🤖 How I used AI in my classroom

Introducing the MirrorTalkAI Library ✨🪞 

Pre-setup reflection activities for a variety of scenarios - like Back to School and End-of-Day.

All are customizable - but now you have a starting point to inspire you!

How do I get started with MirrorTalkAI?

1. Visit mirrortalk.ai and create an account

2. Follow the prompts to create your FREE account

3. Start your first reflection in your personal space by responding to the AI-generated prompts

Click here to get MirrorTalk One FREE for an entire year!

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🤖 How I used (and didn’t use) AI in my classroom

When I started teaching high school Spanish in January, I didn’t go all in on AI.

I started small. Used it where it made sense.

There were some places where it helped a LOT.

In others … it didn’t help very much. There are still lots of places where my human touch was more effective and efficient.

I presented on this topic during Wakelet Community Week this summer.

• 📺 Watch full video of the whole session here (1:04:56)

• 📊 Check out my presentation slides here

• 💼 Get the resources page with lots of links here

• 📺 Watch full video of other WCW sessions

✅ 5 ways I used AI in my classroom

1. 💡 Lesson plans and teaching ideas — When I needed a boost of creativity (or something quick), I used an AI assistant. Teacher tools like SchoolAI and MagicSchool are good for this, but I eventually opted for the major AI assistants (like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, etc.).

2. 🖼 AI image generators — I created custom images for my students to describe using tools like Ideogram and Adobe Firefly. This saved me tons of time from image searching.

3. 📘 Sub plans — If I had to create sub plans quickly, AI assistants like ChatGPT helped. More: How to create sub plans in 15 minutes with AI

4. 👾 Review games — I used AI to generate practice questions for online review games like Kahoot! and Blooket. Then I had AI format them into spreadsheets so I could import them. Here’s how to do it.

5. 🤖 Student chatbots — I used SchoolAI Spaces to make chatbots that would interact with my students in Spanish. It was OK, but if I kept getting better and writing instructions for the chatbot, it’d probably improve a lot. This quick video shows how.

❌ 5 ways I did NOT use AI in my classroom

1. 💬 Online translators — I wanted students to produce Spanish language from their brains. That meant breaking them of relying on translators — which were standing in the way of them developing language skills.

2. 🕵🏻 AI writing detectors — They’re wildly inaccurate. And when their results are inaccurate — and educators blame students incorrectly — they can do irreparable relationship damage. Here’s more about AI detectors.

3. 🛠 All of the tools — I didn’t use every AI tool out there just because it’s new and cool. I learned about some, but I only used the ones that would support learning in MY classroom.

4. 📖 Creating student readings — I thought AI assistants would do this really well. But to create leveled readings in Spanish — using only concepts and vocab my students had learned? I was never happy with the results. So I wrote my readings myself.

5. 👆🏻 Text adventures and virtual characters — These would have been REALLY fun, but honestly … I just ran out of time and wasn’t able to try them. Here’s how to do a text adventure.

🗄 TEMPLATE 🗄

💥 Comic Strip Recap

One of our favorite DTT templates is now part of the Diffit activity library!

The Comic Strip Recap template allows students to creatively express their understanding of a topic by creating their own comic strips.

Why this template works:

• 🎨Creative Expression: Students can showcase their understanding through art and storytelling.

• 🙋🏽‍♂️Engagement: Keeps students interested and motivated by turning their summary writing into a fun activity.

• 🤔Skill Development: Enhances storytelling, artistic, and critical thinking skills.

• 💡Assessment Tool: Provides a unique way to assess students’ comprehension of the material.

🔗 Get the Comic Strip Recap activity in Diffit

📹 Learn more about the Diffit activity library in this video How to create Google Slides Templates with Diffit

📗 Download our FREE ebook Differentiating Instruction with Diffit for Teachers

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!