In our AI for teaching and learning class, we were tasked with exploring an AI tool we hadn’t used before and reflecting on its potential applications for students and teachers in the classroom. After navigating through the available list of AI tools presented and additional searches online, I came across an AI tool that caught my attention, which is the BriskTeaching AI.
BriskTeaching AI constitutes an educational platform that provides complimentary AI-driven tools specifically designed to assist instructors and educators in maximizing their daily responsibilities. Brisk is a Chrome extension that integrates seamlessly into a teacher’s existing online practices, providing smooth assistance without introducing additional complications. Through its seamless integration into teachers existing work, Brisk helps to improve efficiency and limit the length of time allocated to administrative tasks.
BriskTeaching AI encompasses several key features that enhance educational experiences through personalized and adaptive learning. This innovative approach leverages advanced technologies to address the diverse needs of students, ultimately improving learning outcomes and teaching efficiency. It instantly turns web content into quizzes, auto-grade assignments, adapts reading levels, saves time, boosts engagement, and transforms teaching!
One unique feature of Brisk Teaching is that it has several AI tools integrated into it. So, it is like a versatile platform that can be used to carry out multiple tasks. Brisk Teaching works seamlessly with web articles, YouTube videos, and Google files, helping teachers automate tasks and generate ideas around a concept. After adding the tool as an extension to my Google Chrome, I opened a YouTube video and then left-clicked on the Brisk logo (which is a black button) displayed towards the bottom right on my screen. Then there is a pop-up box with five basic buttons, which are the go-to tools on the platform. These buttons include create, give feedback, inspect writing, change level, and boost student activity.
- The create option helps teachers develop educational material by transforming web articles, YouTube videos, and Google files into lesson plans, quizzes, presentations, depth of knowledge questions, science labs, inquiry worksheets, and so on to enhance students engagement. It also has the option of embedding answer keys into quizzes.
- The app also has a Give Feedback option, which can be used to provide personalized feedback directly in students’ work on Google files based on a rubric/criteria, area of strength, growth, or probing question or to make suggestions for next steps and strategies to build up core skills.
- In terms of changing level, the app can be used to adjust the reading complexity of an online text depending on the grade/level of a student. It can also be used to translate a text into different languages.
- The inspect writing option helps to see how students create/put their assignments together, checking possible edits as well as copy and paste done within the assignment.
- The boost student activity option basically helps turn any online resource into an interactive activity for students. Students or teachers can choose from various options, like a tutor to provide personalized support for student learning, inquiry to help students explore concepts and engage in inquiry activity based on the materials assessed, or a debate activity where students can develop how to build a strong argument, or an activity that can be used to assess students understanding during and after a lesson.
- It can also be used to manage administrative work such as writing professional emails, reports, cover or recommendation letters, which can give teachers the opportunity to spend time on other things
I think one practical challenge of using this tool is that teachers using other platforms for student assignments might not be able to use some of the features on this app, particularly the feedback option, since it works with Google files. Another significant piece of information is that the app is free (at least for now). I would have discussed privacy as an issue, but looking at how technology is been used from time past, I feel the issue of privacy is not a new concern and will forever remain a problem. However, I feel policies should be developed around how users information on various AI platforms is treated.
Reflecting on my personal perspective on integrating AI in education, I believe this technology, with other emerging technologies is here to stay. These technologies are changing how we work and the kind of skills needed to navigate our society. So where else can students be exposed to these tools and their related skills if not in schools? However, it is so unfortunate that AI is becoming increasingly pervasive, with many of them not meeting educational requirements/standards.
Even if we accept the use of AI tools in education, I still believe that they should be treated as additional instructional materials just like all other textbooks and instructional aids that teachers use in class. Teachers need to know how to review, adapt, or remix AI-generated ideas to suit their student, classroom, and curriculum context. In addition, students need to be taught how to check/validate AI-generated information. Already I can see that teachers are beginning to use AI to provide customized support to improve students performance. With the use of AI in education, I believe it time for teachers to change how they assess students for exams by focusing on more hands-on, practical assessment as compared to traditional ways of giving them take-home work and all that. More so, I feel assessments should focus more on skills, competencies, and real-life application of what learners have been taught.
How do you think teachers should assess/evaluate students learning in this era of AI?