COURSE TITLE:
NO. OF CREDITS:
5 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 3.33 credits]
WA CLOCK HRS: OREGON PDUs: PENNSYLVANIA ACT 48: |
50 50 50 |
INSTRUCTOR:
Michael Boll
michael@bollnet.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course meets OSPI's STEM requirements.
AI has infiltrated virtually every aspect of our world, and Magic School is revolutionizing its integration into education, making it more seamless and effective than ever before.
Early AI systems like ChatGPT weren't quite in sync with our needs as educators. Students could easily use them to complete assignments or subtly incorporate AI-generated content, often flying under the radar of even attentive teachers.
Enter Magic School AI, ushering in a welcome change. It offers tools specifically designed for both teachers and students, implementing important safeguards on student-facing AI tools while enhancing the relevance and quality of AI responses for educators.
It's like having a tech-savvy teaching assistant who understands the classroom dynamic.
This course is your roadmap to harnessing the full potential of Magic School's AI model. You'll learn to craft innovative lesson plans, generate creative ideas, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks that often eat into your teaching time (goodbye, endless email chains!).
By leveraging this technology, you can focus more on what truly matters - inspiring and educating your students. Think of it as upgrading your teaching toolkit for the AI age, without losing the human touch that makes great teaching so impactful.
This is my second AI course and I am excited to present a tool designed specifically for teachers and students.
This course may be taken as a group. With the uses for AI changing so fast, working in a group is an excellent way to expand how you use AI and help set the narrative at your school. See here for more information.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:
Set up a free personal Magic School account
Understood many of the AI-powered tools available for teachers
Developed good prompts and parameters to communicate with Magic School’s AI chatbot
Developed a plan on how to use AI tools for individual classroom situations
Shared and leveraged AI ideas from the education community
Examined and understood the potential of using Magic School with students
Built a workflow to support the use of Magic School in a classroom setting
Understood the implications of AI on the future of education
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.
The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted. Assignment responses found to be generated by AI will not be accepted.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participants their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.
UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering, determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
REQUIRED TEXT
Required for 500 level only
None. All reading is online.
MATERIALS FEE
None.
ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A. INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments.
Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum.
Assignment #1: Introduce Yourself
Getting to know each other better is an excellent way to start this course, and it helps us all to understand our individual situations and teaching expectations.
Take a few moments and kindly complete a 250+ word description about yourself.
Possible items to include:
Where and what do you teach?
What are you hoping to gain from this course? I especially enjoy reading your thoughts here as we don’t really know where Artificial Intelligence going, and there is a lot of fear and excitement around it.
Are there any other personal details of interest that would be nice to share?
See what AI wrote about me when I asked it to “Write an introduction for Michael Boll.” Much of it was not accurate, but it sure made me sound awesome!
Assignment #2: Set up Your Magic School Account
If you don’t already have a Magic School account, now is the time to set one up! Magic School has both paid and free accounts. The free account is likely all you need as it offers all the tools. The Plus account includes improved student accounts and more access to Raina, the chatbot. Explore them here: https://app.magicschool.ai/subscription
Head to MagicSchool.AI and set up your account.
In 250 words or more reflect on your first impressions. Things to consider:
Will the Magic School tools assist you as an educator? If so, how?
Which tools might work best for you?
Assignment #3: Exploring the World of Magic School Tools
Let the exploration commence! Magic School boasts an impressive array of nearly 100 tools at your disposal, ensuring there's a suitable resource for every educator.
You may already be familiar with AI services like ChatGPT or similar platforms. Naturally, you might question the unique value proposition of Magic School in comparison. The key distinction lies in Magic School's specialized focus on education.
Magic School is designed to enhance your teaching capabilities by helping you craft more effective prompts for AI interactions. It recognizes your role as an educator and, behind the scenes, augments your queries with tailored language. This ensures that the AI responses you receive are more relevant to educational contexts and aligned with best practices.
For fun, I took the unconventional step of consulting ChatGPT for guidance on which Magic School tools are most beneficial. This approach yielded some intriguing insights.
Watch my video: First Dive into Magic School
Explore the large variety of available tools. Consider “starring” the ones that interest you..
Need a little help? Here is an alphabetical list of all the teacher tools.
In 250 words or more:
List your current (this will likely change) favorite tools
What about the tools attracted you to them?
How do you see yourself using these tools in your classroom?
