In collaboration with Learning Genie

Education is evolving faster than ever. Artificial intelligence, personalized learning, and competency-based models are transforming the way educators determine the most effective ways to prepare students for the future. Even with so many options available, in my own experience and for others, the same curriculum may be used each year, in more of a one-size-fits-all format, rather than reflecting the diversity, creativity, and individual needs of our students today.

Each student brings their unique abilities, background experiences, and identities into the classroom. To continue engaging and empowering students in learning, educators need tools that provide robust options and possibilities. We need tools that help us design learning that is relevant, inclusive, and connected. An extra bonus is finding tools that save time, allowing us to spend more time with students.

I have enjoyed using Curriculum Genie, developed by Learning Genie. This innovative platform helps educators transition from traditional instruction to personalized and UDL-aligned learning, supporting the whole learner and also the competencies outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate.

Why Curriculum Needs An Update

A standardized curriculum was initially developed to promote fairness, ensuring that all students had access to the same information. But equal content doesn’t mean equitable learning. If lessons are not adjusted to meet student needs and are not more personalized, then they will fail to:

• Reflect students’ local cultures or communities, and authentic learning is lost.
  
• Connect abstract concepts to real-world experiences, reducing comprehension.
  
• Maintain student engagement when lessons feel irrelevant or disconnected.
  

As educators, we know the need for personalization, but creating differentiated lessons can be time-consuming and, at times, even overwhelming, as we worry about meeting each learner’s needs. Curriculum Genie removes that barrier by making relevance, accessibility, and inclusion achievable and in a platform that is easy to navigate and user-friendly.

Curriculum Genie: AI Meets Authentic Learning

Curriculum Genie is not just another planning tool—it’s an AI-powered educational design partner. It helps teachers build or adapt a curriculum that authentically and meaningfully connects to students’ needs and experiences.

✨ Key Features

1. Location-Based Unit Generation Educators can select a location (state, city, or region), and generate unit planners tailored to that specific place in no time at all. The examples, activities, and cultural connections align with the local environment, which makes the lessons more authentic and relatable.

2. AI Lesson Assistant Teachers can:

• Create new lessons in a short amount of time that reflect a specific location or cultural context.
  
• Transform existing lessons without rewriting them from scratch.
  
• Have a thought partner to build out a truly impactful lesson for students.

This flexibility empowers teachers to make any lesson more meaningful while saving hours of preparation time. The time saved can then be spent with students and colleagues, continuing to learn and grow together.

Generates interactive slides!

3. UDL-Embedded Supports Curriculum Genie doesn’t just create lessons; it also aligns them with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, helping educators plan for accessibility and inclusion from the start. UDL is a focus area for many educators, and making sure to provide the right supports and activities is key. Curriculum Genie helps with this. Why UDL?

UDL ensures multiple means of:

• Engagement: Connecting to student interests and motivation.
  
• Representation: Presenting information in diverse ways (visual, auditory, tactile).
  
• Action & Expression: Giving students options to show what they know.
  

For example, when designing a science lesson, Curriculum Genie might suggest hands-on experiments, visual diagrams, or video explanations to make sure that every learner can engage and succeed. For my STEAM course, I can create robust lessons focused on digital citizenship and wellness or other important topics that boost student engagement and make truly interactive lessons to amplify learning. How? Curriculum Genie provides all of the resources that I need to make a lesson successful, meaningful, and personalized to my students.

4. IEP and ELL Integration
Supporting diverse learners is a key aspect of Curriculum Genie’s design. It automatically weaves strategies for students with IEPs and English Language Learners, helping educators to build their instructional practices, too.

5. Portrait of a Graduate Alignment Many districts are focusing on the Portrait of a Graduate, and also, Portrait of an AI Graduate, which outline the essential skills our students need to be successful in the future. They develop skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and global citizenship.

Curriculum Genie helps educators design lessons that cultivate these competencies through:

• Real-world, problem-based learning grounded in local and global contexts.
  
• Collaborative and inquiry-driven activities that foster communication and creativity.
  
• Culturally responsive projects that honor diverse perspectives and promote empathy.
  

Using Curriculum Genie enables educators to connect academic standards with the Portrait of a Graduate competencies, which ensures that students learn more than the content; it helps them to build the mindset and skills needed for their future.

They also offer FREE K-12 Lessons on AI Literacy!

Free AI Literacy Courses for K–12 Educators

Another great feature offered by Learning Genie is that it provides free AI Literacy Courses for K–12 educators.

The courses are self-paced and help teachers and school leaders:

• Understand how AI works and how it’s shaping learning.
  
• Explore classroom-ready strategies for AI integration.
  
• Learn to design lessons that teach students to think critically about AI.
  

You can access these courses and learn more about Curriculum Genie at https://www.learning-genie.com/.

Transforming Education, Together

The future of learning depends on our ability as educators to make education more personal, purposeful, and powerful. Curriculum Genie offers guidance that helps educators move beyond traditional and one-size-fits-all instruction to learning that is inclusive, authentic, and future-focused.

More than just a platform with limited capabilities, through its integration of AI, UDL, Portrait of a Graduate competencies, plus the great and free AI literacy courses, Curriculum Genie supports educators with the tools to make it a reality.

If you’re looking for a new platform that will save you hours of time by addressing many important areas, then I definitely recommend that you dive into Learning Genie and explore creating with Curriculum Genie. I have been amazed at how quickly it creates, how responsive it is, and the quality of resources and materials that it shares for teachers. Learn more and request a demo at https://www.learning-genie.com/

About Rachelle

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.

Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915

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