A trip to Athens and the world of artificial intelligence

Blog post by Kimmo Satola, mathematics teacher at Helsingin aikuisopiston peruskoulu

Starting the course and getting to know each other

As part of an Erasmus+ mobility period, I took part in a course in Athens called ChatGPT and Basic AI tools, where I learnt how to use artificial intelligence in teaching. The first day started in a warm and fun way: each of us went to the board and wrote our first name and an adjective that started with the same letter. There were lots of creative and funny combinations straight away, and the atmosphere relaxed quickly. After that, everyone introduced themselves and their work. It was interesting to hear about the different settings and roles the others work in, and at the same time to notice how much we have in common, even though we come from different parts of Europe.

Most of the participants in the group were from Spain, but there were also two from Portugal, two from Croatia and one from Italy. The international group made the discussions colourful from the very first moment. Many participants also came with a colleague, which brought its own dynamic to our work together. During the day, we also watched some short presentations that the participants had prepared about their own schools. It was interesting to see the different learning environments and priorities in the schools. Sometimes it felt like taking a quick look into a completely different world.

One of the highlights of the day was a discussion about the ethics of artificial intelligence. The topic turned out to be very current and complex, and the discussion moved from practical examples to thoughts about the future. We also did activities on the topic, which made us think a lot and gave us a chance to share views across countries and cultures. We talked, for example, about the possible threats of AI and how it might develop in the future. On the other hand, we also discussed the opportunities it offers. So the first day already gave a good idea of what the coming days could offer. It was great to see how quickly the group found a common rhythm and how keen everyone was to take part in the discussions and activities. A good start!

The real work begins

The second day started in a practical way: we dived into Trello, where presentations and materials about using AI in teaching had been collected for us. Trello worked as a kind of shared desk, where it was easy to follow different topics and try things out ourselves.

One big theme was using ChatGPT and adapting it to different situations. We looked at how to customise the settings with different ‘hats’: sometimes the model is an expert, sometimes a creative ideas person or a strict critic. It was fun to see how much the answers can change depending on the role you give the model. We were also reminded that you can upload pictures and files to a conversation, but it is better not to share Drive links, because they do not work as well. We also discussed what opportunities this opens up for working with students and how students could use these tools in their own learning.

An interesting side topic came up when we looked at AI detection tools. It quickly became clear that tools built to detect AI-generated content are not very reliable, because they make a lot of mistakes. This led to a good discussion about how important it is to focus on content and responsible use, not just on technical monitoring.

We also looked at the skill of prompting, in other words how much it matters how you phrase your questions and tasks. Concepts like role, perspective, method, interests and audience came up. We also practised building mega prompts and chain prompts, which are instructions in several steps that get much deeper answers from AI. In the afternoon, we did practical exercises with different chatbots. In addition to ChatGPT, we tested Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. Each of them had its own strengths and special features, and comparing them made the exercise especially rewarding.

One interesting new tool was NotebookLM, which you can use, for example, to turn text into a podcast, make a mind map or search for sources online. This gave me many ideas about how widely AI could be used in teaching. The day ended with more creative exercises in Padlet. We tested Padlet’s AI Art Studio, which you can use to create images, and its library, where you can collect and organise different content. It was great to see how the different tools complement each other and how quickly ideas start flowing when you can also try them out in practice.

All in all, the day felt intense, but inspiring at the same time. It felt like there were new possibilities at every turn, and sometimes I had to stop to catch my breath and think about what I could really take back to my own work.

A break in Athens

The next day started in a more relaxed way, when we got on a hop-on hop-off bus. We spent the morning driving through the streets of Athens and admiring the city’s most famous sights. This time, I decided to enjoy everything just from the bus. The view from the window was like a moving postcard, where ancient history and the modern city met.

The busy city, colourful streets and the sun reflecting off white buildings made the trip an experience in itself. The Acropolis stood proudly on its hill, with an endless stream of tourists around it. I thought that maybe another day I could walk up the same stone steps, but this time it was nice just to let the bus take me and give my eyes time to notice the details: small cafés, street art and busy markets.

