AI Tools Beginner's Visual Guide

Think of tool selection like planning a lesson: you’re not shopping for “supplies,” you’re shopping for the right supply for the job. The criteria below are small, classroom-friendly checks you can run in a few minutes.

1) Define the teaching goal as an “input → student action → output” Teaching goal (plain-language definition) - The exact learning outcome students should produce or demonstrate.

A useful teaching goal has three parts: - Input: What students start with (a worksheet, a story, a spreadsheet, a dataset, notes). - Student action: What they must do (draft, compare, label, practice, explain, create). - Output: What you collect or observe (a paragraph, a diagram, a quiz, a rubric score, a short speech).

Example: “Students create a 5-sentence summary of the article.” - Input: article text - Action: summarize - Output: 5 sentences

Why it matters: If you can’t name the output, you can’t judge whether an AI tool is helping or just generating words.

Takeaway prompt: Write your goal in one sentence using “Students will …” and include what they produce.

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2) Match the tool’s “input type” to what you already have Input type (plain-language definition) - The formats a tool can accept, like text, images, audio, spreadsheets, or web links.

Many educators already have lesson materials in text form: slides, prompts, and handouts. Tools differ in what they accept. For instance: - If you have text, a chatbot-style tool (like ChatGPT) can rewrite, simplify, or generate examples. - If you have images (like student work or diagrams), an image-capable model (for example, ChatGPT with image understanding, depending on your setup) can describe, label, or suggest edits. - If you have audio/video, some tools can transcribe first, then help you turn transcripts into questions.

Concrete check: Ask yourself, “Do I have text, images, or files I need to upload?” If the tool can’t take that input, you’ll spend time reformatting instead of teaching.

Takeaway prompt: List the format(s) of what you’re starting with today.

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3) Match the tool’s “output type” to what students need to produce Output type (plain-language definition) - The kind of final material the tool generates: examples, checklists, quizzes, rubrics, explanations, step-by-step practice, or feedback.

A helpful way to compare tools is to decide what kind of output you want: - Model answers (examples students can study) - Scaffolds (sentence starters, outlines, vocabulary lists) - Feedback (comments on clarity, structure, or completeness) - Practice (new questions at the right difficulty) - Class-ready materials (worksheets, slides, answer keys, timelines)

Example: If your goal is “support struggling writers,” you probably want scaffolds and feedback rather than a single “perfect” paragraph.

Takeaway prompt: What output will you look at - student work products, teacher guides, or both?

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4) Use “classroom control”: how much can you steer the results? Classroom control (plain-language definition) - How easily you can guide the tool so it stays aligned with your standards, grade level, and your lesson boundaries.

Two teachers can ask the same tool for the same topic and get very different results depending on prompt clarity. Control comes from: - Clear constraints (grade level, word count, reading level, tone) - Structured prompts (templates, checklists, required sections) - Review steps (you approve and edit before students see anything)

A practical differentiator: some tools let you keep a consistent style by using a reusable prompt template. Even without “advanced settings,” a structured prompt often gives more reliable outputs than a free-form request.

Takeaway prompt: Can you write a prompt that includes the exact constraints you want students to follow?

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5) Estimate time-to-use (and plan for a review loop) Time-to-use (plain-language definition) - The time it takes from “I have a goal” to “I can use the output in class.”

Even when a tool is fast, you still need a quick review: - Does it match your grade level? - Does it include the required parts? - Are there inaccuracies or missing details?

A simple classroom habit: treat AI output as a draft. You’re not starting from zero - you’re editing something that already has structure.

Takeaway prompt: What’s your “acceptable draft time” today - 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or 45 minutes?

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Quick selection checklist (use as a decision screen) - Can the tool take my input format? - Can it produce the output type I need? - Can I steer it using constraints? - Can I review it quickly enough to fit my lesson schedule?

Practical takeaway: When you match input type, output type, and control, your tool choice becomes repeatable - not a lucky guess.

