3 Free Technologies to Help Students Learn to Read

Once taught through traditional methods, the fundamental skill of reading has become much easier to acquire via the use of technology. Technology provides an exciting opportunity to enhance literacy in a way that's personalized, engaging, and accessible to all. This post delves into three technologies that help make learning to read easier in ways that empower both educators and students.

KhanAcademyKids.org

While some may associate Khan Academy with math videos, today, it is much more. Khan Academy now has Khan Academy Kids with thousands of educational games, books, and activities for children ages 2-8.

Kids can learn reading, phonics, writing, and social-emotional development through fun educational games and lessons. Find a variety of activities, from ABC games for kids to 2nd-grade books. Students can learn with catchy songs and yoga videos – while having fun moving, dancing, and getting the wiggles out. Khan Academy Kids is completely free, forever—no ads or subscriptions necessary.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)

There are numerous Generative AI platforms available to support learning to read from the popular ChatGPT to Bing, Bard, Claude, etc. Here are some ideas for doing that, with more detail on each in this post. 

• Adaptive Content: Tailor reading passages to individual reading levels and languages, providing a personalized learning experience. 
• Create Personalized Stories and Songs: Create custom stories featuring students or write educational songs to make vocabulary learning fun. 
• Reading Comprehension Support: Utilize AI to develop questions that challenge and enhance reading comprehension skills.

Common Sense Education

Choosing the right tools for reading education can be daunting, but Common Sense Education simplifies the process:

• Customized Search: With filters for topic, grade level, device type, subject, cost, and more, finding the right resources is streamlined and efficient.
• Reliable Ratings: An overall learning rating helps educators quickly identify quality resources to suit their students' needs.

By integrating technologies like Khan Academy Kids, Generative AI, and Common Sense Education, educators can lead the way in transforming reading education. These tools offer a way to make confident reading a reachable goal for every child. The time to explore, adapt, and inspire is now, for the future of reading education is not just on the horizon—it's here.

Smackdown of Top AI Image Generators: The Winner, Runner Up, & The Rest!

AI image generators provide innovative educators with new and exciting possibilities for their students and themselves. They have emerged as groundbreaking tools, offering innovative educators a wealth of new opportunities. Whether it's illustrating abstract concepts, crafting historical visualizations, or enhancing creativity in the classroom, these tools present an invaluable resource.

Innovative educators are aware of the importance of ethical considerations when using images such as citing sources and fair use. This can make it difficult when searching for images to enhance learning materials. AI image generators are a practical tool educators can use for such needs without breaking the bank by having to subscribe to a paid-for image service. 

Here's what you need to know:

Versatility: AI-generated images can illustrate abstract concepts, historical events, or even mathematical principles in a visually appealing way.

Accessibility: These tools allow you to create unique visuals without the need for extensive artistic skills or expensive software.

Cost-Effectiveness: Many AI image generators are available at little to no cost, making them accessible to educators and students working within budget constraints.

Ethical Considerations: Always be mindful of fair use and citation requirements when utilizing AI-generated images in your educational materials. Cite where you generated your image and the prompt used. 

Choosing the right tool for your needs can be challenging, given the myriad of options available. To help you navigate this decision, I conducted a practical test using the prompt: 

"Woman wearing fashionable lady's disco-style zip-up sneakers with a heel. There are no shoelaces."

The results of this test, including some of the strengths and weaknesses of different AI image generators, provide insights that you may want to consider when using such tools. 

The winner

Bing Image Creator

Powered by DALL.E, you can access this image creator at no cost by visiting: Image Creator from Microsoft Bing. 

Bing Image Creator was able to produce a beautiful design. It was easy to use and available at no cost. 

Not only did Bing Image Creator generate the requested image, it then allows you to select a tool called "customize" that lets you create the image for various platforms with suggested text for various platforms (i.e. Instagram) or formats (i.e. poster). 

Here's an example of that.

The runner up

Stable Diffusion

You can access this image creator at no cost by visiting https://stablediffusionweb.com. 

