How AI can save teachers' time | Esra Ezici
Education
Introduction
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers teachers a pathway to restore balance in their daily routines, enabling them to focus more on student-centered activities and less on administrative burdens. In a recent session led by Esra Ezici, a seasoned English language teaching professional, participants explored how AI can significantly reduce the workload of educators, allowing them to reclaim time for their hobbies, family, and friends.
The Story of Two Teachers
Esra began the session by presenting two fictional teachers: Mason and Aiden. Mason represents the typical, overwhelmed educator who spends countless hours grading papers, creating resources, and providing feedback, which leads to feelings of stress and exhaustion. In sharp contrast, Aiden utilizes AI tools to streamline his preparations and efficiently manage his tasks, ultimately freeing up time for personal interests and relationships.
The audience was prompted to reflect on their own experiences, with many resonating with Mason's struggles. The session highlighted a survey from Notm Education revealing that an average teacher works approximately 2,200 hours per year, spending significant time on teaching, lesson planning, grading, and other administrative duties.
AI as a Solution
The silver lining presented during the session was the potential of AI to alleviate some of these burdens. Esra emphasized that AI tools could assist teachers in lesson planning, resource creation, differentiation of instruction, and even professional development. Various AI platforms, including popular options like ChatGPT and AI tools like Co-Pilot, were introduced, each offering specific functionalities to enhance teaching practices.
For instance, teachers can use AI to create customized lesson plans, grammar exercises, and interactive games. However, Esra stressed the importance of critically evaluating AI-generated content. She warned against over-reliance on such tools, especially for generating factual texts, due to the potential for misinformation.
Practical Application of AI
The session provided practical examples of how teachers can leverage AI in their classrooms. By crafting detailed prompts, educators can obtain tailored outputs that cater to their students' needs. For instance, a prompt to create a Mad Libs game for intermediate students can yield a fun and interactive classroom activity. Additionally, generating images or song lyrics suitable for language practice using AI tools can enhance the teaching-learning experience.
Esra showcased tools such as Defit, Gibly, and others, which help educators create custom resources, quizzes, and presentations. These tools allow for the easy generation of engaging materials while maintaining the expectation that teachers will review and contextualize the outputs for their specific classrooms.
Key Considerations
Despite the benefits, Esra cautioned that utilizing AI should be approached critically. Teachers must ensure that the AI-generated outputs are relevant and accurate to their teaching context. Moreover, educators are reminded to be vigilant about data protection and privacy concerns when using AI tools.
As the session concluded, Esra encouraged teachers to start small with AI tools, gradually integrating them into their practices, and to continually evaluate the effectiveness of the outputs generated. By doing so, they can ensure a positive impact on their teaching while minimizing the risks associated with misinformation.
Conclusion
In summary, AI offers a transformative opportunity for educators, enabling them to save time and enhance their teaching practices. By embracing these technologies thoughtfully, teachers can elevate their educational efforts and regain precious time for personal fulfillment.
Keyword
- AI
- Teachers
- Time-saving
- Workload
- Lesson planning
- Resource creation
- ChatGPT
- Co-Pilot
- Educational technology
- Differentiation
FAQ
1. Can AI tools be used in languages other than English?
Yes, various AI platforms, like Defit, support more than 50 languages, allowing educators to create resources in different languages.
2. Why should we avoid creating factual texts with AI?
AI-generated factual texts may lack coherence and may contain misinformation, which could mislead students.
3. What is better, ChatGPT or Co-Pilot?
While both tools are useful, ChatGPT often offers more free features compared to Co-Pilot, especially after recent updates limiting some functionalities in Co-Pilot.
4. How can AI help in lesson planning and resource creation?
AI can generate customized lesson plans, grammar exercises, vocabulary activities, and interactive games, saving teachers significant time.
5. What caution should be taken when using AI tools?
Teachers should critically evaluate the outputs for relevance and accuracy and ensure they comply with data protection guidelines.