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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….
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
We already use AI to some degree in our school. Platforms like Aladdin for attendance, communication with parents and fellow colleagues; Google classroom to showcase and grade student work, the Drumcondra tests are online and it saves so much time – not having to grade or correct plus the insights are instant. Google forms and mentimeter for pupil and teacher surveys
The kids themselves have used the AI aspects of Canva, Kahoot! and Splashlearn and I’ve used chatgpt for planning lessons, rewording reports; other AI tools for creating backdrops for Christmas plays and concerts and quizziz for assessments on certain topics. We’ve also engaged with Dreamspace over the last few years.
There are so many ways to use it and it definitely has the potential to save a certain amount of time for sure, cut down on administration and increase productivity and efficiency. I agree it needs to be taken on a little at a time and I love the fact that it is UDL and therefore inclusive by nature – unless of course there’s inbuilt bias which is something to look out for. The part that most excites me is use of ‘all you can eat’ platforms like Century AI, Squirrel AI and Knewton where the learning is tailored to the needs of the children, content is created for them, they can work at their own pace and any possible issues are highlighted and recommendations made. These are obviously global platforms and I am not sure how they align with the EU regulations around AI as yet but it would be good to know what platforms like these are/could be verified for use in Irish schools so we could get going!In my classroom for now, I’m definitely going to work on digital literacy including checking sources, creating prompts, teachable machine looks great, I also like the look of Napkin that comes up with visuals for all kinds of text.
Microsoft reader is very impressive when you are using the microsoft suite but while its free, in my experience I’ve had to find work arounds when using google docs and slides – which is a pity. Those who have Assistive tech packages, that include MS Office in the Reading Unit find it really good however. We availed of the free minecraft in schools a few years ago but unfortunately our chromebooks were not powerful enough to run it so we couldn’t use it which was so disappointing. We are a big school of over 800 pupils so licences are costly too.
As I’m going through this course, I’m thinking about how AI can really help level the playing field for kids with numeracy and/or literacy struggles…. Even something as simple as asking AI to outline the steps you should take to solve a problem and then asking it to create other problems to practice using those steps or simplifying/clarifying texts; creating ways to help them remember tables or spellings etc….This is an area I’m definitely going to work on.The chinese use of AI in schools is an eye-opener! What is that headset actually measuring? Humans are not machines built for specific input and output – our minds naturally wander and make all kinds of connections as we learn and while I’d love my kids to focus on every word I say – I’m not the ‘Be all and End all’. Where’s the room for learning from one another? For imagination and creativity? It’s all so clinical and controlled not to mention the repercussions for mental health! I guess this demonstrates that the biggest challenge for all of us going forward will be finding Balance. Balance between real human experience and AI such that it enhances wellbeing and cognitive ability by facilitating learning in lots of ways, rather than a tool to push scores higher and higher. We are obsessed with analysis of everything to do with humans nowadays to the point where it is too easy to pigeon-hole in a world where a much broader education is crucial. Finding the balance between moving forward with the necessary caution but at the necessary speed will also be a challenge- teachers can be agile but its not as straight forward for government departments.
I agree with everything you’ve said Thomas. The big advantage of AI is that everything is levelled up. Its good to have guidance from teh EU and courses like these. Oide TIE have great information, training and good practice videos too.
I have to say, I am a bit of skeptical re. how much time it will actually save because it seems to me that teaching is becoming more and more customised – which is a good thing- but it does take up a whole lot of time – even with great tools such as AI. There are so many ways, so many tools, so many options, so many kids with so many different needs , I can see myself going down a lot of rabbit holes!!
ASSIGNMENT
REFLECTION ON THE POTENTIAL USE OF AI TOOLS IN THE CLASSROOM FOR
Teaching
I believe AI is a game changer for teaching, with the potential to provide the access to topics in so many different ways and easily incorporate UDL into every lesson e.g. gamification, video, quizzes, interactive chatbots, podcasts, role play. As well as providing lesson plans and activities and helping with planning, the teacher can create differentiated learning outcomes and individualised learning paths for students.
It also should in theory, build capacity. Teachers are time-starved and using AI should free us up to monitor and engage with our students more regularly, get more detailed profiles and tailor learning.
Learning
It super for learners too. AI can make the curriculum accessible to all quite easily e.g. by using AI generated podcasts, videos, presentations, audio etc… children can engage with topics according to their own learning styles.They can also respond to topics in creative, unique ways using AI. They can work collaboratively in groups created by AI from a list of criteria and both students and the teacher can receive realtime feedback, highlighting non-participation or misconcepttions on a topic. Content can also be ‘treated’ by AI to help children engage at the same level of all other kids in the class. E.g. by asking CHAT GPT to simplify an English reading comprehension and allowing students with dyslexia to read and listen to it before the whole class starts on the topic, the playing field has been levelled.
Assessment
So the days of creating and correcting tests for hours are fast becoming a thing of the past. Student interactions with AI systems can be used to formally and informally assess their learning and understanding. Chatbots can lead by asking questions and steering the learner towards a desired outcome or can encourage interacting students to go deeper and interrogate topics at a level they would not normally access.
It can also be used as an early- detection system for a Learning disability to pick up common interactions that suggest a learning difficulty and highlight it to the teacher or query the students thinking.
Of course all use of AI must be taken on with caution in accordance with the schools AUP for AI. Every teacher must take responsibility for use in their own classroom and the Digital Team should ensure all teachers understand the Requirements for Trustworthy AI, the risks associated with using it, and that they continually use their own agency, despite general acceptance, to monitor and manage use of any Ai. The school needs to be on top of cybersecurity from the point of view of all involved : management, teachers and students. I don’t think this is a straightforward process, especially if you consider how quickly teachers need to adapt and ‘eat the frog’. There is real fear of the unknown around AI, there are common misconceptions and there is a huge body of work around ethical use of it within the school – which needs to be consistent and ongoing – not haphazard. So in my view, schools will need to have a strong digital focus, all staff will require ongoing training and all kinds of support. I think the sharing of knowledge and experience among staff, bringing in experts for workshops, collaboration with other schools regarding resources and knowledge, and partnerships with associations outside of the school and aligning digital planning with the sse are key to healthy AI use. All schools are different and it will have to be done one step at a time and at a pace we are not used to within the Primary School infrastructure!
