting Copilot to generate a visual based on their writing can help them with drafting and redrafting This is a a really practical way to build confidence and support the writing process visually.
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Ashling, I totally agree—Gamma sounds like a fantastic time-saver for creating engaging presentations! I also love your idea of using CoPilot to support descriptive writing; visual feedback can really help students be more precise and creative. Excited to see how these tools boost learning and engagement!
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There was such a wealth of information in this module. The range of AI tools available already is outstanding and will really benefit teaching, learning and assessment in our classrooms. The only one I had heard of before this course was Magic School and had looked it up but didn’t use it. I’m really excited to experiment with the different features of Microsoft. I’m looking forward to giving it a try in September. I particularly liked the Microsoft Reading Coach App, I am going into SET in September and feel this will benefit many students who find reading challenging. It will also allow me to create more tailored and appropriate texts, particularly for older students who are reading at a level below their age. Many of the guided readers we have at school are very babyish and we have students who in 4th or 5th would be at a 2nd class level. Diffit looks very interesting too, however when I tried it out there to generate work for 1st class level on Volcanoes I felt it might be too challenging for my school, but its great that you can adapt it easily. Gamma looks great for creating presentations, and is a great place to start and such a time saving tool for teachers. My favourite idea was using Co Pilot Image creator to generate images to help children with descriptive writing, particularly in the narrative writing genre. This would also be great for oral language discussions.
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So many ideas and a wealth of information. I would love to try them all especially the Co Pilot Image creator to generate images to help children with descriptive writing, particularly in the narrative writing genre for the older classes in my school. This would also be great for oral language discussions. It would also be a great way to create pictures and stories for the younger children. I had heard of magic school before but am still unsure of how best to use it. I will definitely take time to get to grips with DIFFIT as there are so many varying needs and abilities within classes it would be an excellent tool to help reach all children
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Part 1:
From September, I intend on using Gamma to aid me in creating presentations for my class. I will ensure my prompts are detailed so the powerpoint created will be suitable to my learners. Furthermore, I will use Diffit also both for planning and assessment purposes. Asa special class teacher, the various needs of my class are very diverse and it can be very time consuming to differentiate to meet the needs.Part 2:
As can be seen the tools outlined in this module if implemented in the classroom can transform future teaching, learning and assessment in a very positive manner if used correctly and in a critical manner. Ensuring as educators we are always checking content and ensuring it is meeting our learning objectives. I could see myself using the Magic Schools tools to create resources on different areas such as life skills which there isn’t much resources readily available and this is an area I usually spend many hours creating resources in for my students based on their varying complex needs (special class in a special school). Furthermore, the co-pilot image generator could be utilised for many different areas of the curriculum and could suit varying needs based on one prompt. This will save me time as a teacher in having to look for a suitable resources needed to strengthen my learners understanding of a particular topic (for example, kitchen safety etc). I also think Microsoft reading coach could be very beneficial for some students and could transform reading based tasks for the students in a positive manner along with cutting down preparation time for the teacher.
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Gamma sounds like a great shout for creating presentations quickly, and I completely get what you mean about Diffit saving time when you’ve got such a wide range of needs to plan for. I hadn’t thought about using Magic School for life skills but that’s such a smart idea, especially when resources are hard to come by. I’m also looking forward to trying the image generator to help make things more visual and engaging.
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Part 1:
1. I haven’t used Diffit yet, but I’m planning to try it out during upcoming English lessons. It looks like a really handy tool for creating easier or more challenging versions of the same text.
2. I’m also interested in using Microsoft Speaker Coach with my pupils when we start doing presentations later in the year. I think it’ll be a useful tool to help them practice speaking clearly and confidently, especially for those who get nervous. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how they respond to the feedback it gives.
Part 2:
Before doing this module, I had not really thought about using AI tools in my teaching. I have not tried any of them with my class yet, but I am definitely going to give a few of them a go. One tool I am keen to try is Diffit. It looks like a really easy way to adapt reading texts for children who need extra support or more of a challenge. It could save a lot of time and help me make lessons more inclusive without having to create loads of different versions myself.
I am also interested in trying out Speaker Coach when we start doing presentations. It gives the children feedback on things like how fast they are talking and if they are using too many filler words. I think that could really help build their confidence before they speak in front of the class.
Another one I would like to try is Reading Coach. It seems like a great way for children to practise fluency and decoding at their own level and pace. I think it could really benefit some of my reluctant readers.
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Part 1:
I have junior infants for the first time in September so I think the Magic Schools AI tool will be very beneficial in creating social stories and clear instructions for the students. I feel that Gamma will be an extremely helpful tool to help me create presentations for my class and will ensure that I input clear and detailed prompts and check the finished product critically. I have no doubt I will get a lot of use out of co-pilot for image generation.
Part 2:
The range of impressive tools introduced in this module was truly astounding! Although most of them were new to me, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending the time exploring them. I can clearly see how these tools could greatly enhance teaching and learning across all school environments. Microsoft Learning Accelerators, along with Diffit, Gamma, and those covered in Part 1, have the potential to address diverse student needs, promote inclusive practices, and assist with lesson planning. I can foresee myself creating social stories for junior infants who are attending school for the first time using the Magic Schools tools. Additionally, the co-pilot picture generator could be used for a wide range of curriculum topics. This will save me time as a teacher because I won’t have to search for the right materials to help my students better understand a given subject, and I can tailor it to be exactly what I need. It’s also worth noting that integrating AI tools should be done ethically and gradually, following the school’s Digital Learning Plan. As teachers, it is our responsibility to constantly assess the content to make sure it satisfies our learning goals.
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment.I can see myself using Co Pilot Image creator to generate images to help children with descriptive writing, particularly in the narrative writing genre for the older classes .I will also try to use for oral language discussions. It would also be a great way to create pictures and stories for the younger children.when you have multi stream classes it will be a very useful tool.
I also would use Diffit to differentiate curriculum content by adapting texts and generating questions that would allow children to access at their own.
Part 2
Reading Coach is an AI tool that I would like to introduce . It seems like a great way for children to practise fluency and decoding at their own level and pace. I think it could really benefit some of my reluctant readersand the competent readers .it is something that could be introduced a couple of times a week and after a period reflect with the pupils how it was going and assess the benefits of it .
I could see myself using the Magic Schools tools to create resources on different areas of the curriculum .I’m looking forward to using Magic Schools Maths tool also with senior infants as it is very user friendly .It ties in nicely as an extension to the new Primary Maths Curriculum , incorporating word problems in a fun filled meaningful way while keeping track on each students progress and offering positive feedback in turn. It can be personalised to class and they become a part of the word problems or whatever activity you design. All these tools will enhance learning and assessment and will save time for the teacher .
I also will delve more into Gamma and its use to produce multi media presentations . This will make teaching and learning more fun and exciting .
Exciting times ahead with the help of AI tools .
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The AI Image generator tool will be fantastic to help support descriptive writing. If lucky enough to have a class set of devices it will really help students to engage and see the importance of using descriptive writing in their work. They will love inputting prompts and seeing what they and other groups can create.
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment.I can see myself using Co Pilot Image creator to generate images to help children with descriptive writing, particularly in the narrative writing genre for the older classes .I will also try to use for oral language discussions. It would also be a great way to create pictures and stories for the younger children.when you have multi stream classes it will be a very useful tool.
I also would use Diffit to differentiate curriculum content by adapting texts and generating questions that would allow children to access at their own.
Part 2
Reading Coach is an AI tool that I would like to introduce . It seems like a great way for children to practise fluency and decoding at their own level and pace. I think it could really benefit some of my reluctant readersand the competent readers .it is something that could be introduced a couple of times a week and after a period reflect with the pupils how it was going and assess the benefits of it .
I could see myself using the Magic Schools tools to create resources on different areas of the curriculum .I’m looking forward to using Magic Schools Maths tool also with senior infants as it is very user friendly . It can be personalised to class and they become a part of the word problems or whatever activity you design. All these tools will enhance learning and assessment and will save time for the teacher .
I also will delve more into Gamma and its use to produce multi media presentations on topics which can be national or local .The local geography or history and changes that have occurred over the years . The uses are extensive . . This will make teaching and learning more fun and exciting .
Exciting times ahead with the help of AI tools .
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Part 1.
There are a great number of AI tools in this module that seem very accessible and easy to use. I certainly look forward to trying them out and familiarising myself with them over the next few days.
Copilot Image Creator really stood out for me. In my own classroom I often use scholastics storystarters. This tool randomly selects a type of writng (poem, letter, story, newspaper article) and gives you a descriptive title, for example write a stroy about a pink flamingo who was sad. While this is useful it can really limit the children’s creativity. Image creator is much better as it encourages children to be more descriptive and detailed in their writing. This also teaches the children the importance of providing detail in order to create a clearer picture for the reader. I also liked the way it could be used in the opposite way whereby the teacher created the image and children had to create the prompt that led to the generation of the image.
I really liked Microsoft Speaker Coach to upskill children in public speaking and presentations. I think in the higher end of the school children can become very self-consciuos and may need help in delivering to their peers. I think teachers themselves wuld benefit from this tool also. I know myself I can talk all day to my class but can be very daunted by giving a presentation to my colleagues as part of my AP2 post. I will definitely use it in the future for myself.
Part 2
All of these AI tools can reduce teacher workload by creating worksheets, images and content. I particularly like Diffit for Teachers as it creates individualised levelled content which is something that can be challenging for us as teachers.
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Hi Ethna,
Thanks for sharing your reflections and honesty. It’s good to hear how tools like Copilot Image Creator and Microsoft Speaker Coach are already sparking ideas for your classroom and your own professional development. I think your comparison with Scholastic Story Starters goes to show the enhanced power and flexibility AI-powered image generation tools and how with some thoughtful application you can open up more creative and engaging learning opportunities in your classroom.
Diffit too is a great tool for differentiating content and helping make content more personalised and accessible for all pupils. You might also find the MagicSchool AI suite useful, particularly its Text Rewriter tool, which offers similar functionality.
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There was so much invaluable information in this module. I had to go back through the PDF to ensure I had taken it all in! Microsoft Reading Coach has huge potential in a busy class setting, as sometimes it is not possible to listen to all the children reading.The fact that pupils can record their reading and receive personalised feedback, complete post reading challenges is extremely useful and certainly a tool.
I would love to use Microsoft copilot as I think it would be very effective for the children. If they were to input a description, see the outcome, and then see if they could create a more detailed picture. I think pupils would really enjoy using this tool and it would certainly help illustrate the importance of painting a clearer picture for the reader.
