Tag:

GenAI

Five Evidence-Based Strategies for Purposeful AI Integration in Education

by Miguel Guhlin February 9, 2026

written by Miguel Guhlin

Every day, a new Gen AI tool (see my working list) lands in my inbox or social media feed. The constant stream of new technologies can be overwhelming. If you’re feeling Gen AI fatigue, you’re not alone. As educators, a deluge of AI tools drops on our heads daily. Each claims to save time. Each is guaranteed to improve student achievement. Without a structured approach, all of these tools can become time traps rather than time savers.

Mark Zimmerman wisely cautions in his CIO piece, How AI Tools Can Become a Time and Cost Trap, that we must set clear boundaries. Otherwise, we risk spending countless hours experimenting with AI. That’s a problem given our limited time and funds. Remember, as educators, we have to implement new tools in alignment with research-aligned ways. What’s more, how do you know which are FERPA-compliant and offer data privacy agreements appropriate for K-12 education? Let’s explore five strategies that can help you stay in control.

Strategy #1: Setting Clear Goals with Success Criteria

Just as we teach students to set clear learning targets, educators need specific goals when implementing AI tools. Before diving into any AI tool, ask yourself: “What specific educational problem am I trying to solve?” This simple question, can help students focus on what’s productive, and what’s not.

Consider creating an AI Goal Sheet before each session that includes:

The specific problem you’re addressing
Time limits
Clear success criteria for evaluating outcomes

One middle school science teacher uses a simple log to track her AI experiments: tool used, time spent, and specific benefits achieved. Use of a tool like this can eliminate “going down the rabbit hole” and adds a sense of urgency.

Strategy #2: Feedback-Informed Tool Selection and Mastery

Rather than constantly chasing the newest AI tools, focus on several Gen AI tools that deliver results. Remember the Greek poet Archilochus’ adage of the fox and the hedgehog. That is, “the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Or as Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput, hosts of The Artificial Intelligence Show podcast, assert, “Learn one Gen AI tool really well” (a paraphrase).

Get to be an expert on one tool, and solicit feedback from other educators as to which works best. Get comfortable with that one Gen AI tool before moving to another. What does expert mean? Ask yourself, “How does this AI tool work in my situation?” Explore (keep strategy #1 in mind) until you identify a use case. A use case is a specific process that can be translated into Gen AI tool to realize some improvement.

Consider adopting these implementation approaches:

Select one AI tool per quarter to learn deeply, accepting being uncomfortable is part of that process
Create feedback forms for students: “How did this AI-enhanced lesson help your learning?”
Establish peer observation protocols specifically for AI-integrated lessons (pineapple chart, anyone?)

“I was spending hours every week testing different AI tools,” admits a high school English teacher I chat with from time to time. “Now I focus on getting to know one tool that has become my go-to. I’m spending time going deep in applying it to my work, and have reclaimed my planning time as a result.”

Strategy #3: Metacognitive Integration Planning

How are you using Gen AI in your work? Take the time for structured reflection. It’s hard to do because it’s easy to keep moving forward to new or different projects. But take a quiet moment to jot down a few reflections. Differentiate between problem-solving and mere curiosity-driven experimentation.

Try these practical applications:

Weekly reflection: “Did my AI use this week directly improve student learning outcomes?”
Monthly team meetings to share AI successes and challenges
School-wide AI integration guidelines with clear evaluation criteria

One technology director suggested this approach:

“Instead of having every teacher experimenting independently, we now have a structured approach where we collectively evaluate tools against our learning objectives. The result is a more strategic implementation and less wasted time.”

Strategy #4: Collaborative Learning Through AI Peer Teaching

“Would you mind sharing what you did, Miguel?” That’s the question I loved to hear from a grade level colleague in my small East Texas school. As a third-grade bilingual teacher working in the portable building, I loved being able to share what my students created. And, of course, that involved me sharing my lesson activity with technology enhancement.

Make sharing your Gen AI a systemic action at the grade level, campus, and district level. This can go a long way to developing a centralized AI strategy. Not only do you learn what others really think about Gen AI tools, all get to provide solutions that work. That’s more important than AI hype or hate on social media. One thing to keep in mind? You won’t need to do this forever.

Consider implementing:

Identify AI Champions in each grade level or department who research and share effective tools
Monthly “AI Show and Tell” sessions where educators demonstrate successful applications
Shared repositories of proven AI prompts and strategies for common educational tasks

What I love? The idea that peer teaching is the best source of learning about new technologies. Well, maybe after TCEA professional learning solutions.

