At the PLC at Work® Institute in Sacramento, educators gathered for collaboration, learning, and fun–leaving with clear minds and full hearts in the City of Trees.
Dr. Eric Twadell, superintendent of Adlai E. Stevenson District 125 in Lincolnshire, Illinois, sat down with us live at the event to talk about artificial intelligence (AI), the power of play, and how teachers can take back hours of their day.
Work smarter, teach better with AI
Dr. Twadell was an early adopter of AI. By starting early, Dr. Twadell and his team were able to get a head start on mastering tools.
“It really started with me and our team at Adlai Stevenson within days of ChatGPT being released,” Eric recalls. We literally spent a team meeting on ChatGPT and within an hour and half realized this is not a Google search. Within minutes we were designing lesson plans, we were creating ACT style reading passages; the applications were obvious to us of how much time this could save us as teachers in our day-to-day work.”
It was a light bulb moment for Dr. Twadell.
“I will never forget that meeting. It was one of the few times we played with technology and had an epiphany-type moment.”
Pro tip: Being an early adopter of AI tools isn’t just about tech—it’s about positioning yourself and your school for long-term success, adaptability, and leadership in a changing world. Attend a live or virtual event and learn more from our experts >>
Curiosity in the classroom goes a long way
When it comes to integrating AI tools into your everyday tasks, Dr. Twadell advocates play. AI activities done for enjoyment or recreation invite curiosity, experimentation, and joy—all of which are key to meaningful learning.
“Immediately we all [at Adlai E. Stevenson High School] started playing around with ChatGPT at home. And we realized this is a tool for day-to-day life, whether it’s meal planning, or doing financial analysis, or itinerary for trips, the applications and potential are endless.”
Pro tip: Taking a playful approach to learning tools like ChatGPT helps lower pressure, boost creativity, and make the experience feel more like exploration than work. Here are some engaging, low-stakes ways to dive in:
🎮 Turn experimenting with AI into a game
- “Stump the Bot”: Try to ask ChatGPT tricky or unusual questions and see how it responds.
- “Guess the Prompt”: Ask ChatGPT to generate something (e.g. a poem, drawing prompt, or code snippet), and then guess what kind of prompt could have created it.
- “Would You Rather – AI Edition”: Play creative decision-making games with ChatGPT and see how it justifies its answers.
Powerful strategies for teacher time management
Teachers are often being asked to do more with less—less time, less support, fewer resources. These challenges aren’t just frustrating—they can make it hard for teachers to do what they love most: focus on students and great teaching. AI tools can help alleviate some of these issues, says Dr. Twadell.
“Collaborating with thought-partners, doing the busy work of an intern, and scoring and grading student work–what we’re realizing is that these AI tools can save us a significant amount of time in all three of these areas.”
Pro-tip: AI can be a powerful ally for teachers, helping educators save time and improving quality of instruction and engagement). Here are a few ways how:
⏱️ Efficiency: Saving time on routine tasks
📝 Lesson Planning
- Quickly generate lesson outlines, unit plans, or daily activities.
- Adapt content for different grade levels or learning styles.
📋 Creating Materials
- Draft worksheets, quizzes, rubrics, and graphic organizers.
- Generate reading comprehension questions or writing prompts.
📧 Communication
- Help write professional emails to parents, administrators, or colleagues.
- Create newsletters or permission slips in clear, family-friendly language.
📊 Grading Support
- Suggest feedback for student work (e.g., writing comments for rubrics).
- Generate model answers or examples for grading consistency.
Listen to Dr. Twadell’s full interview to learn more about how AI can help you work more efficiently and effectively.