I definitely think Gamma and Diffit are tools which would save teachers a huge amount of time when it comes to creating resources for lessons but equally children could use them for projects.
I will certainly use Gamma in the future for creating presentations and it could be a useful tool for pupils to present work to their peers also.
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I agree that Gamma would provide an excellent opportunity to create a powerpoint that is tailored made to the needs of the children. The class itself could also use it to present their ‘project work’. Of course what has underpinned this module as in the previous one is to inform the principal or BOM of your intended use of AI and to be aware of our GDPR responsibilities.
The Diffit tool offers lots of scope for implementing a differentiated topic to each student. There are so many ideas in this module it will need lots of going back over to utilise it fully.
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Gamma and Twee are two AI tools that I feel could greatly support my teaching, learning, and assessment. From the module video, it looks like Gamma can create engaging, visual presentations and lesson content quickly, allowing me to save time on creating resources while maintaining a high standard of delivery. Twee can generate differentiated comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, and grammar tasks based on any text I input, making it ideal for literacy and content-based subjects. Both tools support formative assessment by helping me tailor materials to student levels and track understanding through interactive tasks. Overall, they streamline planning and improve lesson quality and student engagement. I am excited to try these out in September!
AI tools have the potential to significantly enhance future teaching, learning, and assessment. One exciting application I learned about is in descriptive writing, where tools like Co-Pilot Image Creator can generate vivid, custom images based on student prompts. I plan to use this in creative writing where the children can print a scene from their won story, bringing it to life. This can inspire creativity and help pupils visualise settings, characters, or events—particularly useful for reluctant writers or those with additional learning needs.
Another tool I find promising is Magic School, which offers a wide range of teacher supports. For example, its Maths Story Word Problems generator can create differentiated problems linked to classroom topics, saving time and improving relevance. The Social Story generator is also helpful for supporting pupils with SEN or those struggling with routines and emotional regulation. AI tools like these can help personalise learning, offer meaningful differentiation, and streamline teacher workload—especially in planning and resource creation. However, careful oversight is important to ensure tools are used ethically and effectively. Overall, I believe AI can support more inclusive, engaging, and efficient classroom practice.
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There is a huge amount of information provided in this module. Some really good AI tools that I am looking forward to using in 6th class.
Copilot Image Creator really stood out for me. This tool randomly selects a type of writng (poem, letter, story, newspaper article) and gives you a descriptive title, for example write a story about a grey elephant who was lonely. While this is useful it can really limit the children’s creativity. Image creator is much better as it encourages children to be more descriptive and detailed in their writing. This also teaches the children the importance of providing detail in order to create a clearer picture for the reader. I also liked the way it could be used in the opposite way whereby the teacher created the image and children had to create the prompt that led to the generation of the image. Anything that engages the child in creative writing and catches their interest will keep them engaged and will feel less like ‘work’.
I like the way Magic School AI creates a social story that allows for editing and tweaking so it suits a particular child or purpose. I struggled last year with creating social stories in the ASD classroom that were just right for my children – some too wordy, some not enough etc.It is brilliant that what you create in Magic School AI can then be used in TWEE to generate questions and therefore extend learning. I hope to look at these further over the holidays and use in the new academic year.-
I also thought the use of CoPilot image creator for creative writing lessons was a great idea. It really clearly shows the students the importance of descriptive writing, as they can see the image improve with the more descriptive prompts. I think students would have great fun writing the prompts to generate images as well, which is a great way to encourage them to use adjectives in their writing.
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Hi Fidelma,
I also really liked Copilot Image Creator and how it gives you a descriptive title. I do agree this can restrict some of the more able children however those who find it hard to get started and need support and guidance, this resource could be great to get them going and to actually complete a written piece. I do agree that the image creator teaches the children that they need to be descriptive and add as much detail as possible to get the image they want. I do find children struggle with this sometimes and this is a super tool to encourage the children to stretch their sentences and descriptions. When writing I’ve noticed that some children have all the information in their heads but they struggle to get it down on paper as its as if their thoughts can’t keep up with their pencils. This tool helps them to add as much detail and information that they can in order to create the image they want and they learn how this works first hand by trying it out.
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I have used Magic School AI tools in the classroom this year. I used the vocabulary generator to create vocabulary lists based on our current theme. I then used these lists for spellings and to create vocabulary-building worksheets. I also used the UDL choice board generator to create choice boards based on different topics. I found this worked particularly well when used as a review activity after reading a novel or a story book, as the students had a variety of activities to choose from when responding to the book. Students who worked fast could also complete more than one activity from the choice board, so it had built-in early finisher activities.
I would like to learn more about Diffit, and I think I will definitely try using that to generate activities for my class next year. I think that it will make differentiation a lot easier, and it will cut down on the amount of time I spend looking for activities for my students to complete.
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There were some fantastic resources and Ai tools shown in this module. I think the AI tools can be easily linked into the teaching of literacy. I love the idea of using Copilot to create images of characters for a story. The children will develop characters for a fictional story. They will have to use their adjectives and description words to create their character as best they can. They could create the character on paper first and then generate images on Copilot or the other way round. It will engage them with their story writing and help with vocabulary development at the same time.
Although a simple tool really. I like the Youtube AI tools. I often use Youtube videos in SESE to help children learn facts about a certain topic. Now it can be used as a tool to assess their learning from the video. The use of Twee to create the quiz questions will engage them further and also save me time as I wouldn’t have to look through the whole video and come up with quiz questions. I plan on using this AI tool lots next year. -
Part 2
I love the thought of using Magic Schools in the classroom. The examples given in the module are great. I would love to let the children create their own social stories for SPHE based on bullying. They could then generate a video maybe too using a different AI tools. Maths problems can be quite boring for kids but I like the idea of getting the children to create their own word problems using Magic Schools. They could even make them for each other and peer assess afterwards. It’s definitely a tool I will use next year as these are 2 of it’s features.
Reading Coach is also a tool which I think will interest my classroom. It will be able to support children who find reading difficult but also challenge the higher learners to reach higher levels and get new characters through reading streaks. I also like fact you can input your own text. I would copy and paste a page or 2 of a book and ask the children to read it allowed for homework. Hence seeing who may need extra support. -
I had a very similar reaction — I was amazed by just how many AI tools are available and the incredible variety of things they can do! It was a lot to process, but also really energising. One tool that stood out to me was Microsoft Reading Coach. The concept of students receiving immediate, tailored feedback on their reading—without relying solely on the teacher—is such a game-changer. It’s a brilliant way to promote independent learning and cater to different needs in a realistic way, especially in busy classroom settings.
I also really enjoyed the way the teacher used the Co Pilot Image creator to demonstrate the importance of using your words to create a vivid description and then to see their words come to life. I’m looking forward to having my class try this next year and building writing lessons around it.
Magic schools has a wealth of ideas and options… One I will definitely be using is the creation of social stories, we have many different issues arising during the year and no offense to it but Walk Tall is getting outdated at this stage. It will be beneficial to make the stories more engaging and easier to empathize with using the social story creator. In all it was a very beneficial module.
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Hi Michelle,
I agree, I also liked the the way the teacher used Co Pilot image creator and see how you could adapt that to a future lesson. I think a lesson on adjectives would be particularly beneficial and one I will try out with my class next year too! Also, the Microsoft reading coach is an excellent tool which doesn’t rely solely on the teacher for immediate feedback.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this module and felt it was very insightful in terms of AI tools. In relation to Part 1, two tools which I feel will help improve my teaching, learning and assessment are Magic School and Diffit for Teachers. Magic school can be used to generate lesson plans efficiently based on the student’s ability levels. I think this will be brilliant in terms of generating lessons, for example on an SESE topic which I can generate variations for high achievers, EAL learners and those needing extra support also. I will definitely engage with Diffit also, as it also allows for efficient differentiation. I like how I can easily input a piece of text and again generate multiple reading levels for the same text.
In relation to Part 2, I believe that the integration of AI tools such as MagicSchool, Gamma, and Diffit has the potential to transform teaching, learning, and assessment in meaningful ways. These tools not only save time but also enhance personalisation and accessibility. As I have mentioned, MagicSchool supports inclusive practice by being able to generate tailored lesson plans and IEP-friendly activities quickly.
As previously stated, Diffit is another powerful tool that enables the rapid adaptation of texts to suit various reading levels, making content more accessible to EAL learners and students with literacy difficulties.
I also particularly liked Gamma, with its ability to convert complex ideas into engaging, visual PowerPoint presentations, which supports diverse learning styles and boosts student engagement. It can be used for more student-led projects, or even formative assessments in a more creative and interactive format.
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What an informative module, thank you for opening my eyes to this game changing list of AI tools. Where to begin, firstly I setup an AI folder on my browser to bookmark the many amazing sites you mentioned. I will enjoy spending time familiarising myself with the sites and create some content which will be useful in the future.
The Copilot image creator and the insight into using more descriptive language to add more detail was simple yet powerful and I will certainly be using it in the classroom.
I hadn’t realised that you could change the subtitle language on Youtube via AI translation. Very handy for the Gaelscoil setting and makes picture books in any language accessible.
I will use Youtube in conjunction with Twee and Diffit to generate differentiated materials.
Gamma is also a fabulous resource for presentations.
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Hi Aoife,
Setting up an AI folder to bookmark tools sounds like a plan and will definitely help you stay organised as you explore and experiment. It’s also an idea worth revisiting in September when you’re back in school, maybe this time, a shared folder for staff across the school instead. A GenAI shared space could be a great way for teachers to exchange tools, examples, and ideas.
Regarding the tools you mentioned, Copilot Image Creator is a great example of how a small tweak, like using more descriptive language can enhance creativity. YouTube’s subtitle translation feature is particularly useful in your context, and combining YouTube with tools like Twee and Diffit is a good way to generate differentiated materials. Tapping into the multimodal capabilities of AI tools, particularly in combination, highlights how useful AI can be in the classroom.
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As mentioned in some of the other posts, there was a great wealth of material explained very clearly in this module. Two of the tools that could improve my own teaching, learning and assessment are:
• Reading Coach
• Speaker CoachI have never used either of these tools, however I hope to use them in the future.
Both of these tools offer the possibility of individualised learning and consistent feedback. Reading coach uses adaptive learning to challenge the learner. Neurodiverse students such as students with ADHD could benefit greatly from Reading Coach as it appears to break learning into manageable chunks and has a clear visual format.Another advantage of these tools is that students might take feedback less personally from an AI than from a human (for example, if Speaker Coach gives a student feedback to speak more slowly).
Nevertheless, teacher oversight is very important with a tool such as Speaker Coach, in my opinion. Correcting everything an AI suggests, such as a student’s use of colloquialisms or slang, might not always be necessary.