Did You Know? Get access to BoodleBox Unlimited (pro version) for six months while you complete the Educator Accelerator certification course, The AI-Amplified Educator. Sign up now.

“Our AI Champions program has transformed how we approach technology,” reports an elementary principal. “Instead of everyone struggling independently, we now have a collaborative system where expertise is shared efficiently.”

Strategy #5: Balanced Skill Development with Transfer Strategies

Can you still maintain and develop traditional teaching skills? Yes, but also consider strategically integrating AI. Don’t rely on technology alone. Reach for paper and pen, too.

Practical applications include:

Alternate between AI-assisted and traditional lesson planning
Maintain a balance of tech-enhanced and unplugged learning activities
Routine engagement in non-AI professional development to sharpen core teaching skills

A veteran teacher shared her balanced approach: “I use AI to help generate differentiated practice problems. I still design the core learning experiences myself. This balance ensures I maintain my instructional expertise while leveraging AI for efficiency where it makes sense.”

Recommended Education-Focused AI Tools

To implement these strategies effectively, consider exploring these education-focused AI platforms:

BoodleBox for collaborative AI exploration with built-in educational safeguards
MagicSchool for streamlining lesson planning and assessment creation
SchoolAI for creating personalized learning experiences

These are only a few of the FERPA-compliant Gen AI tools designed for education. The key is selecting tools that address your specific instructional needs rather than adopting technology for its own sake.

Measuring Success

It’s important, Zimmerman says, to measure the actual benefits. That’s why keeping a log of time spent with specific results can be helpful. I like to jot these down in a paper notebook to ensure long-term memory retention occurs. In fact, I have a dedicated notebook (perhaps, two or three notebooks now) with my notes.

Success Indicator	Measurement Method	Example
Time savings	Before/after time tracking	Lesson planning reduced from 2 hours to 45 minutes
Learning improvements	Student performance data	15% increase in assessment scores
Engagement	Student surveys, observation	Higher participation rates in AI-enhanced lessons

Let’s take a look at next steps.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers multiple Gen AI professional learning solutions, each suited to any budget. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of our $29 knowledge boosters, $44 courses, $149 accelerators, and more.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Effective AI integration isn’t about using the most tools or the newest technologies. When you find and use tools that enhance learning, you become more effective. Avoid AI time traps. Use one of these five strategies to get started. You will find your confidence improving.

February 9, 2026 0 comments

Bash and Bat: Get Things Done at the Command Line

by Miguel Guhlin January 20, 2026

written by Miguel Guhlin

Need to convert an MP4 video file to an MP3 audio file with drag-n-drop? Or, resize and compress an image that’s too big to upload? Need to convert PDFs into a single merged, text file in MarkDown format for easy upload to a Gen AI chatbot? Or, perhaps, you have a series of photos you want to convert into a slideshow? If you use technology with any frequency, you may find yourself struggling to find the right, no-cost apps to get the job done. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve installed a “free” program only to find that there are in-app purchases needed. But there is an easier way.

Generative AI Makes the Command Line Easy

Much of what you pay app creators for is available for free, if only you knew how how to use the command line on Windows (or GNU/Linux and Mac). The problem is, finding the right combination of command line options for a program like FFMPEG or ImageMagick can take a few Google searches and hours of experimentation. I have put in that time, and then, about six months ago, a solution so obvious I mentally kicked myself for not trying it sooner.

Note: While all the examples in this blog entry focus on .bat files, you can easily ask your Gen AI chatbot for a BASH file (filename extension is .sh). Bash files work a little differently on GNU/Linux, and that would necessitate a separate blog entry. This idea works for all sorts of challenges, including moving fonts from Windows to GNU/Linux, as one person found out when I put together this tutorial for them using Gen AI, too. The point is, give it a go.

You already know what the solution is, right? I decided to ask Generative AI to give me the right command line options for shrinking a series of videos. You see, I had recorded a host of my daughter’s wedding videos, and they had gigantic file sizes. While I work with video all the time, babysitting video conversion programs to do the conversion (which takes forever) was not on my dance card. When Perplexity AI gave me the right combination for a bat file, I realized I might be on to something. A half year later, I’m now using AI-authored BAT (Windows) and BASH (Mac and Linux) to do all sorts of tasks.

What’s a BAT/BASH file?

I learned about BAT files in my freshman college class, “An Introduction to MS-DOS.” My professor, back in the late 1980s, had me write BAT files by hand. At that time, the realization that coding was not my thing sank in a little deeper.

