You absolutely can learn AI tools informally — and for most educators, informal learning is actually more effective than taking a course. The best AI skills come from regular use on real tasks, not from structured lessons. A course can be helpful for building a foundation, but it’s not required.
Why Informal Learning Works So Well for AI
AI tools are designed to be conversational. You type something, it responds, you adjust. That loop — prompt, result, refine — is the whole skill. It’s like learning to have a better conversation. You don’t need a conversation course. You need to have more conversations.
Compare it to learning a new kitchen appliance. You could watch a 10-hour course on your new stand mixer, or you could just start making bread with it. You’ll figure out the speed settings, learn what “fold” means, and discover that you’ve been overmixing by the second attempt. AI tools work the same way. The tool teaches you through use.
When a Course Actually Helps
There are situations where a structured course makes sense. If you don’t know what AI can do at all — if you’ve never used ChatGPT or Claude — a short introductory course can save you from the blank-page problem. A good beginner course shows you the five or six things AI is genuinely useful for, gives you starter prompts, and gets you past the awkward first attempt. That can be done in a few hours, not weeks.
The other scenario is when you want to build something specific — like an AI-assisted grading workflow, or an automated content pipeline using WordPress and Claude. That’s a project course, not an AI course, and the value comes from the specific implementation guidance rather than general AI knowledge.
What This Means for Educators
As someone who teaches others for a living, you already know that the best learning happens through practice, not passive consumption. Apply that same principle to your own AI journey. Start with 15 minutes a day using AI on real work. When you hit a wall — and you will — search for the specific answer to that specific problem. That targeted learning sticks far better than trying to absorb everything upfront.
The Bottom Line
Give yourself permission to learn AI the messy, informal way. Open ChatGPT or Claude, paste in a real task, and start experimenting. If you find yourself wanting more structure after a week or two of informal use, then a short course can fill in the gaps. But don’t wait for a course to start — the tool is the teacher, and it’s available right now.