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I found this module very interesting and informative. There was plenty to delve into and explore. Reading Coach and Gamma are two examples of the tools identified in this module that I hope to use this year to improve my own teaching, learning and assessment. Reading Coach is just such a valuable and practical resource, I was so impressed that it listens to students reading out loud and assesses their fluency and identifies any challenging words, especially trying to find the time to listen to students reading which can be a challenge. Gamma will save so much time trolling the internet looking for a suitable and age appropriate powerpoint for a lesson.
The impact that these AI tools will have on teaching and learning will be of such benefit to both teachers and students alike. The fact that less time will be spent on planning and resources and more time on student instruction can only be a good thing.
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Hi Emma,
Good to hear you found this module informative, with plenty of practical ideas to take forward. I agree Reading Coach (indeed, the entire suite of Learning Accelerators) is a really useful tool to support and personalise learning, Particularly, as mooted, its ability to assess fluency and highlight tricky words, which can be hard to manage consistently in a hectic classroom.
Gamma too, promises real time-saving when it comes to creating lesson materials. Indeed anything that helps reduce planning time and allows us to focus more on pupils learning is definitely worth exploring. I agree too that the potential of GenAI is huge in education but we need to be mindful too of some of the negative impacts, it’s all about getting the balance right in your classroom and in the school as a whole
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This module was so informative and gave a wide range of websites/applications to use within the classroom, all of which I am excited to use in the classroom.
One of the first tools that stood out to me was Copilot Image creator, which can be used for descriptive writing, encouraging the students to give the more detail.
I also was very impressed with the Gamma and its ability to create presentations on any topic. This will save so much admin time but also enable teachers to made more engaging lessons and give them the ability to cater more to each class as their interests can be taken into effect and new presentations made instantly.
Finally , Diffit. What a wonderful resource to makes worksheets, this will help cut down time but also make more interesting and engaging work for students that will be both tailored to their interests and abilty.
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This module brought many AI tool which I coud use everyday in the classroom. Copilot image creator is a practical tool to encourage children to draw on their use of descrpitive language and adjectives. The better description prompt- the more accuarte the image becomes. Another example of a tool I would like to use in my class is Diffit. To be able to create a text on any topic and pitch it different levels with modified questions is another invaluable resource.
The combination of all these tools, withy less time on planning and creating content will definitely enable me to plan, teach and assess with greater ease going forward and into the future.
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Part 1
I will be teaching first class this year and many of the tools we looked at in module 3 will be very beneficial. Youtube is a very common tool that I have always used. It is fantastic for videos no matter what the topic is that you are covering.
Example 1:
Lesson: The water cycle.
The children will watch a fun and animated video of the water cycle on YouTube geared specifically at their age group.
Magic School can be used to generate appropriate questions, a quiz and a drawing activity to follow the video.
The magic school drawing activity and pupil responses can be used as assessment.
Example 2:
Lesson: Storytelling
The children will watch the animated story of The Gruffalo on YouTube. Followed by discussion.
Chat GPT can be used to generate some comprehension questions, age appropriate sentence starters and maybe a creative writing piece based on the story.
Work can be assessed by looking at the children’s sentence structure, spelling and use of vocabulary. -
I will be teaching first class this year and many of the tools we looked at in module 3 will be very beneficial. Youtube is a very common tool that I have always used. It is fantastic for videos no matter what the topic is that you are covering.
Example 1:
Lesson: The water cycle.
The children will watch a fun and animated video of the water cycle on YouTube geared specifically at their age group.
Magic School can be used to generate appropriate questions, a quiz and a drawing activity to follow the video.
The magic school drawing activity and pupil responses can be used as assessment.
Example 2:
Lesson: Storytelling
The children will watch the animated story of The Gruffalo on YouTube. Followed by discussion.
Chat GPT can be used to generate some comprehension questions, age appropriate sentence starters and maybe a creative writing piece based on the story.
Work can be assessed by looking at the children’s sentence structure, spelling and use of vocabulary.The use of AI programs such as those discussed in the last few modules (ChatGPT, Diffit, MagicSchool, YouTube, Copilot etc.) give the teacher the opportunity to enhance teaching, learning and assessment in the classroom. Going forward in the next school year I hope to use diffit that will adjust content for the abilities of different pupils. Chat GPT will be an excellent resource for word problems, sentence starters and comprehension questions and youtube as I mentioned already has always been top of my resource bank.
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Hi Elaine,
Thanks for your post here. Having a general idea of the content you wish to teach and the direction you want to go with it is an excellent starting point when incorporating AI tools to enhance the learning. Using a specific storybook is a great example of this – getting some specific learning activities to do with this, alternative scripts that can be used to re-enact a class drama, etc. are all great ways to use AI in this regard. Indeed, some of the suggestions provided could then be tailored to other texts and end up becoming a core tenet of your instruction for the subsequent years. With careful and specific prompting, a plethora of excellent activities and experiences can be provided.
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Elaine,
As you mentioned, there are some amazing opportunities for teachers to improve their planning and practice with the tools mentioned in module 3. Diffit and magic school as you said provide great opportunities for teachers to enhance lessons, reduce planning time and allow teachers to spend more time working with pupils. Really exciting times ahead!
Anthony
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Hi Elaine, I really enjoyed reading your examples for your first-class pupils. It’s great to see how you’re using a mix of tools you already know and some new ones. As a fourth-class teacher, it’s really helpful for me to see how these things work for the younger classes in my school.
I particularly liked your idea of using Magic School to follow up on a YouTube video. It’s a clever way to get a complete lesson—questions, a quiz, and a drawing activity—all from one resource. That’s a great approach I’ll be trying for some of our SESE topics, too. And your point about using the drawing activities for assessment is a fantastic way to check in on their learning. Thanks for sharing that!
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Module 3 has deepened my understanding of the powerful role AI tools can play in transforming teaching, learning, and assessment. As a special education teacher, I’m particularly excited about using Microsoft Reading Coach with my students who struggle with reading. I believe this tool will be invaluable in providing personalised, supportive practice that builds confidence and fluency. I’m also eager to introduce Microsoft Search Coach and Speech Coach to senior teachers at my school, helping them explore how AI can enhance learning across subjects.
Beyond these, I plan to integrate several AI tools into my instruction. Diffit will help me create differentiated materials tailored to students’ levels, while Magic School offers engaging content that can motivate learners. Gamma can support me in designing visually appealing presentations and resources. Twee is a great tool for generating creative writing prompts and ideas, and ChatGPT remains my go-to for quick lesson planning, generating explanations, and brainstorming. Overall, these AI tools have the potential to make my teaching more efficient, personalised, and engaging for all students.
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One AI tool I’m excited to introduce to my pupils is Microsoft Reading Coach, especially for students who struggle with reading. To begin, I would explain how it acts like a personal reading helper that listens, guides, and supports their progress. I’d start with a short demo to show how it reads aloud, highlights words, and offers feedback to improve fluency and comprehension. This makes reading less stressful and more interactive.
I’d set achievable goals and encourage students to track their progress, helping build confidence and motivation. What I really like about this course is how it ties in the Digital Learning Framework and the new Primary Language Curriculum. Making connections with what we need to teach in the curriculum makes it easier to see how AI tools like Reading Coach fit naturally into our lessons. This approach ensures AI supports learning while complementing teacher guidance, making it a valuable addition rather than a replacement.
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The three stand out tools from this module that I will use going forward are Diffit, Co-Pilot and Gamma.
Diffit will give my EAL students greater access to the curriculum- with over half my class EAL it will be a huge help for both teaching and learning.
Gamma will help me make more specific powerpoints for the lessons I am teaching and I can see myself using it on a daily basis.It will make lessons more engaging and relevent.
Co-pilot image generator I will use for creative writing, oral language and differentiation.
Never used or heard of any of these before this module so delighted with what I have gained from this module.
Gamma, Co-pilot, and Diffit will enhance primary teaching by offering AI-driven tools for personalised learning and resource creation. They help teachers differentiate content, assess understanding, and adapt lessons to individual needs. These platforms save time, boost engagement, and support inclusive, student-centered education aligned with diverse learning styles and abilities. I look froward to using them in Setember. -
Enhancing children’s writing skills in a creative writing class to develop keys skills is a fantastic way to use GenAI. As Seamus outlined in his piece, the more descriptive your prompts are the more accurate the images are created on copilot image creator. This is highly motivating for children and a practical way to use AI in your classroom. Inverting the process and getting children to describe the image is also a clever way to enhance child’s skills using AI.
Microsoft Reading Coach sounds like an excellent tool to assist pupils is developing reading skills. The fact the the tool can listen to the children read, provide instant feedback and also provide individualised activities targeted at the children’s identified needs. The teacher is then able to monitor overall class performance through their insights page and allows him/her make decisions based on that data to help the child. This is something that can only benefit the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the classroom.
There is no doubt that AI can only assist the teaching, learning and assessment practices in schools over the years to come. What is currently on offer, which apart from the Chatgpt ang gemini tools, I wasnt aware of is, astounding. I can see Magic for instance becoming an almost one stop go to for teachers in how they provide content. It is amazing, and like many of the other tools like gamma and diffit, need to be embraced.
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All of the tool discussed in this module were brilliant. After exploring each of them the two which I feel would improve my own teaching, learning and assessment most would be Reading Coach and Diffit. The features in Reading Coach which allow pupils to choose the character, setting etc and how they would like the story to unfold will be brilliant for engaging reluctant readers. I also love the syllable feature and line focus to support struggling readers. The listening feature and instant feedback will also really help provide 1:1 support and assessment. I am looking forward to giving this a go in September. Diffit was so user friendly. I feel the vocabulary section will be really useful when introducing a new topic in SESE. The links to writing and reading strategies are also brilliant and will save so much prep time for me. What I loved most was the book section. This will be invaluable when it comes to novel study and whole class reading instruction when trying to focus in on specific reading and writing strategies. There is excellent potential for the use of all these apps in the classroom for teaching, learning and assessment. The Magic School app gives teacher so much support in all areas of school life and I love how the Speaker Coach app links so well to the OL element of the literacy curriculum. Really enjoyed exploring all of the tools and can’t wait so use some of them in September.
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Part One: The two examples of how I could use AI to improve teaching, learning and assessment are:
Diffit for Teachers would allow me to provide greater differentiation to meet all of the pupils needs within our classroom.
Microsoft Reading Coach would allow greater targeted reading practice with detailed assessment records for all children.
Part Two: Following on from module three it seems that the use of AI tools to positively impact future teaching and learning within classrooms is endless. Copilot image creator has many benefits and I will be certainly using it to prompt images for creative writing. This will also give my pupils a chance to see how important accurate prompts are in using AI.
