The Goal for Week One Is Familiarity, Not Mastery
Your only job in the first week is to get AI out of the category of "scary new technology" and into the category of "tool I actually use." That means doing small, low-stakes tasks that connect to work you already do — not trying to automate everything at once.
Five Things to Try in Your First Week
Day 1 — Ask it to explain something. Pick a concept from your teaching area and ask AI to explain it in plain language. For example: "Explain the difference between formative and summative assessment to someone who has never taught before." Read the response and see if it’s useful.
Day 2 — Ask it to rewrite something you wrote. Take a paragraph from your website, a course description, or an email you recently sent. Paste it in and ask: "Rewrite this to sound more conversational and approachable." Compare the two versions.
Day 3 — Use it for a question you would normally Google. Instead of searching, ask AI directly. Try something like: "What are three good icebreaker activities for an online workshop with adults?" See how the answer compares to what you would find through Google.
Day 4 — Ask it to help you make a decision. Give it a small business or teaching decision you are working through. For example: "I am trying to decide whether to offer a live cohort or a self-paced course. What questions should I be asking myself?" Use the response as a thinking partner, not an authority.
Day 5 — Ask it something you think it probably cannot do well. Try to find its limits. Ask something very specific to your niche or your personal situation and see where it falls short. This is one of the most useful things you can do — learning what AI is bad at is just as important as learning what it is good at.
What to Notice As You Go
Pay attention to: when the response is immediately useful, when it needs heavy editing, and when it completely misses the point. These observations will shape how you use AI for the rest of your career.
You do not need a plan to use it "correctly." Curiosity is the skill. Use it like you would a new piece of software — click things, try things, see what happens.