Assignment #4: Raina the Chatbot
Magic School's array of tools is undoubtedly impressive and useful. However, navigating through an extensive list of tools can sometimes be just plain annoying. Occasionally you might find yourself searching for a tool that doesn't exist. To streamline this process, Magic School has introduced Raina, an AI-powered chatbot.
Raina functions similarly to well-known AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude.ai, and Google's Gemini. She can answer your questions, assist with brainstorming sessions, and even provide social interaction when needed.
In this lesson, we explore the fundamentals of crafting effective prompts for AI interactions with Raina. We'll cover the basic principles of prompt writing and a bit about parameters.
In our next lesson, we'll examine additional parameters and strategies you can employ to refine your prompts and get just the response you want. Well, most of the time.
Watch my video: Raina the ChatBot Part One
Experiment with various prompts/topics to hone your prompt-writing skills, including some designed to generate extensive responses. For instance, try "Our school is suddenly transported to an underwater world. Describe the challenges and fun of going to school under the sea, and what creatures we might meet."
Use the “As a” parameter to change the tone of the response. For example, “Write it as Dr. Seuss.”
In 250 words or more, respond to some of the ideas below:
What prompts did you try?
What “As a” idea(s) did you try?
How would you use prompts and parameters in your work? Just a few ideas are fine, as more ideas will drop into your brain later on in the course
Assignment #5: Upgrade Your Prompts with Parameters
Parameters enhance your initial prompt by specifying the type of response you want from Raina or other AI systems like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude.ai. These additional instructions help shape the AI's output to suit your needs better. For example, you might request the response in a particular format (such as a table), set a specific word count (like 500 words), or ask for a certain tone (such as empathy).
You can fine-tune the AI's response to align more closely with your expectations or requirements by including these details.
This table shows some categories of parameters you can add to your prompt along with one example for each category. These extra instructions help you get more specific responses from Raina or other AI chatbots.
Let’s use our sample prompt from the past lesson: Our school is suddenly transported to an underwater world. Describe the challenges and fun of going to school under the sea, and what creatures we might meet.
Here is the response given by Claude.ai, a free AI chatbot. Claude is similar to Raina.
When we add the parameters from this table, the full prompt will look something like this
"Our school is suddenly transported to an underwater world. Describe the challenges and fun of going to school under the sea, and what creatures we might meet. I want it to be interactive for a Grade Three audience with an inspirational tone and the output should be a dialogue"
Here is the response using those additional parameters.
As you can imagine, the parameters can be changed to suit your needs. Importantly, this is just a short list of parameters, and Raina, along with other AI ChatBots, is not limited to just these.
Lastly, please note that you do not have to provide the parameters with the first prompt. You can always add them later. AI systems have a memory of what you just asked them, so if later you want the output to be something else, like an essay, you can simply say “Hey, make this an essay, please.”
To help you, I developed a basic parameter generator. Check it out here.
Watch my video: Raina the ChatBot: Part Two
Mention how what you learn here can be used in the tools too. (Email example is a good one instead.)
Basically do everything you discussed above, but include the prompt generator
Open the AI Prompt Generator (It will ask you to make a copy)
Add parameters to one of your prompts
Test your new prompt + parameters formula with Raina and see what she says.
Consider (not required) testing these prompts with some other AI systems such as ChatGPT, Google Gemni, and Claude.AI. You may have to create a free account to use them.
In 250 words or more, respond to all or some of these questions
What parameters did you use?
Do these parameters significantly change the response you receive from Raina or other AI systems?
Are the responses helpful and trustworthy?
Assignment #6: How Will You Use Magic School?
You might be buzzing with ideas after diving into Magic School! Isn't it incredible how many possibilities are opening up for your teaching?
Let me tell you, I'm absolutely thrilled about Magic School's newsletter and email generator tools. They've completely revolutionized tasks I used to dread. Now, instead of groaning at the thought of crafting newsletters, I'm excited to use these tools and see what they can do! Ok, that is not completely true. I am more relieved than excited. ;-)
What about you? Which Magic School features have got you fired up? Are there any tools that made you think, "This is exactly what I've been looking for!"? Now's the perfect time to get specific and really imagine how these innovations could supercharge your teaching.
Picture your typical day - where do you see Magic School fitting in? What tedious tasks could become a breeze? How might your students benefit?
In 250 words or more respond to the following:
Which five tools are your current favorites?
How do you plan to use them?
How will Magic School strengthen and assist you as an educator?
