AI Tools for Differentiation – Comprehensive Webinar Notes

Session & Logistical Details

• Presenter: Ronnie (EdTech trainer/teacher)
• Medium: Live Zoom webinar + on-demand recording
• Scheduled start: originally 04:00, shifted to 04:15 (all times PM)
  • 86 registered; ~35–38 live attendees during pre-show
• Recording: only presenter’s camera captured; link will be sent via newsletter within a week
• Early-arrivals encouraged to:
  • Sign up for presenter’s newsletter
  • Download / preview the slide deck
• Certificates: 1-hour digital credential available (instructions at end)
• Relationship disclosure: presenter receives no monetary compensation from featured tech companies; some provide temporary premium trials, but opinions are unbiased

Rationale & Philosophy of Differentiation With AI

• Presenter’s personal journey:
  • Struggled in lecture-heavy courses (college algebra took 3 attempts; micro-economics in a 500-seat hall was ineffective)
  • Learns best through visuals, storytelling, hands-on work
• Core belief: AI will be the most transformative technology in human history (Bill Gates quote)
  • Vision of a 1:1 AI tutor for every student
  • Shifts teacher workload from behavior management to personalized instruction
• Differentiation benefits with AI:
  • Generate multi-level materials quickly
  • Supply instant feedback so teacher can focus on higher-order needs
  • Customization by reading level, language, interest, modality, product, etc.

Tool 1: ChatGPT (OpenAI)

• Definition: LLM (Large Language Model)
• Flexibility highlights
  • Replace/augment Google search for many tasks
  • Acts as an instructional design assistant, idea generator, text converter, etc.
• Prompting demo ① – Self-training
  • "I am a teacher who needs differentiation help. What can you do?"
  • Returns use-cases: simplify text, scaffold Qs, change modality, design choice boards, pop-culture connections, etc.
• Prompting demo ② – Pop-culture choice board
  • Scenario: 5th-grade writing + Blink-182
  • Prompt: "Create a differentiated choice-board with Blink-182 theme"
  • Output: tasks, lyric rewrite template, etc.; follow-ups refine any bullet (e.g.
    Provide a lyric template …)
• GPT Custom Models
  • Example: "Kansas State Standards" GPT built by Ronnie
  • Uploaded entire state PDF set; query returns standard numbers + citations
  • Follow-up: "Differentiate 5.2 for three ability levels" → immediate lesson variants
• Image generation (premium plan) & use-cases: cartoonify photos, TikTok ‘turn cat into human’, 3-D print models (attempt), marketing images, certificates
• Pricing: \$20 / month for premium (GPT-4o, image tools, file uploads)
• Caveats:
  • Hallucinations: always proofread
  • Must avoid uploading PII (Personal Identifying Information)

Tool 2: Brisk Teaching (Chrome Extension)

• Position: Top-tier beginner-friendly AI tool alongside Magic School
• Installation: Chrome Web Store; special link grants 1-month premium trial
• Integrations: Works inside Google Docs, Slides, Forms; overlay menu appears as purple B-icon
• Key Features (free unless marked ⚑ premium)
  1. Change Level / Translate – OCRs images/PDFs & rewrites to chosen reading level or language
  2. Transform Content
  • Create presentations, quizzes, science labs, etc. from any source
  • Demo: Screenshot of 3rd-grade science page → rewrote to preschool; then auto-generated 5-slide slideshow; and 11th-grade Google Form quiz (10 Qs)
  1. Boost Student Activity → auto-builds interactive chatbot around the doc
  • Modes: Pulse Check, Debates, Guided Reading, etc.
  • Student link/QR; tracks objectives; conversational feedback marks progress
  1. Inspect Writing – plagiarism & writing-process tool (shows live playback of doc edits, flags large copy-pastes)
• Premium perks (⚑): AI-generated images for Slides, no daily limits, more activity types
• Data note: Requires Google-Drive access; teachers should ensure no sensitive docs synced

