Basic AI Terms for Teachers

Understanding AI terminology doesn't have to be complicated. Here are the essential terms you'll encounter when using AI in your classroom, explained in plain language with educational examples.

Essential Terms

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Basic

Computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.

In Education: Tools that can grade assignments, generate quiz questions, or provide personalized feedback to students.

ChatGPT Basic

A popular AI chatbot that can understand and respond to text conversations in a human-like way.

In Education: Can help create lesson plans, explain concepts, and generate practice problems.

Prompt Basic

The text instruction or question you give to an AI system.

In Education: "Create a lesson plan about photosynthesis for 9th grade biology students."

Common Features

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Intermediate

The ability of AI to understand and work with human language.

In Education: How AI can read student essays, understand questions, and provide relevant responses.

Machine Learning Intermediate

How AI systems learn from data to improve their performance.

In Education: How adaptive learning platforms adjust to student performance levels.

Important Concepts

AI Limitations Basic

Things AI cannot do or might not do well.

In Education: AI may generate incorrect information or be unable to understand context-specific needs of your students.

Data Privacy Basic

Protecting sensitive information when using AI tools.

In Education: Being careful not to share student names or personal information with AI systems.

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basic terms, you might want to: