Challenge 3. Magic! from a YouTube Video, Create a Quiz on Google Forms or a Presentation on Google Slides

Before I start, let me tell you that I’ve officially dubbed myself “The Free App Teacher” because every tool I share with you is either 100% free or comes with a super generous free version—perfect for teachers like us.

And you know how we’re always on the lookout for the next tool that can make our teaching lives easier and more dynamic, right? Well, this is Challenge 3, but hold on… it’s got a little twist. We’ve got two challenges using the SAME tool! Yes, that’s right. We’re about to take on two challenges with one amazing Chrome extension: Brisk Teaching.

Brisk Teaching is about to blow your mind with how easy it makes creating resources from just a YouTube video. In the quick and easy video (yes, it’s in Spanish, but trust me, you’ll follow along with no problem), I walk you through how in under 1 minute, you can generate either

1. A fully editable presentation in Google Slides
or
2. A fully editable quiz in Google Forms

And it’s all with just one click—seriously. It’s like magic!

How It Works

The first thing you need to do is install the Brisk Teaching Chrome extension. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how in the video. It’s super simple!

1.  Open the YouTube video of your choice (find something that’s relevant to your lesson).
2.  Open up the Brisk Teaching Chrome extension.
3. Now comes the fun part—choose what you want to create:
– If you need a presentation, click the “Presentation” button.
– If you’re in quiz-mode, hit Quiz instead.

And BOOM!  In seconds, you’ll have either an editable Google Slides presentation or a Google Forms quiz ready to give your students

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Challenge 2: Creating Comics in Under 1 Minute? Yes, Please! Meet AI Comic Factory

Have you ever thought about how cool it would be if your students could create their own comics in just a minute? Sounds impossible, right? Well, guess what! I’ve found an AI tool that allows you and your students to create comics in under one minute—and it’s FREE! Yes, you read that correctly! Let me introduce you to AI Comic Factory, a fantastic platform that brings storytelling to life with a few clicks.

How It Works

  1. Visit the Playground: Head over to the AI Comic Factory Playground. You don’t need to sign in. It is optional.
  2. Choose Your Style and Grid: Select from a variety of comic styles.
  3. Let the AI Work Its Magic: Type in a brief description or a short story and the AI instantly generates a comic strip based on your input. In seconds, you’ll have a unique, personalized comic!
  4. Redraw: if you don’t like a picture in the grid, hover over the image and change it.
  5. Add a Caption or maybe not: Encourage your students to write short stories or dialogues under the images. It’s a fun and creative way to blend visuals with literacy.
  6. Download and Share: Once you’ve created your masterpiece, download it for free and share it with the class!

Here’s a short tutorial in Spanish. Don’t worry! It is easy to follow! Maybe you’ll learn some Spanish too.

Possible Drawbacks? (Let’s Be Real)

Of course, no tool is without its limitations. AI Comic Factory, while incredibly fast, is somewhat limited in terms of customization. You won’t get the level of control that, say, a student might have. The characters and backgrounds are AI-generated, meaning they may not always turn out exactly as you imagined.

Also, while it’s free, it does require internet access, which could be a drawback for classrooms with limited connectivity. But overall? The pros FAR outweigh the cons.

Challenge 1: Create a Google Slides Presentation with just One Prompt

We all know how busy our days get. Between lesson planning, grading, and meetings, who has time to spend hours on presentations? Good news — I’ve got a solution that’ll save you time and energy!

I’ve started recording these super short video tutorials (in Spanish) to help busy teachers like us get our work done faster. I call them “Teacher Challenges” because I want to make the process fun, simple, and rewarding.

And don’t worry, these videos are quick, clear, and even if you don’t speak Spanish fluently, you’ll find them easy to follow.

Challenge 1: Create a Google Slides Presentation with ONE Prompt

Thanks to Magic School, you can create an entire Google Slides presentation just by typing a prompt. Yep, AI does the heavy lifting — you write a few sentences, and it generates the slides for you. It’s that simple and … free!

