AI for Student Success: Being Productive & Learning Future Skills

Today’s world is changing fast and artificial intelligence (AI) is a massive part of that. New AI tools have many parents and educators concerned, but when used appropriately, these tools can help students increase their productivity and provide a more personalized education. National AI usage has drastically increased over the last 12 months and is only likely to continue to grow. It is important that parents and students learn to use these tools in ways that support education (Source: CNBC).

This guide will explore ways ChatGPT and other AI tools can be used to improve time management, make study time more efficient, and help students get the help they need with an on-demand AI tutor.

Educators and parents: Guide your students' reflection and discussion with this student worksheet. (Log in to your Google account and select File-->Make a Copy)

Full Event Replay (Parent video)

Why should students learn how to use AI tools?

• AI tools are being incorporated into more applications, including tools that students will need to use for school and future careers
• Many career fields will require strong AI skills as job descriptions change to match current technologies
• AI shouldn’t be used to cheat but it can be a study assistant to enhance learning and productivity. In many cases AI doesn’t give the answer without teaching how it was found
• Teachers are beginning to recognize the role that AI tools and tools that incorporate AI can have in supporting the learning process. Many are beginning to use these tools more often in the classroom and allowing their use to support additional learning outside of the classroom

The Three Major AI Tools

ChatGPT

• ChatGPT is owned by openai.com and is the original AI tool
• It can access the web in most circumstances
• It has the ability to create images

Gemini

• Gemini is owned by Google and is quickly gaining popularity
• It has full access to the web
• Gemini has limited image creation ability

Claude

• Claude is owned by Anthropic and may currently be one of the best AI tools when it comes to reasoning skills

• It does not have any image creation ability
• It does not have any internet access

‍AI Tools That Enhance Learning & Improve Study Skills

• Grammarly - Grammarly uses AI to spot mistakes and give suggestions to make a student’s writing even better, helping them learn finer writing mechanics
• Notion AI - Notion AI is a powerful note-taking tool that uses the ChatGPT API to help summarize notes and brainstorm ideas
• Speechify - Speechify uses AI to convert textbooks, notes, and websites into audio, making studying easier for auditory learners
• Quizlet - Quizlet utilizes AI to tailor flashcards and study sets, helping students master topics at their own pace
• Khan Academy- Khanmigo allows students to ask questions about lessons as they go and get help with concepts they are struggling with
• Duolingo - Duolingo employs AI to customize language lessons, adapting to each student's pace and progress

Prompts to Use ChatGPT as a Tutor

• “I don’t understand this math problem [include the problem]. How do I work through the problem to find the right answer?”
• “Explain to me why [historical event] was important.”
• “I found the answer to this problem [include problem], but I don’t understand how I got it. Please explain.”
• “Explain this problem to me in 4 different ways so I can see different ways to solve it.”
• "Summarize the life of ___ in 50 words or less."
• "Explain ____ to me like I am 5 years old."
• "Compare and contrast [event in history, places, people]."
• "What themes are in [this book]?"
• "What steps do I need to take to solve this math problem: [insert math problem]?"
• "Discuss the cause of [this event in history]."
• "How does [this science concept] work in real life?"

Ways to Use AI Tools to Help Prioritize Your Time & Be More Efficient

• Use the following prompt when you are overwhelmed with school assignments:
  “I have the following assignments [include assignments, estimated length of time, and due dates]. Please help me create the most efficient plan to finish them over [time period]”
• AI time-tracking tools can be used to help you determine where your time is being spent so you can make changes to be more efficient
• Use AI tools to automate tasks such as scheduling, organization, and more
• AI tools can help students proofread their work while teaching them ways to improve their writing  
• Students can use AI to summarize notes taken during class so they can pull out the most critical information

What Do Experts Say About AI Tools?

Monica Burns - Ed Tech Consultant

“If you are working side by side with your child at home and you don't know the answer to a question, or you're not quite sure how to explain something, AI tools can definitely come in handy.  As a family you might come across things that you're just not quite sure how to explain or need a step-by-step guide or process on how to do something, so you can have ChatGPT generate an explanation. You can put qualifications in your prompt to say, "Give me a simple explanation” or “Give me an explanation for my third grader who hasn't had experience with this before”.

Jamie Lewsadder - Associate Superintendent of Technology Services, La Canada Unified

“There's this large fear about cheating. I would argue that cheating existed before ChatGPT. Yes, this is a shortcut tool for kids. But when I interviewed them and asked them about what they liked about it,  they said things like, ‘it's faster than Google’, ‘I have a tutor now’, and ‘I can get answers when my teacher isn't available.’ So there are things that kids are seeing, not as a way to cheat, because these are students that want to do their best as learners.  So we have to separate it. It's not just a tool for cheating. It's a tool that can enable a lot of really positive growth.”

Dan Carsen - 7th Grade English Teacher

"Using AI to brainstorm early in the process—that's probably safer; the earlier in the process, the better. I worry, however, about kids who are not confident in their writing. They're more likely to be like, 'Oh, this is what the computer spat back, and it looks really good. I'm going to maybe change one or two words.' To me, that's not creative. If you're really struggling for ideas, if your teacher gives you a prompt on the motivation of a certain character in a book that you have actually read, but you have no idea what the teacher is asking you, sure, I think it's okay to look at a computer-generated response to that. The only way to handle these admittedly very gray areas right now is through constant communication. As long as that communication is clear, AI-generated text can be useful in an early stage in all these processes."

‍More resources for parents, students, & educators

• ChatGPT Guide (2023): What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know
• Positive Ways to Use ChatGPT for Students
• AI Writing Tools for Students: What You Need to Know About Jasper AI, ChatGPT, and More
• Safeguard Your Student's Future with Our Free Social Media Agreement
• How to Use AI for College Prep: What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know

Conclusion

It’s understandable that many parents and educators may be hesitant to embrace new AI tools, but artificial intelligence technologies are here to stay. Students need to learn how to use AI tools in an academically honest way to gain important skills they may need in their future career field. When used correctly, AI tools can help students be more productive and allow them to have a personalized tutoring experience on demand.