Reflection #1 – “Teachers as Content Creators”
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This week we explored the topic of “teachers as content creators,” and we began reflecting on the discussion question of “how to teach a lesson that is unfamiliar?” Throughout the class, we looked at many different resources that are commonly used by teachers and what they are designed for. Examples such as TPT, AI, Twinkl, Wikipedia and Commons were some of the resources that were discussed. This week’s class helped me better understand that as teachers, we don’t need to come up with all the resources and lessons on our own. It feels less daunting and overwhelming when you have resources accessible like this to refer to which can help with the lesson planning process. Knowing helpful resources is especially important as a first year teacher, when you have not yet established a collection of lesson plans to draw from. I was previously familiar with some of the resources mentioned, specifically, TPT which is very heavily suggested online by teacher influencers. As many of those creators are promoting their products for revenue, it is important to be mindful and evaluate whether the resources are truly good quality products before purchasing. There are countless online websites that could offer similar resources for free, so it is important to consider if the product is unique enough to justify spending our well-earned money on it.
For instance, this 3-pack of “Fall Colouring Pages” is currently listed for purchase for $2.99 on the TPT website.
Alternatively, I accessed this free colouring sheet resource by simply asking ChatGPT to create a “Hello Fall Colouring sheet with pumpkins and leaves.” In comparison to the TPT product, I was able to access this resource in less than 30 seconds and at zero cost. Evidently, these colouring sheets are almost identical, and in this case, utilizing AI was efficient and financially feasible.
When deemed appropriate, I strongly believe that AI can be effectively used as a teaching tool. Free generated resources from AI can be useful for teachers who may not have a large budget or desire to spend money on lesson planning activities. ChatGPT permits for full customization on design, theme and difficulty which is not possible when purchasing set designs on TPT.
After spending time analyzing different online teaching resources, I am inspired to research ways to further utilize technology to create lessons and teaching tools. I am now more familiar with online websites and platforms that offer free resources that could be helpful in the future when I am teaching. I will aim to consider copyright laws and credit other people’s work for the resources I use.