The three Microsoft Learning Accelerators also provide great opportunities for educators. I was particularly interested in Reading Coach. This is an extremely useful tool in helping children reach their potential in reading and is an especially useful tool in support teaching. Search Coach and Speaker Coach help pupils in the area of accurate searching and making presentations. These are skills that are very valuable in today’s world.
The range of AI tools available in Magic School is extremely impressive. I will certainly be looking into this in much more detail. The creation of the social story and incorporation Twee with this is something I will be trying out.
Other AI tools such as Diffit for Teachers and Gamma also have a role to play. -
This module has been really useful! I’ve already started using some of them!
Two examples of how I can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve my own teaching, learning, and assessment:
1. Lesson Plan Tool:
The Lesson Plan tool will help me plan more easily, especially when I need to plan different lessons for students with different needs. For example, when planning a maths lesson on 2D shapes for 1st class, I will use the tool to create a plan that includes group work, hands-on materials, and real-life shape hunts. It will allow me to focus more on getting students involved and on making sure that the lesson matches the curriculum.
2. Behavior Intervention Suggestions:
This tool will be really useful when I need quick ways to help students with challenging behaviours. I will use it for a student in my class who finds it hard to settle down and often walks around the classroom. The tool will suggest visual schedules, sensory breaks, and the use of a token system — all of which I will be able to put into practice right away. It will save me time and make it easier to provide behavioural support. -
Part Two:
After Module Three, it’s clear that AI tools will be really important in how I plan, differentiate, and support teaching and learning in my classroom. MagicSchool’s Lesson Plan Generator will save lots of time. It will help me to quickly create lessons that are well-planned and match what is in the curriculum, and that are suitable for the different needs of my students.I will definitely be using it to design lessons that are interesting and get all students involved. For example, I could do a lesson about 2D shapes where students work in groups, do hands-on activities, and go on a hunt for shapes in the real world.The Behavior Intervention Suggestions tool will also be very useful. My job involves supporting behaviour, and this tool will provide practical ways to help. It will offer strategies like visual schedules, sensory breaks and token systems. These will help reduce anxiety during transitions and provide consistency in the classroom.
As well as MagicSchool, I’m excited to try out Diffit for Teachers. This will let me adapt reading materials based on students’ abilities, which is great for groups of different levels and for providing one-to-one support. Gamma will be useful for creating nice-looking presentations for things like classroom routines or parent meetings. It will save time and make communication better. Copilot will help you when you’re planning lessons, writing reports or drafting emails. It will stop you from getting a ‘blank page’ feeling, and give you more time to focus on your students.
This module has given me lots of practical tools that I know will make a real difference to my day-to-day teaching. I can’t wait to use them in my teaching and see how they’ll help with my workload and my students’ learning!
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Part 1:
As a teacher in a Gaelscoil, a couple of the tools really jumped out at me for my own classroom.
Diffit for Teachers looks brilliant for SESE lessons. It’s a lifesaver for differentiating content. I can take a topic, like the famine, and quickly create a few different reading versions to suit all the abilities in my class. Best of all, I can ask it to translate the text into Irish, which saves me a huge amount of time and makes sure everyone has access to the same information, no matter their level of Irish.
Copilot Image Creator is another one I’m excited to try. When we’re doing creative writing, I could get the children to write a detailed prompt ‘as Gaeilge’ and then watch the AI create an image from it. It would be a fun, hands-on way for them to see how important it is to be specific with their words. We could even do it as a class, writing the prompt together and then discussing why certain details were included or left out of the final picture.
Part 2: The potential for AI in the classroom, especially in a Gaelscoil, feels huge and like it’s just getting started. Tools like Diffit and Copilot will give me back so much time, allowing me to focus more on what the children actually need. The ability to quickly adapt and translate resources is just invaluable for me. It means I can offer a richer, more varied learning experience across the whole curriculum. And the instant feedback from something like Microsoft Reading Coach is a real game-changer. The detailed data will let me pinpoint learning gaps with so much more accuracy. I think the future of teaching will involve us guiding pupils on how to use these tools properly, helping them become more independent and critical learners themselves, with AI as their assistant.-
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your post here and for outlining the potential use of these tools in a Gaelscoil context. The Image Creator is an amazing tool and one which I am sure you will enjoy playing around with. The prompt is crucial for all aspects of AI in an education sense, but especially so when looking at image creation, regardless of the tool being used. Often,. I have had to provide multiple prompts to be specific enough to match it to look exactly as I wanted. However, once you use it a couple of times you are conscious of this and it becomes a much quicker and fluid process.
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Part 1
I think that Diffit is a wonderful tool for differentiated teaching. It ensures that every pupil receives content that is suited to their own ability. It has vocabulary lists, summaries and questions that can be adjusted to the different abilities within a class. I’m looking forward to trying this out in the coming school year.
Another useful tool is speaker coach, I love that it gives immediate personalised feedback. It would help pupils become more confident public speakers and help reduce anxiety around it.
Twee is another very useful tool to generate questions from vocabulary lists, text or videos.
Part 2
I look forward to using Diffit for studying a class novel. Each chapter can be adapted to suit different reading levels and then activities can be created based on it. Multiple choice questions or open ended questions can be generated to suit all the learners in your class. Differentiated vocabulary lists can be easily generated. It would also be very useful to use for differentiating reading passages for SESE topics also. Every child will be able to access the material and learning is personalised.
I really like the Magic School maths story tool. I think it would really help engagement with problem solving tasks. It‘s so easy to use and would save so much time. -
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One of the applications I found interesting in this module was the Copilot Image creator. I liked the way you could use it for your descriptive writing lessons. It would really get the children thinking, using what they know about adjectives and descriptive writing but in a really engaging way. It could be used as a whole class activity but also in groups or pairs and be used for different subjects across the curriculum too. I also liked the Reading Coach. I feel it is very important to listen to the pupils reading as much as we can and it is something in our school that we prioritise especially in the younger classes. However, finding the time to listen to everyone each day is challenging so reading coach could be used to help teachers see how their class are doing with their reading. It has so many great tools within the app such as the option for pupils to decide what happens next in the story giving them more control over what they are reading. I would definitely like to try out both of these applications this coming year with my 3rd class.
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I agree Pamela. I am quite excited to try out the Copilot Image Creator tool to enhance my literacy lessons. I think the children in my class will respond very well to it and it’s potential uses in my lessons will be great.
I am also very excited to try out the reading coach tool. I have quite a broad level of ability in my class so I think it will be very beneficial.
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I have signed up to Magic School and I am so surprised by how many different tools for creating that there are. It is invaluable for teachers to help save time and to inspire ideas. I have used Magic school to quickly create a lesson based on WW1 suitable for my class level. I listed what I wanted in the prompt and let the AI generate a lesson for me.
I have also explored Diffit for teachers which has an amazing amount of resources. I honestly couldn’t believe how easy it was to create a lesson on it and to have every resource needed at hand in under a minute. It even linked assessment for the lesson.Both of these websites are fantastic for teachers and would make life so much easier in the classroom. I also liked how Magic school suggested the 80/20 rule to remind me to check over the lessons and work it created. That the 20 percent where the teacher checks over the work is just as important as the 80 percent created by the platform.
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I was very impressed with the AI tools explained in this module. I feel that Diffit could be so, so useful in allowing for differentiation, tailoring any type of content to different reading abilities, transforming text or video. I wish I had used it in my classroom a few years ago when I had a number of Ukrainian pupils with no English to help them follow SESE topics in their own language. It could be so helpful as a springboard for SESE topics, extra extension activities and project-work (Even if just to help the teacher prepare mixed ability resources when taking a course day!)
I was very taken by the Microsoft Learning Accelerators. The Speaker coach would help on a personal level but also very encouraging for those reluctant or shy speakers to give them tangible targets and constructive feedback on their pace, pitch, pronunciation as well as the type of language used whether they have too many fillers or repetition for example and even an optional feature to monitor body language and eye contact!
The Reader coach will be so useful for pupils in my class in the middle level of the school, those who have mastered learning to read but are struggling to move on to “reading to learn”, pupils who don’t receive Learning support in literacy but may be borderline candidates and would benefit from this “sophisticated” reading support, and encouragement to boost level, fluency etc.
Using CoPilot Image Creator to aid descriptive writing in the classroom boasts endless possibilities to motivate children (as shown in the example of Charlotte’s Web). By adding more detail in the prompt, the image became more useful. Linking the prompt writing to their use of adjectives in their own descriptive writing could really illustrate to children the value of editing their work and taking care with their choice of vocabulary to aid the reader in building up a picture in their head – a very useful and effective way of exploring AI and descriptive writing.
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As a senior room teacher, I see great potential for Microsoft Reading Coach to significantly enhance teaching, learning, and assessment in my fourth-class classroom next year. Reading Coach provides reading practice that can adapt to each pupil’s level and pace, helping to build fluency, confidence, and comprehension. By offering feedback on pronunciation and reading accuracy, it allows students to work independently while still getting meaningful support. This technology will enable me to better differentiate instruction, identify struggling readers earlier and tailor interventions more effectively. Additionally, the ability to track progress over time supports formative assessment. This will save me time or give me time to focus on other aspects of the children’s learning.
I believe Microsoft Speaker coach will be a valuable tool to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment in my fourth class. Speaker Coach offers real-time, personalised feedback on students’ speaking skills, such as pace, pitch and clarity. This tool will support the development of oral language and presentation skills, which are essential components of the English curriculum. It empowers students to practise speaking in a safe and private environment, helping to build their confidence. Thinking ahead to the Classroom Based Assessments for Junior Cert English, this is a skill that is so important to develop from an early stage.-
AS an SET teacher I too see great potential in Microsoft Learning Accelerators. Having a child be supported in a !:! session and then have it carried through to the classroom or at home with microsoft reader offers a huge opportunity for learning . Then being able to use the Speaker for the same child to be able to hear their reading and have targets set for what they can work on to develop their fluency etc is exciting
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
The 2 resources I have see at this time that I am excited at using in the new school year in regards to supporting my teaching and learning are Magic School and Microsoft Learn.
Magic School looks like a really useful tool. The teacher tool of multiple explanations will be a useful tool for me as a SET teacher. This tool will support me as a teacher in being better able to differentiate and assist children to be able to access the class work in a better supported way. I really liked its suggestion of the 80/20 rule in using AI.
