When I first heard about generative AI, I really didn’t think much about it. I didn’t even use it until a few months after it was created in 2023. It sounded like one of those tech trends that everyone talks about but I didn’t know if or how I would ever use it. That changed when I decided to apply for the Pre-Education program. I had been out of high school for almost ten years at the time and I was struggling with a math course that was required for acceptance into the program. I had never been very confident in math even in high school so I decided to see if ChatGPT could help me since it was a self directed course with very little instruction.

ChatGPT

I was amazed by how easy it was to type in a math question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation. AI helped me break down basic math procedures in a way that finally made sense. It felt like having a good tutor who never got tired of explaining things.

But not every experience using AI in this way was perfect. The following year, I was accepted into the Pre Education program and I struggled with astronomy formulas and decided to ask AI for help again. This time, the results were hit-or-miss, maybe right about 60% of the time AI came back with a correct answer. Looking back, I think that was because I didn’t fully understand the material myself, so I couldn’t always tell when AI was giving me incorrect information. I also realized that I didn’t know how to properly ask the questions to allow AI to give me a correct answer. That experience taught me that AI is only as helpful as my own understanding of the topic.

More recently, I’ve been using AI for different kinds of tasks such as brainstorming ideas, outlining writing projects, and improving my sentence structure. I’ve found it to be a great creative partner when I’m stuck or need a different perspective.

MagicSchool AI

One AI tool I’m especially excited about is MagicSchool, a platform built specifically for teachers. It can help with everything from creating unit plans to designing fun classroom activities like Jeopardy games based on different subjects. I know I find lesson and unit planning a bit overwhelming, so I love the idea of using this tool as a starting point to organize my thoughts and reduce some of that stress.

At this time I see Chatgpt and Magicschool as being the two main AI sources that I will be using in my learning journey. I see AI as a powerful support tool but not as a replacement for my own ideas or effort. I want to keep learning, thinking, and creating on my own, while using AI to help refine and strengthen what I do. When used thoughtfully, I think GenAI can be a huge assistant for both students and future teachers like me.