Megan Brady, OWLA Immediate Past President and Awards Chair
Spanish Teacher, Lake High School

What if I told you that the activity packet you spent 90 minutes creating last week could have been done in 15 minutes? And what if that same tool could help you find authentic resources, differentiate for three levels simultaneously, and respond to that parent email you’ve been dreading—all before your planning period ends?

I know, I know. You’ve heard the AI hype. Maybe you’ve even tried it and got underwhelming results. But here’s the truth: AI isn’t about adding to your workload. It’s about reclaiming your time so you can do more of what actually matters—building relationships with students, creating culturally rich experiences, and maybe even leaving school before 5 PM.

Let me show you three things you can try right now.

Try This Today: The 5-Minute Differentiation Hack

You know that activity you just created for your Spanish 3 class? The one that’s perfect for most students but too challenging for a few and too easy for others? Open Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini (all free), paste your activity, and type: “Create three versions of this: one for novice learners with sentence frames, one standard version, and one advanced version with minimal scaffolding. Keep the same theme and learning objective.”

I did this with a “Find Someone Who” activity about hobbies. The novice version had sentence frames and yes/no questions. The intermediate version required short answer responses. The advanced version asked students to explain why they liked the activities and to compare their preferences. Same core activity, three proficiency levels, seven minutes of work.

Here’s why this matters: John Hattie’s research shows that timely feedback has an effect size of .82—one of the highest impacts on student learning. But we can’t give timely, meaningful feedback when we’re drowning in prep work. When AI handles differentiation in minutes instead of hours, you suddenly have time for what actually moves the needle: specific, personalized feedback that helps students grow.

Try This Tomorrow: Hunt for Authentic Resources (With a Smart Assistant)

Finding authentic resources appropriate for our students’ levels is often harder than creating the activities themselves. We’ve all spent 45 minutes scrolling through Spanish-language news sites trying to find one article that’s just right.

Ask AI: “I teach French 2 (Novice High) to 10th graders. We’re studying environmental issues. What types of authentic resources would work well for this level and topic? Tell me specific search terms to use, which news sites or platforms to check, and what to look for in a good authentic resource.”

The honest truth: AI won’t always give you direct links that work. But what it does brilliantly is act as your brainstorming partner—suggesting resource types you hadn’t considered, reminding you of platforms you forgot about, and giving you targeted search strategies that cut your hunting time in half.

Then, once you find a resource, upload it to NotebookLM (also free) and ask it to create a complete lesson packet: vocabulary preview, comprehension questions, discussion prompts, and extension activities. The AI even has a podcast feature that can turn a dense article into a conversational audio piece for listening practice.

Try This All Year: The Template That Keeps On Giving

Create one really good prompt, and you’ll use it all year. Here’s my go-to for task cards:

“I teach [language] at [level], with mostly kids at [ACTFL level]. Create 35 task cards about [topic]. Include 12 cards at a basic level, 12 at a medium level, and 11 that will stretch them a little further. Each card should require students to [specific skill]. Use vocabulary related to [themes]. Format with numbers and clear instructions in [target language].”

I keep this saved in a Google Doc. When I need task cards, I just fill in the brackets and paste them into AI. Thirty-five task cards in seven minutes. I always ask for more than I intend to use—that way I can choose the best 25. Have a specific vocab set you want to use? Paste it in there and tell AI to use these words as targeted practice.

But Wait—There’s a Catch (Sort Of)

The first output is rarely the final product. Think of AI like a conversation with a helpful colleague who needs feedback. When the activity is too bland, too hard, or culturally stereotypical, you just tell it: “Make this more engaging for teenagers” or “Add cultural authenticity from multiple regions.”

This back-and-forth takes practice. You need to know the “magic words” that get you from mediocre to classroom-ready. You need to understand when to iterate and when to start over. And you need to know the common pitfalls—because AI will default to stereotypes unless you guide it, and grammar explanations can be inaccurate if you don’t double-check.

That’s where the deeper learning comes in.

This Isn’t About Technology

AI isn’t going to build relationships with your students. It won’t make sense when your 4th-period class needs a brain break. It won’t comfort a crying student or celebrate when someone finally masters the subjunctive.

That’s your job. That’s the irreplaceable, uniquely human work of teaching.

But AI can give you the time and energy to do that work well. It can handle the repetitive tasks that leave you exhausted. It can free up your cognitive load so you’re present for the moments that matter.

The teachers I know who are using AI effectively aren’t working less—they’re working smarter. They’re differentiating more. They’re incorporating more authentic resources. They’re providing better feedback. They’re actually implementing the creative lessons they’ve always wanted to try but never had time to prep.

And they’re leaving school at reasonable hours with energy left to be the spouse, parent, and friend they want to be.

Come Learn the Full System

At OWLA on March 19–21, I’m leading a 50-minute session and a 3-hour workshop that will transform how you think about lesson planning, and my colleague, Nicola Work, is also doing a workshop.

AI on the Fly: How to Use Your New Assistant, Tired of Worksheets? AI to the Rescue!, and Rock Your Language Class with AI will cover free, user-friendly AI tools that are actually helpful for language teachers—not generic teacher AI that doesn’t understand proficiency levels and cultural authenticity. Hit all three to really dive in!

The Bottom Line

AI can’t replace your expertise. You’re still the one who knows your students, makes in-the-moment decisions, and builds relationships.

But AI can handle the time-sucking tasks that leave you exhausted. It can help you differentiate more effectively and spend less time on busy work, so you have more energy for the human work of teaching—like providing the timely, specific feedback that transforms student learning.

The question isn’t whether AI will change education—it already has. The question is: will you harness it to become the teacher you’ve always wanted to be?

I’ll see you on March 19. Bring your laptop, bring your skepticism, and bring at least one unit you’re tired of planning from scratch.

Let’s cut your prep time in half and get kids communicating!