ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1
NameAmy Ravel - Technology Teacher/PBL Coordinator
Asbury Elementary - Denver Public Schools
Denver, CO
2
Project TitleGemini AI and Project Based Learning (PBL) Planning
3
Project Description (use your Project Proposal) My project uses Gemini and strategically engineered prompts to support teachers in Project Based Learning (PBL) planning. This tool will help lessen teacher workload, academic lift, and planning time for PBL projects while incorporating all the components for a gold standard PBL project.

Gemini AI and Project Based Learning (PBL) Planning Tool Google Site Link
4
Link to your videoGemini AI and Project Based Learning (PBL) Planning Video Link
5
Subject / CourseProject Based Learning / All Subjects
6
Grade LevelK-5
7
AI Tools UsedGemini
8
Select the areas that you feel most represents your project (select up to four)Collaboration & ProductivityClass Activities & Lesson PlanningPersonalization & DifferentiationEvaluation, Assessment, Feedback
9
If Gemini was used, what was your prompt?I am a _____________________(insert grade level and subject) teacher. Create the driving question for this ___________________________(insert objective/topic of the PBL) including ________ (these standards), create essential questions to support this driving question for this ___________________________(insert objective/topic of the PBL), including real world connections, daily/weekly activities including student voice and choice for a ________ (number of weeks) weeks, be sure to include different modes of understanding options like visual, auditory, reading, or kinesthetic and create ________ (insert number wanted) checks for understanding, and rubrics to go along with these checks for understanding. Finally, include an end product and how this will be showcased.
10
AI Planning TemplateUsing the Gemini AI PBL Planning Tool from the Google Site, teachers were able to work through a tutorial and then they were able to create an entire gold standard PBL (Project-Based Learning). The teachers were able to fine tune the prompt to engineer exactly what they were looking for in a PBL specific to their grade level and subject.

Teacher Name: Amy Ravel

Activity: Tutorial Introduction for using Gemini AI Basics - then exploring the AI PBL Planning Tool

Grade Level: K-5 Teachers

Topic: Navigating a Gemini AI Tutorial and then using the Gemini AI PBL Planning Tool to plan a PBL

Objectives for this lesson:

Teachers will…
…work through the steps of the Gemini AI tutorial.
…set up their Gemini account to save their search results.
…set up their Project Planner template to save information when they start the PBL AI planning.
…use the prompts to plan a PBL unit using Gemini AI by:
…Creating the Driving Question
…Creating Essential Questions
…Creating the PBL Outline along with Real World Connection/Problem
…Breaking down into Daily/Weekly Tasks
…Creating Checks for Understanding throughout PBL
…Creating Rubrics to support Checks for Understanding
…Creating End Product/Showcase

Procedure:
1. Teachers will access the following website - Using Gemini AI - PBL Planning. Additional support Resources available.
2. Teachers will access the Gemini AI to work through this tutorial.
3. Teachers will follow the instructions on the Tutorial page to gain insight into the process used in AI prompt engineering.
4. They can then explore the Fast Track option or start with the Driving Question Page and work their way through the website pages to go through the whole process to plan their PBL project.
5. They will use the PBL Planning Document (make a copy) to record the output from Gemini AI throughout the process.
6. They should have access to any curriculum documents, standards that they want to incorporate, specific activities that they want to include and anything else that they would normally use to plan their PBL.
7. At the end of the process, teachers will have a full plan for their PBL including the following elements: Driving Question, Essential Questions, Real World Connections, Daily/Weekly Activities, Checks for Understanding with Rubrics, and an End Product/Showcase. Everything will be recorded into their PBL Planning Document.
8. Teachers will then go back through and adjust their plan accordingly to meet their needs.
11
Project Outcomes TemplateProject Process:
I wanted to create a tool that would lessen the teachers’ loads when it came to PBL planning. We spend a lot of time planning PBL projects so I hoped that AI could help with this process. I learned a lot about how to engineer a really good prompt and the components that need to go into writing the prompt (PARTS). This sparked my idea for creating a prompt with blanks that teachers needed to fill in for all the different components that they needed for their PBL. I then tried to decide how I would pull it all together for easy access for the teachers and I landed on creating a Google Site to house everything. I first worked on creating prompts to go step by step through the process, but then I also created a Fast Track full version prompt for teachers to get an output for the full PBL. I worked to streamline the prompt until I was consistently getting the output results that I was looking for. Teachers should go to the Google Site and either start with the tutorial and follow the directions from there or choose the "Fast Track" page and fill in the blanks in the prompt and paste that into Gemini along with any other resources, curriculum, etc. to create the output they are looking for. Then fine tune through AI accordingly.

