AI is BRILLIANT!
VT No 280
AI is BRILLIANT if you use it the right way. So if we ARE teachers, let’s teach students how to use it BRILLIANTLY.
It all starts with USING AI and figuring out what it does well & what doesn’t.
There is no one solution, except, you have to Figure Stuff Out For Yourself & to do this, you have to try STUFF, you have to experiment & you have to see what use AI is to YOU & YOUR classroom.
In this Newsletter there is plenty of STUFF to try out, and it’s all for FREE.
So it’s a BRILLIANT time to give AI a try.
DO TRY it all out. I assure you, it will be fun & then you will know what AI means, you will be able to spot the AI FAKES, you will be alerted to how deepfakes can happen & you won’t be fooled by anyone.
THE NEXT VT is all about “Getting Started with AI” in 5 ridiculously simple steps. TRUST ME, you don't want to miss it! While everyone else is busy spinning their wheels over Frameworks, Principles, Risk Levels, Ethics, Hallucinations, Privacy, Bias & Equity (phew!), here at VT, we're rolling up our sleeves and putting AI to work, with No to Low Risk AI. We're not just talking about it; we're doing it.
YOU won’t want to miss the next newsletter.
AND GUESS WHAT? Your colleagues won’t want to miss this either, so be a hero & send them the link to the VT Newsletter.
HERE’S to another year of progress & collaboration, with more amazing adventures to come.
Check out Virtualteacher.com.au, a one-stop destination for quick creative ideas in the world of AI & Education. Use the YouTube Videos directly in your class & learn along with your students.
Enough of the chat, check out the Amazing Tools & Absolutely Splendid ideas I have to share with you today, in the spirit of
EASIER, MORE PRODUCTIVE, & A WHOLE LOT
MORE FUN!
PS
Virtual Teacher is.......... FREE FOREVER
Here's What's on the MENU Today
Use AI for FREEEEE! : It’s a great time to check out & see what they do!
Other FREE AI Apps: Check out Firefly Canva, Suno, MyLens & ElevenLabs
FAKERY & Image Manipulation: WHY You CAN’T Believe your EYES
TO DO LIST - Make sure you do!
VT YouTube: Job Displacement
Let's create a ripple effect of learning, sharing, and growing together. Pass any good ideas on to colleagues, and encourage them to subscribe to VirtualTeacher for more.
USE AI for FREE
Text to Image
There are lots of AI programs at the moment that are FREE to use. It’s a great time to check them out and see what they do. INFORMATIVE & AMAZING. If you know what AI is capable of, then you are more likely to critically view everything.
IDEOGRAM - Has a free plan that allows 10 text to image prompts per day. Each prompt provides 4 images. There is a selection of colour palettes and aspect ratios. This is great way to encourage kids to write excellent descriptions of an image they would like to produce. Short concise prompts of 20-50 words work best. You can start with a simple prompt and then refine it. Use adjectives like vibrant colours, highly detailed.
Kids can work in groups. Select an image they would like to create. Then work on a description together.
QUESTIONS to discuss
HOW well did the AI do"?
DID the AI generate an image you like? Did the image match the description? Great!
Or if it’s NOOO!
HOW can you change your prompt to get the image closer to your idea?
WHICH of the 4 images do you like the best? Why?
Here’s some sample prompts:
A cheerful dinosaur riding a skateboard in a colourful park, wearing sunglasses and a backwards cap, with birds cheering from the trees. Vibrant Colours.
A silly robot juggling pizzas and ice cream cones in outer space, while aliens laugh and clap their hands.
A magical school bus with rainbow wheels, blasting off like a rocket and taking kids on a journey to Candy Planet.
Here’s a couple more PROMPTS you might like to try:
A giant pancake tower with syrup rivers and butter boats, where tiny animals are having a breakfast party.
A superhero cat flying through the city, wearing a cape and saving puppies from floating balloons. NO blurry backgrounds, Vibrant colours.
Other FREE AI Apps
Adobe Firefly Has a free option of 25 credits per month. Best prompts are simple, direct, and containing 10 - 30 words is ideal. YOU might like to check out the FANTASTIC PROMPT & MR FOX video, using Adobe Firefly & the Roald Dahl Book.
Canva’s free plan, you are allowed 50 lifetime AI Text to Image generations. Best prompts are 7 to 20 words and include subject, style, mood & incorporate adjectives.
CHECK OUT some more ideas on how to use Text to Image on the VT AI -HowTo webpage.
MUSIC & SONGS - SUNO is an AI-powered music creation app that enables users to generate complete songs. FREE usage is up to 10 songs per day.
