Kia ora anō, koutou!
After the release of Volume 1: AI Insights for Educators, I’m excited to share Volume 2: Practical AI Applications for Educators, co-authored with Michael Grawe. While the first volume laid a foundation of understanding around AI in education, this next guide is all about getting your hands dirty — exploring practical, hands-on ways to integrate AI tools into your teaching practices.
If you’re an educator, leader, or policy maker in Aotearoa navigating AI’s role in education, this guide will give you practical strategies, step-by-step approaches, and culturally grounded frameworks to start using AI in a way that’s ethical, responsive, and adaptable to your unique classroom needs.
What Makes Volume 2 Different?
Where Volume 1 focused on theory — like understanding AI trends and ethical concerns — Volume 2 is about action. It’s designed to help educators overcome AI hesitancy and start using tools like ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms in meaningful ways.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll find inside:
✅ AI Tinkering Framework – A step-by-step process for exploring AI tools, inspired by Māori and Pacific values of collaboration, respect, and shared learning.
✅ Personalising ChatGPT – How to customise AI tools to suit your classroom dynamics, from setting response tone to creating culturally relevant examples.
✅ Using AI as a Teaching Assistant – Practical ways to save time on lesson planning, content creation, and student feedback.
✅ Exploring Generative AI Tools – Beyond ChatGPT, we cover AI for images, video, music, and more — helping educators bring lessons to life in engaging ways.
Overcoming AI Hesitancy: Where to Start
One of the biggest barriers educators face when adopting AI tools is hesitancy — concerns about privacy, technical complexity, and the human element of teaching. That’s why we start with confidence-building strategies to help educators ease into AI use.
We encourage educators to start with low-pressure tinkering — playing with tools like ChatGPT in exploratory ways to understand their potential. This “safe-to-fail” approach respects Māori and Pacific values by creating a supportive environment for experimentation.
How to Use AI for Personalised Learning
A key focus of Volume 2 is on personalisation. We show educators how to use ChatGPT as:
👩🏫 A Personal Tutor – Supporting students with individualised learning pathways, providing step-by-step explanations tailored to their needs.
💻 A Digital Teaching Assistant – Streamlining administrative tasks like creating lesson plans, generating quizzes, and providing feedback on student work.
For example, educators can configure ChatGPT to:
- Simplify complex topics with culturally relevant analogies.
- Create interactive learning scenarios that reflect students’ cultural identities and real-world experiences.
- Generate feedback and rubrics that save time and promote consistent assessment.
Exploring Generative AI for Multimedia Learning
Beyond text-based tools, Volume 2 introduces educators to other generative AI platforms:
🎨 DALL·E for images – Create custom visuals for your lessons, from historical scenes to scientific diagrams.
📽️ Synthesia for video – Bring your lessons to life with AI-generated explainer videos.
🎵 Udio for music – Add thematic soundscapes to your teaching materials to engage students with different learning styles.
These tools can help you differentiate instruction and provide multisensory learning experiences that cater to diverse learners, including Māori, Pacific, and neurodiverse students.
What’s Next? (A Sneak Peek at Volume 3)
While Volume 2 is about practical applications, Volume 3 will focus on leadership and policy. It’s aimed at education leaders who are shaping the future of AI in their institutions.
In Volume 3, we’ll cover:
- Ethical AI governance – Crafting policies that address privacy, bias, and equity.
- Cultural alignment – Ensuring AI tools respect and reflect Māori and Pacific values.
- Future-proofing institutions – Preparing your organisation for ongoing AI advancements.
Why This Guide Matters Now
AI is already transforming education — and it’s happening fast. But we have a responsibility to make sure that AI tools enhance learning without compromising cultural values or equity.
Volume 2 gives educators the practical tools to take action today. By personalising AI tools, exploring generative content, and building culturally responsive frameworks, educators can ensure that AI supports all learners — responsibly and ethically.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re ready to start experimenting with AI tools in your classroom, download Volume 2: Practical AI Applications for Educators today!
Ngā mihi nui,
Graeme
P.S. We’d love to hear your thoughts on Volume 2! This series is about starting conversations around AI in education, and your insights will help shape future guides.
Kia ora! Hey, I'd love to know what you think.