Good communication with your students and their parents is essential to being a classroom teacher. My classmate Emma recently demonstrated a new AI software called MagicSchool, which introduced me to a new way of doing this. She showcased how MagicSchool can generate an introductory email for parents and students, and I immediately saw this tool's potential in my teaching practice.

How MagicSchool Works: 

MagicSchool uses AI to craft personalized email templates based on the information you provide. For example, you can input details about yourself, your classroom goals, and the tone you want to set for your email. The AI generates a professional and friendly introduction that you can customize further. It’s a simple but convenient tool for the teacher who wants to create crystal-clear and personal communication without spending much time writing emails from scratch.

How I Could Use MagicSchool in My Teaching Practice: 

As a middle school band and choir teacher, those good first impressions are essential; creating positive relationships with parents and students establishes the tone for the school year. Here are a few ways I could use MagicSchool to enhance my communication:

1. Welcome Emails to Parents and Students: At the start of the year, I can use MagicSchool to quickly generate personalized emails introducing myself as their band or choir teacher. The email can include essential information like my background in music, the goals for the upcoming year, and expectations for rehearsals and performances.

2. Concert Reminders: As we approach concert dates, MagicSchool can help me craft professional reminder emails to parents that include concert details, attire requirements, and other important information while maintaining a personal and enthusiastic tone.

3. Progress Updates: I can also use the tool to send progress updates mid-year. These emails can be tailored to keep parents informed about their child’s progress, upcoming events, or any areas of focus the student might need to improve on.

4. End-of-Year Reflections: Toward the end of the school year, I could use MagicSchool to generate emails reflecting on the band and choir's achievements. This could include thanking parents and students for their hard work and dedication and highlighting notable performances or progress throughout the year.

Why This Tool Is Beneficial: 

MagicSchool is not only a time-saver, but it also ensures that communication is consistent, thoughtful, and engaging. As a teacher managing band and choir, I value anything that helps me stay organized and on top of communication while still allowing me to focus on teaching music. Thanks to Emma’s demonstration, I can see how tools like MagicSchool can create professional, parent-friendly emails that support strong relationships and keep everyone informed, all while spending more time where it matters—working with my students.

This week, my classmate Theresa shared an amazing AI program called Alayna that has completely changed how I think about designing PowerPoint slides. Through her presentation, I discovered how Alayna can simplify the slide-making process, allowing teachers to focus on their content and delivery.

How Alayna Works:

Alayna AI uses artificial intelligence to help users create professional and appealing PowerPoint presentations. Once the subject, key elements, and style are entered, Alayna creates slides that are not only well-organized but also visually appealing. It is a tool that allows you to create a good-looking presentation quickly and saves you the hassle and effort needed to make slides. She did emphasize the importance of always reviewing slides before presenting them to your class. Even AI can make mistakes and not every slide could be appropriate to the age level or specifically to your students.

How I Could Use Alayna in My Teaching Practice:

As a middle school band and choir teacher, effective presentations are crucial for engaging my students during lessons, rehearsals, and performances. Here are some ways I could incorporate Alayna into my classroom:

• Lesson Introductions: I can use Alayna to create dynamic introductory slides for each lesson, outlining the goals and objectives. This will help set a clear focus for my students and keep them engaged right from the start.

• Performance Prep: When preparing for concerts, Alayna could assist me in crafting presentations that outline the repertoire, performance expectations, and rehearsal schedules, ensuring that students and parents are informed and excited.

• Educational Workshops: For workshops I plan to hold for parents and students, Alayna can help me design informative slides that highlight key topics, such as the importance of music education, how to support student practice at home, and upcoming events.

• Reflection and Feedback Sessions: After performances, I can create presentation slides using Alayna that summarize our achievements and areas for growth. This feedback can be visually presented to both students and parents.

Why This Tool Is Beneficial:

Alayna AI not only saves time but can improve the quality of presentations. In a busy classroom setting, having access to a tool that simplifies the design process can be a great time saver! Thanks to Theresa’s insightful demonstration, I now see how I can utilize Alayna to help create my presentations, allowing me to dedicate more time to what truly matters—connecting with my students through music.

Today, my classmate Avery shared an incredible AI tool called MagicSchool, giving me a new perspective on project-based learning. Through the demonstration, I discovered how MagicSchool can enhance student engagement and collaboration, making projects more interactive and effective.