Watch the Video

In less than 3 minutes, you’ll see how to use AI to create a presentation with no hassle. Ready to take on the challenge?

ChatGPT Dicey Discussions: A Grammar and Conversation Challenge

Welcome back, everyone! I’ve missed connecting with you and sharing ideas. Another year of sharing my classroom experiences with you all—20 years publishing and still going strong! I’m just as pumped about it, even though I barely have time to write. Al least, not as much as I’d like. Over the summer, I’ve been busy testing new ways to make the most of AI in our classrooms. I can’t wait to dive in and explore these exciting possibilities together!

Remember when we used to spend hours crafting conversation games? Well, those days are over! This prompt will save you tons of time while sparking lively discussions in your classroom. Plus, it’s a breeze—just roll a die! The best part? It also sneaks in some essential grammar practice during conversations.

OPTION 1. THE TRADITIONAL TOUCH I AM SO FOND OF.

Now, this is the prompt I’ve written on ChatGPT. I have used ChatGPT, but you can use any of his friends-Gemini, Bard, Claude, Llama…etc.

Create a conversation game using a die, where each number corresponds to [six] questions. The questions should cover [advanced] grammar points such as [conditionals, relative clauses, modal verbs, passive voice, reported speech], and other [complex] structures. Some other questions should explore a variety of semantic fields such as [emotions, travel, relationships, work, and technology]. Group the questions under each dice number according to the grammar points or to the semantic fields.

Now, let me walk you through how to use this in your classroom:

  1. Go to ChatGPT and paste in the prompt. (Easy peasy, right?)
  2. Watch in awe as it generates a full set of questions grouped by die numbers.
  3. Copy the results and print them out. (Or go paperless and display them on your smart board)
  4. Grab a die and roll it twice for each conversation. The first roll picks the category, and the second roll selects the question students will answer.
  5. Put your students in pairs and let conversations flow.
  6. Add movement: after about 5 minutes, have students stand up and switch partners, roll the dice again to get a new question and keep the discussions lively and engaging. It’s a simple and effective way to spark interaction while reinforcing key grammar points!
  7. Wanna add to the fun? Then, use a giant foam dice and let students roll it!!! Have a look at mine!

Note: These questions have been created by ChatGPT with the input of the prompt above. You can modify the prompt to fit your students’ needs.


Click here to go full screen. Roll the die and answer the question by cristina.cabal

OPTION 2. INTERACTIVE AND TECH-POWERED

If you can think it, you can probably make it happen! Tech has never been more accessible. Everything’s at your fingertips—you just need to know where to look.

So guess what? I’ve taken the game above and given it a fresh, interactive twist! We’re talking paperless, more engaging, and way more fun. Imagine the same game, but now it’s fully interactive and tech-powered.

This is the prompt I have used  to feed the amazing website Websim. https://websim.ai/c/nXmnW5OcZ7UNFCbWN

Create an interactive page with this prompt. Create a conversation game using a die, where each number corresponds to [six] questions. The questions should cover [advanced] grammar points such as [conditionals, relative clauses, modal verbs, passive voice, reported speech], and other [complex] structures. Some other questions should explore a variety of semantic fields such as [emotions, travel, relationships, work, and technology].  The questions should be grouped by grammar category or semantic field. State which grammar point or semantic field each number corresponds to and include a text “www.cristinacabal.com” which will link to this website. The background should be light red.

And this is what I got. Well, what do you think?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t AI taking over our jobs?” Fear not! This is where our expertise comes in. We can use the AI-generated questions as a starting point, then tweak and personalize them to fit our students’ needs and interests. This is really the perfect blend of efficiency and personalization!

We are not replacing our teaching skills; we’re enhancing them. We’re eliminating the tedious prep work so we can focus on what really matters – connecting with our students and creating those “aha!” moments we live for.