The classroom use of this platform is huge. When I put in what i needed as a teacher from AI it came back with a list of different tools that would support me in developing material for my students to meet their learning goals. AS an SET teacher I can use this tool for developing 1:1 material to meet specific learning targets but also help create material to support students in the classroom. The impact on teaching is huge, the different learning needs of children are becoming more pronounced and we are being asked to differentiate tasks for students with less support available. Being able to take for example a creative writing lesson and generate more specific scaffolds to support the needs of students in the class that need more to complete the same but different task is a game changer
Microsoft Learn offers me the opportunity to continue to learn about AI and what services are available . As a teacher in this changing and developing area of education I feel it is important to continue to learn and adapt my teaching and this platform will assist me with this. The potential for students and teachers of the AI tools that the Microsoft platform offers is great. Microsoft Reading Coach is what I am most excited about. AS an SET teacher I have a number of students who are not reading at their class age, who are not excited to read because it’s hard. Being able to generate text that can be tailored to fir their age, reading age and interests is exciting. The impact that this will have on teaching and learning is huge. In the past we have been restricted in text availability and this has impacted the reader who is not reading at class/age level. Being able to give child text, that is age appropriate but can support their learning is promising
I am also keen to use Diffit to supplement reading materials and help tailor reading and comprehension to interests of child to support the reluctant reader
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Before taking this course, I had used AI primarily to support my teaching by preparing lesson plans, creating worksheets, and designing attractive classroom displays. However, I had not considered using AI tools directly during lessons until now.
One particularly useful example is the Magic School tool. In the video it showed how the tool can generate long multiplication problems. I find this tool excellent because it is colourful, child-friendly, and far more engaging than many other AI platforms. I believe students will respond positively to it, especially as many are already aware of AI and show a growing interest in it.
Additionally, the YouTube translation tool offers great potential for supporting EAL students. It can provide real-time translations, helping these learners stay engaged and keep up with the lesson. I also see promising potential for using this tool to translate videos into Irish, which could further enrich language learning in the classroom.-
I was the same before this course Louise, I’d only really used AI for planning and creating resources, not actually during lessons. Magic School sounds brilliant! I love that it’s more fun and child-friendly, because let’s be honest, some AI tools just aren’t that engaging for kids. I can definitely see how students would enjoy using it, especially since many of them are already curious about AI.
The YouTube translation tool is a great shout too! I hadn’t thought about using it for EAL support, but it makes so much sense. And translating videos into Irish? That’s a brilliant idea it would be amazing for language learning and making lessons more inclusive.
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I definitely will use the translation tool for EAL support. It seems like a brilliant resource to keep the children engaged especially when English can be very limited when the children join our school. I agree it’s very inclusive for all and it’s a platform that the children are already very familiar with and enjoy.
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There was loads of helpful resources in this module. However, one tool I’m really interested in trying is the Microsoft Reading Coach. I find it so hard to give every child enough time to read aloud and get proper feedback, especially in a busy classroom. What I love about Reading Coach is that kids can record themselves reading, get personalised feedback, and even do follow-up tasks. It would make a big difference for pupils who need a bit of extra help with reading. We mainly use Google tools in our school though, so I’m curious if there’s a Google version of it out there.
Another resource I liked was Microsoft Copilot for helping with writing. It’s not always easy to get pupils to see how important it is to use detail and description in their work. I think it’d be really effective and fun if they could type in a short bit of writing and then see how it could be improved or expanded. It would make it so much clearer for them, and I reckon they’d enjoy using it too.
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I can definitely see AI being a big help in the classroom if it’s used in the right way. For starters, it could save teachers loads of time. Tools like Gamma and Diffit look really handy for creating lessons, presentations, and worksheets without spending hours on them. I could also see students using Gamma to present their own work in a more creative way, which would be a nice change from the usual poster or slideshow.
AI could also help make learning more personal. Instead of giving every student the same task, you could tweak it to suit different levels really easily. Plus, some tools give students instant feedback, which is great because they don’t have to wait for the teacher to go through everything first.
That said, we do need to be careful – not all schools have access to the same tech, and we have to make sure student info is protected. But overall, I think AI could make teaching and learning more fun, flexible, and a bit less stressful for everyone.
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Hi Bríd, I thought your point about not all schools having the same access to technology was a very important thing to note. Some of the microsoft learning tools are very dependent on each child having access to a device and as we all know that’s not always possible. However, there are still many ways these tools can be used to benefit children even without multiple devices, it would just be a little harder!
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This module was packed with practical tools that I can see making a real difference in my classroom. One I’m especially excited about is MagicSchool. It’s would be really helpful in creating differentiated resources quickly, especially for literacy and numeracy. Writing word problems or adapting reading texts used to take so much time but now it appears that I can generate materials that meet my pupils’ specific learning needs in minutes using this tool.Another great tool is Reading Coach. For my learners who struggle with decoding large amounts of text, the ability to control how text is presented and have it read aloud is a huge win. It gives them more independence and confidence, which is so important!
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AI tools have huge potential in special education. So many of my pupils benefit from personalised, flexible approaches, and tools like Reading Coach, Search Coach, Diffit and MagicSchool help make that possible. I can tailor learning without always having to create everything from scratch, which frees me up to spend more time on emotional regulation and one-to-one support.I also love the creative opportunities with the Copilot Image Creator and Gamma presentation creator, these tools are perfect for descriptive language activities and helping visual learners connect with texts. Pairing it with writing tasks could make a big difference in motivation and engagement.
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Part one:
One idea for using AI in literacy could be to give children an assignment to choose a sentence from the story/book/novel they’re currently reading or have already read that they would like to use as a prompt for Copilot Image Creator to make an illustration to go with the book. Once that has been completed you could ask them to critique what the AI tool has generated based on their own knowledge of the story with questions like – What has Image Creator left out? What would you change? What do you like/dislike about the illustration? How could you edit the prompt to make the illustration produced better?
I have already used MAGIC SCHOOL AI this year and I was amazed at the limitless capabilities to create tailored lessons and activities for my class. I have recommended it to many of my colleagues already so another idea for using this AI tool in my classroom would be to utilise the social stories generator shown in this module. I teach 6th class and often have to spend time helping students with the upcoming transition from primary school to secondary at the end of the year so I plan to use this tool to help some of my students with ASD prepare for the transition into secondary life.
I am also really excited to use the Microsoft Reading Coach tool – especially with my own 8 year old son who can be a very reluctant reader but I think the personalisation of it will appeal to him a lot and he will really enjoy using it.
Part two:
I think the potential for using AI tools in my classroom to improve my lesson plans, assessment and differentiation is very exciting and limitless. The DIFFIT AI tool shown in module 3 looks like a great tool for making sure that every child in the class can work at their own pace and level and will make differentiation and assessment much easier for me in the future.
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Hi Laura
Thanks for your contributions to the course so far and for sharing some thoughts and ideas on how you might use AI tools with your 6th class. I agree that Magic School AI is a fantastic selection of tools that can simplify a lot of teacher tasks and give teachers more time to focus on the important part of teaching, such as planning and delivering meaningful learning experiences. Your idea to use the social stories generator is an excellent one. The transition from primary to secondary school can be a big step for any student, but for those with ASD, it can be particularly challenging. Creating personalized social stories to help them prepare is a fantastic, proactive way to ease their worries and give them a clearer picture of what to expect
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This module was a wealth of practical info. A standout for me is Reading Coach, which I see as a game-changer for supporting early literacy, particularly in SET. It provides immediate and custom feedback and allows students to practice reading independently. I also love how it tracks individual progress over time too.
AI image generation tools could also be useful to create visuals that support classroom fortnightly themes to inspire students and provide a stimulus for oral language and discussion, vocabulary and creative writing activities. Generating imaginative scenes like a jungle or a fairytale castle would spark rich discussions and descriptive language and would be especially useful for those with limited vocabulary.
The wealth of AI tools in the module offers exciting opportunities to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment. While these tools are huge time-savers, it also requires us to invest our time into learning how to use them effectively. Magic School AI looks fantastic, and I’m eager to explore its full potential. I also see how MS Speech Coach could benefit older students in developing their presentation skills.
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There are so many ways in which Magic School could be used within the classroom setting both in an active lesson and in preparing for lessons. It can provide a teacher with lesson plans for children of varying ability levels in the classroom and even aid the teacher with making resources for these lessons. The opportunites are endless. Creating prompts whether through images or text, presentations with slides or even quizzes to assess lessons it is a tool that I will definitely incorporate into my lessons and planning as a teacher going forward.
This could be used in tangent with Diffit, creating differentiated resources for the classroom for all manner of lessons and topics.
AI for teachers going forward is hugely beneficial for future teaching, learning and assessment. Assessment with quizzes created by tools such as Magic School, teaching with tools such as Diffit and helping students learn with tools within Microsoft Word like Immersive Reader. These can all aid teachers and students in their own way going forward.
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2 examples of AI tools I could use to Improve my own learning process teaching learning and assessment are co- pilot for image generation and reading coach for literacy support.
I think co pilot would be a great resource to support English lessons. Maybe reading a text and asking the child to illustrate what they have read and compare it to what AI makes. Also to show the children the importance of the prompt and the detail required. I think it would also be good from covering procedural writing or advertising. Getting the children to compare their work to the work of the AI generated image or advertisement. It would also help me with teaching various lessons by having an AI generated image as a talking/starting point for a new topic.
I think reading coach would also be very beneficial in the classroom. It would allow the children to be heard reading aloud everyday. With our current program we only hear reading every second day so this would be a great tool. It’s targeted for each child and it would definitely help with assessment as it gives the children a opportunity to work on mispronunciation of words and then includes these words in future stories. I think the children would also really enjoy this tool as they can create their own story and decide what will happen next.-
Hi Sarah. I like your activity where you ask the child to draw what they have read and then compare this to what AI comes up with. Taking a story and turning it into a picture is a great activity that aids comprehension and understanding. They have to really think about the words, pick out the little bits of description, and decide how to show those in their own way. It’s a great way to make sure they’ve really understood what they’ve read.
Bringing in an AI-generated image to compare to their drawings will spark all sorts of discussions. They get to see how differently a computer interprets the same words. Maybe the AI’s version leaves out something they thought was important, or maybe it picks up on a detail they didn’t notice. Comparing the two can make the children realise that there’s no single “right” way to imagine a scene.
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The integration of AI tools offers immense potential to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment. Tools such as Microsoft Copilot by Dall-E can inspire creativity in descriptive writing by providing visual prompts, supporting pupils with varying literacy levels. Microsoft Reading Coach stands out for its ability to personalise learning—offering students ownership of story creation and providing tailored reading support, which aligns with the Primary Language Curriculum’s emphasis on differentiated instruction. Oral language skills, often underdeveloped, can be strengthened with Microsoft Speaker Coach, as it gives pupils a safe space to practise public speaking and receive constructive, real-time feedback.