BAT/BASH files are like recipes. They are a list of instructions that instruct your computer to do things automatically. Instead of you clicking through menus and typing commands one by one, the script does it all for you. Think of these as a to-do list for the operating system. The .bat file is for the Windows operating system. On Mac and GNU/Linux, the recipe of instructions file is known as a .bash file. They do the same kind of thing, only they use language that each operating system understands.

Some real world examples you can use script files for include:

Automatic back up of files from one folder to another every day (great for backing up that USB drive you carry around with you)
Launching multiple programs at once with a single click
Renaming hundreds of files in seconds instead of one by one (ugh, this is a pain)
Clean up of temporary files

Now, my “Aha!” moment came when working with large video and image files I wanted to share with others. Others do not need the high quality video or image. A smaller, more shrunken version I can fit inside of an email or text message attachment will do just fine.

Sample Prompt for a BAT File: Make Animated GIF from JPGs

“What is the simplest way to create an animated GIF from an existing JPEG/JPG/PNG? The JPG has a character I need to animate. I’m looking for a bat file” (Source)

View solution bat file.

To that end, I set up a ChatGPT Project (you can do this in BoodleBox, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, too) that I labeled “Technical.” Then I added some custom instructions to it to guide my work. These custom instructions take the hard work out, and instead, make it easy to drag-n-drop files on top of a .bat file on Windows to get the desired action.

One Example: PDF/Txt/MD to MD File Merge

Problem: Need to merge PDFs, Txt, or Markdown (MD) files into a single file?

There are limits on how many files you can upload to a knowledge bank (e.g. ChatGPT limits you to 25 files for a Project/CustomGPT). Or, perhaps you want to optimize your text files before putting them into a knowledge bank.

Solution: PDF 2 Markdown with File Merge

Get this Windows friendly tool.

It will convert from PDF/Text/Markdown (MD) formatted files to markdown, then merge the MD files into one. This means instead of giving your GenAI twenty-five different PDF documents, you provide only one. This takes up less space AND the Gen AI chatbot processes the text file faster. You can always rename the “merged.md” to “merged.txt” if your AI chatbot of choice can’t handle markdown.Google Gem and BoodleBox Bots can produce markdown files, but won’t accept them as input unless you change the filename extension to txt.

Free Software to Install for Windows

You will need to install some software, all of it free, open source (FOSS). Then, you will need to add this software to the PATH so it can work anywhere you happen to be (such as your Desktop, in some deep directory/folder on your device). Let’s look at both steps now, which you will only need to do once.

Install Software

You will not need all the software I have in my tools folder (more on that in a moment), but you can start with the following software:

Install ffmpeg and ensure ffmpeg.exe is on PATH.
Install ImageMagick and ensure magick.exe is on PATH.
Optional: install ExifTool (exiftool.exe on PATH) for metadata stripping.
Optional: install Whisper CLI (whisper on PATH) for subtitles.

A convenient step by step is available to assist you in installing the software programs above. That will enable you to take advantage of solutions such as the ones detailed below:

Compress video for sharing
Convert single video file to desired format (choices available)
Extract audio from a video to MP3 audio format
Convert a folder full of images to one of three formats (JPG, PNG, Webp)
Create a slideshow from a folder of photos as a webpage
Make an Animated GIF from several images

Not sure how to add programs to the PATH on Windows 11? Let’s walk through that now.

Add Programs to the PATH

The way I do this is to put all the EXE files for the programs I installed (see list above) and put them into a single folder called “tools.” Then, I put this tools folder at the root level on my computer. You can find the root folder by going to your “My Computer,” double-clicking Windows (C:) and you will see a list of folders. This is where you can create a “tools” folder and/or drag your Tools folder there.

Here’s an excerpt of a video tutorial I made for a colleague. It shows you how to add a folder called “tools” (like the one shown above) to the PATH on Windows 11.

The main benefit of this? I don’t have to keep modifying my “Environment Variables,” that is, adding items to the PATH again and again. Instead, I simply put the new program into the C:\tools folder and it’s ready to go.

How BAT Files Work with Drag-n-Drop

Here are a few of the problems that I’ve asked ChatGPT to create bat files for me for:

Automatic media conversion to MP3/OGG/MP4. This bat file prompts me for the desired output format I want then gives me a smaller file in that format.
Batch image resizing and compression. This bat file relies on ImageMagick, compresses the image file, and then saves it with a new name.
Convert PDFs + text/Markdown into a single merged Markdown document. This bat file takes advantage of Xpdf tools to create a merged text file.

Here’s a demonstration video showing one in action:

Although I have set up various .bat files, for this blog entry, I asked ChatGPT to generate a menu of options file. This addresses a variety of needs you may run into (or at the least, that anyone working with video, images, and PDFs runs into from time to time).

Get the BAT file and custom instructions for mgConvertGPT, a ChatGPT Custom GPT I made that you can simply use. Of course, you can take all the info I have shared and make your own Project or Custom GPT, BoodleBox Bot, or Gemini Gem.

Generate Bat Files with mgConvertGPT

To assist you in creating your own bat file, take advantage of this custom GPT:

You can ask it to help you create a BAT file, as you can see in the screenshot below:

Simply click the “Copy code” button, open Notepad on your Windows computer, then paste in the code. Save it with a filename like “Compress_Video_For_Sharing.bat” into your C:\tools folder. Then, drag-n-drop video files on top of the bat file. You can drag-n-drop a single video file, several, or a folder’s worth.

Here’s what that will look like when you drop a video file on it:

That’s all there is to it! What other problems could you solve with Generative AI tools that might otherwise require a costly investment in software?

January 20, 2026 0 comments

AI/VR

Bridge Builders, Bot Makers: Spanning the Divide of Choice with GenAI

by Miguel Guhlin November 10, 2025

written by Miguel Guhlin

One of my favorite poems is Dromgoole’s The Bridge Builder. Part of my admiration for the bridge builder stems, not only from his selfless act, but also that he has the skill to build a bridge. Today, you and I both have access to powerful tools that enable us to build our own bridges.

Any educator starting with GenAI may be experiencing a bit of tool paralysis. But there are skills you can learn that make you effective—you simply have to choose which tool works best for you and use it effectively as an assistant in your problem solving process.

Avoiding Tool Paralysis

Choice boards are big, aren’t they? Students love them because they give them choice, an option to self-differentiate their own learning activities. But, put a human being in front of a display of tools and options, and our brains shut down. Which do we choose? Many of us are facing GenAI tool paralysis now, as these tools appear practically everywhere online. Even our computer operating systems and smartphones are sporting these technologies. If you are feeling paralyzed by the overwhelming amount of choices, the best path forward is to adopt a practical, privacy-first approach.

Start Here: Privacy as Your North Star

Before we dive into the approach, let’s address the elephant in the room: student data privacy. Here’s a quick checklist you can use:

Your Privacy Checklist:
✓ Who owns the data from AI interactions?
✓ How is student information protected?
✓ What permissions are required?
✓ Is there an educational privacy policy?

Use these basics with other tools, like TCEA’s PROTECT rubric (also available as a custom GPT) as the baseline for determining a tool’s safety.

Now, let’s take a look at a critical concept: the PRISM Framework. If I had to teach you one thing, it would be this. You can use it again and again.

The PRISM Framework: Your Decision-Making Compass

Before implementing any AI solution, run it through PRISM framework:

Patterns: What works in classrooms like yours?
Reasoning: Does this align with your pedagogical beliefs?
Ideas: How might this enhance (not replace) your teaching?
Situation: Which specific challenge does this address?
Methods: How will you measure success?

A simple framework that takes you from simple to complex use of GenAI tools in your classroom environment, school, or organization.

Context Is Everything

You may already know that GenAI tools are only as smart as their training. What you may not realize is that these tools that allow you to provide MORE context (such as BoodleBox Bots, ChatGPT Custom GPTs, Claude Projects, Google Gemini Gems). Think of it like giving directions with examples. The more specific you are, the better the outcome.

Note: In fact, I shared about this topic at my session, Building Knowledge Stacks, at the TCEA AI for Educators Conference (it may be too late to view the video, but you can see my session resources with cross Gen AI tool video tutorials). Want a Zoom or F2F professional development session? Reach out to me via mguhlin@tcea.org.

Your Context-Building Toolkit

To recap some of the key ideas, when building your custom Bot, GPT, or Gem (using BoodleBox, ChatGPT, or Google, respectively), consider gathering these key pieces. Please note that the instructions’ real example are shortened to keep this chart from getting overwhelmingly long.

What to Provide	Why It Matters	Real Example
Custom Instructions	Shapes every AI response	“Create 5th-grade reading questions using SOLO Taxonomy—start with multistructural, build to extended abstract”
Knowledge Bank	Grounds AI in your reality	Upload your actual rubrics, reading lists, and curriculum maps
Learning Goals	Keeps AI on target	“Help students move from identifying facts to synthesizing concepts”

Pro Tip: Spend 10 minutes uploading your key documents before your first AI conversation. This investment will pay dividends in relevant, aligned outputs. More importantly, it will save you tons of back and forth prompting trying to get the GenAI tool to understand what you want.

Transform AI from Tool to Teaching Partner

Often, people see GenAI as a vending machine—a quick way to short-circuit the tedium of work. That’s because so many see the time-saving benefits of GenAI. But with GenAI, like with carpentry, you want to measure twice before cutting. You’ll also need to make sure your materials are readily available, your tools are sharp, and that there’s a pencil tucked behind your ear.

Instead of treating AI like a vending machine, treat it like a collaboration partner or force multiplier. One way to do that is to use a process or method like the one below:

The 4-Step Collaboration Method

1. Start with Clarity
Instead of: “Make me a reading activity”
Try: “I need differentiated reading activities for my 3rd graders at three readiness levels.” I have a curated prompting workbook that I share with folks I provide professional learning to. But there are ample resources online for prompting help.

2. Show, Don’t Just Tell
Share an example: “Here’s an activity that worked well last week. Notice how it scaffolds from basic recall to critical thinking….” By explaining the result you want up front, you improve the probability you will get what you want the GenAI to put together.

3. Co-Create Your Formula
Ask: “Based on our conversation, can you write instructions that would help you create similar activities in the future?” This is the quick way to get the GenAI to make your next series of similar tasks easier. Now that you’ve gone through the process, you can have it build or customize your instructions to reflect that refined process.

4. Save Your Success
Turn those co-created instructions into a reusable template (future you will be grateful that you did). The way to turn those instructions into reusable template is simply to save them somewhere. Some people put them in Google Keep, a Google Doc, OneNote, or Joplin notebook.

Your Next Move

The path forward isn’t about using AI for everything or trying to learn every tool. Instead, analyze your problems and ask, “Will GenAI make a difference here?” Then, start with that one challenge, whether it’s differentiating reading materials or creating formative assessments. Remember to always put privacy first, build a rich context for your GenAI tool of choice. Collaborate and ask the chatbot to assist you. End with documenting your journey, and sharing it with others. Whatever you choose, remember:

Pick one tool, one task, and one hour. The future is for the bot builders—those who can look at the obstacles they face and engineer the tools they need to get the work done. I imagine building a bot to solve a particular problem rather than provide the entire solution—a critical component of a bigger process. What could you do if you understood how to build a bridge to span the divide?

November 10, 2025 1 comment

Adobe AI/VR Artificial Intelligence

The Ethical Power of Adobe Express and Generative AI

by Amanda Hunt November 6, 2025

written by Amanda Hunt

If you’re a K–12 educator looking to integrate creativity, storytelling, and ethical digital practices into your classroom, Adobe Express might be the best tool you’re not using (yet). With built-in generative AI, student-friendly guardrails, and a free price tag for all K–12 schools, Adobe Express offers one of the most accessible, secure, and ethically sound platforms available for student media creation today.

Let’s unpack what makes Adobe Express a standout in the ever-growing field of AI-powered education tools and why it’s more than just another graphic design app.

What Is Adobe Express?

Adobe Express is Adobe’s easy-to-use, cloud-based design platform tailored for quick creation of everything from social graphics and posters to videos, web pages, and more. But what sets it apart in 2025? Its newest features include generative AI tools like Text to Image and Text Effects, along with smart templates and quick actions that help students and teachers bring their ideas to life with ease.

But don’t mistake “easy” for “uncontrolled.” Adobe Express has carefully considered the ethics, privacy, and developmental appropriateness of AI tools used in K–12 spaces.

Ethical AI with Built-In Guardrails

The use of AI in schools raises critical questions:

How do we protect students from harmful or inappropriate content?
How do we teach ethical use while still encouraging creativity?
Who owns the AI-generated content?

Adobe Express addresses these concerns head-on. The education version of Adobe Express includes customized guardrails that ensure student searches are developmentally appropriate and safe. AI tools are built with moderation features that filter inappropriate prompts and visuals. In fact, student accounts are designed differently from adult accounts—when a student logs in, the experience is intentionally limited to prioritize safety and learning.

“When my students use the image generator, they’re amazed—but they’re also learning about bias, responsible prompts, and copyright. It’s a teaching opportunity.” – 8th Grade ELA Teacher

Adobe’s generative AI tools are trained using Adobe Stock and openly licensed or public domain content, so students can use what they create with confidence. Unlike other tools that pull images from the web without attribution, Adobe Express uses content it owns, ensuring clear, ethical usage rights.

Privacy That Meets Educational Standards

Privacy matters. Especially in schools.

Adobe Express for Education is COPPA and FERPA compliant, meaning it meets strict standards for student data privacy. Adobe doesn’t sell student data or use it for advertising. When students log in through school-provided accounts, their data is stored securely and used only to support learning.

Unlike some open-ended AI tools that ask for personal logins or collect usage data, Adobe Express for Education allows district-managed single sign-on options and centralized IT control. Teachers can assign projects, monitor student work, and collaborate without worrying about exposing students to external risks.

In short? It’s safe to use because it was quite literally built for schools.

A Tool That Supports Digital Literacy and Ethical Creation

AI is here, and it’s not going away. So, rather than shielding students from AI, Adobe Express provides a scaffolded, ethical on-ramp to explore its potential.

Teachers can use Adobe Express to guide students in:

Creating original artwork using Text to Image tools
Reflecting on how AI transforms design and writing processes
Evaluating prompt writing and responsible content generation
Understanding copyright, ownership, and citation of digital assets
Practicing digital citizenship and media literacy

Instead of simply consuming AI-generated content, students become critical creators—an essential skill in the AI-powered future of work and life. We don’t want a society of copy and pasters from ChatGPT. We want kids analyzing, comprehending, decoding and taking their learning to the next level.

100% Free for K–12 Educators and Students

Yes, really.

Adobe Express for Education is free for all K–12 educators, students, schools, and districts. This includes access to premium features, templates, fonts, stock images, and yes—AI tools.

Schools and districts can deploy Adobe Express through Adobe Admin Console or existing LMS platforms. Individual teachers can also sign up using a verified K–12 school email address. It’s a game-changing offering that removes financial barriers to creativity and access.

While other platforms offer similar tools, Adobe’s reputation in professional design gives students a future-ready skill set and teachers confidence in its safety and quality. Using Adobe Express early prepares students for Adobe Creative Cloud later, giving them a valuable head start.

Beyond Design: Real Classroom Applications

Adobe Express isn’t just for art class. Here are just a few ways teachers are using it:

English Language Arts: Students create character trading cards, blackout poetry, or book trailers using templates and image generators.
Science: Students design infographics explaining lab safety or data-driven posters visualizing environmental issues.
Social Studies: Students make “historical social media posts” or interactive timelines.
Math: Students create graphic stories that illustrate real-world math problems.
Library Media: Librarians guide students through digital storytelling projects or ethical AI exploration during research units.

Thanks to its intuitive interface and classroom-safe controls, Adobe Express empowers students to create polished, portfolio-worthy work across content areas. It even gives step-by-step written and video recordings for the Educator Resources so kids and teachers can learn alongside each other.

The Best-Kept Secret in Ed Tech—But Not for Long

Adobe Express for Education is one of the most robust, responsible, and forward-thinking tools available in K–12 digital learning. It supports both creativity and compliance, imagination and ethics. And it’s not just a tool for making things “look good”—it’s a platform for helping students do good with the digital tools at their fingertips.

As AI becomes more integrated into learning, platforms like Adobe Express provide the balanced, educator-approved pathways we need: student creativity supported by ethical design, safe usage, and meaningful guardrails.

If your school hasn’t started using Adobe Express yet, consider this your sign. The best-kept secret in education is finally out—and your students deserve to experience it.

Ready to get started? Visit https://edex.adobe.com/express to explore how you can bring Adobe Express and generative AI into your classroom—ethically, safely, and creatively.

November 6, 2025 0 comments

Educational Research Educational Trends Online Tools and Apps

Harnessing Visual Learning with Free Tools

by Miguel Guhlin July 8, 2025

written by Miguel Guhlin

Are you spending hours lining up ovals and squares in your favorite graphic organizer program? My routine involves crafting a first draft of my great ideas in concept maps that span pages. Then, I refine them into concept maps to share with others.

Visual learning facilitates comprehension for those who struggle with abstract concepts. Working through an academic text, I often make a concept map. Tools like Draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) and MXStudioGraph (see free AI tool to convert writing into code) can serve as essential instruments for creating clarity. How can you leverage these free tools and concepts in your K-16 work? Let’s see how to harness visual learning with these free tools.

Revisiting the Research

Wondering what the scientific consensus is on the use of visual tools for constructing knowledge? Consider these points about the power of graphic organizers:

Organize and comprehend information. Working at the Deep Learning phase, graphic organizers assist students in seeing relationships between ideas. This relational aspect, how facts and perspectives connect, reflects the Deep Learning phase (source).
Enhance critical thinking. Compare and contrast diagrams, as well as cause/effect organizers, encourage deeper processing of information (source).
Non-linguistic pathway to understanding. Students with learning disabilities (source) can benefit from diagrams with minimal words to organize their thinking.
Improve metacognition. Using organizers assists students (source) in seeing “the big picture” about text, stimulating meta-cognition (source).