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Custom-Made Mind-Blowing Chatbots for Spoken Interactions

It’s mind-blowing! Believe me!!! Artificial Intelligence, particularly talking chatbots, are reaching levels of excellence that are simply unbelievable. Have you ever imagined having a smooth, natural conversation with a robot? Think about all the help it can offer students when practising for speaking exams.  Play.ai, is an AI tool that lets you have smooth, natural conversations with a virtual voice assistant. They are super easy to use, they are fun,  students don’t even have to register, and they can download or share the conversation with their teachers.

More? More! Teachers can also create their own talking chatbots with or without cloning their voice..

The app

Just by chance, I bumped into this new tool that is just mind-blowing and scary at the same time. Play.ai uses advanced natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to interact with users. They understand what you say and respond in a way that feels friendly and engaging. And honestly, it is mind-blowing how natural they now sound and interact. It’s like having a super-smart chat buddy. Play.ai calls them AGENTS.

 How it works

Think of it like this: you ask your friend “What’s the capital of France?” and they say “Paris!” Play.ai works in a similar way, but it has access to a TON of information, so it can answer pretty much anything you throw at it. Plus, it can adjust its responses based on what you say, making the conversation feel more like you’re talking to a real person. For learning purposes, instead of asking about capitals, you can ask it to have a conversation about…climate change , extreme sports, education or maybe stereotypes. Take your pick!

Students: no registration needed

1. Interacting with a talking chatbot (agent) Easy! When you first come to their page, just click the icon and start talking. You will be amazed at how natural it sounds and how smoothly and naturally the conversation develops.

 

  • If you want to talk to another, more specialized “agent”, click on shuffle and choose the one you like best.
  • If you want to save a conversation, or you are a student and want to share it with your teacher, you click on the Share Recording button, and you’ll get a link to share. You can also download the conversation.
  • Give it a try now and tell me what you think. Here
Teachers: registration required to create your own chatbot

2. Creating your own agent to share with your students.

That’s where the fun is. How do you create your own agent?

  • Click on Create Agent and pick a voice, or clone your own voice; they just need 30 seconds of your voice. You can either record your own voice directly on the website or upload an MP3 file. In my case, I have cloned my own voice.
  • Give the agent a name and upload a picture or avatar.
  • You can choose the Agent behaviour (I’ll go for Super Chatty, but you can select professional or neutral)
  • And then, you need to customize your Agent with some relevant information and instructions. You can also upload a document with the knowledge you want the Agent to have. In my case, I have decided to give it these instructions

In bold, the information the chatbot requires and then, you will find my own instructions to create my chatbot.

You are a friendly neighbourhood English teacher, specializing in grammar, vocabulary, and all things English language related. You are programmed to interact with students in a supportive and engaging way.
GREETING MESSAGE: Hey there! Looking to chat and practice your English conversation skills, or do you have some grammar or vocabulary questions?

ADD CUSTOM KNOWLEDGE My AI assistant will have access to a vast database of English language knowledge, including:

  • Grammar rules: From verb conjugation to sentence structure, we’ll tackle those tricky grammar points together. Think of me as your personal grammar genie!
  • Vocabulary expansion: Want to spice up your word choice? We’ll explore synonyms, antonyms, and even idioms to make your English shine.
  • Cultural context: Language is more than just words. My AI will provide insights into English-speaking cultures, helping you understand everyday expressions and nuances.
  • Real-world examples: I won’t just throw grammar rules at you. We’ll use examples from movies, music, and everyday life to make learning fun and relevant.
  • Once it is ready, share it with your students. Ask students to interact with the chatbot and send you the link to give them feedback on their conversations.

NEGATIVE POINTS:

  • In the free version, students can interact with your custom chatbots for a maximum of 30 minutes per month.
  • At the moment, chatbots can only speak English.
Try my Own Custom-made Chatbots Cloning my Voice

I am sharing two links for two custom-made chatbots. Remember, it might not work if I have exceeded my 30 minutes/month. If so, try again next month, please.

  • with my cloned voice here
  • With a voice from their library here