The Prompt (Issue 1): School AI Strategy, Cartoons for MFL Vocabulary, and the Risks of Unregulated Chatbots

by Steve Robert – ICT in Schools Team

Welcome to Issue 1 of The Prompt, your weekly home for the tools and digital principles defining the future of education. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the educational landscape, our mission is to ensure that local settings stay safely and strategically ahead of the curve. Each week, we deliver essential updates explicitly curated to reduce teacher workload, save time, and enhance learning across our community.

πŸ“’ Setting Action: Please share this weekly tech brief with colleagues in your educational setting!

πŸ“… AI Champions Working Group

Haven’t nominated an AI Champion for your school or setting yet?

There is still time to join our working group and lead the change in your department.

To book a place or ask questions, please contact Julia Small at [email protected].

πŸ›‘οΈ Item 1: Managing AI Safety and Strategy in Schools

Is AI usage in your school safe, strategic, and effective? AI tools are already making their way into modern classrooms. However, leadership teams must ensure staff are following school-approved platforms to avoid the unintended consequences of misuse.

  • Follow Your Policy: Always verify that the generative tools you use align with your setting’s strict internal AI policy.
  • Don’t Have a Policy? Ensure your school nominates an AI Champion immediately, and reach out to the core ICT in Schools Team for direct support and custom resources.

Special thanks to Alan Ellis for compiling and providing the community presentation slides.

🎡 Item 2: Prompt of the Week – Creating MFL Visuals in Gemini

Bring foreign language learning to life visually! You can use Gemini to generate highly specific, dual-language cartoons to build custom vocabulary lists for your pupils.

πŸ“‹ The Template Prompt:

“I am working on learning [Language]. Please draw me a cartoon 4k image of a [Classroom Setting/Location] that is suitable for language learning. For each object in the scene, please write the correct name of the object in clear, legible text in two languages, in [Language] and in English. Double-check that all words are correct. Include the definite article and place the words in a text box. Add a title too.”

πŸ’‘ The Prompt in Action:

Try copying and pasting this explicit variation directly into Gemini to generate an immediate French lesson starter:

“I am working on learning French. Please draw me a cartoon 4k image of a kitchen that is suitable for language learning. For each object in the kitchen, please write the correct name of the object in clear, legible text in two languages, in French and in English. Double-check that all words are correct. Include the definite article and place the words in a text box. Add a title too.”

Teacher Workload Hack: You can modify this prompt to generate accompanying vocabulary worksheets or translate the setting into completely different target languages.

⚠️ Item 3: Dola – Friend or Foe?

Schools and parents need to be actively aware of the risks surrounding Dola AI and unregulated external chatbots.

Dola is an artificial intelligence chatbot app that is currently heavily marketed directly toward young people on social media platforms like TikTok. While marketed superficially as a helpful homework assistant, it presents serious safeguarding issues for children under its strict statutory usage age of 13.

Why Dola is a major classroom concern:

  • Weak Content Filters: The platform allows the generation of images and videos with highly fragile safety filters, risking immediate exposure to inappropriate themes.
  • Safeguarding Gaps: Dola entirely lacks functional parental controls and relies on unverified third-party bots, rendering student interactions unmonitored.
  • Academic Dishonesty: The “Homework” features actively encourage bypassing the learning process altogether rather than supporting structured revision.

Immediate Action Points for Settings:

  1. Inform Families: Advise parents to audit home devices for the app and discuss the vulnerabilities of unregulated AI.
  2. Staff Awareness: Ensure your educators understand the mechanics of companion bots to lead informed student circle times.
  3. Promote Safe Alternatives: Redirect your classes to school-approved digital learning resources that champion critical thinking.

πŸ—£οΈ We Value Your Insights!

Your field experience makes our community stronger. Please drop your success stories, questions, or classroom examples into our official anonymous AI Newsletter Feedback Form.

For queries or suggestions regarding upcoming technical digests, contact Steve Robert at [email protected].