Check out quick videos of some of my favorite tools
Assignment #7: Share Your Use Cases with the Community
I'm constantly inspired by fellow educators, discovering a wealth of new ideas that push the boundaries of what's possible with AI systems, like Magic School, in our classrooms.
Now, it's your turn to shine! Share your unique insights and contribute to our growing community of forward-thinking educators.
We are building a list of the different ways teachers are using Magic Scnool in the classroom. This assignment asks you to contribute to that list.
Come up with a list of five different Magic School tools you use and how you use them
Add your tools and use cases to this form
View the responses from others here
Also, take a look at the responses from my other AI course. While their ideas are based on using ChatGPT and other AI ChatBots, many of them can be used with Magic School.
Assignment #8: Magic School for Students
Much of the focus in this course is on how we can use AI like Magic School for teachers. However, students, especially in the older grades, are quickly seeing the benefits of using AI in their lives.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: student use of AI. It's a double-edged sword, folks. On one hand, AI has incredible potential to enhance learning. On the other, it's opening up a whole new world of shortcuts that make us educators break out in a cold sweat.
AI right now isn't exactly aligning with our educational goals. We're seeing kids punch in a prompt and get instant answers without diving into the research process. Or worse, they're cranking out entire essays faster than you can say "plagiarism."
Magic School is really stepping up to the plate here. They are aligning the use of AI with the needs of teachers and students. (Although the students might not agree.)
The free version of Magic School makes it easy to:
Create a student room
Select ONLY the tools you want students to use
Easily share a link (no student account required)
Observe the “output” of how students are using Magic School
Watch my video: Magic School for Students
Give Magic School for Students a test with rooms I set up in advance.
Click the link, add your name, and away you go.
High School Age Room In your Magic School click the “Launch to Students” button and create your first classroom
Select the appropriate level and number of students
Select the appropriate tools
Launch your room!
If appropriate, share the link with your students
If you are not ready to share with students (totally understandable), test it with yourself or a friend, family, member, colleague, etc. This lets you see what the students will see.
In 250 words or more, reflect on Magic School for students. Questions to consider:
Is it helpful and useful for students to use regularly?
How do you see yourself using this with your students?
What grade do you teach and what tools would you use?
Does your district allow AI in the classroom?
Assignment #9: STEM Career Choices
The world of work is undergoing a profound transformation. Even traditionally conservative sectors like education have embraced remote learning, offering diverse courses and programs online. This shift caters to students who prefer studying from home or seek opportunities beyond their local institutions.
In the current economy, attaining a middle-class or higher standard of living increasingly demands proficiency in STEM-related skills. This trend reflects the growing importance of technology and scientific knowledge across various industries.
These changes present both challenges and opportunities for learners and workers alike. As remote work and education become more prevalent, individuals must adapt to new ways of learning, collaborating, and demonstrating their skills in a digital environment.
Please read the two articles provided below. The first article explores the forthcoming era of work and the trend of remote workforces, which comes as no surprise. The second article presents the top 30 STEM careers of the future. While this list is subject to change over time, it serves as a valuable starting point.
Based on the articles you have read, select one or more of the 30 careers listed. Then, in at least 250 words, discuss how the five anticipated changes in the future of work—fluid gigs, decentralized workforces, evolving motivations for working, lifelong learning, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence—will affect your chosen career.
For instance, if you choose to pursue a career as a web developer, how will these five factors shape your work life?
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B. LEARNING APPLICATION
In this section, you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you do not have a classroom available to you, please contact the instructor for course modifications. Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum.
Assignment #10: Revitalize Your Teaching Practice with AI-Assisted Workflows (400 and 500 Level)
Hopefully exploring Magic School has been an exhilarating journey. The sheer number of helpful tools likely sparked your enthusiasm, as it does mine.
At some point, you might have thought, "If only I had the time to sit down and figure out which tools I should use." Well, now is that moment. This lesson grants you the permission to focus and identify specific tools that address your specific needs.
The issue of not having enough time to focus on systems that save us time, in the long run, reminds me of the story of Max the Butcher. For fun, I asked an AI video company (HeyGen) to tell this short story using an avatar. Watch it here.
For this assignment, we are going to develop an AI-assisted workflow for many of the common tasks you do as an educator.
We can break those tasks down like this:
As you can see, once you start to list a task, then it becomes more obvious where AI can help.
Open the Magic School workflow sheet. It will ask you to make a copy.
