Tools & Tips: AI in Training

As educators, we stand at a pivotal moment. The technological world is rapidly changing and the tools available to teach, collaborate, and inspire are evolving just as quickly. To prepare learners for a sustainable future, teachers must not only adapt to digital transformation but must actually lead it. This is just as important when it comes to using AI to enhance Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). AI is a transformative force in education, with the potential to personalise learning, strengthen pedagogical practices, and support educators in delivering meaningful, future-focused sustainability education.

Key Tools for Teacher Leadership

If used creatively, AI tools like ChatGPT, Descript, and Padlet can play a powerful role in supporting ESD learning in Sub-Saharan African educational settings. These tools can enhance participation, support reflective practice, strengthen digital literacy, and empower educators and learners.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a useful and popular AI bot which can help teachers simplify complex sustainability concepts to make them more accessible, quickly generate context-relevant examples, and support multilingual learning. More specifically ChatGPT might assist with the following (and if prompted can do so within a sustainability lens):

• Help to create lesson plans and engaging ways of teaching, 
• Suggest assignment or exam questions and marking rubrics,
• Summarise key learning resources,
• Suggest outdoor or practical activities which align with the curriculum

Here are some additional support tools which can help teachers to optimise their use of ChatGPT:

• Common Sense Education
  • Website: Common Sense Education
  • Offers reviews, lessons, and resources to integrate AI tools, including ChatGPT, into classroom activities.

• Teachers Pay Teachers
  • Website: Teachers Pay Teachers
  • A marketplace where educators can find and share lesson plans that incorporate ChatGPT for various subjects and grade levels.

• Teachers Prompt guide
  • Booklet Resource: Teachers Prompt guide
  • This guide supports teachers to incorporate ChatGPT into their teaching practice and make the most of its capabilities.

Descript

Descript is a user friendly digital tool for recording, editing, and creating audio or video content. The application can turn text into audio or transcribe a recording and then the user can easily edit, rearrange, clip, translate, reduce background noise etc. In a Sub-Saharan African ESD setting, Descript could be useful to help students and teachers create digital stories or document Change Projects with no complex editing skills needed and using low bandwith.

Here are some tools that can help you get started with learning how to use Descript: 

• Descript Help Centre 
  • Website: Descript Help Centre
  • The official Descript site offers tutorials, guides, and examples of how to use the platform effectively.

• Edutopia
  • Website: Edutopia
  • This site features articles and resources with practical tips on using technology in the classroom, including video editing tools like Descript.

• Inside Editors Descript Tutorial
  • Website: Inside Editors
  • This website has a 25 minute video on how to use Descript. It answers a whole lot of questions and offers some tips in a slightly different way to the Descript website. 

Padlet

Padlet is a fun tool which offers canvas boards or sandboxes for collaborative idea-sharing. It can be used to brainstorm, share resources and visualise sustainability related topics.

• Padlet’s Official Support and Resources
  • Website: Padlet Help
  • Provides tutorials, case studies, and guides for educators to implement Padlet in various educational scenarios, including lesson planning and brainstorming.

See and participate in the Padlet activity below:

Here are some other useful open educational resources to guide you as an educator on your technological tools learning journey

Best Practices and Implementation Strategies

• Use clear prompts with AI: word your query carefully and provide parameters (constraints, word limits etc).
• Make AI use transparent: always tell your students when you have used AI (especially if you want them to tell you when they have used it).
• Always apply critical thinking: AI can get things wrong so make sure you apply critical thinking and don’t just accept what it produces.
• Align AI with ESD principles: AI can help to explore complex sustainability challenges if you guide it that way.
• Protect student privacy: avoid uploading identifiable student data (always review privacy policies on AI tools).
• Maintain human-centric teaching: use AI as a co-thinker but maintain your professional teaching skills and empathetic humanity.
• Experiment with AI and share lessons learnt with other practitioners.

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