Reflection on Key Concepts

Introduction to AI represented a new challenge since I had very few knowledge about what I was going to deal with during the course, and maybe that was the reason why I kept focused on all details since the very beginning to not lose any step. The course and the instructor demanded me to make my best to keep on track while we were advancing to new content. Every time the content studied during the course became more and more interesting and helpful not only for English Language teachers but also for English Language students. I realized all the tools and opportunities I lost because I did not know how to take advantage of this useful and practical tool that is AI. At first, the course started with some important concepts related to the basis of AI such as Large Language models, machine learning, hallucinations, and prompt engineering. Therefore, some of the most important concepts I learned in this module are Large Language Model and Prompt Engineering because LLM are algorithms trained on existing data that can perform a variety of language processing tasks, and one the most famous Large Language Model is Chat GPT. LLM have many advantages for example they are very efficient reducing manual intervention and making processes faster. They give multilingual support giving a global information access. Also, LLM give users a meaningful and satisfactory interaction. However, not everything is positive with LLM because they still present some weak areas such as the bias, hallucinations, and undesired contents, and here is where the other important concept takes places. Prompt engineering is another important concept I learned in this module as it assures effective human-AI communication and desired outcomes by a well-crafted prompt. Prompt engineering is responsible of determining the quality of the output because a poorly-crafted prompt leads to confusing, wrong, irrelevant information or even to hallucinations. Hence, I consider that these are very important concepts I learned in this module since they go hand in hand. Likewise, I consider that Design Thinking concept was really important for the complexity of steps it has since it is an innovation process focused on finding innovative ideas and proposing creative solutions for users’ needs, and I could identify its importance when we as a group worked to design a project to solve a user’s needs.

On the other hand, these concepts challenge my previous understanding of English language teaching because I did not know about the advantages that working with these technological tools can give me to improve my teaching skills. I realized that I was not focused on the bigger picture when I understood that as education is always advancing, I need to keep improving and looking for new innovative ways to teach. AI provides a lot of tools to make teachers job easier and more effective when creating catchy lesson plans and dynamic activities to get students attention and to push them to give their best. Tools such as Gamma, Copilot, Nearpod, and Chat GPT give me the opportunity to innovate when teaching without taking to much time, and they are also very useful when I am just blocked. However, it does not mean that AI has to be taken lightly because teachers do not have to be AI dependent but to take it just as an assistant to improve in their teaching methodology. Moreover, something that really made me see the bigger picture was Design Thinking because I usually notice that some students or teachers have some difficulties to carry out certain tasks, but I hardly ever think about what the possible causes may be. Understanding Design Thinking concept helped me to pay carefully attention on students’ learning process and how they behave towards problematic situations. Sometimes students are not able to show all their abilities for they face different situations that do not allow them to feel comfortable, or they struggle with some tasks feeling afraid of making mistakes. There may be many different reasons why they cannot perform some tasks appropriately, and it is teachers’ responsibility to identify what those reasons are and to propose effective solutions to the problem. Therefore, I really enjoyed learning about Design Thinking because it encouraged me to go further when developing my job as a teacher. A teacher’s job is not only teaching any subject but also looking for students’ improvement in all the areas they need.

Afterwards, I expect to apply all these concepts to improve my English language teaching skills since teachers have the responsibility to built a better society, and if we as teachers do not pay attention to the problems that students suffer when learning, it will be even more difficult to solve them in the future because they will grow up carrying those problems naturally. As the saying goes, it is necessary to root out the problem, and that is why teachers must look for every tool that helps them to improve every day. I considered that I still have a lot to learn, but I am excited to apply these concepts to form better students and better human beings. I am open to expand my knowledge looking forward improving not only as a teacher but also as a human being.  For instance, I also considered that as it is necessary to provide students these AI tools to help them make their tasks easier, it is also necessary to transmit important concepts such as prompt engineering and responsible and ethical use of AI to help them create and perform more effective tasks. Students need to experience the advantages that AI gives since technology has taken an important place nowadays in all areas of people’s lives. In short, I would like to be a guide for students, and apply these concepts to make them realize what their needs are and to help them solve their learning problems and needs.