Video transcript - Don’t Put the Tech Before the Teaching
OK Fair warning. I’m going to have a little rant.
Here’s my problem with some of the advice I’m seeing being given to teachers about using AI: it starts with the tool, not the teaching.
For me, the real question should always be this:
What do I want my learners to achieve and can technology help me do that better or more efficiently?
Not: Here’s a lovely shiny piece of technology… how can I force it into my teaching?
Now, you probably know I love tech. I love AI. I’m genuinely excited about the ways it can help teachers. It can save time, generate ideas, support planning, and open up all sorts of possibilities.
But every now and then, I see examples where the technology is coming first and the pedagogy is trailing behind somewhere.
And that, I have to say, I find quite hard to watch.
I recently saw someone demonstrating Gemini Canvas and at first I thought: Wow, this looks brilliant. Let’s see what it can do.
But when I looked more closely at the suggestions, I found myself thinking… really?
The first example was using it to make an app for a name spinner. The kind of thing you can use to pick who’s going to answer the next question.
Now, personally, I’m not wildly convinced that these are the best use of class time anyway. But even if you do want one, you absolutely do not need to build your own app for it. You can just use one of the many free tools like WordWall that already exist.
The second example was creating flashcards for vocabulary.
And yes, flashcards can be great. No argument there. But Quizlet already does this, brilliantly for free. So why spend time reinventing the wheel?
I think technology should support good teaching. It should help us create better learning opportunities, save planning time, make feedback more effective or give learners richer practice.
It should not just be there because we’re dazzled by the bells and whistles.
So yes, explore new tools. Be curious. Have a play. I certainly do. But always bring it back to the pedagogy.
What do I want to achieve here and is this shiny new thing the best way to do it?
If you think I’m talking sense and you’re looking for practical ideas for using AI in ways that are actually pedagogically sound - ways that save you time, support your planning, and lead to genuinely useful classroom activities - then have a look at my AI-Powered Language Teaching course.
That’s exactly what it’s for. The link’s above.
See you on the inside.