The hop-on hop-off tour also gave a good overall picture of the city. It was easy to see how close together the ancient ruins, Byzantine churches and modern boulevards really are. Athens seemed to breathe many eras at the same time. So the morning passed calmly, looking around and wondering, a bit like being a tourist in my own learning process.

The AI journey continues

Next, we dived back into the world of AI. There were many new tools on the programme, and each of them opened a new door to possibilities in teaching. We started with MagicSchool, which turned out to be a versatile assistant for teachers. Its Worksheet Generator can make a worksheet with many different types of tasks from a file or even from a web page address. The idea that you could quickly turn an article into questions for students felt really useful. We also looked at Student Room, which is designed to support learning from the student’s point of view. After that, we tried Diffit, which has many different functions. In practice, you can turn almost any material into a version that suits learning.

There was also a lot of new things to learn about images and visual materials. We practised editing images with ChatGPT and Sora, and we looked at the different image styles in the material the teacher shared with us. Then we tried Leonardo AI, where you can choose different models, for example Lucid and Flux, and get very different results for the same image. One especially fascinating tool was pika.art, which can turn still images into videos, and some of the group made quite impressive ‘warrior animations’! It was fun to see how creativity takes off when technology gives you the tools.

We also looked at Gamma, which turns text into stylish presentations, either as PowerPoint or PDF. Many people felt it would be a practical option for everyday work. We also tested Prezi, which helped us make an impressive presentation easily. We tried the creative side with the music tool Suno, which uses AI to compose a song and even write the lyrics. It was fun to hear how quickly AI could make something that sounded like a real song.

The day did not end there. We also tried different tools for gamification and quizzes. Wayground.com (formerly Quizizz) offered familiar game formats, and Quizalize surprised us by using ChatGPT to create questions. By default, all quizzes are public, but you can make them private if you want. We also tested Question Well, which can turn a video into an interactive version. The day was full of tools, demos and exercises. At some point, my head felt full of new things, but at the same time it was inspiring to see how many ways AI can be used to support learning, help with teaching and spark creativity.

Final thoughts on the course

In the middle of everything new and exciting, we also stopped to think about the challenges of using AI and other apps. The first observation was that there is an almost endless number of apps, but the free versions are almost always limited. Either the time you can use them is limited or the number of tasks is reduced, which quickly makes you consider paid options. Another practical problem is logging in. It felt like every app has its own username and password, and remembering them all can be exhausting. When you jump between different platforms, the mess of passwords can be more frustrating than inspiring.

We also discussed how quickly these programmes can change. Today a tool may seem promising, but in a few months it may have fallen behind its competitors. This makes it difficult to use them in the long term. And maybe most importantly: data security. When you log in to services with your own account, giants like Google in particular try to collect all the information they can get. This led to a discussion about how careful users should be and how data protection must always be kept in mind, even when new tools tempt you to try everything straight away.

The last days and the journey home

The last day was relaxed and very different from the training days. I went to the beach with some of the group – or actually to several beaches – and we spent the whole day in 40-degree heat. The heat did not bother me. On the contrary, the sea air, the sun and the warm sand felt like the perfect end to an intense week. It was nice to see that the group got on well outside the classroom too.

The next day, it was time to go home. I travelled through Istanbul, where I got to experience one of the largest airports in the world. I had as much as ten hours between flights, so I had plenty of time to explore the cafés, shops and endless corridors of the terminal. The airport was like a city of its own, and in the end the time passed surprisingly quickly, even though I was starting to feel tired from travelling.

When I finally got home, I felt both exhausted and full of energy. The week gave me so much that it will surely take a long time to process it all. But the most important feeling was gratitude: I got to experience the power of an international group, try out new tools in practice and discuss topics that affect us all. Now everyday life continues, but I have brought back lots of ideas, inspiration and the courage to try new things.

So I came home richer in experience – and with many stories to tell.