You can find an overview of these ideas in the PRISM Framework, adapted from Biggs’ SOLO Taxonomy. What’s your plan for learning new information, to help you see the connections? Having a strategy is important. That’s why I like the PRISM Framework and use it when possible. One way to identify and see patterns could involve the use of AI to scaffold your awareness. But one can get lost in the dense thickets of academic text.

Diagram generated by the author using AI-generated MXStudioGraph code in Draw.io.

A Hattie Connection

These diagramming tools (e.g. Draw.io) support high-effect size instructional strategies. No doubt, you are familiar with John Hattie’s and Corwin Press’ Visible Learning MetaX database. When students visually organize information, they engage in deeper cognitive processing. A Deep Learning strategy, Concept Mapping has an effect size (d=0.66).

Note: Although I use the term “visual learning,” it should not be confused with the visual learning of discredited learning styles (e.g. Fleming’s VARK model featuring four sensory modalities to receive and process information, although they are really cool, they lack empirical evidence). Learning styles fall into neuromyth territory. Fortunately, we have evidence through high-effect size instructional strategies.

It assists students in building relationships between ideas and gaining a deeper conceptual understanding. With digital tools like Draw.io, students can link concepts, add explanatory text. What’s more, they can visually represent hierarchies and connections. This moves them towards the “Relational” and “Extended Abstract” levels of understanding as described in the SOLO Taxonomy. It aligns with the “Deep Learning” phase where learners integrate and connect knowledge.

Other related high-impact strategies that tools like Draw.io facilitates include:

Outlining and Organizing: With an effect size of 0.84, this strategy helps students structure information, which supports critical thinking and problem-solving. Draw.io can be used to create visual outlines that are more dynamic and interconnected than traditional linear notes.
Graphic Organizers: Tools like Venn diagrams, flowcharts, and cycle diagrams help students categorize information, see relationships, and reduce cognitive overload by breaking down complex information into manageable sections. The ALDO framework also points to the use of graphic organizers.
Computational Thinking. Consider that Decomposition might be another way to interpret helping students break down problems and information into easier to manipulate and solve chunks.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first. This article requires Generative AI use.

A Metaphor for GenAI Use

Generative AI can, focused on specific texts, identify big patterns. In this situation, use GenAI not as a final answer but as a cognitive trampoline that may launch your thinking in different directions.

Or consider it a stationary handrail to provide our brains something to interact with. Eventually, we can step away from this “barre work” to the center floor to think without support. But how do we shift AI provided text summaries, even of our own writing, into concept maps to help us identify previously missed connections?

Perhaps we can use GenAI like a ground penetrating radar to identify unknown connections between ideas. Then, with some elbow-powered excavation (I don’t own a mechanized excavator), we can dig out the deep conceptual understandings that may be there in our own work and that of others. Or, find them to simply be false echoes.

Whatever your metaphor, trampoline, the ballet’s barre work or ground penetrating radar, let’s take a look at a potential process using free tools.

This diagram was based on author’s text above, as processed by GenAI into MXStudioGraph code and rendered by Draw.io.

Free Tools

In this blog entry, I’d like to introduce you to two tools. The first is code-based, not unlike Mermaid syntax I’ve written about before. However, where Mermaid syntax results in a clunky concept map, MXGraphXML offers more beautiful creations and flexibility. To make generating code easier, use this free custom Bot I made for the purpose:

Get BoodleBox free for two months with the code “**MGFREE**” and **access the BoodleBox AI version of the Diagram Generator AI** (shown above). Or, if you are using ChatGPT, Access the ChatGPT version of the Diagram Generator AI to create MXStudioGraph code from a selection of text you provide.

Here’s what that looks like:

The BoodleBox Bot version of Diagram Generator AI in action, converting my prompt into diagram code.

This is the rendered code in Draw.io desktop app on Windows OS. You can get the same effect in Diagrams.net.

You will combine the MXGraphXML code with a free diagramming tool to get a concept map (as shown above) that you can modify and rework. Wait, before you panic, there’s no coding involved. Let’s get a little background on both tools.

