Community

In my classroom, Merlyn has been a game-changer

By Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth
October 8, 2024

I love trying new technologies in my classroom, especially emerging tech such as AI. I first learned about Merlyn – the voice-enabled AI assistant for educators – at a recent conference, and I was amazed.

During the session, the presenter used Merlyn to seamlessly drive her presentation with her voice. I noticed that she saved so much time that typically is spent managing a presentation from the computer at the front of the room. With Merlyn, she was free to move around the entire room, even offering attendees – including me – a chance to try this new solution.

The conference session was so much more interactive than normal, and I knew then and there that Merlyn could be so beneficial in K-12 classrooms. For the past few weeks, I’ve been piloting Merlyn in my classroom and professional development sessions.

In my seven years of teaching and integrating AI into education, I've encountered countless tools that promise to revolutionize the classroom. Some deliver amazing and impactful benefits to learning, but many fall short. In my experience, Merlyn stands out as a game-changer for educators and students.

What I love most about Merlyn is being able to manage classroom technology from anywhere in the room.

Since I started using Merlyn, I’m more present, and I’ve noticed students are asking more questions and experience a deeper engagement with the material. This has led to more robust and comfortable discussions and fosters a classroom culture that thrives on engagement and curiosity.

The balancing act

In today’s fast-paced world of education, teachers are tasked with juggling multiple roles – educator, counselor, administrator, and more. While technology has the potential to simplify some of these tasks, it can also create complexity, especially when it comes to learning how to use a new tool and becoming familiar with the best ways to leverage it for student impact. This is where Merlyn comes in.

Merlyn helps teachers to better manage and balance their time. Even better, it helps boost teacher presence and create meaningful engagement and learning experiences in the classroom. On top of that, students are seeing appropriate and beneficial uses of AI.

What is Merlyn?

Merlyn is an AI assistant that brings the power of voice control into the classroom. Merlyn comes with a simple setup that includes a remote control, a USB receiver, and a browser extension. Within only a few minutes, you are ready to experience the power of Merlyn. If you’re using a PC or Mac, Merlyn integrates with your existing technology infrastructure, which allows educators to focus less on managing different devices and more on teaching and working with our students and involving them in the learning process.

Merlyn helps educators simplify everyday instructional workflows. With Merlyn, we can quickly set timers, control presentations, play videos, access learning apps, and even get answers to student questions in real time. Merlyn is a tool that helps us manage the increasing demands of classrooms without losing sight of what matters most – student engagement and success.

Here’s how Merlyn made a difference for me:

Saving time and increasing efficiency

One of the most significant benefits of Merlyn is its ability to save time. Have you ever experienced this? You’re mid-lesson, and a student asks a question that requires you to stop and sort through multiple tabs or applications for an answer. With Merlyn, you simply use your voice to pull up the relevant information or switch between applications. The voice control eliminates the need to pause, allowing the lesson to continue smoothly and save time that would otherwise be lost. Plus, it keeps your students connected and engaged.

Another favorite function of mine is the voice-controlled timer. When I use station rotations, it’s a challenge to keep track of time. In my Spanish classes, I now quickly use a timer to prepare my students for transitions and not lose valuable time.

One of the most significant benefits of Merlyn is its ability to save time, says Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth. (Submitted by Dr. Poth)

Setting timers is easy with Merlyn. All you need to do is say, "Set a timer for 30 seconds," and that’s it! Need to pause or cancel it? No worries! Merlyn can handle that as well. Being able to leverage these options through automation reduces interruptions and helps maintain the flow of a lesson. It also helps provide more guidance and support for students to know how to manage their own time while working.

Automating instructional workflows

What I love most about Merlyn is being able to manage classroom technology from anywhere in the room. Being free from my computer and able to move around is greatly beneficial. In the past, there were so many times I had to rush to the front of the room to control my presentation or shift between tabs on my screen. Those days are over.