Stable Diffusion did a nice job as well, however, it didn't have that customize option, making it the runner-up. 

The Rest

Many of the other AI image generators simply could not create the request. I gave each at least three tries. 

For free

Google's Image Generator

You can access this free platform at https://www.imagine.art. 

The platform could not produce the prompt. No zipper. Shoelaces were included. No heel. 

Here is what the platform generated.

Craiyon

You can access this free platform at https://www.craiyon.com. 

The platform did a mediocre job of generating the image. They were not worn by a lady and don't really look like sneakers. However, there are no laces, there is a heel and zipper. 

Here is what the platform generated.

For Fee

DALL.E

You can access this a limited number of times for free, then it becomes a for fee platform. Visit https://labs.openai.com/. 

The platform did a mediocre job of generating the image. While it did remove laces and it did provide some unique designs, it could not generate a zipper. 

Here is what the platform generated.

Midjourney

Midjourney is complicated to access. You have to sign up for Midjourney at https://www.midjourney.com. You must pay a fee of about $10 a month and then join Discord and figure out how to use the correct prompts and channels. One advantage of Midjourney is that you can put specific subjects and images into the prompts. 

The platform did a mediocre job with the prompt. It included shoelaces, usually did not provide a heel, though it did add a zipper. 

Here are some of the outputs the platform generated from the prompt given:

Adobe Firefly

You can access this paid-for platform at https://firefly.adobe.com. 

It could not do the task. No zipper, no heel, shoelaces present. 

After multiple tries, here are some of the results it generated:

 

With AI image generators, like the top-performing Bing Image Creator or the capable Stable Diffusion, you can create unique, engaging visuals that democratize the design process, making professional-level imagery accessible to all.

The journey of integrating AI image generators into your educational practices is one filled with discovery, creativity, and a bit of experimentation. It's essential to remember that these tools are as effective as the way they are utilized. Consider your student's needs, the subject matter, and learning objectives. If your students are using these tools, you must be aware of age restrictions.

Also, consider that the process is not without its challenges. As this exploration shows, not all AI image generators are created equal, and selecting the right tool requires thoughtful consideration of factors such as versatility, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendliness. Some may offer additional features like customization, while others might fall short in delivering the desired results.

As innovative educators, we have the opportunity to harness these tools to inspire, engage, and enlighten our students. The future is here, and now is the time to embrace it.

Using Generative AI to Help Students Learn to Read

There are numerous Generative AI / Large Language Models (LLMs) available to support learning to read from the popular ChatGPT to Bing, Bard, Claude, etc. Whichever platform you choose, here are some ways to use generative AI to support learning:

• 
  Adapt reading passages to the appropriate level and language: 
  By employing LLMs, educators can easily adapt literature to the reading level of their students. For example, the tale of "Cinderella" could be rewritten with simpler sentences and vocabulary to suit Kindergarten students. If a student's native language isn't the primary language of instruction, these tools can seamlessly translate the text, ensuring comprehension and engagement.
• Personalized reading support:
  By analyzing the student's reading levels and interests, the model can recommend and even generate reading materials for students.
• Create personalized stories featuring students: 
  Personalization in learning builds a connection and enhances motivation. Teachers can create a story involving students from their class as characters, like a fun-filled class trip to the zoo. The story can be varied by reading level and even language. By using Generative AI, each story becomes accessible to all languages and reading levels and it is relatable and engaging, fostering a sense of identity and community within the classroom.
• Write songs to enhance learning and develop vocabulary:
  Imagine having an LLM create a catchy song to a familiar tune, featuring the vocabulary or concepts from a children's book. This engaging method can increase students' familiarity with vocabulary and deepen students' connection to the material, turning reading time into a memorable and enjoyable experience.
• Develop reading comprehension questions:
  Use the LLM to develop comprehension questions about a text to check understanding, help students make inferences, and connect to prior knowledge.  