Resources Used:
Google Sites - Gemini AI and Project Based Learning (PBL) Planning Tool, Google Gemini, Google Docs, Forms, Sheets

Data Collection:
I collected my data using a Pre- and Post- Google Form survey from the teachers at my school. I also collected testimonials while I was demoing the project with the grade level teams. Overall they were very excited about using this tool and how it will help save them time and plan more engaging PBLs. I had a few reluctant teachers around AI. I used observation of the fifth grade students as they were working during the Astronomy lesson that we planned using AI for the group work activity and research of the astronomers. They were extremely engaged, loved that they had voice and choice and were excited about the next steps with this PBL since this was the launch for the project.

Data Results:
Comparing the pre- and post-survey data reveals a striking shift in teachers' attitudes and practices regarding AI in PBL planning. Here are some key areas of growth and interesting comparisons:

1. Increased AI Use and Confidence:
Pre-survey: Many teachers reported limited or no prior experience with AI in education.
Post-survey: The majority of teachers actively used AI for PBL planning, lesson planning, and even daily teaching tasks after interacting with the Gemini-powered tool. This suggests that the tool served as an effective introduction to AI, demystifying the technology and showcasing its practical applications.

2. Time Savings and Efficiency:
Pre-survey: Teachers emphasized the significant time commitment required for PBL planning, often taking weeks or even months.
Post-survey: With the AI tool, PBL planning time was dramatically reduced to hours or even minutes. This highlights the potential of AI to streamline complex tasks and free up teachers' time for other priorities.

3. Shift in PBL Planning Challenges:
Pre-survey: Developing driving questions, designing activities, and creating assessments were cited as the most challenging aspects of PBL.
Post-survey: While these challenges remained, the focus shifted towards finding resources and aligning activities with standards. This suggests that AI can effectively address some PBL planning challenges, allowing teachers to focus on other areas.

4. Validation of AI's Potential:
Pre-survey: Teachers generally believed AI could help with PBL planning but lacked specific examples.
Post-survey: Teachers provided concrete examples of how AI assisted them, such as generating driving questions, outlining projects, and creating rubrics. This reinforces the idea that AI can be a powerful tool for enhancing PBL planning and implementation.
Interesting Comparisons:

5. Interesting Comparisons:
"Fast Track Preference": The popularity of the "Fast Track" option in the post-survey suggests that teachers value AI's ability to quickly generate comprehensive PBL plans. This aligns with the desire for efficiency and time-saving.
Resource Needs: The continued emphasis on finding resources highlights an area where AI can be further developed to support teachers. Integrating AI-powered resource libraries or search functions could significantly enhance the PBL planning process.

Overall:
The comparison between pre- and post-survey data clearly demonstrates the positive impact of the Gemini PBL planning tool on teachers' perceptions and practices. By providing a user-friendly platform and showcasing AI's capabilities, the tool facilitated increased AI adoption, enhanced comfort levels, and significant time savings in PBL planning. This suggests that AI has the potential to revolutionize how teachers design and implement PBL, ultimately leading to more engaging and effective learning experiences for students.

Challenges:
The biggest challenge that I faced was having enough time with the teachers to truly go deeply with this PBL AI Planning Tool. I was able to model with them and many of them have continued working with it. I am hoping that as the year goes on and we continue meeting regularly, this tool will become something that is used on a regular basis across our school for PBL Planning. Another challenge is that in our district, teachers do not have access to Gemini. They were able to access it through their personal gmail accounts to work with the tool. Hoping that our district adds that at least for our teachers in the near future.

Reflections:
Key Takeaways - Positive Trends:
Increased AI Use and Confidence
Enhanced Comfort Levels
Tool resulted in time saving and efficiency with PBL Planning
Strong validation of AI’s potential in many areas, but PBL Planning in particular

Teacher Testimonials:
2nd Grade Teacher - “Thank you for your hard work. This is an awesome tool!”
4th Grade Teacher - “WOW!!! That was amazing!! I'm so impressed and want to use this for everything! I do think finding resources and lessons would be the next big lift in terms of planning support from AI ;)”
5th Grade Teacher - “The prompts created are amazing and makes creating/planning a PBL project so much easier. Instead of taking weeks, a PBL project could only take hours or days. Maybe a little longer to fine tune.”

Final Thoughts:
Working on this project gave me valuable insight into the potential of AI to support teachers in planning, save time, tailor learning experiences, enhance student achievement, and make lessons more interactive and engaging. If I had more time, I would have surveyed students who worked through PBL projects that were planned with the Gemini AI PBL Planning Tool to see what they thought about their PBL. Did it feel different that previous PBLs that they have done in the past? Were able to go deeper with their learning? That would be a really interesting addition to my data collection. Overall, I thought this project was really successful and reached my ultimate goal of saving teachers time when planning PBLs.
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100