Part 1 - Ensuring a responsible approach to AI

I used and copied an environmental science article into ChatGPT. I asked it to rewrite it for a special education student with a low reading level. The rewritten AI version was good, but it was still relatively long, especially for a student with a low reading level. It gave me a few prompt options, and I decided to take its suggestions of shortening the sentences and creating a vocabulary list. The outcome was impressive. It made the scientific article so much easier to read, and answered the more difficult vocabulary in an easy to read list. I
I also asked it to create questions from the article. ChatGPT gave me some short answer questions, multiple choice, and some more difficult critical thinking questions based on the article. 

After copying and pasting a section of text into ChatGPT and prompting it to adjust the reading level, I was impressed with how quickly and accurately it adapted the language. I tried asking it to simplify a high school level passage into something a middle school student could understand, and it didn’t just shorten sentences....it actually restructured the ideas, changed vocabulary, and pacing to match the level I requested. It made the content more accessible and clear....for sure
This really portrayed the potential of AI as a powerful tool for differentiation in education. Instead of manually rewriting readings for different learners, which is incredibly time-consuoming, teachers can instantly generate leveled text that still connect to the same concepts. It’s a MAJOR time-saver and it allows for ALL to access! Every student can engage with material that meets them where they are. Of course, it still requires teacher oversight to make sure subtle, human-like responses can be felt and accuracy are preserved, but overall, it’s a great example of how AI can enhance instruction when used responsibly.

For this task, I used ChatGPT to rewrite a paragraph about e-cigarette from a scientific study about the vaping epidemic in adolescents at a 6th-grade reading level. The original text was written in a formal, medical tone, so the AI helped simplify the language and sentence structure while keeping the main ideas the same. I noticed that ChatGPT replaced words like “adolescents” with “teens” and “combustible cigarettes” with “regular cigarettes,” which made the information easier for younger readers to understand. The revised version sounded clearer and more approachable, which would be helpful if I wanted to use it with middle school students in health class. This is a very helpful tool for health classes knowing that I can differentiate current news from the health world to whatever level my students may need. This way all students can access the same important information at their own reading level.

I used Chat GPTA to simplify text and it was an unexpectedly positive experience for me. The tool took a complicated paragraph and turned it into a straightforward version suitable for 1st graders. It carefully chose words and made sentences shorter, which are exactly the kinds of changes that support young readers. What impressed me most was how it saved a lot of time by leveling the reading materials, especially when teachers are trying to cater to the varying needs of their students. I also recognized the importance of thoroughly re-reading Chat GPT's content to ensure it kept the original meaning that aligned with students' unique learning objectives. Overall, this experience highlighted how AI can be a fantastic ally in developing accessible, differentiated lessons that help all students succeed.

The video addressed some questions and worries that I had initially when accepting AI into the classroom.
It gives practical advice to teachers who are looking to implement the use of AI in their lessons.  I can appreciate that they highlighted the functionality of AI to help with differentiation as they realize that students are not the same. The fact that they went a step further to say that they not only tested the tool but that they suggested that teachers review the content BEFORE providing the new content to their students. They found individuals with educator experience to talk about which was nice because it gave practical insight, insight into challenges we might come across as we integrate it into our classroom, time-saving strategies and real-life examples of how AI can align with specific curriculum. I tried the differentiating a portion of an article on the  4P's in the portion of text provided ChatGPT dialed in on an example for a vodka brand- had I not reviewed the revised text it could have drawn attention to an inappropriate example for teens- I did add an additional prompt to make the example appropriate for school and it came back with a much more appropriate example using Legos. Just a friendly reminder that when using AI please proofread to make sure that information is not only appropriate but correct information. 

Source document: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/four-ps.asp

Link to ChatGPT results: https://chatgpt.com/share/6866947a-8a68-8005-86e6-8ca0c1b0d889

Two separate prompts were used: 
1) re-work this article to meet the needs of a student reading at a 5th grade reading level
2) provide a school appropriate example of 4P's

Using AI to differentiate text was a surprisingly effective and helpful experience. The tool quickly transformed a complex paragraph into a simple, clear version appropriate for 1st graders. It made thoughtful word choices and shortened sentences, which are exactly the kinds of adjustments needed to support early readers. What stood out to me was how AI can save valuable time by providing a strong starting point for leveled reading materials, especially when teachers need to meet diverse student needs. However, I also realized the importance of reviewing AI generated content carefully to ensure it keeps the original meaning and fits my students’ specific learning goals. Overall, this task showed me how AI can be a powerful assistant in creating accessible, differentiated lessons that help all students feel successful.

