Ada's Kids & OpenAI: Empowering Teachers with AI Tools
Welcome to our professional development workshop designed specifically for K-12 and college instructors implementing the Ada's Kids platform. Over the course of our time together, you'll gain practical skills in AI fundamentals, prompt engineering, API integration, and curriculum design that will transform your teaching practice.
This comprehensive program combines hands-on exploration with collaborative planning sessions, ensuring you leave with both technical knowledge and classroom-ready activities. Whether you're new to AI or looking to enhance existing skills, our workshop provides the tools and support you need to confidently integrate these powerful resources into your teaching.

by Ryan Buchanan

Workshop Structure & Expectations
Our professional development program can be delivered as either two full days (four half-day sessions) or four weekly 2-hour workshops, providing flexibility to accommodate various scheduling needs.
By the end of this workshop, you'll be able to craft effective prompts tailored to student needs, navigate the Ada's Kids interface, troubleshoot API calls, and design at least one AI-enhanced lesson activity. The program balances technical skills with practical classroom applications.
AI Foundations & Ada's Kids Tour
Understanding AI in education and exploring the platform interface
Intro to Prompt Engineering
Learning design principles for effective AI interactions
OpenAI API Integration
Making API calls and customizing parameters
Lesson Design & Deployment
Creating and implementing AI-enhanced activities
Getting Started: Prerequisites & Setup
Successful participation requires basic computer literacy and familiarity with web applications. You'll need a laptop with internet access, a teacher account on the Ada's Kids demo environment, and sandbox credentials for OpenAI API access that we'll provide.
Before our first session, please complete three short preparation tasks. These will ensure you're ready to engage with the workshop content from day one and maximize our hands-on time together.
Sign Up for Access
Create your account on the Ada's Kids teacher portal using the invitation link sent to your email. This will give you access to our demo environment where you can explore features and test your implementations.
Secure Your API Key
Obtain your sandbox OpenAI API key from our workshop facilitator. Store it securely—never share or post it publicly. We'll use these credentials for all API exercises without incurring charges.
Complete Mini-Tutorial
Spend 15 minutes on our introductory REST API tutorial. This quick overview will familiarize you with key concepts we'll build upon during the workshop sessions.
Session 1: AI Foundations & Ada's Kids Tour
Our first two-hour session establishes essential context about AI in education while providing a comprehensive introduction to the Ada's Kids platform. We'll begin with an icebreaker activity to connect as a learning community before diving into core concepts.
Through guided exploration and hands-on navigation, you'll gain confidence in the platform's basic features. We'll examine both the student and teacher experiences, ensuring you understand the full ecosystem and can effectively manage classroom implementation.
Welcome & Icebreaker (10 min)
Connect with fellow educators and share your experience level with educational technology
AI in the Classroom (20 min)
Explore benefits, challenges, and real-world examples of AI applications in diverse educational settings
Platform Walkthrough (30 min)
Tour student/teacher dashboards, analytics features, and configuration options
Hands-on Navigation (30 min)
Practice logging in, launching a session, and navigating core features with guided support
Session 2: Introduction to Prompt Engineering
Effective prompt design is the foundation of successful AI integration in education. In this session, you'll learn how to craft prompts that generate useful, accurate responses tailored to your instructional goals and student needs.
Through comparative examples and guided practice, you'll develop an understanding of prompt components and design principles. We'll focus specifically on educational applications, examining how different prompting strategies can support diverse learning objectives across subject areas.
What Makes an Effective Prompt?
  • Clear instructions and expectations
  • Appropriate context and background
  • Specific constraints and parameters
  • Structured output format guidance
  • Examples demonstrating desired responses
Workshop Activities
  • Analyze prompt anatomy through examples
  • Compare weak vs. strong prompts side-by-side
  • Rewrite sample prompts for math tutoring
  • Learn iterative refinement techniques
  • Share improved prompts with colleagues
Session 3: OpenAI API Integration
Moving beyond the Ada's Kids interface, this session introduces you to direct API integration. You'll learn how to make authenticated API calls to OpenAI endpoints and customize request parameters to achieve specific educational outcomes.
Through live demonstrations and hands-on exercises, you'll gain practical experience with API interactions. We'll focus on educational applications, exploring how parameter adjustments impact the AI's responses and how to optimize these settings for different learning activities.

Authentication
Setting up secure API access
Parameter Customization
Adjusting temperature, tokens, models
Testing Environment
Building prompts in Postman
Iteration Process
Refining for optimal results
Session 4: Lesson Design & Deployment
Our final session focuses on practical classroom implementation. You'll learn to identify opportunities for AI integration within your existing curriculum and design activities that enhance—rather than replace—your teaching practice.
Through collaborative design, peer feedback, and structured planning, you'll develop at least one classroom-ready AI-enhanced lesson. We'll address implementation considerations including student guidance, response evaluation, and strategies for iterative improvement based on outcomes.
Identify Opportunities
Map your curriculum to find ideal integration points for AI tools that address specific learning challenges or enhance existing activities
Design Activities
Draft prompt-based tasks in small groups, focusing on clear instructions, appropriate scaffolding, and alignment with learning objectives
Gather Feedback
Exchange lesson designs with colleagues for constructive critique, identifying strengths and areas for refinement
Plan Implementation
Create a deployment checklist covering technical setup, student guidance, monitoring methods, and assessment strategies
Ongoing Support & Resources
Your learning journey continues beyond our workshop sessions. We've created a comprehensive support system to assist you as you implement Ada's Kids in your classroom and refine your AI integration strategies over time.
Our community-based approach connects you with fellow educators for collaborative problem-solving and inspiration. Technical resources provide reference materials and templates to streamline your work. The Ada's Kids team remains available through scheduled office hours to address specific challenges.
Documentation
Access the complete Ada's Kids teacher guide, OpenAI API reference documentation, and educational best practices through our digital resource library
Templates
Download ready-to-use prompt design worksheets, lesson integration checklists, and student guidance materials to streamline your planning process
Community
Join our dedicated Slack channel to connect with fellow educators, share successes, troubleshoot challenges, and exchange innovative implementation ideas
Office Hours
Attend weekly drop-in support sessions with our technical team for the first month after workshop completion to address specific questions
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