In my three decades in education, I’ve come to learn many things. One is that change moves at a snail’s pace until something steps in to challenge the status quo. 

Enter ChatGPT. 

As you’ve no doubt heard, since this artificial intelligence program became freely available to the public, ChatGPT has made educators nervous, excited and curious about the impact it will have on our field. 

Once resources became available, I curated a list of the pieces I felt educators should engage with to gain an understanding of ChatGPT. I shared this list with a small professional learning network I belong to. One of the members of the PLN took the resources and created an easy-to-read detailed slide deck, which was then publicly shared throughout our networks, including the ISTE community forum ISTE Connect.

While I encourage you to look through our guide in its entirety, here are five recommendations that are a great place to start. 
 

1. Let AI enhance learning

Unleashing AI’s Educational Potential is a slide deck that illustrates how AI is being used today. Created by Lauren Richardson (@richardson_edu) and Ashley Morrison (@IHMSMorrison), this deck for 6-12 grade educators contains examples of AI-generated images, opening the door to discussions on the ethics of AI. In addition, it gives examples of how AI can enhance learning. Find this deck on the ChatGPT Collections & Presentations slide of the resource document. Recommended by Nicole Zumpano @NMZumpano.
 

2. Let AI improve your productivity

7 Things Teachers Can Do with ChatGPT Tomorrow by Monica Burns (@ClassTechTips) is a podcast that provides educators with practical ways to incorporate the use of ChatGPT.  The podcast covers seven activities educators can use to speed up productivity and complete everyday chores more efficiently. These activities are easy to implement and can be adapted in various ways to meet individual needs. The podcast shows ChatGPT's potential as an educational tool and offers educators wishing to incorporate AI into their daily practices a place to start. Find this resource on the Podcasts slide of the resource document. Recommended by Leslie Brophy @Lesliebrophy.
 

3. Let AI generate and organize content

AI supported tools are cropping up all the time and one favorite is Curipod. Where ChatGPT requires teachers to paste generated content elsewhere to build instructional resources, Curipod integrates ChatGPT content generation and instructional-resource creation into one tool. Input a standard and grade level, and it will auto-create editable, ready-to-use instructional resources. The Norwegian founders of the company offer a Slack channel for direct access to the Curipod team and for teachers who use Curipod to connect and share resources. Find this tool on the Educator Uses slide of the resource document. Recommended by Lynne Herr @lherr.

4. Let AI help you rethink cheating and plagiarism

ChatGPT, Chatbots, and Artificial Intelligence in Education by Ditch that Textbook’s Matt Miller (@jmattmiller) is a blog post that touches on many of the questions and concerns educators may have when it comes to AI’s impact in the classroom. Of particular interest is the section on How to define "cheating" and "plagiarism" with AI. With ChatGPT and other AI tools roaring onto the scene, teachers need to think about what is considered cheating and plagiarism, especially if we want education to be and stay relevant for our students. Find this post on the ChatGPT Collections & Presentations slide of the resource document. Recommended by Jessica Adams @Jessicaradams.
 

5. Let AI address learning gaps

From generating lesson plans to addressing misconceptions, ChatGPT can support teachers in various ways. In this blog post, Marc Hayes shares how ChatGPT has a wide range of benefits for all educators, not just those who teach upper elementary and college students. With just a few inputs like subject area and standard number, ChatGPT can create a lesson plan that includes objectives, introduction, direct instruction, guided practice and closure.

A teacher can ask ChatGPT where 6-year-olds have trouble with a specific concept. Additionally, teachers can also ask ChatGPT to generate tasks that help address any gaps in knowledge before teaching certain concepts and even create extended lessons for deeper learning to save teachers time and energy creating the content themselves. Find this resource on the Educator Uses slide of the resource document. Recommended by Jackie Ediger @jackieediger.

Nicole Zumpano is the director of instructional technology coaching for the Learning Technology Center of Illinois, an ISTE affiliate. She is the author of the report, “Instructional Technology Coaching to Enhance Professional Practice." She is currently seeking ISTE Certification. Connect with her on Twitter at @NMZumpano. Leslie Brophy, Dr. Lynne Herr, Jessica Adams and Jackie Ediger contributed to this post.