Students鈥 use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom has been the topic of much debate among educators, school districts and parents. But what about AI for teacher use? While only, believe that AI can have a positive impact. The divide between the perception of AI and its use may stem from a lack of understanding around how teachers can effectively use this type of innovation. Stacey Williams, PhD, internship coordinator for special education and senior lecturer at the 糖心少女 College of Education, encourages student teachers in her program to use AI tools. For this issue of Office Hours, she shares three AI platforms with special education applications that all educators can use to assist with planning, instruction, accessibility, differentiation and more!
1. Use to Explore Effective Prompts for AI
AI for Education is a great resource for educators new to AI. Williams highly recommends their , specifically their , which provides educators with sample AI prompts to help with activities such as writing lesson plans and assessments, incorporating social/emotional learning in the classroom, and communicating with parents. The prompts are designed to be both specific and customizable, helping educators get the best results from any AI platform. The includes prompts for designing tiered assignments, creating leveled texts and modifying lessons for specific student needs.
2. Visit the to Generate Accessible Directions and Explanations
The Universal Sandpit offers AI tools specifically designed for special education teachers and educators in inclusive classrooms. Williams shares that one of her favorite tools is the , which breaks down tasks into simple, detailed steps. To use the tool, simply enter a task and the tool will generate a list of detailed steps to accomplish it. 鈥淎s a special educator, I might need to teach my students how to properly wash their hands. I used to map out the steps myself and develop the materials to support it. This tool provides all the steps in just one click,鈥 says Williams. Teachers can expand their task analysis for student learning and include visual prompts generated through AI as well. They should consider the use of AI resources as thought partners to reduce their workload in generating resources.
Another valuable tool from The Universal Sandpit is the , which produces stories to help students understand and prepare for new social interactions. These scripts help students predict the behavior of others and adjust their own to align with social and classroom expectations. Williams notes that this tool is especially helpful for autistic students learning to navigate general education classrooms. 鈥淵ears ago, I had to write a script to teach my students how to engage in a friendly way or make eye contact, if culturally appropriate.鈥 Now, The Universal Sandpit鈥檚 social scripts generator can reduce this workload.
While The Universal Sandpit can create the text, Williams suggests using ChatGPT to generate illustrations for additional support. For example, by entering the prompt: 鈥淐reate a comic book social story based on the following text鈥 and pasting in a social script from The Universal Sandpit, ChatGPT can create an illustrated cartoon comic that engages young learners. Williams advises teachers using ChatGPT for illustrations to use specific prompts to help ensure that the images are not only appropriate for the learning environment but also representative of the students, teachers and any important context.
3. Generate Accessible Texts with
Diffit allows educators to tailor texts and resources to various reading levels and languages. Using the 鈥淟iterally Anything鈥 function, teachers enter a topic or question and input a student鈥檚 reading level and language, and Diffit generates customized resources such as reading passages, summaries, vocabulary words, worksheets and assessments. If an educator already has text that they wish to use, they can use the Text or PDF feature to change the reading level of any passage up to 8,000 words. While Williams cautions against limiting students鈥 exposure to grade-level content and advanced subject matter, she underscores the importance of providing students with accessible content, explaining: 鈥淐hanging the readability level of a text is one way to ensure that your students can be fully included in accessing information.鈥
While educators should adhere to local school and district regulations and policies around the use of generative AI, Williams emphasizes the value of these platforms for both educators and their students. 鈥淚 consider generative artificial intelligence a form of assistive technology that can be used to support educational access and reduce teacher workload for administrative tasks and material creation. I see it as a gift as long as we're strategic about how we use it,鈥 she says.
Despite the controversy, AI can be an invaluable tool for teachers searching for ways to make lessons more inclusive. Williams encourages educators to use AI for Education, The Universal Sandpit and Diffit to help create classrooms that are equitable for all learners.
Use this resource as a reminder of the benefits of using AI as an educator.