Tool 3: Google Notebook LM

• Access: Admin must enable in Google Workspace (may be blocked by default)
• Concept: AI notebook that grounds answers exclusively on uploaded sources (drive files, PDFs, docs, slides)
• Workflow Demonstration
  1. Add sources (e.g.
  • Grade-level 2 passage doc
  • 4th-grade presentation)
  1. Ask questions like "What are the main ideas from the two resources?" → outputs bullet list + numbered citations linked to exact slide/page
  2. Quick-create assets:
  • Study Guide, FAQ, Timeline, Briefing Doc (all auto-generated)
  1. Podcast generator (beta)
  • 2–5 min processing; outputs ~10½-min audio show with hosts; optional interactive mode lets students "call in" with questions and receive coherent dialogue
• Classroom value: Safe, bounded AI space for students to self-quiz, vocalize questions, create flashcards, etc.
• Security: Google adds extra encryption, but still avoid PII uploads

Tool 4: Diffit for Teachers

• Special offer: 90-day premium code from company
• Input options (4 primary + vocab):
  1. Enter topic/theme/question
  2. Choose book + chapter from growing catalog (Hunger Games, Of Mice and Men, etc.)
  3. Paste article or YouTube URL
  4. Upload text or PDF
• Customization menu after generation
  • Set grade K–11+, language, text length, inclusion/exclusion, rewrite style (poem, argumentative, etc.), tense, vocabulary list embedding
• Standard output package
  • Adapted passage; 3-bullet summary; 5 vocab words w/ definitions
  • 3 MCQs + adjustable add-ons; short-answer Qs; open-ended prompts
• Exportable "Student Activities" (Slides / PPT / PDF)
  • Categories: Basics, Reading Strategies, Writing, Text Analysis, Collaboration, Games (Jeopardy, Bingo)
  • Example: Civil War topic → auto-built Slide deck with notice-wonder image, 3-2-1 summary, note-taking page, reflection, etc. (quality comparable to TPT product)
• Premium advantage: all templates unlocked, no rotation limits

Security, Ethics & PII Discussion

• PII Definition & examples: SSN, DOB, medical, financial, exact location, email, phone, etc.
• Rule of thumb: Do NOT upload PII to any AI system
  • If necessary, redact before uploading
• Google Notebook LM & Brisk require Drive permissions → weigh risk vs reward; avoid sensitive docs in Drive
• Cheating vs productivity
  • AI use = working smarter, not necessarily academic dishonesty
  • Encourage students to use AI transparently & ethically; teach citation & verification

Plagiarism / Authorship Checking

• Traditional Turnitin ≠ reliable for AI-generated text
• Brisk “Inspect Writing” useful:
  • Plays back document edit history at adjustable speed
  • Flags paste events ➔ teacher can question sources or citation gaps

Certification & Feedback Process

1. Link to Google Doc with instructions
2. Steps:
   • Download blank PDF certificate
   • Use iLovePDF → Fill & Sign → upload PDF → type name → drag signature → sign → download signed copy
3. Certificate includes: title, date, 1 \text{ hour} credit, presenter signature
4. Feedback form (QR or chat link): rate session, valuable takeaways, improvement ideas

Anecdotes & Illustrations Used

• Presenter waiting 5 min pre-webinar felt like “early dinner party awkwardness”
• 3-D printing phone stand: ChatGPT promised STL, delivered a cube (humorous failure)
• Image gen examples: son in Minecraft shirt, mom as Simpsons characters (creepy hands), boss holding “Subscribe” sign
• TikTok trend: “Turn my cat into a human”
• Flying references: Blink-182 concert; Mario’s Toad resemblance to mushrooms
• Self-deprecating jokes: “Ronnie fail,” “paper clip just hangs out,” “Brisket > Brisk,” “I’ve got the tangles”

Numerical & Quantitative Mentions

• Start time moved 15 min (from 04:00 to 04:15)
• 86 registered; ~½–⅔ typical retention predicted
• Premium prices: ChatGPT \$20/mo
• Diffit free trial length: 90 days; Brisk promo: 30 days
• Generated podcast length: 10.5 min
• Inspect Writing example flagged 14 large paste events

Key Take-Aways

• Combine broad LLM (ChatGPT) + targeted, source-bound AI (Notebook LM) + teacher-centric tools (Brisk, Diffit) for full differentiation workflow
• AI enables instant leveling, multilingual support, choice boards, interactive tutors, podcasts & more
• Always vet AI output for accuracy & bias; maintain data privacy; teach students ethical use