 How MagicSchool Works: 

MagicSchool uses artificial intelligence to help educators create project-based learning experiences. By providing resources, templates, and tools tailored to various subjects, MagicSchool streamlines the project planning process. It allows teachers to write informative and detailed project outlines and gives students a space to share their ideas. 

 
What I Could Do with MagicSchool: 

As a middle school band and choir teacher, collaboration and creativity are vital for my students' musical development. Here are some ways I could use MagicSchool in my teaching environment.

• Research Assignments: For projects on music history or theory, MagicSchool can provide students with curated resources and templates to guide their research. This will encourage independent learning while keeping them focused on key concepts.

• Performance Planning: When preparing for performances, I could use MagicSchool to create project timelines that outline each step of the process—from rehearsal schedules to audience engagement strategies—making sure every detail is covered.

• Reflections on Learning: Once projects are done, I can ask students to post their reflections using MagicSchool, showing what they learned and how they worked together. This will help them develop presentation abilities and support their knowledge of the material.
  
  

Why This Tool is Beneficial: 

MagicSchool makes project planning more manageable and helps your students collaborate. It is helpful to have a tool like this available at your fingertips! I’m so glad that Avery shared this demo with our class. I now see yet another way to use MagicSchool to help me invest more time in helping my students develop their musical abilities.

I had the opportunity to demonstrate to my technology class how Grammarly’s AI function can simplify the process of drafting letters. In my presentation, I learned how this tool makes writing concise and saves time when composing letters.

 How Grammarly’s AI Function Works:

 Grammarly’s AI feature uses algorithms to assist you with drafting, editing, and perfecting your letter (or anything you write). After you specify the letter’s subject and theme, Grammarly will suggest format, tone, and expression to enable you to write professional, effective letters. It makes sure your words are clean, sharp, and precise without losing your personality.

How I Could Use Grammarly’s AI Function in My Teaching Practice: 

As a middle-school band and choir teacher, the communication aspect of how I interact with my students, parents, and other professionals is important to me. Here are a few ways Grammarly’s AI function might help me in my classroom:

• Parent Communication: I can use Grammarly to draft letters to parents regarding upcoming concerts, events, or important announcements. The AI suggestions can help ensure my messages are clear and professional. (I demonstrate this in the video, but there are many other uses for my classroom!)

• Student Feedback: When providing written feedback on student performances or projects, Grammarly can assist me in crafting thoughtful and constructive comments that encourage growth and improvement.

• Grant Applications: If I pursue grants for music programs, Grammarly can help me draft compelling proposals by suggesting effective wording and ensuring that my application is well-structured and error-free.

• Collaborative Projects: For group projects where students need to communicate their findings or ideas in writing, I can encourage them to use Grammarly’s AI function to refine their letters or reports, promoting clear and effective communication.

Why This Tool Is Beneficial: 

Grammarly’s AI function enhances the quality of written communication and saves time by streamlining the drafting process. In a busy classroom environment, having a reliable tool to assist with writing can be invaluable. Through my demonstration, I now see how I can use Grammarly to improve my correspondence and devote more time to providing quality instruction for my students.

This week my classmate Gentry shared a useful AI tool called Conker that makes designing quizzes and quick assessments much easier!

How Conker Works: 

Conker AI helps users make interactive quizzes suited to their specific subjects and learning goals. You just need to enter a topic and the concepts you want to test, and Conker will create a quiz with questions that fit the age and level of your students. You can create multiple choice, mixed, read and respond, or fill in the blank quizzes. Gentry mentioned that it’s always a good idea to review the quiz before giving it to students, as sometimes a few small changes can make it more effective. It I also important to make sure that the questions match your unit and objectives.

How I Could Use Conker in My Teaching: 

As a middle school band and choir teacher, formative assessments can help me understand what my students know and where they might need help. After creating my own account and experimenting, I have discovered some ways that I could use Conker in my classroom:

• Music Theory Quizzes: Conker could help me quickly make quizzes on topics like reading notes, rhythm patterns, and dynamics. This way, I can get immediate feedback on how well students understand music theory.

• Instrument Skills Checks: I could create quizzes on basics like correct hand positioning or fingerings, making sure students are mastering these important skills.

• Post-Concert Reflections: After concerts, I could use Conker to make self-reflection forms that encourage students to think about what went well and what they could improve on for future performances.

Why This Tool Is Helpful: 

Conker AI saves time and makes creating quizzes simpler. For teachers, it’s a quick way to put together engaging assessments without spending a lot of time writing questions. I like the digital format which students always seem to enjoy. It eliminates concerns like losing papers and reading handwriting. I also like that it gives the student immediate feedback and automatically grades it for the teacher as well! Thanks to Gentry’s helpful demonstration, I can now see how Conker could be a great tool in my classroom!