From a teacher’s perspective, Magic School AI is invaluable. It streamlines planning, generates social stories, and creates accessible assessment tasks like the maths story word problem generator and audio/video question creators, reducing workload while maintaining quality. Tools like Diffit further support inclusive education by enabling easy differentiation of content for mixed-ability classrooms.
These AI tools can foster more individualised learning experiences, enhance student confidence, and free up teacher time to focus on meaningful interactions.
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I am really looking forward to using Microsoft Copilot in my role as Special Education Teacher this year. I will use it to help English groups improve their descriptive language in a fun and engaging way. I feel they will really respond to using this AI tool as sometimes there can be a lack of motivation from senior groups for Special Education teaching.
I can also see Microsoft Speaker Coach being very useful to help students with communication skills and confidence speaking aloud. I might ask older students to create a presentation using Gamma for younger classes and then practice with Microsoft Speaker Coach before presenting their presentation to them.These AI tools have given me many ideas for my teaching and in turn will benefit student’s learning.
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This module contained a tremendous amount of helpful AI tools which really made clear to me the potential benefits for my classroom. Search coach struck me as a useful and necessary tool to use with the senior classes as in this current climate of lots of online misinformation, it’s so important that our students are digitally literate and know how to use the internet effectively. Speech coach was another tool that I think would be very useful for the senior classes, particularly when working on presentations. For myself, I thought the latter tools outlined in the presentation were amazing. Diffit will be invaluable in my SET classroom, the ease of powerpoint creation in Gamma was very impressive and magicschool has so many applications, it’s great.
What really struck me with them all, was the quality of the output. I’m looking forward to getting started!-
Hi Beccy,
I also thought Search coach would be an eye opening tool to introduce to children in the senior classes. It highlights how some content online can’t be taken for face value unless the website meets certain criteria or standards. Allowing children to search in a safe and trustworthy manner allows them to actively engage and search in a safe and secure way. We always say that some content online can’t be trusted but this allows children to see for themselves. I would like to use this in a collaborative way firstly though.
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Hi Becky, thanks for your post and your continued contribution to the course. I’m glad to hear that you’ve found so much to explore in the module. Giving older pupils structured tools like Search Coach to search effectively is more important than ever, and combining that with something like Speech Coach can really improve their presentation skills. With so many possibilities of new technologies, one suggestion would be to focus on introducing one new tool at a time and build a small project around it. For instance, you could start with a short activity where pupils use Search Coach to investigate a current event, then share their findings. It also gives you a chance to model how to evaluate the quality of AI‑generated content together, reinforcing that these are aids rather than replacements for critical thinking.
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I am very interested to use some of the AI tools mentioned in this module. Two which stood out for me were the Social story creator and the maths story word problems. Both were part of Magic School AI.
The social story creator would prove to be a very useful tool if teaching in an autistic unit or if there was a neuro divergent child in your class. I understand how important it is to input the prompts effectively and never use a child’s real name. It enables the child to better understand social situations in a child friebdly way and also helps parents and teachers assess their understanding through creating questions for home on Twee.
I also an intrigued about using the Maths story word problem tool. This tool makes word problems more personalised and can nurture learner engagement. Children can peer assess by correcting their friends work and talk about the strategies they used in a personal way.
I see the above tools as being very user friendly. It doesn’t feel unsafe to use these tools and may be a great start for a teacher a little nervous about introducing AI tools in theur class.
I also loved the Microsoft Copilot image creator. Using it to bring images in a novel to life seems very exciting and would really engage children in their responses and use of descriptive language. It gives them a better sense of responsibility for their work as what you write, is actually appearing before them. A really powerful tool in my opinion.
Finally,the last tool which appealed to me was YouTube AI translation. How wonderful would it be to help a child with EAL to be able to participate fully in their learning ,especially if having only recently joined a class. The function in Twee which generates questions from the video really excites me. I look forward to using these tools this year. -
Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment.Over the past two years, I have been working in an ASD setting. The class was brand new to the school when I started in it and I have found myself learning on the job. It also means that I always feel like I am constantly behind on where I should and want to be in my teaching. Some of the tools in this lesson, have given me some great ideas and I really feel like I can take advantage of them going into next year. 2 tools that really stood out to me where Magic school and Gamma. Obviously with Magic School, the example given with making a social story is exactly something I could use with all of my children. Gamma would also come in handy as I am constantly trying to get PowerPoints that reflect the different levels the children are at in my class.
In addition, I really liked the lesson on creative writing and getting the children to try generate a picture similar to one the teacher created. When I return to a mainstream setting, it is definitely a lesson that I will be using.
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AI Tool # 1 – Microsoft Co Pilot Image Creator – powered by DALL E3
AI Tool # 2 – Diff It For Teachers
AI Tool # 1 – Microsoft Co Pilot Image Creator – powered by DALL E3
I really enjoyed the use of this application in the way it was applied. The lesson situation is something we are all familiar with, a shared class novel. However, the avenue into encouraging children’s engagement in descriptive writing was so clever. The opportunity for them to experience a real time graphical result of their initial prompt and edited prompts is brilliant. Then to conversely turn the activity around and have them create the possible prompts for an image already generated is really engaging. The motivation for producing creative writing at a greater depth has terrific potential.
AI Tool # 2 – Diff It For Teachers
I feel that this tool is one of the first examples of AI where I feel the much professed tagline as being a teacher time saving tool can really bear fruit. Effective differentiation for a time poor teacher is a real struggle, especially when resource preparation is required. I rely too heavily on teacher 1:1 or small group intervention to support with content I’ve prepared for the class as a whole, most often with my lower attainment pupils resulting in pupils at other attainment levels not receiving sufficient attention from me. I feel this tool will allow me to create quality differentiated content, across the same subject theme and allow me to have much more average contact time with my pupils across my class.-
I have experienced the same challenge as Don in that creating resources and differentiating to reach the entire class can be hard. I never feel like I have reached all of the students in the correct way. I teach to the middle of the class and spend much more time trying to reach the children who are struggling than the ones who are excelling. I always feel like I am letting them down as I know they have potential that I am unable to tap into because of time constraints.
Using Diffit will help me to reach these higher-level students by generating extension activities for whatever subject or topic we are covering. It will also help me to streamline the content for all levels in an appropriate and time conscious way helping me to reach, engage and teach all levels within my class and help lessen the guilt that I am not reaching the entire class.
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This was such an informative module, really opening my eyes to just some of the fantastic AI tools out there to support teaching and learning. The two I chose are Magic School AI and Gamma.
It is fantastic how you can input a topic or lesson objective into Magic School, and it generates differentiated strategies for various student needs—such as EAL students with IEPs, or advanced learners. This will be particularly useful for me in the SEN setting where suitable material can sometimes be very tricky to put together. It will help improve my teaching to create lessons that meet diverse learning needs without spending excessive time. It will support students’ learning by creating instruction tailored to their abilities, improving engagement and outcomes. In regards to assessment Magic School will help me use tailored formative assessment ideas from the tool to track progress more accurately for different learner groups.
Gamma is also amazing. I think back to a time where I really enjoyed putting together flashy PowerPoints but it took up so much time. Gamma is a real game changer in my opinion. The fact that it can create visually engaging, interactive slides with embedded questions, videos, or polls that adapt to student responses is fantastic!
It will help me to deliver content in a more dynamic, tech-integrated way that maintains student attention. Students will improve their learning by interacting directly with material, making learning more active and memorable. From an assessment point of view using the embedded quizzes or polls to check understanding in real time, allows immediate feedback. Choosing the different themes and customisable features really creates a polished finish and gives a professional feel. I am looking forward to trying this out this year.
I also loved Speaker and Reading coach by Microsoft. Diffit for teachers will also be extremely beneficial in the SEN setting. So much great content in this module, thank you!
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Part 1
I can’t wait to use Co Pilot with my class to improve their descriptive writing. I did some writing with my class this year and I feel this would be a great way to engage a lot of my learners in the class. I liked the idea of showing a basic description versus a detailed one and showing kids how being more descriptive and precise can add key details to readers. I also enjoyed the part where you can auto translate Youtube videos. I had a girl who had very poor English a few years ago and something like this would have been very beneficial.Part 2
The two I have mentioned will be great to help modernise teaching and learning. I also love the idea of using Diff It and Gamma to save so much time on preparation of lessons and resources. These seem so cool and the quick and easy use of resources could be tweaked to my own lessons and learnings to take place.-
Hi Kevin. Thanks for your post and contributions to the course so far. It’s great that you can see the potential these AI tools can offer to make writing more engaging for the children. Showing a simple description next to a more detailed/elaborate one can be a real eye‑opener for children, and combining that with an assistant like Co‑pilot gives them a concrete way to see what adding extra detail looks like. Having translations at your fingertips is also a great help when you’re trying to support EAL children
To build on your plan, you might introduce a “writer’s workshop” element where, after exploring the differences between basic and detailed descriptions, pupils try to improve one of their own sentences with your guidance. You can use Co‑pilot to generate a rich example on the board, then invite them to identify the specific words or phrases that make it more engaging. Ask them to highlight similar elements in their own work.
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I had no idea how many excellent tools Microsoft provide for education, what is more is how impressed I was with the specific feedback and instruction that the apps gave. The two standouts for me were Microsoft Reading Coach & Microsoft Speaker Coach tools.
I think Microsoft Reading Coach’s fun look will grab the attention of the reluctant readers in my class. The emojis and awards will also draw them in. The read-aloud function is an excellent tool because I can always check back on their progress, especially if I miss our group reading time. The rewards built into the app will keep them wanting to use it. I wish there was an app like this for Gaeilge!
Microsoft Speaker Coach is a tool I can definitely see myself using with our debating team. It would help build their confidence and give them points to work on at home when practicing. By seeing their progress and getting positive reinforcement, I think students will feel more confident about their public speaking skills.