After watching the video and exploring differentiating text using ChatGPT, I found the process to be surprisingly effective and simple. I copied a paragraph from a 5th grade information article and asked ChatGPT to rewrite it at a 3rd grade reading level. ChatGPT was able to keep the meaning while simplifying the vocabulary and shortening sentence length. This made the content more accessible for students reading at a lower level or even my English learners. This task demonstrated the potential of AI in helping us. It also makes you realize the importance of using AI responsibly reviewing what it made to ensure accuracy in something like an informational article. it showed how AI can support differentiated instruction  in a meaningful way.

As a speech pathologist, the reading materials I use are usually pretty different from typical books teachers might use when working on speech sounds with a child. I like to find a passage that loads up their target sound. For this activity, I took a passage that I had that focused on producing /b/ in conversation. I asked chatgpt to differentiate this into two different reading levels, one appropriate for a first grader, and the other for a fourth grader. 
Right away - the biggest change I would see was the length. The first trade version was much shorter than the fourth grade version. Additionally, the use of vocabulary was different. I could tell that the fourth grade version was a much higher level of reading based on the vocabulary. Some of the words it chose to use, such as "blunder" weren't my favorite, and if I were actually using this activity, I would probably change a few of the words to make it more relevant for the kids. The last thing I noticed right away was the sentence structure. The first grade version had more complex sentences than the fourth grade version. Overall, I think that this was very interesting, and as someone who works with several grades each day, differentiation of activities with chatgpt is something I have never thought of before!

I found an article on Progressive, Regressive, and Proportional taxes. I asked Chat to convert the text into an 8th grade reading level. The result was shorter, and lengthier words were substituted for simpler/shorter ones. "Categories" became "types". The translation was accurate as the different pieces still made the same entree. 

I then asked it to give examples at that same reading level. It gave 2 examples of each and then summarized the differences concretely.

Lastly, I asked if Proportional and Regressive could fit the same example (8th grade level).

"Proportional Part:

• When a tax is proportional, everyone pays the same rate. For example, a sales tax might be 5% for everyone. If you buy a toy for $10, you pay 50 cents in tax. If you buy a video game for $60, you pay $3 in tax. The rate (5%) is the same for everyone, so it's proportional.

Regressive Part:

• Even though the rate is the same for everyone, the tax can still be regressive because it takes a bigger percentage of income from those who earn less. Imagine two people: one earns $1,000 a month and the other earns $10,000 a month. If both buy the same toy for $10 and pay 50 cents in tax, the tax is a bigger deal for the person earning less because they have less money overall. For the person earning $1,000, that 50 cents is a larger chunk of their income than for the person earning $10,000.

In short, a tax can be proportional because the rate is the same for everyone, but it can also be regressive because it affects lower-income people more heavily."

This was accurate, and it even summarized it's own wording.

I chose a prompt having to do with the Chandail di Hockey a short story I often read with advanced students at the high school.  The themes of the story are many and the cultural components go far beyond the simplicity in which the story was written. I used Chat GPT to generate a short essay that provided a shot one paragraph summary of the book.  I differentiated by asking it to make a response suited for a grade 12, grade 7 and even a grade 2 level. The output was pretty spot on.  There are certain language configurations that would obviously exist in a senior level and not at an elementary level. The responses provided were grammatically correct and used age appropriate constructions and vocabulary.  I can see how AI could make some good examples of how an essay might look and sound which can really benefit some students who may struggle with "getting started" when answering in short or long form writing. .  The danger of course, would be to not just use these as an inspirational example and instead, try to pawn off the work as one's own.    

I chose a prompt having to do with the Chandail di Hockey a short story I often read with advanced students at the high school.  The themes of the story are many and the cultural components go far beyond the simplicity in which the story was written. I used Chat GPT to generate a short essay that provided a shot one paragraph summary of the book.  I differentiated by asking it to make a response suited for a grade 12, grade 7 and even a grade 2 level. The output was pretty spot on.  There are certain language configurations that would obviously exist in a senior level and not at an elementary level. The responses provided were grammatically correct and used age appropriate constructions and vocabulary.  I can see how AI could make some good examples of how an essay might look and sound which can really benefit some students who may struggle with "getting started" when answering in short or long form writing. .  The danger of course, would be to not just use these as an inspirational example and instead, try to pawn off the work as one's own.