ChatGPT is the first AI I had ever heard of, and when I did learn about it, it was from one of my university professors.  This week, my classmate Paige demonstrated how ChatGPT can be used to create different types of assessments. Her demonstration showed how this AI tool can assist teachers in designing customized assessments that align with their lesson goals and save them valuable time.

 How ChatGPT Works:

 ChatGPT is an AI-powered assistant that generates ideas, questions, and complete assessment templates based on the information you provide. Whether you need multiple-choice questions, essay prompts, or quick formative assessments, ChatGPT can help create them in seconds.

 Paige demonstrated how to use ChatGPT to create a variety of assessments for an elementary weather-related science lesson. The AI was able to remember the information she had already given it and continue to build on it to refine the assessments to exactly what she wanted them to be. 

 How I Could Use ChatGPT in My Teaching Practice:

 As a middle school band and choir teacher, effective assessments are essential for gauging student understanding and progress. Here’s how ChatGPT could support my work:

• Music Theory Quizzes: Quickly generate a variety of questions on topics like rhythm, key signatures, and dynamics. I can specify difficulty levels or ask for creative formats to keep students engaged.

• Listening Activities: Design assessments where students analyze musical excerpts, with questions created by ChatGPT to focus on elements like tone, texture, and articulation.

• Performance Reflections: Create open-ended prompts encouraging students to reflect on their performances and identify areas for improvement.

• Formative Check-Ins: Develop quick, low-stakes assessments to check students’ understanding of new concepts introduced during rehearsals.

Why This Tool Is Beneficial:

 ChatGPT makes assessment creation faster and more efficient, freeing up time for me to focus on delivering quality instruction and connecting with my students. It’s especially helpful for generating fresh ideas when I need inspiration for designing assessments.

 Thanks to Paige’s demonstration, I can now add ChatGPT to my box of tools for creating student assessments.  From music theory tests to reflective performance activities, ChatGPT will be a great asset as I assess and support my students.

My classmate Camryn shared an AI tool called Gibbly that has given me a new perspective on creating interactive quizzes for my classroom. Through her presentation, I learned how Gibbly can make designing Kahoot quizzes easier and faster, which is always a plus in a teacher's busy life! 

How Gibbly Works:

Gibbly uses artificial intelligence to help teachers create customized Kahoot quizzes effortlessly. By simply inputting the topic, key questions, and desired level of difficulty, Gibbly generates a ready-to-use quiz. Its AI can suggest creative answer choices and incorporate fun, age-appropriate themes to enhance engagement.

 Camryn showed how to create quizzes from the URL to a YouTube video or by uploading a PowerPoint document and then giving it the prompts to customize the game. It then created the game and selects the correct answers for you. Camryn emphasized the importance of reviewing the quizzes for accuracy and ensuring they align with the lesson objectives and are appropriate for the students’ age group and learning needs. 

 How I Could Use Gibbly in My Teaching Practice:

 As a middle school band and choir teacher, I use tools like Kahoot to differentiate my instruction and reinforce learning. Here are a few ways I plan to incorporate Gibbly into my classroom:

• Music Theory Practice: Create Kahoot quizzes that test students on rhythm, note reading, dynamics, and other music theory concepts in a fun, competitive format. Kahoot has several pre-made quizzes on music theory, but none are perfect for the needs of my classes. This tool may help me create one that is more customized without taking a large quantity of my time.  I have never found one that 

• Rehearsal Reviews: Use Gibbly to design quizzes that help students review key points from rehearsals, such as performance etiquette, concert logistics, or musical terms introduced during practice.

• Instrument Identification Games: Make quizzes that challenge students to identify instruments by sound or appearance, helping them develop listening and recognition skills.

• Student-Driven Quizzes: Encourage students to brainstorm questions for their own quiz and use Gibbly to refine and structure their ideas into a cohesive and exciting game. It is never too early to start teaching students to use AI beneficially and appropriately to aid them. 

Why This Tool Is Beneficial:

Gibbly is a valuable tool for creating quizzes and assessments, especially when time is limited. In a busy teaching environment, having an AI assistant like Gibbly can save significant time, allowing teachers to focus more on engaging with their students rather than spending hours on quiz creation.