Now, I can quickly pull up a PowerPoint presentation, show a video, or navigate my Google Drive without returning to my computer. What a time-saver! With Merlyn’s voice control, all these tasks are just a command away, and I can stay focused on my students, which is what matters the most!

Answering questions in real-time

Merlyn offers great benefits for students too. With many of my routine tasks automated, I can spend more time focusing on students’ individual needs, leading to more personalized instruction.

One of Merlyn’s standout features that I really appreciate is its ability to answer student questions in real time. Built on the first large language model specifically designed for education, Merlyn provides K-12-appropriate answers and relevant images.

Merlyn’s content is pulled from educational resources, not the entirety of the internet, minimizing hallucinations and inaccurate responses, which is a concern when it comes to AI in the classroom.

AI and the future of learning

As teachers are being asked to do more with less, taking on more responsibilities and balancing a seemingly endless list of tasks, a tool like Merlyn is essential for ensuring that educators can focus on what truly matters – student engagement and success. With Merlyn, I love that I regain some of the time I lost.

In my experience, Merlyn empowers educators to be their best and provides students with the opportunity to explore and learn in new and exciting ways and in ways that promote student agency. For teachers like me, Merlyn is not just a tool – it’s an AI superpower that helps us do what we do best: teach!

Dr. Poth was given a free pilot of Merlyn, and this is a sponsored post.

About the Author

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher of Spanish and STEAM: Emerging Technology. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, a Master’s, and a Doctorate in Instructional Technology. Rachelle specializes in Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, AR/VR, Cybersecurity, SEL, and STEM. She has more than seven years of teaching and presenting on AI in her classroom and working with educators worldwide.
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and several presidential gold and silver awards for volunteer service. Rachelle presents regularly at conferences and provides professional development and coaching for educators as well as keynotes with a strong focus on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, AI and the Law, Cybersecurity, SEL, and STEM.

She is the author of nine books, including her most recent book, "How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities Into Any Content Area." Contact Rachelle via www.Rdene915.com or bit.ly/thriveineduPD.

All Posts

In my classroom, Merlyn has been a game-changer

Community
October 8, 2024
By Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth
Image credit: Adobe

I love trying new technologies in my classroom, especially emerging tech such as AI. I first learned about Merlyn – the voice-enabled AI assistant for educators – at a recent conference, and I was amazed.

During the session, the presenter used Merlyn to seamlessly drive her presentation with her voice. I noticed that she saved so much time that typically is spent managing a presentation from the computer at the front of the room. With Merlyn, she was free to move around the entire room, even offering attendees – including me – a chance to try this new solution.

The conference session was so much more interactive than normal, and I knew then and there that Merlyn could be so beneficial in K-12 classrooms. For the past few weeks, I’ve been piloting Merlyn in my classroom and professional development sessions.

In my seven years of teaching and integrating AI into education, I've encountered countless tools that promise to revolutionize the classroom. Some deliver amazing and impactful benefits to learning, but many fall short. In my experience, Merlyn stands out as a game-changer for educators and students.

What I love most about Merlyn is being able to manage classroom technology from anywhere in the room.

Since I started using Merlyn, I’m more present, and I’ve noticed students are asking more questions and experience a deeper engagement with the material. This has led to more robust and comfortable discussions and fosters a classroom culture that thrives on engagement and curiosity.

The balancing act

In today’s fast-paced world of education, teachers are tasked with juggling multiple roles – educator, counselor, administrator, and more. While technology has the potential to simplify some of these tasks, it can also create complexity, especially when it comes to learning how to use a new tool and becoming familiar with the best ways to leverage it for student impact. This is where Merlyn comes in.

Merlyn helps teachers to better manage and balance their time. Even better, it helps boost teacher presence and create meaningful engagement and learning experiences in the classroom. On top of that, students are seeing appropriate and beneficial uses of AI.

What is Merlyn?

