Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring free Generative AI tools that empower educators to design customized and engaging learning experiences for their students. The key lies in crafting thoughtful prompts, as the “designer behind the scenes” is ultimately the human mind guiding the technology. When implemented effectively, GenAI can create fascinating classroom interactions—though feedback from students is crucial to determine whether these tools enhance or detract from the learning process. And as with any lesson, it’s essential to use backward design, aligning AI-guided activities with the intended learning goals and outcomes. While GenAI may not be the right fit for every lesson, it has exciting possibilities: allowing students to chat with historical figures, catch up on lectures through interactive podcasts, or receive ongoing support from an AI writing coach. And for my fellow language teachers, the best part is that these tools can be adapted to work in any language, opening up endless opportunities for language learning!
Chatbots
First, let’s unpack what they are. If you have used ChatGPT, then you are already using a chatbot powered by Generative AI. It uses natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue, which is why AI detectors don’t work well. Open AI’s ChatGPT is considered a LLM or large language model, which can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles, social media posts, essays, code and emails.
So, how can we use this type of technology with our K-12 learners in a safe learning environment and doesn’t break any data or privacy laws? Select a platform that you can trust and if needed, dig a bit on their website for the safeguards taken to protect child/student information and their detailed privacy policy. The LLM Perplexity can assist by providing a quick overview of any edtech platform. Some of my favorites include Mizou, SchoolAI, BriskTeaching/Boost and Curipod. They are my top go-to tools for students because students can remain anonymous. I’ve highlighted how to use many of these (and more!) throughout the videos on my AI Tools for Educator Youtube playlist.
Next, you have to consider the design of your chatbot – who do you want it to be and what role should it serve in your students’ learning journey? To dive a bit deeper, check out this previous blog post all about chatbots in your classroom with sample uses & prompts provided. And to help you create a well written prompt from the start, check out my Prompt Design Guidelines. The possibilities are truly endless with chatbot design!
Google’s Notebook LM
I really wish this had existed when I was in graduate school! Easy to use and understand that whatever content you provide, in the form of a slideshow, document, PDF, Youtube video – it will generate notes, outlines, and a podcast – all to help synthesize the intended outcome in your learning. It will take up to 50 sources (slides, URLs, PDFs, videos, etc) and in just a few minutes, create an array of learning materials customized for you! It takes the idea of a research assistant to the next level and the more resources you provide, the more personalized output it can generate. A fun workaround is to have it create sources in the language of your choice as shown in this video – and while the Spanish usually works, the experimenting continues with other languages. I imagine this to be especially useful for our multilingual learners, especially our newcomers who may need this initial support in their home language. And, Google newly allows users to interrupt the podcast hosts to ask questions and redirect their conversation about the materials uploaded/shared. You can watch this short Google demo video here.
Here are a few podcast episodes generated thanks to NotebookLM – La inteligencia artificial en nuestras aulas, Supporting Multilingual Learners in General Education Classes or Teaching Spanish.
NotebookLM Plus is now available for businesses, schools, organizations, and enterprise customers via Google Workplace. It can also be included in Google One AI Premium starting in 2025.
Custom GPTs or Gems
From the 18+ or older standpoint, designing a Custom GPT through Open AI’s ChatGPT or a Gem through Google’s Gemini to hone in on a particular skill or task can be incredibly helpful. I find that by designing a GPT to laser focus on designing integrated performance assessments, locating authentic resources or serving as an acquisition driven instruction colleague to brainstorm with – saves a lot of time as a language educator. Another useful Custom GPT was created to assist general education teachers working with multilingual learners. By building these GPTs initially with resources that I feel are important, it knows and understands how to USE those resources as its knowledge files as it completes whichever task it is asked to complete. Although you need to pay a monthly subscription ($20) to design these custom GPTs, anyone who has a ChatGPT account can use these for free. Remember friends, we are training these models with each interaction and they have learned quite a lot in a short amount of time!
*A Generative AI tool like EduGPT has an array of already built “AI Faculty” designed to assist teachers – these are their custom GPTs or chatbots ready to use.
As we continue to experiment with Generative AI, it’s clear that its success in the classroom depends on intentional design and thoughtful implementation. The key is to approach it with curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to learn alongside our students. GenAI has the potential to become a valuable addition to our instructional toolkit. After all, as educators, we’re not just teaching content—we’re preparing our students to thrive in a future shaped by this evolving technology.
If you would like to continue your learning and join our AI Innovator Community for Language Educators, learn more by visiting this page. A monthly subscription provides access to live virtual workshops, different asynchronous courses, a private community to ask questions/discuss ideas and a quarterly newsletter. Yes, we are happy to accept school district purchase orders! You can also explore all of the available online courses dedicated to using Generative AI as a language teacher or check out my latest guide: AI Innovation in the Language Classroom either on Amazon or as a digital download! Our team also welcomes you to subscribe to our monthly newsletter or interact with us on Facebook or Instagram – let’s keep S.O.A.R-ing together into the new year with Generative AI in our classrooms!