Another worthy mention would have to be YouTube’s AI translation feature. I’ve always felt a deep sense of guilt that I wasn’t doing enough for the EAL students in my class. It’s been incredibly challenging to watch them sit through a video they can’t understand, knowing how bored they must feel, even if the content is exciting to others. This feature directly addresses that gap, ensuring that all my students have equal access to the lesson material.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>I agree, I think Microsoft Speaker coach will be an amazing resource to use with a debating team and it will greatly improve their debating skills. Likewise I also agree about not doing enough for children with EAl. The translation feature will be a great addition in the classroom to aid their understanding and to create a more inclusive setting.</p>
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Part 1
I found this module extremely helpful as it gave a wide range of practical tools that I will use in the classroom on the future. Firstly I look forward to using the mIcrosoft Copilot Image Creator. I think this is an amazing resource to have in the classroom which the children will love. I look forward to using this tool in Literacy to develop children’s descriptive language in a fun, engaging, child-centred way. This could also be used in S.E.S.E, drama and the visual arts. I also look forward to using Microsoft Learning Accelerators such as the reading coach. I think the Reading coach resource is such a clever and useful tool for teachers to help cater for all children. I love how it promotes children to read more through the use of unlocking characters and earning badges. I also think that the AI listening to children’s reading and offering feedback is very useful in encouraging each child’s independence and to take control of their own learning. Finally I will also use Magic School in the future along with Twee. I loved learning about how it makes such child-friendly, bright, differentiated resources in such an easy and accessible way for teachers.Part two
These tools will greatly enhance my teaching in the future. After learning about tools such as Difit and Gamma, I feel that I will be much more efficient as a teacher and that I will not waste hours trying to make resources on my own. I also think my teaching will be greatly improved as I look forward to creating child-friendly , engaging resources that will definitely interest children and draw them into each lesson. In terms of assessment, I think I am much more equipped with a wide range of resources to help me create assessments in a much more time-effective way. I look forward to sharing these ideas with my colleagues when I get back to school.
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There are some very valuable resources discussed in this module. The two I have found that stood out to me were Magic school and Gamma.
Magic school is a great resource where there is a quick route to many of the activities and assessment types that I would use in the classroom. It provides easy access to create and use everyday resource like quizzes, rubrics, writing samples. All readily available and in general seem very reliable.
Having experimented with Gamma it seems to provide the modern teacher with very specific and editable teaching aids, all within seconds.These resources have a variety of use in the classroom at teaching, learning and assessment levels.
For teachers, time efficiency is the main draw of AI tools. Valuable teaching time is saved by having a huge variety of good resources that are versatile and easily editable at our fingertips.For learners these tools are providing engaging, visual and dynamic learning experiences that in the past were few and far between
\they also allow for easy personalisation.
Catering for children with additional needs becomes much more simple for the teacher and allows them to differentiate all lessons in seconds. Allowing the teacher more time to spend actually speaking with children and developing relationships rather than focusing on lesson content is a step in the right direction. -
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This module was jam packed with innovative and useful tools. I hope to use many of these for the coming school year. I loved the difft tool for differentation as it is a time saver and when needs are very diverse it will come in very handy. There are now many EAL learners across schools in Ireland so this will be very beneficial for students across the country. Gamma has very visually engaging power points while keeping things simple which is something else I hope to utilise. I am always looking for new methods of assessment and Twee is a brilliant resource for this. The fact it can come up with comprehension questions so quickly is brilliant. This module offers various tools that demonstrate how AI can improve teaching, learning, and assessments. It’s thrilling to imagine how these tools can be adjusted to fit different classroom situations.
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This module has highlighted so many useful AI tools and presented me with many practical examples of how they can be used in the classroom. Reading coach is one which I would like to try in the new school year with some of the children who I support in set. I think it will be very beneficial in the set setting for struggling readers, it will be something new and modern, which will help with motivation. The AI feedback will be something which I feel children will take on board.
Magic school AI has huge potential- more so than I was aware of. I have spent a lot of time in set creating social stories so their social story creator is one which I will definitely make use of. I like how they can be created and then also adapted to suit. I hadn’t heard of Twee before this module and I am amazed by the possibilities of creating questions based on text or video another AI tool which will be very useful in the classroom.
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I am so impressed by the wealth of amazing resources introduced in this module and I look forward to trying them out during the year. I can really see Microsoft Reading Coach motivating some of my young readers , particularly when they can unlock new resources after 20 minutes of reading. The amount of tools available from Magic Schools is almost overwhelming but I particularly liked the social stories generator which I will use with some of my ASD students. Using Twee to generate questions will provide a great link between school and home. Diffit seems like a very powerful resource and I think for the class teacher having a tool which creates questions for Youtube videos will really help them to assess how much video content the children are taking in or help them to focus their attention on particular information provided in the video. These tools are incredibly accessible and free so they provide an easy way for teachers to use AI in schools for the future.
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Hi Nicola. Thanks for your contribution to the forum. I’m glad that you are seeing possibilities for the many AI tools in this module. Reading coach is a great motivator for children, and as you say, the social stories generator application would be ideal for children with ASD, giving them clear and structured scenarios that may prove helpful in their own lives.
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One way I can use the tools identified in this module is through Microsoft’s CoPilot Image Creator for literacy and descriptive writing. This can be a fun and interesting way for students to see the effects of good descriptive writing. They can immediately see how adding more adjectives and extra details to their own writing can make the image more realistic or accurate. For me as a teacher, it provides a creative way to assess how well students are using language and encourages them to experiment with vocabulary.
Another AI tool that I liked was Microsoft Reading Coach, which builds confidence for children in their reading fluency. The tool is easy to use, practical and effective. It also allows for differentiated teaching within the classroom based on each student’s own reading ability and level. This ensures that students receive individualised support, while I can track progress and adapt tasks as needed.
In the classroom, both tools have the potential to increase motivation and engagement. CoPilot Image Creator links writing with visual feedback, making abstract skills more tangible for the students, while Reading Coach offers personalised practice that supports progress over time. More broadly, AI tools like these can transform future teaching, learning and assessment. They allow teachers to focus on creativity and critical thinking, while technology helps meet a range of diverse learning needs.
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The first example of a tool identified in Module 3 is Magic School. I have had some experience in using this AI resource before. I used it to create a quiz for World Book Day for the Infant Classes. I was able to tailor it to also be a form of assessment. The most productive and time saving feature of using Magic School to create the quiz was that I was able to differentiate the quiz by including emoji’s for struggling readers. Another fantastic feature within Magic School is that I was able to feed it some of my report comments for specific children and it produced a selection of tasks for parents to do at home with their child over the summer. I used to spend hours sourcing activities and trying to think of suitable games, but Magic School gave me several pages of suggestions with links in seconds. This can impact my future teaching by saving time when producing activities for parents to be more involved in their child’s education.
The second example of a tool in Module 3 is DiffIt for Teachers. I have not previously used this AI tool. It will impact my future learning for pupils by allowing me to differentiate content up and down to suit the needs of my pupils. I have played around with it and can see how useful it will be for creating content based around the topics we are learning about in SESE especially. -
Part 1
The information in Module three while really helpful can be quite overwhelming as it feels like there is so much to choose from.
I will definitely be using the Co-Pilot Image Creator to aid the use of descriptive writing as per the example given in this module. I taught the class I have in September for three months last year and that is really helpful as I know the children really well and so can plan in advance for the coming year. This class are very reluctant writers and I know by using this AI tool, the same way as the moderator, is definitely going to engage the kids, inspire and motivate them to write and with guidance and encouragement it will improve their writing skills. I’m excited to use this with them.
Another AI tool that I can use immediately for my class is Magic School AI. There are quite a lot of needs in my class and so the social story generator will be of huge help in my classroom. I have always found it hard to get social stories right and was often not 100% satisfied with my output. At the end of a challenging day it felt impossible to find the energy to make it right. However, with this tool, I can generate very personalised social stories tailored to specific children. I have seen first-hand the effect these social stories can have and so it is great to have found a tool that can help me with this.
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Part 2
I reflected in Part 1 of this forum in relation to how I would use CoPilot Image Creator and Magic Schools AI so I will look to the other AI tools here in Part 2.
Looking at the other AI tools outlined in module 3 I really want to explore the Gamma AI tool. I am very creative and I like creating interesting stimulus for learning. Using Gamma looks like a really time effective way to achieve that goal.
The Reading Coach in Microsoft Learning Accelerators also has the ability to impact literacy levels in the classroom. For me, the personalisation of this AI tool would be of huge value to my class who have such a wide variety of reading abilities. Due to the high level of needs within the class it was impossible to listen to the children read every day last year and so I like the independence this AI tool allows the students and for a mere ten minutes a day, the impact it could have is far reaching. Personalising the feedback to each student and helping them with tricky words whatever their ability is, providing targeted support to their individual needs is an incredible tool to add to any classroom.
Twee also looks really interesting. I like how you can pick a topic thereby making it relevant to the classes interests which in turn increases engagement and motivation. I love how as well as generating texts, it can also generate cloze procedures, writing prompts and open and closed questions. This looks quite easy to use and again will be a time saver in the classroom while improving the quality of the teaching and learning.
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Me before starting this course “I don’t like AI, it feels like cheating”
Me now:”We’ll that’s the powerpoints done for the first month in 5 minutes”
These tools are incredible. I’ll be honest as a post holder and class teacher sometimes my evening time is literally spent at the kitchen table, but no more! I will 100% be using Gamma ( already have!) to provide visuals for my lessons that are completely tailored to my class and their ability. I find that unless you make the power point yourself then sometimes the content isn’t relevant to Ireland and can occasionally be levelled too high or low for the class ability.
Diffit is also fantastic. I have pupils from the Autism class integrate with my class regularly and they do need considerable differentiation for most subjects. I will definitely be using their resources to help me with this area of my teaching and learning.
There is massive potential for all these tools to become a complete game changer for both teachers and pupils. Time is such a constraint for so many and I feel these tools will give teachers back some of their much needed time for their own families and also provide amazing tailored tools for the ever increasing range of needs and abilities within our classrooms.
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Diffit is an ideal tool for helping to create individualised lessons for my literacy pupils in SEN. It can create levelled reading stories with a simplified version and advanced version to cater to different levels of reader. With so many needs to target this will help me with simplifying language for my EAL learners too. It also can create tailored questions in comprehension so I can assess their learning and use the results for future planning.
Macicschoolai is another AI tool i can use to generate ideas for activities like writing prompts specific to the pupils level and based on their interests. It can also create quiz questions and provide the correct answers for them.
AI tools can save teachers a lot of time when planning lessons and creating assessments. The prompt can give teachers an instant activity or game or brain break idea based on the interests of the pupils and on their ability. This provides the pupils with an inclusive and engaging atmosphere which is conducive to learning.
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Module 3 Assessment
Part 2
• Reflect on the potential classroom use of AI tools and how this can
impact on future teaching, learning and assessment. Post a
reflective piece to the Module 1 forum (150 words min)Part 1
I can definitely see myself using Diffit as a way to quickly and seamlessly generate differentiated LPs for my students as well as the likes of Magic School to create social stories as a number of my students benefit from them and it cuts out the long wait that is often inherent in getting them created.
