Top 10 Components of the Perfect AI Prompt

As amazing as AI chatbots are, to get the best results from them it is important that we provide them with well structured prompts.

As the old saying goes "Garbage in, garbage out."

Now certainly if you are not interested in creating your own prompts, there are many excellent tools that will do the entire process for you such as MagicSchool, TeacherServer, Khanmigo Teacher Tools, Fobizz, Brisk Teaching and more.

However, creating your own prompts gives you much more control and flexibility. And it really isn't that difficult! Prompt engineering is a valuable skill for everyone to help us get the most out of our use of AI.

In this blog post we will explore my top 10 tips for creating the perfect prompt, as well as other prompt engineering resources and techniques. And as always, please share your suggestions with me. I am excited to learn with you!

Podcast Spotlight: Unpacking Education

I recently had the pleasure to be a guest on the "Unpacking Education" podcast from AVID.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love podcasts and am always mentioning something new I learned from one of them, so I was super excited to get to join an episode of this podcast.

The podcast is hosted by Paul Beckermann, Rena Clark, and Dr. Winston Benjamin and is described as follows:

If it relates to education and matters to you, we're talking about it on our podcasts. Unpacking Education shares in-depth conversations each Wednesday on timely topics with guests who share their expertise and experience-from teaching strategies, to educational technology, to equitable access to future-driven skills for all students.

I had a wonderful time chatting with the team about generative AI and how it can be used in K–12 classrooms, with specific examples of AI tools to try and practical classroom activities that can make a real impact with students.

Take a look below to listen to the episode, access the resources that I shared in the episode, and explore more about the podcast.

AI Prompting: Collaborative Prompt Technique

I have shared a lot of resources recently to support AI prompting for educators. These have included my collection of AI prompt libraries and my AI super prompt.

In both cases the idea has been that prompting an AI chatbot can sometimes be a challenge, as we are not always sure what to type in to get the best results.

Recently I learned about another great suggestion to improve prompting, which came from one of my edtech colleagues, Chris Deis from Grandview Heights Schools. I have been playing around with this new technique and have really been impressed with its ease of use and the quality of the results.

For lack of a better term, I am calling this process the "Collaborative Prompt Technique". Instead of trying to come up with the best prompt yourself, the idea is to:

• Tell the AI chatbot the task you want to accomplish
• Ask the AI chatbot what information it needs from you to do this
• Provide that additional information to the AI chatbot to get your result

This collaborative prompting technique is a great way to work with the AI to determine all the details needed for the best results. See below for the template I have been using for this approach, as well as three examples of how this works.

EdTech Links of the Week - 4-30-24

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

My HICE26 Sessions

I am excited to be presenting at the 2026 HICE Conference right here in northeast Ohio on June 2nd and 3rd.

This is the conference that we put on through my work at SPARCC and the Stark County ESC. It is a free, in-person event with over 130 sessions covering all areas of education, teaching, learning, technology, and more.

I even created a Gemini Gem to help you select the best sessions to match your interests!

If you are anywhere near the area, I encourage you to join us for this amazing conference! Here are the key details:

• 💡 High Impact Conference for Educators
• 📅 June 2-3, 2026
• 🏫 Lake Middle High School
• 📍 709 Market Ave SW, Uniontown, OH 44632
• 🔗 Website - https://bit.ly/summerhice
• 🎟️ Register for free - Google Form

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at HICE26, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

My 2026 MACE Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 MACE Conference in Manhattan, Kansas on March 5th and 6th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can access more MACE information and register for the conference at:

• https://mace-ks.org/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at MACE, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Promptember - 700 AI Prompts for Education

Over the past couple of years I have created and curated a wide range of example prompts for use with AI chatbots. As of my last count, I have over 700 prompts!

I share many of these in the various PD sessions I do on AI for schools and conferences around the world. However, I didn't really have one central, convenient place with all the prompts collected together.

To help with this, I have created this blog post and an associated Google Doc where all of these prompts can be found, copied, edited, and used however you need.

And what better time than September to have a "Promptember" event!

Over time I will continue to add to this list and will update both this blog post and the Google Doc. And please share with me your favorite prompts or collections. I would love to learn from you!

The Google Maps Mobile App Every Graduating Senior Must Have

It’s that time of year when schools are starting to wrap up. For most students this just means moving up to a new grade level. However for graduating seniors this means moving on. Perhaps to college or a job. Maybe in a different city or into a dorm or into their own apartment.

As exciting as this can be, it can also be a concern for parents regarding the safety of their children. When my daughter moved 150 miles away from home for college, I wanted to know she was safe. And now I have three boys who will eventually graduate and move on as well.

Technology has always helped me to stay connected with my kids no matter where they are. We have taken advantage of texting, phone calls, Google Hangout video chats, Facebook, and more. However, a mobile app based on Google Maps has recently been released that goes one step further to increase the safety, communication, and connection for our students as they move off on their own.

See below for information on this powerful new mobile app that every graduating senior should install and use. I would also encourage schools to share this information with their students and parents before the year ends and the students move on.

EdTech Links of the Week - 12-4-24

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

EdTech Links - Week of 2-23-26

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

EdTech Links - Week of 3-2-26

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

AI Tool Spotlight: TeacherServer

New AI tools for education are constantly being created. It can be challenging to stay up to date with what is new, as well as determine the value of each new tool.

To help with this I try to explore as many new tools as I can and then share my findings in my blog.