List at least five tasks along with the time commitment, joy level, where AI can help, and Magic School tool(s) that can assist you.
In 250 words or more discuss this exercise.
Do you see yourself using these tools to increase efficiency in the future?
What is the cost/benefit of doing this early work to receive benefits later?
What will you do with all your received time!?
Assignment #11: AI and the Classroom of the Future (400 and 500 Level)
I've long envisioned a world where every student receives a truly personalized education. A system that identifies and nurtures each learner's distinct strengths and addresses their individual needs. For years, the only apparent path to this ideal was through one-on-one tutoring. While this approach might be feasible, at least occasionally, for those with considerable financial resources, it remained out of reach for the majority.
Thanks to AI, that might change.
The educational landscape is rapidly evolving, thanks to cutting-edge tools like Magic School for teachers and AI's growing capacity to analyze video, enabling it to observe and comprehend students as they tackle tasks like handwritten math problems.
I look forward to a future where students wear augmented reality glasses, complete with integrated cameras, microphones, and speakers. These AI systems serve as personal coaches, guiding learners and acting as a valuable resource and a supportive companion. They'd be there to celebrate the triumphs of success and offer encouragement during the inevitable challenges of grappling with complex topics.
With these advancements, the prospect of true mastery is more attainable than ever before!
In 750 words or more, reflect on AI and its potential impact on the future of education.
Select from as many of the topics below as needed to support your thesis and interests.
How will AI impact students and their learning?
Will the benefits of AI be applied equally? Or will equity issues remain?
What are some of the ethical issues with using AI? Is it ok for AI to provide suggestions to students (and adults) with their writing that they wholly accept?
Will AI remove the incentive for all of us to learn?
Will teachers be expected to change how they teach to match the new realities? Will they resist that change?
What role will teachers play in a classroom loaded with AI tutors helping students? Will we simply be replaced?
Will schools drag their feet regarding the changes? Or embrace them?
Should teachers use AI to provide feedback on student assignments? Will we end up understanding less about our students as a result?
Would an AI-powered dashboard that displays each student's performance across various academic areas be helpful and actively utilized?
Will students with additional learning support needs benefit from AI?
What should you (and the rest of us) be doing right now to prepare for these changes?
Websites like Character.Ai and others allow individuals to have conversations with AI bots. As this becomes better and moves to an easy-to-use voice chat system, all of us can easily access a virtual friend. Will this help our students with social-emotional learning? Or aggravate their mental health just like social media?
Sal Khan’s TED Talk “How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education”
Perplexity.AI Search Engine. Ask any research questions you might have. It returns an answer with source citations.
100 Plus Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence for EducatorsMagic School Facebook Group
Alphabetical list and explanation of all Magic School tools for teachers
Alphabetical list and explanation of all Magic School tools for students
Magic School Blog. See the latest upgrades and updates.
Assignment #12: Book Study (500 Level ONLY)
Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, recently released a book exploring AI's impact on education's future. As a long-standing champion of personalized learning, Khan is instrumental in providing individualized instruction through his platform's extensive library of educational videos. Now, with the advent of AI, Khan envisions a vastly expanded landscape of possibilities for catering to each student's unique needs.
In his book, Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing) Khan delves into AI's transformative potential in education. He paints a vivid picture of what learning might look like with AI as an integral part of the educational landscape. Refreshingly, Khan doesn't see a future where AI supplants human interaction. Instead, he explores how this technology could enhance and complement the human elements of teaching, offering a balanced and optimistic perspective on the fusion of AI and education.
Complete a 750-word or more response/reflection on as many of the following suggested writing topics as needed:
Second Assignment: Complete ONE of the following
Develop a 750-word research paper exploring key concepts or themes from the book or particular interest to you.
· For example, Khan posits that AI tutors will revolutionize student learning with their ability to
individualize education. Is this realistic? Do we see similar outcomes with students who receive
regular, individualized tutoring from humans
Prepare a 30-minute or more presentation related to the themes of the book. The presentation audience might be parents, staff, or others from the community.
· Sample title: "The AI Tutor: Friend or Foe to Human Teachers and Learners?"
AI in education is in the gray zone right now with some educators thrilled at the change and others in fear as we wait to see how it plays out. To help process the changes, grab some of your colleagues and complete a book study of Khan’s work. In 750-words or more, report on the experience, the thoughts, the fears, and the conclusions.