Part 2
Diffit will enhance my teaching as each child will quickly and easily be supplied with differentiated material that is often time consuming to create while being able to utilise social stories for particular students when they need them will aid them in their ability to exist more securely and with less anxiety in the school setting. The impact that an AI tool like Diffit will have in the classroom from the get go, I elaborated above, but the potential of future iterations going further can be guessed at. It is probable that this AI over time will be able to build a profile on each of the individual students (respective of GDPR) that constantly evolves and gets more exact in highlighting more accurate and nuanced areas of need through the didactic relationship of the AI learning and improving through the teachers prompts and data and the teacher being able to subsequently enter better more relevant prompts/information – through the feedback and output of the AI.
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One tool that stood out to me in this module was Magicschool. I really like the idea of using it to create social stories. I have a few children in mind who would benefit from having those to help them understand routines and social situations. I also loved the idea of linking a social story from Magicschool with Twee, so that I could generate follow-up questions. That way the children wouldn’t just read or listen to the story, but they’d also get to talk about it and check their understanding.
Another tool I thought was really useful was the Microsoft Reading Coach. I can think of so many potential ways I could implement this with the kids in my class. I feel that it has the potential to make reading activities so focused making it easier for the child to achieve the desired learning outcome. It also has the potential to help reluctant readers find confidence and grow from there.I feel like these AI tools could make learning more engaging and supportive for the kids, and they also open up new ways for me to deliver lessons.
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment. Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to this Module forum as a Reply to this post.I appreciate the recommendation of Microsoft Reading Coach. Having looked at the website, I feel that this would be a super tool to help improve a child’s literacy skills within the classroom. I feel that Reading Coach is very child friendly and would appeal to all pupils. I love that the children can choose their own characters and icons to personalise their own story and that they can choose what the next chapter in their story is about. The idea of gaining a ‘reading streak’ each day would definitely appeal to the children. I think the fact that the tool constantly monitors the progress of the child and gives feedback to the child and to the administrator is wonderful. I also think that this would be great to give as a homework activity, supported by the parents.
Search Coach is another tool that I haven’t heard about. It appears to be a great resource for research projects for senior students, allowing them to develop their research skills independently and in a safe environment. There are many ideas in the attached lesson plans to develop the pupils’ information literacy skills. The students will carry these skills into secondary school.
I am taking up the role of SET teacher in September and following your recommendation, I plan to use Diffit. It is such a clever tool in that it can provide a differentiated scheme of work to cater for each child’s ability. The resources are easy to access and there is a wide choice of activities available. Above all, the main benefit is that I will be able to spend more time teaching than spending hours searching for suitable resources for every child.
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment. Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to this Module forum as a Reply to this post.I appreciate the recommendation of Microsoft Reading Coach. Having looked at the website, I feel that this would be a super tool to help improve a child’s literacy skills within the classroom. I feel that Reading Coach is very child friendly and would appeal to all pupils. I love that the children can choose their own characters and icons to personalise their own story and that they can choose what the next chapter in their story is about. The idea of gaining a ‘reading streak’ each day would definitely appeal to the children. I think the fact that the tool constantly monitors the progress of the child and gives feedback to the child and to the administrator is wonderful. I also think that this would be great to give as a homework activity, supported by the parents.
Search Coach is another tool that I haven’t heard about. It appears to be a great resource for research projects for senior students, allowing them to develop their research skills independently and in a safe environment. There are many ideas in the attached lesson plans to develop the pupils’ information literacy skills. The students will carry these skills into secondary school.
I am taking up the role of SET teacher in September and following your recommendation, I plan to use Diffit. It is such a clever tool in that it can provide a differentiated scheme of work to cater for each child’s ability. The resources are easy to access and there is a wide choice of activities available. Above all, the main benefit is that I will be able to spend more time teaching than spending hours searching for suitable resources for every child.
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Part 1
Two tools that I can see making a real difference to my teaching are Diffit and Gamma. Diffit would help me adapt resources to suit the wide range of abilities in my classroom, particularly for EAL learners. It means I can provide the same content at different levels, making sure everyone can access the curriculum without having to spend hours editing or tweaking materials. Gamma, on the other hand, would be a huge time-saver when it comes to presentations. I usually spend a lot of time creating PowerPoints, so having an AI tool that generates engaging and age-appropriate slides in minutes would be a game changer.
Part 2
In the classroom, I think both tools have strong potential. Diffit would support inclusion by making materials more accessible and helping students feel confident tackling work at their own level. Gamma could make lessons more engaging for students, while also giving them a chance to create their own presentations and build digital skills. Looking at the wider range of AI tools in this module, I can see how they could transform teaching and assessment. Tools like ,Speaker Coach, Search Coach, Reading Coach or Twee add even more opportunities for personalised learning and quick formative assessment. The overall impact of AI feels really positive from this module — saving time for teachers, supporting differentiation, and giving students more independence. For me, the real benefit is that these tools free up more time to spend interacting with students and being creative in my teaching.-
Hi Frainc,
Thanks for your post and sharing such interesting insights and thoughts around Diffit and Gamma. It’s interesting to see how you have seen the potential of AI to enhance creativity and allow pupils to actively involve themselves in the learning process. Too often, we can see AI as a passive generator of information that simply provides us with a myriad of ideas and suggestions. However, being able to marry this with the creation of presentations and other media demonstrates the broader benefits of AI within education.
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The modules keep getting better! This was a brilliant topic. The tools make it easier to provide the content with our prompts and then we can focus on developing the skills for the individuals.
I already used Diffit for some EAL and ASD children this year. Sometimes when you have a child who hyperfocuses on a topic- it can be hard to source content at the level of information to engage them. I discovered this year that one of my students who is extremely interested in Maths- high IQ- can also be engaged by the high numbers involved when talking about prehistoric times e.g. teh cretaceous period and that sort of thing. In that case, us teachers can be creative and innovative without staying up half the night. It leaves it easier to integrate their interests and motivate some of our SEN kids and general pupils interests as they come up e.g. the Premier League.
I am a visual learner. And a visual teacher. I use pictures, videos and colour coding all the time. I love the idea of pasting a youtube link into Twee and different levels of questions being generated- perhaps even in different languages. This is so inclusive.
I am extremely interested in the Microsoft Coach for Upper Primary. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Children copy and paste and I always say to them not to include what they don’t understand. But time and time again- SEN kids are overwhelmed and just want the job done. These tools will help them to become informed and responsible so they can decipher what is out there, build research skills and avoid misinformation. I think they will soak this stuff up and will be better than we are at it.
I was showing my sister some of the content on the course. She is an accountant and believes her job will be outsourced to technology. But I am more convinced than ever that this is not the case. Jobs will be there. Humans are needed. But we need to upskill and change with the times. We will have more time to do what inspires us- not reams of paperwork- real teaching. I don’t know about accountants but I know that our jobs are safe and that AI is a game changer if we embrace and educate.
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Hi Aisling,
I think you have made some really interesting points about being able to tap into the interests of children – this is something we constantly here as being the main starting point when planning for teaching and learning. However, sourcing information and content on niche subjects can be quite challenging – AI makes all of this so much easier. Even in terms of sourcing material that will be challenging enough for those with higher academic abilities is much more plausible now, and won’t cause a huge increase in our workload. While AI can help when planning and preparing lessons, it can’t help us in relating to the children and forging those trusting relationships that are key to ensuring learning does happen, meaning our jobs are certainly safe!
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I agree, I really enjoyed this module in particular the information about Microsoft Reading Coach and Magic School as I felt out of all the AI apps listed both of these appealed to me and I feel that these are the two which I would get the most use out of. Before this module I wasn’t aware that Microsoft had AI apps included in its software . It was a practical and interesting module.
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Part 1
Give two examples of how you can use some of the tools identified in this module to improve your own teaching, learning and assessment.
The first tool which was identified in module 3 which I would find beneficial to use within the classroom is Microsoft Reading Coach. It can improve both my teaching and the learning of my students by providing a more personalised reading instruction approach. After watching the video about Microsoft Reading Coach I think it is something I will definitely use in the my SEN classroom as it is not only time saving for me as a teacher as it automates assessment data and gives personalised feedback in terms of target words but for the child it builds confidence as the can practice reading in their own environment as well as school , its interactive therefore encouraging engagement , reading is also personalised to the child’s level/ ability and it encourages independent learning . Another app which I feel will be useful in the classroom to improve my teaching, learning and assessment is Magic School AI as it can help generate lesson plans and activities tailored to particular lessons, it can differentiate lessons and activities to suit all levels and suggest activities that are interactive to accompany lessons as a result it would be of huge benefit in regard to time saving .Part 2
Reflect on the potential classroom use of these examples and the other AI tools covered in Module 3 and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment.
AI tools like Gamma, Magic School, and Reading Coach could really improve teaching and learning in my classroom. Gamma can help me create presentations and resources quickly which saves me time and makes lessons more visual for the children. Magic School can support lesson planning and generate creative ideas or activities that I can adapt for 2nd class whether doing in class support or small group withdrawal, reducing my workload. Microsoft Reading Coach is especially useful for literacy and I think will work really well in learning support or a SEN classroom as it gives children the opportunity to engage in personalised reading practice with instant feedback helping them to build confidence at their own pace. The main challenges would be ensuring I have enough training and devices available to use these tools effectively and making sure all children have fair access. Overall, these AI tools could make lessons more engaging, assessments more targeted and learning more fun for the children.-
Hi Claudia,
Thank you for your post. What strikes me around the benefits of AI tools that you have identified is how well they link with the principles of UDL. By creating engaging visual presentations, you are adding a layer of both representation and engagement, very much in keeping with Tom Tobin’s ‘plus one’ approach. Of course, the access to devices is essential for children to engage with these tools, but you have shown how one teacher device and account can be used to create a more engaging and accessible learning environment.
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I really thought Diffit and Reading Coach would be hugely beneficial in the classroom, particularly in supporting literacy development, differentiation and inclusion. Diffit makes life easier for the teacher by quickly generating texts at different reading levels, making it much easier to differentiate for pupils with varying abilities or learning needs. This ensures that all pupils can access the same topic in a way that is appropriate and challenging for them, helping to build confidence and engagement. I will find this very useful particularly when I am reading a novel. this can often be problematic in the senior end with different reading levels. Reading Coach is also helpful to children by providing them with personalised practice in fluency, pronunciation, and vocabulary. It gives immediate feedback so the children can improve at their own pace, reducing anxiety about reading aloud in front of peers. It takes the pressure off both the child and teacher as it gives them an opportunity to read is a way that suits their level. Both these AI tools promote independence, as pupils can track their own progress and can feel more confident in their learning. these also reduce valuable time when it comes to planning.
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