As an innovative educator, you can take advantage of the exciting possibilities offered by generative AI to inspire and challenge your students in reading. By incorporating these strategies, you can create a more dynamic, personalized, and effective teaching experience. These tools encourage creativity and inclusivity, revolutionizing the way we approach education in our rapidly advancing digital age. 

Chat with any YouTube video using ChatTube!

Innovative educators know that it is best for students to interact with learning videos using techniques such as Frame, Focus, and Follow Up. ChatTube just made that a lot easier. ChatTube uses ChatGPT technology to allow you to chat with YouTube videos in real-time using AI to ask questions, get summaries, pinpoint key points, translate content, and more. You can even suggest it provides questions/answers geared to a particular grade level. You can converse with up to five videos a day at no cost and more if you want to sign up for a premium version. 

ChatTube is embedded into YouTube. As you can see from the screenshot below, you can find it in the pane on the right. 

For a more immersive experience, you can install the Chrome Extension.

Student Guide: Should I Use AI?

Unsure about whether or not your students should use AI? This guide from AI for Education can serve as a useful conversation starter with students. 

 

6 Ways to Help Student’s Verify & Use AI-Generated Content

The infographic from AI, data, and digital policy expert, Aleksandr Tiulkanov helps us think about the process for using AI-generated content. Essentially, it says that if we are using AI generated content, we must know how to verify and take responsibility for the output. That means fact-checking, cross-referencing, and validating the content is essential. Innovative educators understand that they must know how to do this for ourselves as well as teach our students how to take full-responsibility for the outputs they share. 

Here are some ways innovative educators can support students in developing the expertise to verify the accuracy of the content produced by generative AI. 

Understand the Capabilities and Limitations of AI

Generative AI models are powerful but they don't 'understand' information or 'know' facts in the same way humans do. They generate text based on patterns they have learned from vast amounts of data and can't access real-time or updated information. This means they might produce information that is out of date, incorrect, and inconsistent.

Realize the Output May not Be Current

An AI's training data defines its knowledge. When assessing the validity of the information provided by an AI, take into account its last training data update. For example, as of now, a tool like ChatGPT is trained on a diverse range of digital text through 2021. While that will certainly change in the future, for now, it is important to be aware this affects the output we will see and how we interact with this tool. For example, you wouldn’t want to ask it about rapidly evolving topics like today’s news or current events. 

Cross-reference with Reliable Sources

When looking at any content, it’s important to cross-reference information with credible sources. This is especially true when it comes to AI-generated content. If an AI produces a piece of information, especially something critical or unexpected, it's good practice to verify this information with trusted news outlets, scientific journals, or websites you’ve come to trust. Use critical thinking skills and digital literacy to discern credible sources from less reliable ones.

Use Fact-Checking Tools

There are many online tools that can help with fact-checking. Websites like Snopes, FactCheck.org, and Politifact have made it their mission to verify claims and debunk misinformation. Utilize these resources to confirm the veracity of the information AI provides.  

Scrutinize for Bias

While AI models are designed to be neutral, they can sometimes reflect biases present in their training data. They may overrepresent certain viewpoints or under represent others, depending on the sources they were trained on. It's crucial to remain critical of the information you're consuming and consider whether it might be presenting a skewed perspective. 

Teach Students Using Lessons & Tools

Common Sense Education has curated lessons and tools to help teach students about artificial intelligence. They've also put together guidance on how to handle artificial intelligence in schools. Become familiar with these lessons, tools, and guidance to build your comfort with supporting students in using artificial intelligence.

While generative AI has revolutionized the way we engage with digital content, they are tools, not infallible oracles. As users and educators, we must remain vigilant in helping our students understand how to cultivate their digital literacy skills and critically engage with AI-generated content. 

By understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI, identifying the source of the information, cross-referencing with reliable sources, scrutinizing for bias, and using fact-checking tools, we can help students responsibly navigate this new era of AI content generation. This way, we ensure that we are supporting students in utilizing AI as a helpful tool in our quest for knowledge, rather than becoming passive consumers of AI-generated information.