AI has seemed to slowly take over everything. If you would have asked me two years ago what AI is I would have had little to nothing to say on the topic. Seeing how big it has gotten in the past few years I now feel like everyone knows a lot about it because you almost can not avoid it anymore. It is crazy to see that all these apps that we have been on for years have started to incorporate AI in their own ways. 

Dr. Alec Couros gave us an amazing breakdown of AI and all the ways it can be used especially within the classroom. One part of his talk that really stood out to me and opened my eyes more on AI was when he discussed the interconnectedness of all these AI apps, especially the power of chatgpt when you understand all that it can do and how to properly use it. A few other notable things Alec discussed that stuck out to be was the fact that AI began in 1998, the “sell me this pen” website, the Sask curriculum AI, and the idea of generating stories for youth who may not be that into reading otherwise. These are all new ideas to me that either shocked me or greatly intrigued me. 

I decided to explore a website called curipod, which is an AI site focused on making interactive lessons filled with creativity, reflection, and critical reflection. The possibilities are truly endless on this sight, it is a great resource for teachers. It gives you the capability to chose a grade and write a quick blurb of what you want to focus on within the lesson and within about a minute will give you an interactive presentation all about the topic along with questions/assignments related for students. Overall I think this website’s greatest feature is how it allows a great amount of creativity that as teachers we may not be able to think of along with eating very engaging content for students.

An example I was able to create which only took me about a minute was a lesson that takes students on a quest in which they have magic powers that they must use correctly in order to defeat the dragon. To use these magic powers they will have to analyze short text and create a short argumentative paragraph using evidence to support their claim. What a great idea that took me such little time!

What I found to be the downfall of Curipod was spelling errors and gets repetitive often, that being said it can give you a good outline or idea but it is important you take the time to go through it and make edits yourself.

My overall opinion on AI within classrooms is that there definitely is a place for it when used correctly. It is on us as teachers to not only properly teach but properly model the positive ways we can use it. I think of it as keeping up with the times, why use a typewriter when you have access to a computer? Still creating a large amount of opportunities where students have to do the thinking/learning themselves, but also having them understand that there are tools and technology out there that can help assist us in the learning process. Having the AI talk with you students early on and setting boundaries and expectations with them regarding it is important. This is a good time to have a talk about taking responsibility and the consequences of cheating yourself.  

“AI won’t take your job, someone using AI will” – Scott Galloway