Merlyn is an AI assistant that brings the power of voice control into the classroom. Merlyn comes with a simple setup that includes a remote control, a USB receiver, and a browser extension. Within only a few minutes, you are ready to experience the power of Merlyn. If you’re using a PC or Mac, Merlyn integrates with your existing technology infrastructure, which allows educators to focus less on managing different devices and more on teaching and working with our students and involving them in the learning process.

Merlyn helps educators simplify everyday instructional workflows. With Merlyn, we can quickly set timers, control presentations, play videos, access learning apps, and even get answers to student questions in real time. Merlyn is a tool that helps us manage the increasing demands of classrooms without losing sight of what matters most – student engagement and success.

Here’s how Merlyn made a difference for me:

Saving time and increasing efficiency

One of the most significant benefits of Merlyn is its ability to save time. Have you ever experienced this? You’re mid-lesson, and a student asks a question that requires you to stop and sort through multiple tabs or applications for an answer. With Merlyn, you simply use your voice to pull up the relevant information or switch between applications. The voice control eliminates the need to pause, allowing the lesson to continue smoothly and save time that would otherwise be lost. Plus, it keeps your students connected and engaged.

Another favorite function of mine is the voice-controlled timer. When I use station rotations, it’s a challenge to keep track of time. In my Spanish classes, I now quickly use a timer to prepare my students for transitions and not lose valuable time.

One of the most significant benefits of Merlyn is its ability to save time, says Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth. (Submitted by Dr. Poth)

Setting timers is easy with Merlyn. All you need to do is say, "Set a timer for 30 seconds," and that’s it! Need to pause or cancel it? No worries! Merlyn can handle that as well. Being able to leverage these options through automation reduces interruptions and helps maintain the flow of a lesson. It also helps provide more guidance and support for students to know how to manage their own time while working.

Automating instructional workflows

What I love most about Merlyn is being able to manage classroom technology from anywhere in the room. Being free from my computer and able to move around is greatly beneficial. In the past, there were so many times I had to rush to the front of the room to control my presentation or shift between tabs on my screen. Those days are over.

Now, I can quickly pull up a PowerPoint presentation, show a video, or navigate my Google Drive without returning to my computer. What a time-saver! With Merlyn’s voice control, all these tasks are just a command away, and I can stay focused on my students, which is what matters the most!

Answering questions in real-time

Merlyn offers great benefits for students too. With many of my routine tasks automated, I can spend more time focusing on students’ individual needs, leading to more personalized instruction.

One of Merlyn’s standout features that I really appreciate is its ability to answer student questions in real time. Built on the first large language model specifically designed for education, Merlyn provides K-12-appropriate answers and relevant images.

Merlyn’s content is pulled from educational resources, not the entirety of the internet, minimizing hallucinations and inaccurate responses, which is a concern when it comes to AI in the classroom.

AI and the future of learning

As teachers are being asked to do more with less, taking on more responsibilities and balancing a seemingly endless list of tasks, a tool like Merlyn is essential for ensuring that educators can focus on what truly matters – student engagement and success. With Merlyn, I love that I regain some of the time I lost.

In my experience, Merlyn empowers educators to be their best and provides students with the opportunity to explore and learn in new and exciting ways and in ways that promote student agency. For teachers like me, Merlyn is not just a tool – it’s an AI superpower that helps us do what we do best: teach!

Dr. Poth was given a free pilot of Merlyn, and this is a sponsored post.

About the Author

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher of Spanish and STEAM: Emerging Technology. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, a Master’s, and a Doctorate in Instructional Technology. Rachelle specializes in Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, AR/VR, Cybersecurity, SEL, and STEM. She has more than seven years of teaching and presenting on AI in her classroom and working with educators worldwide.
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and several presidential gold and silver awards for volunteer service. Rachelle presents regularly at conferences and provides professional development and coaching for educators as well as keynotes with a strong focus on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, AI and the Law, Cybersecurity, SEL, and STEM.

She is the author of nine books, including her most recent book, "How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities Into Any Content Area." Contact Rachelle via www.Rdene915.com or bit.ly/thriveineduPD.

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