Considering how technology is always growing especially in the field of education, I think it is crucial to be aware of trending apps. Attached is a link to a video where I explain how to use Magic School AI to create text analysis assignments and a copy of my app analysis.
Magic School AI Analysis
Application Selection
Magic School is an AI app that is intended for educators teaching classes from pre-k to the university level. I was first introduced to it during a lecture in class, and I was intrigued by it due to its many uses, which range from, but not limited to, creating math word problems, generating emails for parents, writing letters of recommendations, summary texts, making rubrics, and writing report card comments. Wanting to learn more about it, I googled the app during my own time, created an account, and experimented with its many generators. Despite these various features, the one generator that stood out to me was text analysis assignments due to my interest in literature and wanting to teach single subject English. This specific generator creates analysis prompts by typing the title of a text and choosing a grade level. After the user clicks on generate, the app creates a prompt in a timely manner. In addition to creating specific questions, it also types in answers for the prompt. Furthermore, a prompt can be imported into either Microsoft word or google docs if a teacher wants to print out copies of the prompt and hand it out in class. Considering how much classes teachers conduct and the number of assignments they must create, this app is worth considering if a teacher is burdened with creating too many assignments for various classes, and they are unable to produce specific prompts within a short amount of time. However, the questions that the app generates are detailed and clear enough for students to work with depending on what grade level is being taught. These questions allow students to think more critically and challenge them to pay attention to additional details such as themes, characters traits, and setting details.
Learning Considerations
The goal of this app is to allow teachers to create assignments within a limited amount of time and make their jobs easier especially when they are under periods of stress. According to the app’s mission statement, “teachers are overworked and burnt out,” so it is supposed to help teachers save time and energy by creating tasks efficient enough for students to work on, which lightens their load. Depending on what generator is being used, the learning theories in Magic school AI include behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and connectivism. For example, cognitivism, which requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills, can be used in the text analysis generator due to creating questions that challenge students to think about the text and search for specific details. Despite making preparations easier, I would say the analysis prompt generator might require basic knowledge about close reading and literary analysis. It would also help to know about the text that is being used to generate a prompt in case the teacher might want to edit the questions. Two advantages about the analysis prompt generator is that it can be tailored to different grade levels, and it can create prompts based various media such as books, movies, tv shows, video games, and anime. The fact that it can generate prompts for various texts can help make assignments more engaging for students and add variety to the lesson. As far as barriers are concerned, the text analysis prompt generator cannot tell if someone makes up the name of a text. Addionally, there are moments where the questions are not advanced enough for university level students, which is why it is important for an educator to edit the prompt and make it specific enough for the appropriate grade level.
Accessible Features
There are a couple of features that could aid struggling students, including those with special needs. First, while there is not a specific generator geared towards students with disabilities, a user can use the chatbot called Raina that is meant to provide answers for questions related to education. For example, a user can type in “how to help special needs students” and it will generate basic tips to accommodate students such as getting familiar with IEP goals, using differentiated instruction, and using sensory considerations. For struggling readers, there is a generator called Text Scaffolder, which is meant to create tasks for students that are either struggling readers or behind a reading grade level. The generator allows the user to choose the grade level, how much questions to ask, how much words to define, and the title of the text. The generator produces questions that are detailed and accessible enough and offers a list of words related to the text that students could define. Another accessible feature is that each generator has a language option, so if a user wants to generate an analysis prompt in Spanish, they can scroll to the bottom, click on actions, select language, and choose Spanish. This is a feature that could aid students whose first language is not English, and it will make the tasks more accessible to them.
Application Logistics
Since the app is meant for educators and not students, users must be eighteen or older to use it. They can create an account by typing in their email; however, if they have a Google or Microsoft email account, the sign in process is faster. Users must also have a basic idea about how to approach teaching. But considering how easy it is to use each generator, users just need basic computer and teaching skills to use the app, so it should only take a few days or less to figure out how to use the app and get comfortable with it. For extra support, they can use the chatbot Raina if they have additional questions about the app’s uses by typing in a question. Although the app is free, extra customizations and features are not available unless the user subscribes to Magic School plus, which is $12:99 a month. While the cost is not high, this could be a potential barrier for users with financial struggles.
Conclusion
This is an app that educators could use more than once. Its many generators and accessibility make it easy to recommend to other educators, especially those that must prepare assignments within a short period of time. It works as a last resort if educators are under stress and are not able to produce specific prompts quickly enough. As an alternative, I would recommend Almanack AI. Although it does not have as many features as Magic School, Almanack allows educators to create lesson plans using AI, and there is no cost to creating an account.
Reflection On My Learning
I enjoyed learning how to create a video tutorial about Magic School using screenpal. It provided me a chance to learn how to create and upload a video and practice my presentation skills. More importantly, making a video about magic school allows me to reach a wider audience, and it could aid educators seeking different tools to use for their classroom. Additionally, I could also use screenpal to teach students how to create videos and practice speaking in front of a camera during a presentation, which could enhance their public speaking and presentation skills. Since there are so many apps, I could stay updated about new apps by following tech news more often, browsing how to videos explaining how to use the latest app, or asking professors and colleagues if there are any apps I could use for my class. Knowing technology is always growing, and teaching standards are always changing, it is vital to be open to using apps and learning how to use them to enhance learning for students.