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- 🤖 How I use (and don't use) AI in class
🤖 Deciding when NOT to use AI in class
There’s been lots of talk about using artificial intelligence in educational settings.
We seem to talk a lot about when to use AI in class.
Where there’s less discussion? When NOT to use AI in class.
The more I’ve used, written about, and studied AI, the more I’m finding places where I don’t want to use it for teaching and learning.
The key, I think, is this …
Before we use it, we need to know how it’s going to support student learning …
… how it’s going to encourage student thinking and development of skills.
If we don’t have a plan for that, then AI could do all of the important learning tasks that help students to get smarter.
AI can do tasks for us … but what if those tasks are how we get smarter?
We don’t want to outsource the important things to AI.
📺 In my recent Wakelet Community Week video presentation, I addressed how I used — and how I did NOT use — AI in my own classroom this year.
In other news …
🗻 I’m going to be at the ISTE Conference in Denver! This is one of the world’s biggest edtech conferences. You can find my presentations below!
Watch for next week’s newsletter, where I’ll bring you LOTS of my ISTE resources right here — whether you’re attending in-person or not!
Inside:
🤩 Fun, techy learning ideas in 1 place!
👀 DTT Digest: Brisk, AI decision tree, wellbeing, cognitive load
💡 The Big Idea: How I use (and don’t use) AI in class
📆 My ISTE Conference presentation schedule!
😄 Smile of the day: Kindergarten wedding planner
👋 How we can help
🤩 Fun, techy learning ideas in 1 place!
My book, Tech Like a Pirate, is full of fun, techy classroom ideas that make learning memorable!
It’s a fun, techy spin-off from Dave Burgess’s best seller, Teach Like a Pirate.
Learn how to incorporate students’ interests — videos, social media, games, etc. — into meaningful classroom learning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book has been such a great catalyst to push me to be more daring in my use of tech. I love the ideas within and continue to be inspired to come up with and seek even more ideas to try. — A. Rehe via Amazon
👀 DTT Digest
4 teaching resources worth checking out today
🕙 Plan lessons in less than 5 minutes — A 4th grade teachers shares how she uses Brisk Teaching to plan lessons quickly.
🌲 An AI “decision tree” — Oregon State University Ecampus created this decision tree to help educators decide if and how to use AI in learning.
🌱 6 ways ChatGPT/AI can improve your wellbeing — Guest blogger Mandy Froehlich shares strategies for using AI to cope and empower your wellbeing.
🧠 All about Cognitive Load Theory — This one is crucial for educators to understand. Jamie Clark (@XpatEducator on Twitter/X) shares an infographic to catch you up to speed.
💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡
🤖 How I use (and don't use) AI in class
When I went back in the classroom to teach this spring, I knew I wanted to incorporate AI.
I wanted to use it to help me save some time AND level up engagement with my students.
What I didn’t do, though, was go all-in with AI all the time. I started slow. Incorporated it where it made the most sense.
In a video session for Wakelet Community Week, I recently shared 5 ways I used — and 5 ways I didn’t use — AI in my classroom.
You can watch full video of the whole presentation — “How I’m Using (And Not Using) AI in My Classroom.”
We created a watch guide with summaries of the key points and links to all of the session resources.
Here’s the Wakelet collection they created with lots of resources from the session
Here’s a quick summary of the presentation …
How I used AI in my classroom:
Lesson Plans and Ideas
AI Image Generators
Sub Plans
Review Games
Student Chatbots
How I did NOT use AI in my classroom:
Online Translators (in moderation)
AI Writing Detectors
Using “All of the AI Tools”
Creating Readings
Text Adventures & Virtual History (ran out of time to try!)
Of course, there are specifics and nuance in each of those!
Check out the video — or at least browse the slides or scan the watch guide for more.
📆 My ISTE Conference presentation schedule!
I’m getting all of my sessions finished up for the big ISTE Conference in Denver next week!
If you can’t be at the ISTE Conference, don’t worry. I’ll share lots of resources, free ebooks, session videos, and more — right here in the newsletter!
If you are going to be at the ISTE Conference, I’d love to see you! Plus, there are LOTS of places to get a free copy of one of my books!
Here’s where to find me …
MONDAY, June 24
9:30 am — Matt’s 8 Favorite Magic Tools for Teachers (MagicSchool booth #869)
10:30 am — The Generative Age: An AI Symposium (Room 111/13)
Noon — Book Giveaway + Signing (ScreenPal booth #945)
1 pm — Picture This: Visual Vocab Ideas with FigJam (Figma booth #1312)
2 pm — Digital Instruction: To Infinity and Beyond! (Book Creator booth #936)
3 pm — Like TPT for Free: Tour the FigJam Template Library (Figma booth #1312)
4 pm — AI and Cheating: Teaching Practices to Keep Students Thinking (Bluebird Ballroom 2GH)
TUESDAY, June 25
9:30 am — Book Giveaway + Signing (Kami booth #1624)
10:30 am — Picture This: Visual Vocab Ideas with FigJam (Figma booth #1312)
11:30 am — Like TPT for Free: Tour the FigJam Template Library (Figma booth #1312)
12:30 pm — What I Love About ScreenPal (ScreenPal booth #945)
1:30 pm — Dive into Diffit with Matt Miller (Diffit booth #2056)
2:30 pm — Save Tons of Time with Brisk Teaching (Brisk Teaching booth #451)
😄 Smile of the day
💡 Brilliant idea!
h/t @Bored_Teachers and @NicholasFerroni via Twitter/X
👋 How we can help
There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:
Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.
Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.
Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!
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