Where to Start

Overwhelmed by AI? Think of it as Your New Teaching Assistant.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the talk about AI in the classroom? You're not alone! It's easy to get lost in the buzz, but the secret is to not think of AI as a complex new tool you have to master. Instead, think of it as your personal teaching assistant, ready to help you with the tasks that eat up your time.

The most powerful thing you can do to get started is to learn how to ask it for what you want. This is called prompting, and it's a game-changer. Think of it like learning to give the perfect set of instructions to get exactly what you need.

Here’s a simple way to get started, no matter what tool your school uses.

If You're in a Google School

Your go-to is Gemini. It's designed to be secure within your school's domain, making it a safe and fantastic place to start. A great way to write your prompts is using the RAISE model.

• Role: Tell the AI who you want it to be. (e.g., "Act as a middle school science teacher...")

• Action: Tell it what you want it to do. (e.g., "...create a lesson plan...")

• Information: Give it the context it needs. (e.g., "...about the water cycle for a 7th-grade class...")

• Structure: Specify how you want the output formatted. (e.g., "...in a table with learning objectives, activities, and materials...")

• Expectations: Add any final details or limitations. (e.g., "...Keep the vocabulary at a beginner's level and include a hands-on experiment.")

If You're in a Microsoft School

Start with Copilot. It's built right into your familiar Microsoft tools and keeps your data secure. A simple but effective way to craft your prompts is using the GCSE model.

• Goal: State your clear objective. (e.g., "My goal is to create a quiz...")

• Context: Provide the background information. (e.g., "...based on the first chapter of 'The Giver'...")

• Sources: Tell it if it should reference a specific text. (e.g., "...and only use information from the attached PDF of the chapter.")

• Expectations: Describe the specific format and tone you want. (e.g., "...The quiz should have 5 multiple-choice questions and 2 short-answer questions. Make sure the language is accessible for an 8th-grade reading level.")

Learning to write a good prompt is the single biggest step you can take. It will change your AI assistant from a fun novelty into a genuinely helpful tool that saves you valuable time.

Ready to take the first step? Give one of these models a try on your next lesson plan or parent email. You've got this!