Embracing AI in Education: Tools for Lifelong Learning and Innovation

Embracing AI in Education: Tools for Lifelong Learning and Innovation

As an educator in the technology sector, it's imperative that I continue to invest in my own education and adopt the lifelong learning mentality. AI tools have not only enhanced my teaching practices but also aided in my personal continued learning. Four AI tools I find myself using on a regular basis are Scribe, Taskade, Perplexity, and Figma's FigJam

Scribe: Streamlining Documentation

Scribe has been a significant time-saver in how I create instructional materials not only for the classroom but for contract roles as well. This AI-powered tool automatically generates step-by-step guides as I navigate and click on items to complete tasks.

Key benefits:

• Time-saving: What used to take hour(s) of screenshots, copy/paste, editing is now done in considerably less time. In addition, Scribe includes a variety of ways for me to share the documentation easily.
• Visual clarity: Automatically captured screenshots enhance understanding for the learner
• Easy editing: I can quickly refine and customize the generated content and add additional instructional content to introduce new concepts beyond the screenshot

One feature I've found particularly useful is Scribe Pages. This allows me to organize multiple Scribes into a single, customizable webpage. I have used it to create pages like Penwell Picks which is a collection of instructional how-to's that can be found easily in one location and additional content such as podcasts that relates to what students are learning in class.

Taskade: AI-Assisted Project Management and Ideation

Taskade has changed how I organize my teaching plans and create ideas for lessons. In addition, it has proved to be a valuable tool for my own personal studies as well

Standout features:

• AI-generated task lists for common educational projects
• AI-powered note-taking and idea generation

The AI-assisted note-taking feature has been invaluable for quickly capturing and organizing thoughts during lesson planning sessions. It suggests related ideas and helps me expand on concepts, sparking creativity that I can bring to the classroom.

For my personal studies, I use it for note-taking of concepts adding tags for future reference. The built-in Taskade AI feature allows for quick access to AI tools that help with my understanding of concepts.

FigJam (Figma): Collaborative Ideation and Organization

FigJam, with its AI capabilities, has become an essential tool for brainstorming sessions and visual planning.

One of the most useful applications I've found is using FigJam's AI tool. With a descriptive prompt, it can be used to help develop flowcharts, Kanban boards, and more. I recently shared with my class how to to create Kanban boards for project management using this AI feature. By simply describing the project workflow to the AI tool, it can create a customized Kanban board with appropriate columns and even suggests initial tasks.

PerplexityAI: Enhancing Research and Inquiry

PerplexityAI has become my go-to resource for quick, reliable information. This AI-powered search engine provides answers in a concise format with references to confirm or dive deeper into the search. Hallucinations are one of the areas of caution when relying on AI tools and by easily accessing the reference materials I can confirm the information provided.

Classroom applications:

• Encouraging critical thinking by comparing AI-generated responses with other sources
• Quickly gathering background information on new topics
• Develop content to create fictional scenarios that can be used in class

It also serves as an excellent tool for my own continuous learning, allowing me to quickly explore new concepts and breakdown concepts to help me gain better understanding.

Conclusion

These AI tools have significantly enhanced my efficiency and creativity as an educator while also supporting my commitment to lifelong learning. They serve as powerful assistants that allow me to focus more on meaningful interactions with students and innovative teaching strategies. By actively engaging with these technologies, I'm better equipped to prepare my students for a future where AI will play an increasingly significant role.

As we continue to integrate AI into education, it's important to approach these tools with a balance of enthusiasm and critical thinking. They offer great potential to transform our teaching practices, but we must also guide students in using them responsibly and ethically. By embracing these tools ourselves, we model the adaptability and curiosity that are essential in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

AI Disclosure: This blog post was created with assistance from PerplexityAI and other AI tools mentioned in the content. While AI was used to streamline research and writing, all content has been reviewed, edited, and verified by the author. The experiences and opinions expressed are authentic and based on personal use of the AI tools described. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate the information presented and consult additional sources when necessary.