AI CAFE 2025

We start the new year by reflecting on our experiences with generative artificial intelligence in 2023 and the lessons we learned. We close by sharing our most useful discoveries and how we plan to use them in the year ahead.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources: ChatGPT  | AI LABS |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

This week, we dove into AI image generators and how they can be used to engage students in higher-order thinking.  We explored and shared the results of testing and comparing several  AI image tools with real students in real classrooms.  We also exchanged in-class projects and activities that were assigned to students, noting what worked and what we learned from what didn't. We close with a list of 10 creative ways AI  image generators can be used in teaching and learning.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources: ChatGPT  | AI LABS |DALL.E3 |Freepik| Canva |Craiyon | Picsart| Midjourney | Padlet | NightMare AI | Porsche  Transformer |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

This week, we shared our experiences with AI-driven add-ons that enhance teaching and learning — from Clippy to Copilot. We explored ways to share grades with parents, simplify complex tasks like understanding Excel formulas, and adapt teaching methods in the face of AI’s growing presence in education.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources: ChatGPT | AI LABS | Clippy | Copilot | Canva | YouTube Summaries | Magic Write |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

Is using AI chatbots to provide feedback to students cheating, cutting corners, or failing to do our best for students?  This week, we discovered a hidden barrier to embracing AI, no matter how useful, how much time it saves, or how much it enhances the learning experience. It's the "G" word, and we explored how to get over it or get used to it, so we can be free to teach within our contracted hours.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT  | Caroline Kurban's Active Research |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in authentically integrating educational technology, professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

The results students get from AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard depend on how well they’ve learned to communicate with these resources. In this session, we explore effective ways to help students learn and remember how to get what they want from these tools –including three useful acronyms.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | The AI Classroom | BARD | GRASPS | Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning

Every week, we explore new and helpful ways generative artificial intelligence can support teaching and learning. This week we unwrapped a surprisingly engaging new resource that uses voice to teach and support students in novel ways.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT Voice| Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

How We Prepared to Head Back to School With Generative Artificial Intelligence

It’s fascinating; this is the first back-to-school season in the age of generative artificial intelligence — historic. A middle school teacher, a university professor, an early childhood educator-tech coach, and an education researcher met to exchange notes on how they prepared to engage students this term. It’s a highly engaged conversation among colleagues, sharing discoveries, aha moments, mistakes made with generative artificial intelligence, and lessons learned. It ends with a lightning round of AI tools the group found helpful and effective.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | Bard | Code.org | Google Experiments | Claude | Show Me Diagrams | ElevenLabs | Pictory | Eduaide | Magic School | Twee | Canva | Chatmind | Goblin.tools | Midjourney | Otter | | Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

We all agree that grading papers, providing detailed feedback, and maintaining consistency across 100 or more papers are some of the most taxing tasks on a teacher’s to-do list. This week, we met at the AI Cafe to explore how artificial intelligence can help, what works, ethical considerations, and pitfalls to avoid.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | Bard | Claude | NWEA | Eduaide | Magic School | Twee | DreamBox | Edmentum| ClassPoint | Curipod | Conker | Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

Every week, we discover new and helpful ways generative artificial intelligence can support teaching and learning. We’ve also found a new world of student privacy discussions we need to have. This week, we exchanged steps we’re taking and some important steps we’re overlooking.

Follow on Twitter: @ideasforteacher @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @CFKurban @JBR_Kleinmann @bamradionetwork

Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT | Midjourney | Virtru | | Caroline Kurban’s YouTube Channel |

Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. Caroline previously held the position of Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University. She also teaches on the Faculty of Education. She has taught, trained and managed in schools and universities in her twenty-year career. She holds a BSc in Geology, MSc in TESOL, MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics.

Juli Ross-Kleinmann is an experienced Administrator/ Instructional Specialist who has worked in primary, secondary, and higher education. Skilled in, authentically integrating educational technology. professional development, curriculum planning, instructional design, and organizational leadership. Juli has a Master of Science in Education (Administration & Supervision) focused in Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship from Fordham University. She served for three years on the board of ISTE and is an ISTE Certified Educator.

Dr. Thomas Mennella has been an instructor in higher education for over ten years. Starting as a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and then moving on to an Assistant Professorship at Delaware State University (DSU), Tom is now an Associate Professor at Western New England University in Springfield Massachusetts.

Dan Jones earned a BS in Middle Grades Education from Ashland University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. Dan is an FLGI Master Teacher whose professional interests include e-learning and technology, as well as Project-Based Learning.

Every teacher is familiar with the three Rs,  but this week we all got a sample of why learning more about the three Fs may be just as crucial in the age of AI. Identifying what's fake, false, and phony is much more critical as generative AI grows capable of creating convincingly deceptive content online. Developing greater GAI media literacy is becoming an essential topic this summer.

Follow our PLN on Twitter: @JamesBrauer   @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd

Related Links and Sources:

Why Some Educators Are Paying Very Close Attention to Artificial Intelligence