Using AI for Worksheets? Seriously!?: Leverage PICRAT to Enhance Your Instruction

Outline

1. Introduction (5–10 minutes)
- Welcome and session goals
- Quick poll: current AI use in participants’ classrooms
- Overview of ISTE Standards and relevance to AI integration

2. Understanding the PICRAT Framework (15-20 minutes)
- Explain PICRAT (Passive, Interactive, Creative, Reflective, Active, Transformative)
- Examples of how each level appears in classroom technology use
- Interactive activity: Identify where current practices fall in the PICRAT matrix

3. Moving from Low-Level to Transformative AI Uses (15 minutes)
- Identify low-level (worksheets, basic tasks) vs. high-level AI applications (creative projects, collaboration)
- Group Discussion: What prompts might we input into AI to reach the higher levels of PICRAT?

4. Collaboration/Workshop Component (15 minutes)
- Interactive Document: Participants collaborate on prompts for AI that utilize PICRAT higher-levels
- Participants write/adapt AI prompts for their own classroom lessons
- Group trial the sample AI prompts aligned with PICRAT levels and then workshop what worked well and what might need to be adjusted
- Participant discussion

5. Wrap-Up and Reflection (5 minutes)
- Key takeaways and reflection on learning
- Q&A session
- Share resources for continued learning and PICRAT application

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to…

1. explain the PICRAT framework and how it supports reflective technology integration.

2. apply practical strategies for moving from low-level to transformative uses of AI in lesson planning.

3. design creative, interactive, and inclusive learning experiences that use AI and the PICRAT framework to promote deeper engagement and equitable student outcomes.

4. create and adapt sample AI prompts guided by PICRAT for use in their own classrooms to maximize AI’s potential.

Supporting research

Adair, A. (2023). Teaching and learning with AI: How artificial intelligence is transforming the future of education. XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students, 29(3), 7-9.

Gayed, J. M. (2025). Educators’ perspective on artificial intelligence: equity, preparedness, and development. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2447169.

Habib, S., Vogel, T., & Thorne, E. (2025). Student perspectives on creative pedagogy: Considerations for the Age of AI. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 56, 101767.

Kimmons, R., Graham, C. R., & West, R. E. (2020). The PICRAT model for technology integration in teacher preparation. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(1), 176-198. https://citejournal.org/volume-20/issue-1-20/general/the-picrat-model-for-technology-integration-in-teacher-preparation

Robert, A., Potter, K., & Frank, L. (2024). The impact of artificial intelligence on students' learning experience. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, 2(01), 75-84.

Sung, W., An, H., & Thomas, C. L. (2024). PICRAT Analysis of Technology-Integration Activities in US K–12 Public Schools. Computers in the Schools, 1-24.