For this post we are exploring TeacherServer - https://teacherserver.com/

I had been hearing a lot about this tool recently and finally had some time to try it out. And I am so glad that I did!

TeacherServer is an AI prompting tool similar to MagicSchool, Khanmigo, Eduaide and others, where you choose a tool, type your details into a form, and the AI generates your content.

However, TeacherServer has some specific benefits:

• Absolutely Free - TeacherServer is free to use. No ads, no fees, just tools to help you teach.
• Amount of Prompts - There are currently over 800 prompt tools for science, social studies, math, reading, writing, art, music, PE, special ed, leadership, parents, higher ed, research, and more.
• Speed - TeacherServer uses a locally installed AI server, rather than going through ChatGPT, so you get super quick results.
• Full Privacy & Security - All data is processed locally and never stored or shared.

See below for a deeper exploration of this tool. As always please share with me your questions, comments, and suggestions.

EdTech Links of the Week - 1-22-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

EdTech Cool Tools - Honorable Mentions

Throughout the month of December I shared my "Cool Tools 2023" series where we explored some of the year's best tools for teaching and learning.

This year we focused on artificial intelligence tools and how they can be used in schools.

You can access all of the cool tools in the series as they come out at bit.ly/cool-tools-23 and in this Google Slideshow.

With all the amazing AI tools available, it just isn't possible to fit them all in a list of twenty-four. And it seems like there are new tools coming out every day! So as an extra bonus to the "Cool Tools 2023" series I am listing other AI tools that I wasn't able to cover as Honorable Mentions.

Some of these are favorites that I have used, while others are newer to me and I am still needing to explore them more. And of course this list is still far from complete.

Please let me know what is still missing from the list. I will come back to this post periodically to add more tools that I come across or that get recommended to me.

My 2025 NCTIES Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again be presenting at the 2025 NCTIES Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 5th through 7th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can access more NCTIES information and register for the conference at:

• https://www.ncties.org/2025-registration.html

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at NCTIES 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Gemini Goes Bananas: The Ultimate Guide to AI Infographics

Recently Gemini released a big update to their image generation feature (code named Nano Banana Pro). This new version is more powerful and capable than ever, allowing Gemini to make images that are more detailed, realistic, and accurate.

One of the most interesting use cases I have seen for the new image model is generating infographics. In the past this was not possible as infographics typically have a lot of technical details that have to be presented properly for the result to have any real value.

You can get away with having a few errors in a photo of a landscape, but not in a timeline where the details are essential.

With Nano Banana Pro we now have:

• Legible Text Rendering: Words are spelled correctly without the dreaded "AI gibberish" text.
• Search Grounding: Because Gemini uses Google Search, the content in the infographics is up-to-date and accurate.
• Spatial Reasoning: Because this model understands layout, the structure and flow of the infographic aligns with the content being communicated.

I have been playing around with this new feature for a while now and am excited to share some infographic examples it has created, as well as some helpful tips and tricks to get the best results. See below for all the details and be sure to share your creations and suggestions with me.

Join my Gemini for Schools Online Course

Google Gemini is easily one of my favorite AI tools for education. It has a robust free version with a wide range of powerful features, can be used with any age level, and comes with free data privacy protection for schools.

I use Gemini every day in my own work, and provide PD sessions on it all the time.

I am excited to be offering a 4-week online course on Gemini for schools starting this September. This is in partnership with EdTechTeacher and their collection of eight courses they are offering this Fall.

See below for all the details on my course and how you can participate. I hope to learn with you!

My 2026 NETA Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the 2026 NETA Conference in Kearney, Nebraska on April 30th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can access more NETA information and register for the conference at:

• https://netasite.org/?page_id=9458

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at NETA, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Recorded Webinar - Creating and Sharing Gemini Gems

I recently recorded a webinar about creating and sharing Gemini Gems.

If you are not familiar with Gems, they are reusable, custom prompts that save your best AI workflows for instant access, and they are a game-changer for educators!

In this deep-dive hands-on session we covered the following topics:

• 🔎 Explore Google's pre-made Gems and the 100+ Gems on my EduGems site
• 🛠️ Create new Gems from scratch
• 💬 Learn tips for effective prompting, reference files, and tool selection
• 🔗 Share the Gems we create
• 🗃️ Discover how to build a high-quality Gem repository for your staff and students

To learn all about creating and sharing Gems, see below to watch my recorded 1-hour webinar and to access the resources from the session.

Upcoming Webinar - Creating and Sharing Gemini Gems

I am excited to be presenting a free webinar about creating and sharing Gemini Gems.

If you are not familiar with Gems, they are reusable, custom prompts that save your best AI workflows for instant access, and they are a game-changer for educators!

In this deep-dive hands-on session we will:

• 🔎 Explore Google's pre-made Gems and the 100+ Gems on my EduGems site
• 🛠️ Create new Gems from scratch
• 💬 Learn tips for effective prompting, reference files, and tool selection
• 🔗 Share the Gems we create
• 🗃️ Discover how to build a high-quality Gem repository for your staff and students

See below for details to participate in this training:

• 💎 Your AI Treasure Chest: Creating & Sharing Gemini Gems
• 🗓️ Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026
• ⏰ 3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / Noon PT
• ▶️ The webinar will be live-streamed and also recorded for those who can't attend live
• ✅ Register at bit.ly/mar3gems or in this Google Form

I hope you will join me for this exciting webinar!