I decided to use Google Bard (now Google Gemini) to develop a lesson plan because I’ve never used it before. My initial request was to create a two day lesson plan for freshmen in global 1 about the Middle Ages in Europe. I really liked that the first day created a candy simulation for the students. I think that that’s something fun that they would be engaged with, and it was specifically tied to the idea of feudalism. I wish that the lesson plan had been more explicit in the part that said “direct instruction.” I responded to the lesson plan by asking Google Gemini to “Please provide a sample lecture on the fall of Rome for day 1 and draft a specific primary source reading to go along with day 2.” I actually liked the mini-lecture that it provided in an outline format. It would be easy to put into a Google slide and add images to give a lecture without a lot of additional work on my part. Another thing that I liked was that, when I asked for a primary source, Google Gemini modified it and gave me a suggestion about a pitfall students have with this topic. I had forgotten the instruction to provide the AI program with a chart or graph of some kind, but Gemini actually asked me if I wanted a graphic organizer to help them work through the modified primary source. I liked that it had differentiation and accommodations in mind. In order for the graphic organizer to be created, however, I needed to enable Google workspace smart settings and connect Google Gemini to my workspace. Once I did that, I was directed to Google Keep. I use my Gsuite a lot for lesson planning, so I like the idea of Google Gemini integrating really seamlessly with other Google tools.
