AI Bytes Episode 8 – ESL Made Easier

Apparently AI image generators still can’t spell – ironic given that the image is a book on grammar…

Twee is a powerful gen AI-powered planning and resource creation tool specifically aimed at ESL courses following the CEFR levels to target the content and output.

I’ve just started using this platform as I’m now doing a short introduction to an ESL qualification, and frankly, this has been a bit of a game-changer.

Now I know there are those out there who have a real issue with AI wrappers, but we need to consider what this is: a task-specific tool that replaces the textbooks and worksheet packs that are often used in ESL courses. This is an example of the application of generative AI in a specific educational context, and it actually works quite well.

The text and question generators can be pitched according to the language competency, and I’ve found that the text creator tool does a good job of creating supplemental material to go with things that I’m providing to the students.

While iteration isn’t possible, there is quite a lot of fine-tuning that can be done, and the results are not bad. If you want to fine-tune them, you could always take the result and edit it or run it directly through the LLM of your choice.

There are a ton of nice tools, from multiple-choice questions to gap-fill creators, and the UI is really intuitive. I particularly like the fact that you take a text as a starting point, and from there, you can create multiple tasks and resources with the same source.

I’ve used this to create introductory resources to topics where I then use real-world texts. I’ve preloaded vocabulary and started to introduce different text types. This has been and will continue to be my go-to resource for this short course, and it has been a great help given my relatively limited experience with ESL courses (I have completed an ESL course and worked with functional skills, but I’ve always worked with ESL specialists who were responsible for delivering this kind of content).

The platform is a freemium model, and to export the content directly to a third-party application like Google Docs does require a subscription, but I just highlighted and pasted whatever I needed and dropped it into my medium of choice.

I found linking this with Quizizz produced a nice workflow for the classroom – taking paper-based reading and then gamifying the exercises.

+ Nice UI
+ Well tuned to the CEFR levels
+ Good range of tools

– No iterations available
– Fremium model means much of the functionality is behind a paywall

This one is definitely worth checking out if you want to bring a bit of variety to your language teaching and you’re not yet fully au fait with the frontier LLMs.

Another big thank you to Theodosis Karageorgakis of Educraft for bringing this one to my attention – if you aren’t already following him check out his Instagram feed in particular for some great leads on apps, websites, extensions and generally all things EdTech. Check out the video about Twee here: https://youtu.be/l2yd0hZlIXk