Sample outline for the book study. Feel free to use all or just parts of this outline.
i. Session 1: Introduction and Context
1. Group introductions and sharing of AI concerns
2. Overview of Sal Khan's background and Khan Academy
3. Discussion: Current perceptions of AI in education
ii. Session 2: Understanding AI in Education
1. Key AI technologies relevant to education
2. Current applications of AI in classrooms (You will discover a ton of great use cases here)
3. Discussion: Personal experiences with educational technology
iii. Session 3: Khan's Vision for AI in Education
1. Main arguments presented in the book
2. Khan's concept of AI as an educational tool
3. Discussion: Initial reactions to Khan's perspective
iv. Session 4: Potential Benefits of AI in Education
1. Personalized learning and adaptive curricula
2. Automated grading and feedback systems
3. AI as a tool for teacher support and professional development
4. Discussion: Identifying potential benefits in our own contexts
v. Session 5: Addressing Concerns and Challenges
1. The digital divide and equitable access
2. Maintaining human connection in AI-enhanced learning
3. Discussion: Our most pressing concerns and possible solutions
vi. Session 6: The Changing Role of Teachers
1. Khan's vision of teachers in an AI-enhanced classroom
2. Skills needed for teachers in the AI era
3. Discussion: How our roles might evolve with AI integration
vii. Session 9: Broader Implications for Education (This is a big one!)
1. Long-term effects on curriculum and assessment
2. Impact on educational equity and accessibility
3. Discussion: Envisioning the future of education with AI
C. INTEGRATION PAPER
Assignment #13: (Required for 400 and 500 level)
SELF REFLECTION & INTEGRATION PAPER
(Please do not write this paper until you've completed all of your other assignments)
Write a 400-500 word Integration Paper answering these 5 questions:
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Instructors will comment on each assignment. If you do not hear from the instructor within a few days of posting your assignment, please get in touch with them immediately.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Michael Boll is an Apple Distinguished Educator and former Technology Coach at international schools in China and Thailand.
Now based in the United States, Michael is an enthusiastic instructional designer and presenter. He works to make his courses and presentations information-packed, slightly provocative, and fun.
Michael has an adult son with profound autism and is keenly interested in the special needs community and its population of diverse learners.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MAGIC SCHOOL: Your AI-Powered Sidekick & Classroom Assistant
Brundin, Jenny. “Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Just for Tech Students. All Classrooms Are Finding Ways to Wield - and Educate about - the Powerful Tool.” Colorado Public Radio, 25 Apr. 2024, www.cpr.org/2024/04/25/artificial-intelligence-colorado-schools.
Burns, Monica. “Using AI to Support Vocabulary Lessons.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 9 July 2024, www.edutopia.org/article/using-ai-generated-images-teach-vocabulary/.
DeWitt, Ethan. “From Precalculus to ‘Gatsby,’ State Offers Schools an AI Tutor Option • New Hampshire Bulletin.” New Hampshire Bulletin, 15 July 2024, newhampshirebulletin.com/2024/07/15/from-precalculus-to-gatsby-state-offers-schools-an-ai-tutor-option/
Johnson, Khari. “Teachers Are Going All in on Generative AI.” Wired, Conde Nast, 15 Sept. 2023, www.wired.com/story/teachers-are-going-all-in-on-generative-ai/.
Khan, Sal. “Sal Khan: How Ai Could Save (Not Destroy) Education.” Sal Khan: How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education | TED Talk, www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_how_ai_could_save_not_destroy_education?subtitle=en. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.
Larsen, Luke. “OpenAI Says GPT-5 Will Have ‘ph.d.-Level’ Intelligence.” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 20 June 2024, www.digitaltrends.com/computing/openai-says-gpt-5-will-be-phd-level/?utm_source=flipboard&utm
Solman, Paul, and Ryan Connelly Holmes. “Developers Claim AI Can Help Combat Loneliness, but Critics Say It Can’t Be Trusted.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 23 July 2024, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/developers-claim-ai-can-help-combat-loneliness-but-critics-say-it-cant-be-trusted.
Soper, Taylor. “Seattle Public Schools Piloting AI Software from New Startup for Students and Teachers.” GeekWire, 11 Apr. 2024, www.geekwire.com/2024/seattle-public-schools-piloting-ai-software-from-new-startup-for-students-and-teachers/.
Woolf, Nick. “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: What You Need to Know.” Panorama Education, Panorama Education, 11 July 2024, www.panoramaed.com/blog/ai-future-teaching-report.