This year, I used Google AI extensively as my go-to teaching companion. Sometimes I just have a general idea about a topic I would like to teach my students so, short on time and really needing to flesh out the details, I turn to Google AI. It can give an overview of any topic and answer any question. What I found was so much more.
Short on time? Need a quick info sheet? Use Google AI. Of course, for my lower-level students, the text requires a read-through and at times rephrasing into simpler language. But the information is all there, presented in a predictable and logical manner, which I appreciate. It is very similar to what I would have written combining information from five articles. Of course, fact checking is necessary. If you are not sure that what’s being presented is accurate, find the source, which is often given with Google AI, and of course, use common sense, or just leave things out.
I use Tutela’s resources page extensively, but sometimes I come up with an idea, and just want to run with it. Google AI helps me flesh out ideas quickly. I used Google AI to give me a history of Toronto and sights to see. Then, I edited the content down into simple sentences about the city, accompanied by pictures. It saved me time and ensured that I did not leave anything important out.
But that is not all. I ask it to give me examples of texts at a certain ESL level. Most recently, it gave me very helpful examples of greeting card texts for literacy students. It checked my tendency to give overly challenging materials.
Google AI also suggests other websites that might be helpful. It helped me find the Literacy Centre of Expertise website that has useful readers for my literacy students.
I wanted to develop a listening exercise with my lower-level students but needed four examples of people falling ill. So, I asked Google AI. It gave me four interesting cases—one involving a mango—which is memorable. I looked over the description and adapted it for my class. The whole activity was ready to go in less than 15 minutes.
The fun does not stop there. I asked Google AI to create a cloze quiz activity about Canada, and it did: Ready-to-use. I just needed to check for accuracy and alter some formatting in MS Word, but the information was all there.
Now, whenever I check what could be a skill-building, skill-using, or assessment task at a certain level, I use Google AI. If I was wrong, it would have suggestions on what would work. This has helped me in my lesson planning and has given me confidence.
I have plenty of books on grammar, some read, others just collected, in case I need to look something up. But now, Google AI is my go-to resource for grammar questions. Wondering what part of speech a word is? Wondering what tense is being used? Wondering why something is and something else isn’t? Ask Google AI. Beats searching confusing websites and outright wrong internet-published material. Gone are the days of going down advertising-laden rabbit-holes on Grammarly.com. Google AI presents information logically, that is easy to use, to learn from, and to incorporate into lessons.
All of this makes me wonder about the innovative ways people are using AI to prepare materials for the classroom. Please share in the comments.
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