TIMELINES - MYLens - create 3 timelines per day FREE. So easy!
VOICES- Eleven Labs Users can create lifelike, high-quality synthetic voices. 10,000 character per month FREE, which is quite a lot. Choose a voice, kiddos can get their stories read by a range of different voices. Great Fun & Easy.
WHY You CAN’T Believe your EYES
TIMELINE of the History of FAKERY & Image Manipulation: From Prehistoric Art to AI
Check out the Historic Fakery Timeline Video - above. I loved making this.
HOW DID I DO IT? I used MyLens AI for the timeline, DaVinci Resolve for the video editing, Pixabay for CC Music, Ideogram & Night Cafe for Image generation. Continuing with our USE AI FO FREE theme, all the apps have free options or trials. So go for it and get your kids to try them out as well!
Get over what AI does, see what AI can & can’t do, use critical thinking!
How to Spot Fake AI Images or Does it Matter?
What’s real and what’s fake?
Manipulated images may be more pervasive than ever, but they’re not new. They’ve been used for propaganda, entertainment, and even protests long before AI entered the scene.
THE TIMELINE of image manipulation shows us that humanity has always shaped reality to serve its needs, whether for storytelling, persuasion, or deception. What’s changed is the scale, speed & sophistication of these tools.
Rather than fearing AI, we need to focus on education: fostering critical thinking, understanding the technology & applying ethical principles. By empowering kids & adults to understand the "why" & "how" behind fakery, we transform AI from a source of fear into a tool for informed, creative & ethical engagement with the world.
Why It Matters Today
While AI brings this concept into the digital age, the history of manipulated imagery shows that "fakery" is deeply embedded in human creativity. These early examples show that tools like AI are part of a longer tradition of reshaping reality for art, persuasion or amusement.
If you like to delve deeper into specific examples this is a good place to start.
You can check out some historic photo manipulations here.
Prehistoric Fakery
Petroglyphs & Rock Carvings Prehistoric rock carvings often depicted exaggerated hunting scenes, celestial bodies or fantastical beings. Bhimbetka Rock Art
Cave Paintings (Palaeolithic Era, 40,000–10,000 BCE)
Prehistoric cave paintings, such as those in Lascaux (France) and Altamira (Spain), often depicted animals that were stylised & exaggerated for symbolic or ritualistic purposes. Lascaux Cave Paintings
Venus Figurines (Upper Palaeolithic, 30,000–10,000 BCE)
Figurines like the Venus of Willendorf depict exaggerated female forms with large breasts, wide hips & minimal facial features. Venus of Willendorf
TO DO LiST
WATCH Luma AI - Intro Ray2 - Video generative models. 1m - Understanding AI
PLAY QuickDraw Look at the Data sets, discuss how Machine Learning Works! Round up the numbers. Fabulous brain break.
IMPRESS YOUR KIDS Robot Dog Breaks Speed Record - some nice maths & scientific principles
WATCH Best Robots at CES 2025! - What do you think of these Robots?
BE MY VALENTINE Love - What is it? How do you find it in the 21st century? How is it commercialised?
READ The Fable of the School People I love this fable.
VT YOUTUBE
Check out the latest Videos:
The History of Job Displacement - Timeline WE HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE!
The World Economic Forum predicts 92M jobs could be displaced by 2030, a shift comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Throughout history, similar disruptions have reshaped the workforce.
IN EACH CASE, retraining and new industries emerged.
The key lesson! Investing in education, re-skilling, and adaptability is critical to ensuring equitable opportunities in a rapidly changing job market.
Check out all the Videos on the VT YouTube Channel & subscribe. There’s over 200 of them, your sure to find something you will love.
THANKS FOR READING
I love to hear from you. Leave a comment or just say hi by sending an email to cathy@virtualteacher.com.au If you’re having fun, your students will too.
This Newsletter is not free, despite the misleading advertising above.
The Fee is now due. Each week you must help one colleague on the Internet who has less knowledge than you. HELP THAT PERSON even if you have to visit their classroom or do a little research and get back to them. Trust me, this will help a lot of people get their computer classrooms running better. OK I'm trusting you!!!
The opinions expressed here are purely those of the editor, Cathy Brown. All other small print clauses apply. Such as: Use at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
If it doesn't work for you, me send an email and I'll try to figure it out.
Editor: Cathy Brown cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
Before we go I have a question for you:
Would you be interested in learning more about AI and how to integrate into your teaching? Would you like more information about inservice and training?
No need to decide just yet, just email me if you'd like to start the ball rolling. cathy@virtualteacher.com.au or check out the VT AI Consultancy Page.