EP 19| Use AI To Create Social Stories, Visual Schedules and Communication Boards

🟣🟢 What’s This Episode About?

In this episode of "Early Education in the Age of AI," Jodie explores how educators can use AI tools to speed up and simplify the creation of essential visual support resources including communication boards, visual schedules, and social stories. Hear practical ways to use AI as your personal special needs and inclusion assistant while maintaining your educator voice and knowledge of children's individual needs and learning goals.

🟣🟢 What You'll Find Out

• How AI can help you create professional visual supports in a fraction of the time
• Step-by-step processes for creating communication boards, visual schedules, and social stories
• Effective AI prompts you can copy and use immediately
• How to maintain your professional judgment while using AI as a collaborative partner
• Ways to connect your visual supports to educational frameworks
• Design tips for turning AI-generated content into engaging visual resources
• Ethical considerations when using AI to create resources for children

🟣🟢 Visual Supports Discussed

1. Communication Boards: Visual tools that help children express their needs, wants, and ideas
2. Visual Schedules: Sequential representations of activities or routines that help children understand their day
3. Social Stories: Personalised narratives that help children understand and prepare for social situations

🟣🟢 AI Assistant Tools Mentioned

• Claude by Anthropic: Great for detailed descriptions and developmentally appropriate language
• ChatGPT: Useful for structured formats like visual schedules or communication boards
• Specialised early childhood AI assistants (for Empowered Educator members): Penny Planning, Dottie Documentation, and Ellie EYLF

🟣🟢 Try These Prompts With Your AI Assistant

💬 Communication Board Prompt: 

"I'm an early childhood educator creating a communication board for three to four year olds to use during meal times. Please suggest 20 to 25 words or phrases that would be most useful, organized into logical categories. The children in my group have diverse cultural backgrounds, so please ensure the vocabulary is inclusive of different food preferences."

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