Are you already on the Artificial Intelligence bandwagon? AI for Spanish teachers can bring some real creativity into the classroom! I will admit, I am one of those people that is often the last to jump on a trend. I didn’t wear capri pants until they were just about out of style! But I’m willing to explore and try new things when it comes to helping my students learn and engage. So, check out these AI sites for Spanish teachers!
Snorkl
This is a site where teachers can create classrooms and assignments. There is a free version where you can create a limited amount of assignments and then a paid version. This kind of AI for Spanish teachers has so many applications!
You can create assignments where students need to write or record their response. The teacher can then set what kind of feedback you want the AI to give students. Then, when they submit their response, they get a rating and get both positive and corrective feedback on their work.
Here are some ways I’ve used this site so far:
Writing: I gave students a short paragraph and asked them to re-write it and improve it. They had to fix mistakes as well as use specific strategies I’ve taught them to add detail and sophistication. I told the AI the specific things I was looking for in their work, so the feedback that was given was specific to my look-fors!
Speaking: As my students prepare for the AAPPL test, one of the things I notice is that they don’t give much detail in their spoken responses. I set up an activity with a prompt, and directions that asked students to include 3 details in their answer. The Snorkl AI was able to rate their response (excellent, good, fair, not there yet) and also tell me if it was correct or incorrect (based on what the question was). And finally this AI for Spanish teachers was able to point out what students did well and where they made mistakes. It’s amazing!
I will say that the speaking part is a bit less accurate. If you have students with speech impediments or strong English accents, sometimes the rating AI gives may be lower than what you would give.
Another cool perk is that with writing, it will tell you how much of their response was copy/pasted instead of typed out! This helps prevent cheating.
Adobe Express
This site is a lot like the Voki site I explained above. You can create a character and personalize it! But this site allows students to use their own voice to animate the voki instead of typing what they want the voki to say. Later you can download your animation.
I can think of several ways you could use this with students! They could share their download with another student who could respond to what the first student said! Here is a quick walk-through about how to get set up and what Adobe Express does!
Gliglish
This site is really interesting to try with students! A chatbot will have a conversation with your students! You can pick a general chat or you can choose a topic from a list of topics. A great scaffold this site has is a list of suggestions for students about how to continue the conversation. You can have students turn these off. I think this is my top pick for AI for Spanish teachers!
Providing some helpful phrases, like, “no entiendo” can help students keep going, and the chatbot will try again to help the student understand. I also like how the students can both see and hear the audio associated with the chat. They can replay the audio, and there is also a button to translate the written transcript of the audio. It’s a great tool!
Talkpal
This is another free AI site that allows students to practice conversations with a chatbot. This site forces uses to create an account, and it has a basic function for free. There are lots of other levels that unlock the premium features. It might be worth looking into if you have a small school, a big budget or a grant! I was only able to use the chat feature, and in my opinion, it was not as user friendly for beginning students as Gliglish. Here’s a video on how to get started!
AI For Spanish Teachers
Well, I think it’s safe to say that AI for Spanish Teachers is here to stay! And perhaps if we harness it to help our students learn and build proficiency, we will find that they rely on it less to cheat.
Learning new things can be hard and uncomfortable. But one thing I have come to appreciate about being forced to learn something new: our students experience this multiple times every day. It’s very helpful for me to be reminded what that feels like on a regular basis. It makes me a more compassionate and patient teacher. Let me know which one you love! Message me at Jamie@SpecialtySpanish.com!
Resources
Spanish Class Parent Engagement Docs: Start the Year With Parents On Your Side!
New Student Welcome to Spanish Class Instruction Packet
Open House Night Presentation for Spanish Classes: Interactive Google Slides