AI Generated MXStudioGraph Code

MXStudioGraph is built upon the robust foundation of mxGraph. It is an open-source JavaScript library renowned for enabling interactive diagrams and visualizations. Educators and students can use MXGraph code to design, edit, and visualize a wide array of diagrams. This can mean creating anything from simple flowcharts to complex network structures. To keep things simple, students and staff control the generation of the code through natural language interaction with GenAI.

For example, to render the section of this text A Metaphor for GenAI Use, I used a simple prompt:

Use MXGraph XML code compatible with Draw.io to capture the key concepts in this selection of text: [A Metaphor for GenAI Use text]

This resulted in:

Gemini-generated MXStudioGraph code at author’s direction

Drawio A Free Accessible Diagramming Solution

The resulting code is useless to me without some way to turn it into a more visual tool. To accomplish that, I rely on the free, open source Draw.io that you can install on your Windows, Mac, or GNU/Linux computer (or access via diagrams.net). It is a fantastic tool I relied on as an educator and technology director for a variety of diagrams. It leverages the same mxGraph engine mentioned above.

Some benefits of Draw.io:

Completely Free: There are no hidden costs, subscriptions, or mandatory accounts. Both the online editor and the desktop app (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux) are available at no charge. If you ever had to justify purchasing Inspiration for a K-12 school district, you will appreciate such a powerful tool available for free.
No Account Needed: You or your students can begin diagramming immediately without the hassle of sign-ups or logins.
Flexible Storage Options: You can save diagrams to popular cloud services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, or directly to your device. You can run it without internet access, too.

Some other benefits? You can run it locally on your device or via the web. It also features integration with cloud storage if that’s a need (such as a Chromebook environment), and supports collaboration.

Unlocking Learning K12 Classroom Use Cases

Having students struggle with writing can be powerful. When you use GenAI as a way to convert student-authored content into a diagram using natural language, this means students might perceive their writing in a clearer fashion. They can see the relationships and concepts. What’s more, once the AI-generated MXStudioGraph code is in Draw.io, they can manipulate it to say what they want it to, restoring agency and ownership.

Some more uses:

Graphic Organizers and Mind Maps: Students can brainstorm ideas, map out complex concepts, and visually structure information for essays, research projects, or study guides.
Timelines and Story Maps: Ideal for social studies and literature, students can create chronological timelines of historical events they have created or develop storyboards to analyze narrative structures.
Scientific Illustrations and Process Flows: Labeling diagrams of biological structures (plants, animals), chemical processes, or ecological cycles becomes more interactive and clear with custom shapes and connectors.
Mathematical and Logical Reasoning: Construct Venn diagrams to explore set theory, build flowcharts to outline problem-solving steps, or even create geometric figures to support mathematical reasoning.
Collaborative Projects: The real-time editing feature empowers student groups to work together seamlessly on shared diagrams for presentations, group assignments, or inquiry-based learning activities.
Assessment and Review Tools: Teachers can design visual quizzes, create concept maps for review sessions, or use process flow diagrams to assess students’ understanding of sequential information.

Getting Started Is Easy

Get started by visiting the free online editor at app.diagrams.net or by downloading the desktop application.

Follow these steps:
1) Use your favorite GenAI tool, dropping text in with this prompt:

Use MXGraph XML code compatible with Draw.io to capture the key concepts in this selection of text: [text or link to text]

GenAI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Mistral.ai, Copilot, Raina have built-in support for MXStudioGraph. But, they can be finicky. To assist you in avoiding that, use the TCEA Diagram Generator AI (requires a free ChatGPT account).

Note: You can see an example of this earlier in this blog entry in the AI Generated MXStudioGraph Code section.

2) Copy the code

3) Paste the code into Draw.io on your computer or browser, depending on which you chose to install or use:

Then, paste the code:

4) Modify diagram, then save your changes. You can also export the diagram in a variety of formats:

Give it a go, it’s not as hard as you might think.

Harness Visual Learning Tools

Students will both have fun and extend their digital toolbox when creating visualizations. Digital tools like Draw.io can make that possible. Mix in GenAI generated MXStudioGraph XML code renditions of author-created writing. Free, avoiding student user accounts, usable from grade 3 through adult learners, AI-powered Draw.io offers a powerful choice to manipulate deep learning connections. You now have a tool to better identify and map deeper conceptual thinking in your own work or that of others.

But Wait, There’s More!

For more information on learning styles and implications for classroom usage, be sure to read:

Robinson, D. H., Yan, V. X., & Kim, J. A. (Eds.). (2022). Learning styles on trial: Implications for classroom instruction and student achievement. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90792-1 (Reviewed by Kassandra R. Spurlock)

July 8, 2025 4 comments