After watching Camryn’s demonstration, I was intrigued enough to sign up and explore Gibbly for myself. My students love interactive platforms like Kahoot and Blooket, and creating a quality music theory quiz has been on my to-do list for some time. Gibbly seemed like the perfect solution to help me create an effective and engaging assessment.

However, my first attempt highlighted a bit of a learning curve. Some questions generated by Gibbly included incorrect answers, and I found it challenging to design a quiz that would both assess student knowledge and reinforce learning in a meaningful way. Additionally, I misunderstood how Gibbly integrates with other platforms. While it’s possible to play quizzes directly on Gibbly, I haven’t yet figured out how to transfer those quizzes to other platforms like Kahoot or Blooket, where my students already enjoy specific game modes.

Planning meaningful projects and creating clear rubrics can be time-consuming for teachers, but my classmate Ali recently introduced me to a new way to streamline this process using ChatGPT. During her demonstration, Ali showed how this AI tool can help generate detailed project plans and rubrics tailored to classroom needs. Her presentation gave me some ideas for using ChatGPT to support my work as a middle school band and choir teacher.

How ChatGPT Works:

 ChatGPT is an AI tool that generates text based on your provided information. You can quickly create a professional and organized project plan by inputting a prompt with specific details—such as the project goals, learning objectives, and grading criteria. Ali demonstrated how ChatGPT could also craft a rubric with clear categories and scoring guidelines, saving time while ensuring student expectations are well-defined.

 How I Could Use ChatGPT in My Teaching Practice:

As a music teacher, I often assign creative projects that encourage students to explore music theory, history, or performance. ChatGPT could help me refine these projects and communicate expectations more effectively. Here are some ways I envision using it:

• Project Plans for Composer Research: When assigning students to research a composer, I can use ChatGPT to generate a structured project plan that outlines objectives, deliverables, and due dates. This ensures that students have a clear understanding of what is expected.

• Rubrics for Performance Assessments: For small group or individual performance projects, I could ask ChatGPT to create a rubric that evaluates technique, dynamics, expression, and preparedness. This allows for consistent and objective grading.

• Creative Composition Projects: If I want students to compose a short piece, I can use ChatGPT to develop a detailed plan with prompts to guide their work and a rubric to assess creativity, accuracy in notation, and overall effort.

• Peer and Self-Assessment Tools: ChatGPT can help create rubrics for peer reviews or self-assessments, encouraging students to reflect on their work and provide constructive feedback to others.

Why This Tool Is Beneficial:

ChatGPT simplifies the process of creating project plans and rubrics, freeing up time for other teaching responsibilities. It ensures that students receive clear and well-organized instructions, crucial for engagement and success.

Ali’s demonstration showed me how ChatGPT can be a valuable partner in project planning, helping me create meaningful and manageable assignments. With tools like ChatGPT, I can focus more on guiding and inspiring my students while relying on AI to handle the logistics of project creation.

My classmate Alyssa shared a Loom demonstration showing how ChatGPT can make fun and engaging worksheets. Her demonstration showed how this tool saves time and boosts creativity. 

What is ChatGPT? 

This is not my first or even my second ChatGPT post. This shows what a versatile AI tool this truly is. Alyssa demonstrated how to create content based on prompts. Over the course of this semester, I have learned many ways to use this AI tool to make my life easier and save time!

How Could I Use ChatGPT in My Teaching Practice?

 As a middle school band and choir teacher, I often create worksheets to support student learning in music theory, history, and performance. Here are some ways I could use ChatGPT:

• Themed Music Theory Worksheets: I could use ChatGPT to generate practice sheets that focus on specific concepts like key signatures, rhythm patterns, or note identification, tailored to my students' skill levels.

• Creative Writing Prompts: For a lesson on programmatic music, I could ask ChatGPT to create prompts that encourage students to write stories or poems inspired by a piece of music.

• Group Activity Ideas: ChatGPT could help generate collaborative tasks, such as musical scavenger hunts or team challenges, to keep students engaged and working together.

• Reflection and Self-Assessment Tools: I could use ChatGPT to create reflection worksheets where students evaluate their performance and set goals for improvement.

Why Is This Tool Beneficial?

ChatGPT simplifies creating engaging and personalized worksheets, freeing up time for other teaching responsibilities. It ensures that students receive clear and creative materials that enhance their learning experience.

 Alyssa’s demonstration showed how ChatGPT can be a valuable partner in lesson planning, helping me create materials that are fun, interactive, and tailored to my students’ needs. With tools like ChatGPT, I can focus more on teaching and inspiring my students while letting AI handle the logistics of worksheet creation.