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Worked Example: Choosing a Tool for a Writing-to-Learn Lesson

Here’s a full, realistic decision walk-through. The goal is specific, and the tool choice follows from that.

Teaching goal “Students write a short paragraph that explains the cause and effect of a historical event using two reasons and one piece of evidence.”

We need: - Inputs: students have notes or a short reading - Action: plan and draft - Output: one paragraph with required parts

Step-by-step tool matching

1) Name the input you already have. You have a short reading (text) and a list of notes. Decision: choose a tool that handles text uploads or copy-paste.

2) Name the output you need to collect. You’ll grade a paragraph with this structure: - Topic sentence (cause) - Reason 1 + evidence - Reason 2 - Effect sentence (what happened because) - Closing sentence (tie-back) Decision: choose a tool that can generate structured writing scaffolds and feedback-style checklists, not just random paragraphs.

3) Choose the tool based on output type. A chatbot tool such as ChatGPT is a good fit for drafting supports: - sentence starters - paragraph outlines - revision prompts (“make Reason 1 clearer using the evidence…”) Decision: use a chatbot-style tool for scaffolds and feedback templates.

4) Add constraints so the output matches your rubric. You’ll provide: - Grade level (for example, “Grade 8”) - Required elements (“two reasons,” “one evidence,” “include cause and effect words”) - Length (“90-120 words”) - Tone (“academic but student-friendly”) Decision: the tool should be prompted with a clear structure so students get consistent expectations.

5) Plan the review loop before students see anything. You’ll check: - Are the cause/effect links clear? - Is evidence mentioned in a specific way (not vague)? - Does the model paragraph include all required parts? Decision: treat the AI output as a draft you approve, then convert it into a student-facing handout.

6) Generate classroom-ready materials. You ask the tool for three items: - a paragraph outline template students can fill in - a model paragraph (within 90-120 words) - a checklist students use to self-check before submitting Decision: you’re producing the exact “output type” you’ll use in class.

What you end up with (final result) Using this reasoning, the best match is: ChatGPT (or any similar chatbot-style AI) for writing scaffolds and self-check checklists, because your input is text and your output needs to be structured paragraph support.

Final answer: Use ChatGPT to generate a paragraph template, a 90-120 word model paragraph, and a cause-and-effect checklist aligned to your required elements.

Practical takeaway: When your goal is structured student writing, you usually want a tool that can produce scaffolds and checklists - not just “write me a paragraph.”

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Check Your Understanding: Match Goals to Tool Features

Use the selection checklist (input type, output type, control, time-to-use) to answer these. After each question, check whether your goal is specific enough to guide a tool choice.

Practice Questions

1) Your goal is “Students label parts of a diagram and explain each label in one sentence.” Which tool feature should you prioritize: input type, output type, classroom control, or time-to-use? Hint: Think about what format you already have (a diagram) and what you need to produce (labeled parts + sentences).

2) Your goal is “Create a short quiz with 10 questions at three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard) on vocabulary from a reading.” What output type should guide your tool choice? Hint: The “10 questions” part tells you the output format you want most.

3) You have student essays already written, and your goal is “Help students revise one paragraph for clarity using specific comments.” Which selection criterion is most important: classroom control or input type? Hint: The tool must respond to student text closely and match your revision rules.

4) Your goal is “Turn a 2-page transcript into a one-page summary for students.” Which input type should you confirm first? Hint: You’re starting from transcript text (possibly copied or uploaded).

5) You only have 15 minutes before class and need a worksheet. Which criterion should you use to avoid overcomplicating the choice? Hint: Think about your “acceptable draft time.”

Answer Key 1) Prioritize input type/output type - but the best single answer is output type (labels + one sentence each). 2) Prioritize output type: a quiz with difficulty levels. 3) Prioritize classroom control so feedback matches your revision focus and tone. 4) Confirm input type: transcript text. 5) Use time-to-use to choose a tool you can review quickly.

Practical takeaway: If you can’t name the input and output in plain language, your tool choice will feel random - tighten the goal first.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.