We have started seeing how AI can help us to do things faster and more efficiently. But it can also help us learn necessary content more quickly and easily. To discuss this, let’s take a look at Llama Tutor. (Please note that there are other AI products that can act as a personal tutor, include MagicSchool AI, Brisk Teaching, and Flint, to name just a few. I selected Llama Tutor for this test simply because of its low price.)
What Is Llama Tutor?
Llama Tutor is a completely free website that is designed to create personalized content for your interests at a variety of education levels. You can select elementary, middle school, high school, college, undergrad, or even graduate for the difficulty level of the content. Then enter a topic you want to learn about, and the site will create a personalized tutor for you.
Because the site is open source, you can even download it and run it on your own server (for district use, for example).
A Sample Tutoring Session
I tried an elementary level tutoring session on our solar system. Once I entered in my grade level and the topic, the tool gave me the following.
I was given with the basic information, followed by some “Fun Facts” and other related topics that I might want to learn about. I could then ask other questions or request that it quiz me on the content provided or even give me vocabulary words and definitions from the reading. It is able to provide instant feedback on user input, helping learners identify areas where they need to improve. This immediate feedback allows for quick corrections and a more efficient learning process.
Llama Tutor has a conversational tone to it, which makes it easier to engage with. And the cited sources are clickable, which means I can follow them for more learning.
While the site doesn’t provide any graphics of its own, it does link to reputable sites with graphics and videos.
How Reliable Is Llama Tutor?
LlamaTutor uses a Large Language Model (LLM) to search the web for relevant information using either Bing’s API or Serper’s API. It lists its sources on the right side of the screen so that you can check their authenticity. Because it uses the latest information from the web, it is always current.
Student data security is a critical component of any AI tool used, and especially for personalization of learning.
The Future of AI as a Personal Tutor
Finding time to individualize learning for the needs of each student is almost an impossible task for educators today. But AI tools like the Llama Tutor can help. This particular resource is a very basic one, and there will be more advanced models available. But the fact that it is completely free and can be run by a district on its own website makes it a powerful resource to check out.
What can education look like with the use of personalized tutors for each child? It’s not about replacing the teacher. Instead, it’s about allowing each student to learn at his/her own pace while the teacher works with others in small groups. It gives the teacher back time, which is a commodity that is always in short supply in the classroom. While there are definitely safety considerations to be contemplated and ensured, this approach can work for learners of all ages.