Matthew's Google Workspace, Apple & AI EdTech Blog

One of the biggest challenges in ESL/EFL teaching is keeping post-reading activities engaging, especially for young learners. Often, after reading a story together, students answer comprehension questions or complete worksheets—but what if we could take it further?   Using AI, we can create interactive character penpal chatbots where students "email" or "message" their favorite characters from the story. This turns post-reading activities into a class-wide interactive discussion, writing, and reading experience!  (Note: Full GPT configuration prompt at the bottom of this blog post.) What is a Character Penpal Chatbot?  A Character Penpal Chatbot is an AI-powered writing activity where students send emails (or messages) to characters from a story and receive realistic, fun responses in return. Instead of traditional Q&A, students actively engage with Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Grandma, and more—as if they were writing real letters!   Example: ...

In today’s classrooms, educators face a growing challenge: Students, especially ESL and EFL learners, are reading less. For a growing number of students, traditional books struggle to compete with the fast-paced, visually stimulating world of digital media. Instead of lamenting this shift, I decided to embrace it—by using AI and digital tools to reimagine what reading material can be. The Experiment: Turning a 'Text Story' into a 'Mini-Series' For this project, I wanted to see how far I could push my own understanding of current AI and tech tools to create an engaging reading experience for my Grade 5 and 6 ESL students. The result? A five-part YouTube mini-series based on an original story, crafted with the help of Chat GPT, called "Birthday Boy." This faux-horror comedy follows the misadventures of the ever-ridiculous Ranterino character (whom my students have known and interacted with for many years) as he disastrously attempts to become a children’s birthd...