Plenary: AI in Teaching and Learning
Nell Eckersley & Casandra Silva Sibilin
NYC ABE/ESOL Conference 2025
Saturday, April 5th, 2:30-4:00pm
Slides
Entrance Ticket
Generative AI for Teaching and Learning
Have You Used Any of These Today?
You’re Soaking In it
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Focus: Analyzing existing data to identify patterns, make predictions, and automate tasks.
Limitations: Lacks the ability to adapt to new situations or generate novel ideas.
Strengths: Good at solving well-defined problems, performing repetitive tasks, and making precise calculations and predictions.
Examples: Spam filtering, facial recognition, product recommendations, medical diagnosis, and customer service chatbots.
Traditional AI (also known as predictive AI or rule-based AI):
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
Focus: Creating new content, such as text, images, music, or code, based on patterns learned from vast datasets.
Strengths: Can generate new and creative solutions, enhance creativity and innovation, and create personalized experiences.
Examples: AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, text-to-image generators like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, and tools for generating code, music, or art.
Limitations: Can be computationally expensive to train and run, and may lack transparency in its decision-making processes.
AI Terminology
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AI
Artificial Intelligence
Pattern Recognition: Siri, Alexa, Open your phone with face ID, navigation tools using real time traffic, spam protection, bank fraud protection
Generative AI
LLM
Large Language Model
Generates NEW original content
ChatGPT
Novelty or Helpful?
Robot doing pushups (Gemini, 5 April 2025,built into Google Slides)
Questions to Ask Ourselves
How are you feeling right now?
What takes up most of your time?
What would you like more time to do?
Bear doing email (Gemini, 5 April 2025,built into Google Slides)
Real Life Application
COABE Conference
I would like help taking notes
I want my notes and conference materials to be easy to sort through
I would like help sifting through ideas
Live people at COABE 2025
Real Life Application
Make Your Own Bot:
Crafting AI Companions That Support, Motivate, and Engage Students
Casandra Silva Sibilin
Lecturer, Department of History, Philosophy, and Anthropology
CUNY York College
(ChatGPT 4o, 5 April 2025, chatGPT.com)
(ChatGPT 4o, 5 April 2025, chatGPT.com)
🤔 How do I acknowledge Gen AI use?
Be a LASER! ⚡️
You will be asked to submit an assignment check-in describing your process and identifying any of the following uses by letter. Please keep track of which letters apply as you use AI tools. Remember the phrase, "Be a LASER," that is, be precise with the letters you list in the check-in. There is no limit to how many of these you use.
Answers from a student this semester:
Thank you to this student from my PHIL 202 class (York College, CUNY), who was willing to share this anonymously for this presentation!
A Prompt
🎭 Role | You are an expert language tutor. |
🎯Goal | Your goal is to help me get motivated practice english through engaging conversation related to things I’m interested in. |
⚙ Behavior | You should always speak in english. Even if I use another language, you should reply in english and guide me with vocabulary I may have not known. |
A Custom Bot
📚
🎭 🎯 ⚙
Canva AI
Platforms
AI in Education Custom Bots/GPTs Subgroup - October 2024 Survey
Playlab
Pickaxe
Wonda VR
Praxis AI
Chatbase
Platforms
These are some recommended free platforms:
How to build a bot with Poe workshop with Renee Parker, University of New England
Background
You are an expert GED tutor. Your goal is to prepare the student to pass the GED. You may use other languages if the user asks you to, but overall your goal is to help them pass all the GED areas.
Your Workflow
STEP 1: Practice
Based on what the option the user has selected, ask questions, only one at a time, to help the user practice that area. Keep going until the user says MENU or END.
If the user says MENU, give the options again.
If the user says END, go to the next step.
STEP 2: End
If the user types “END, stop what you are doing and provide a summary of the entire conversation which follows this template.
Session Summary for {name}
(which options were tried out (e.g. multiple choice quiz))
(summarize approximately how many questions were answered by the user; summarize approximately what percentage of the questions were correctly answered on the first attempt and what percentage was correctly answered overall including all attempts; summarize the main topics covered in the conversation)
Study Tips
(offer constructive feedback on topics/areas the user could review more from the readings)
HeyGen Video Avatar
Kling AI
Which Language Can I Speak?
Try It Out!
Try out new advanced voice model demo and ask it to act as a tutor for a given subject ⬇️
Try out new interactive video model ⬇️
Interested in creating an interactive video avatar with HeyGen?(Not free.) ⬇️
Q & A
GenAI Tools For Adult Education
Pace AI Gen AI English Language Tutor
Canva Free online graphic design suite of tools & templates
Magic School AI assistant for educators
ChatGPT General AI text generation
Gemma Uses Google’s Gemini 2.0. AI for text generation tasks like question answering, summarization, reasoning, and more.
Grammarly Reviews spelling, grammar, and tone of a piece of writing as well as identifying possible instances of plagiarism
Learn More
AI Literacy Matters for Everyone
AI Integration Framework - Workforce EdTech
How the US Public and AI Experts View Artificial Intelligence | Pew Research Center
GenAI Website: AI Best Practices for St Paul Public Schools Educators
Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center: AI
WorldEd EdTech Center Open Prompt Book
8 Free AI-powered Tools That Can Save Teachers Time and Enhance Instruction | KQED (more adventurous)
Future Tools (whoah!)
Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket
World Ed EdTech Strategy Session April 11
Webinar free and open to all
Register here: worlded.me/ETSS2024
Two lightning talk topics:
⚡ Tech Tools for Lesson Planning by Anthony Burik
⚡ Reducing AI Waste by Rachel Riggs
Prevent, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!
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