Maximize Productivity with AI

September 14, 2023

AI has taken the world by storm recently. This constantly evolving field can seem overwhelming, so I have compiled a list of my top 3 AI resources to streamline time consuming tasks as a teacher and instructional designer.

ChatGPT: Most people have heard of or are familiar with ChatGPT from open AI. It is a large language model and generates responses by analyzing texts from the internet. I use it to create lesson plans, documents/worksheets, and assist with workflow tasks such as writing scripts and storyboards for instructional videos. My colleagues and I love it, as it gives us a starting point when lesson planning. I don’t always use what it generates verbatim, I tweak or modify to fit my needs.

I highly recommend upgrading to ChatGPT plus, as this gives you access to GPT4, the latest version. This also gives you access to custom directions. For example, my custom directions are “seventh grade social studies teacher that needs lesson plans utilizing the gradual release model of instruction.” This makes the prompts easier to input, as I do not have to tell it those instructions with each prompt. Also, with GPT plus you get access to plug-ins, a beta feature, that allows you to do more such as create documents, slideshows, and analyze scholarly articles. (Blog post on the top plug-ins coming soon)

Eduaide.ai: Eduaide is made specifically for teachers. It is free to create an account and use. You can create lesson plans, unit plans, worksheets, tests, quizzes, and much more. There even is a joke generator. What I like the most is you can input which standard you want to address, and it can generate a response that is aligned to your standards.

Magicschool.ai: Magic school is very similar to eduaide, but in my opinion has an easier user interface. I like the “workspace” as it makes it easy to copy and paste the responses it generates into a word doc. This is especially helpful when using the rubric generator. It also has a feature called “raina, ai assistant” than can assist you with education related topics.

I have saved countless hours using these tools. They aren’t perfect, but they can do A LOT. I have even gotten in a bind during a lesson, and turned to magic school to generate activities on the spot. Always proofread and double check, as sometimes it can generate inaccurate response. I advise you to trust your instincts, and don’t rely solely on AI when making your lesson plans and delivering instruction. Only you know what is best for your students.