Seven years ago, I had the idea, thinking how cool it would be, to have an advent calendar that revealed a helpful EdTech tool or platform each day throughout December in the run up to Christmas. And so the Appvent Calendar, sharing 24 days of EdTech magic, was born.
This year, the 2024 Appvent Calendar brings you #24DaysOfAi, packed with tools and platforms with insights aimed squarely at helping create a meaningful impact in the classroom and education. We don’t just highlight tools and platforms, we focus on how they can transform teaching and learning, with practical advice that ensures they work for you and your students.
Today, on Day 1, we launch with Flint, an innovative platform that redefines what Ai can achieve in schools. Join us over the next 24 days as we showcase the very best in educational technology, sharing tools and strategies to help you stay ahead in the ever-changing world of EdTech.
Let’s open the first door and get started!
Flint is a platform that teachers can use to create Ai tutors to help personalise learning for students.
AI tool of the day:
Flint can be used in both primary and secondary schools across multiple subjects and topics.
Web-based, Flint can work on any internet-enabled device. It is free for up to 80 students so teachers can get started easily without making an upfront commitment.
Educational Benefits:
Flint is a web-based platform that helps teachers create personalised Ai tutors to guide student learning without completing tasks for them. Using teacher-uploaded materials or ChatGPT-4 Omni, Flint supports students across subjects while maintaining academic integrity.
Teachers benefit from tools to monitor interactions, provide feedback, and access analytics to identify learning gaps. With free access for up to 80 students, Flint is an accessible way to integrate Ai into teaching effectively.
Flint has been designed specifically for schools. Teachers can see student messages and receive a summary of interactions between students and the tutor bot. It is also possible for teachers to leave comments for students so they can make better use of the Ai tutor when learning.
It’s also great to see that academic integrity has been factored into the design of this tool. Crucially, students cannot ask the tutor to complete work for them. If a student asks the bot to write an essay or complete homework they will receive a response indicating that the bot has been designed to provide guidance, not answers.
This video shows how teachers can set up an Ai tutor in Flint:
As mentioned in the video the bot can use materials uploaded by the teacher or pull from the web using Chat GPT-4 Omni.
Practical Application:
Individual tutors can be created to help students prepare for exams in different subject areas. The picture below shows lots of examples of bots that could be created by teachers or students:
At the primary school level, students can take photos of their work and use a tutor to help make improvements and corrections. Once again, it’s essential to understand that the bot has been programmed to function as a guide.
Another great feature of Flint is how easily teachers can share content with students. It’s simply a matter of generating a link that can be shared via an LMS.
A teacher can fine-tune the bot by altering the helpfulness level and creating a mock conversation to see how it typically interacts with students.
Tutor analytics allows teachers to gain insight at a class level and identify topics that students struggle with.
Considerations and Tips:
Whilst Flint is free for up to 80 users, full pricing is available here.
Under the hood, Flint uses various technologies as can be seen here:
As is the case for all Ai tools, teachers and students are encouraged to check responses for bias and accuracy.
As with all the tools we review, teachers must consult their school’s data protection officer to check compliance before creating student accounts.
Learn more about Flint by visiting their website or by checking out their social media.
Stay Ahead with AI in Education:
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You can also follow Global EdTech on Bluesky (@globaledtech) Twitter/X (@global_edtech), and connect with us on LinkedIn for more innovative ideas and discussions.
