Using AI as Your Tech Support Assistant

In today’s episode, we'll explore how you can use generative AI as a tech support assistant in your K–12 classroom. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Transcript

Paul Beckermann 0:01 Welcome to Tech Talk for Teachers. I'm your host, Paul Beckermann.

Transition Music with Rena's Children 0:05 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What's in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:16 The topic of today's episode is using AI as your tech support assistant. I'm going to dive into something that every educator needs: quick, reliable tech help without the long wait for a ticket response. You know, we've all been there. You're about to start class, the projector won't turn on, or your students' Chromebooks refuse to connect to the Wi-Fi. The clock is ticking, and waiting for tech support just isn't an option.

This is a situation where generative AI can change the game for you. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot can act as your on-demand Tech Support Assistance, guiding you step by step through common classroom tech issues often in seconds. Instead of searching through old emails or waiting for a help desk reply, you can simply type, "Walk me through how to fix a smart board that turns on but doesn't respond to touch," and instantly you'll get a response such as an ordered list of troubleshooting steps.

Let's look at a few common scenarios to illustrate what this might look like in action. So first, let's say a Chromebook won't connect to Wi-Fi. In this situation, you could go to ChatGPT and type in a prompt like, "Help me troubleshoot a Chromebook that shows 'can't connect to this network,' even though Wi-Fi is available."

In response, the AI will guide you through options like toggling on and off Wi-Fi, forgetting and reconnecting networks, and checking network load, all before you ever file a ticket. Now, if you're not sure how to perform any of these suggestions, no problem; you can simply follow up with a prompt such as, "Provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Assume I don't know much about technology, treat me like a beginner."

Here's another example: let's say your projector screen is blank. That's definitely a problem, right? So you type in the following prompt, "Give me steps to fix a classroom projector that powers on but doesn't display anything."

The AI will respond with something like, "Try reseating cables, switching inputs, testing with another device, or adjusting display settings." Again, you can ask for details if you don't know how to do these things. You can even grab the teachable moment and have your students troubleshoot with you.

Tech support can also include questions about instructional software. For instance, let's say you use Google Classroom and an assignment you posted is missing. You could type in, "Students can't see a new assignment I posted in Google Classroom. What should I check?" In response, AI will typically walk you through software-specific steps, such as verifying the schedule, topic visibility, and checking syncing issues. Once again, if you're not sure what these suggestions mean, ask the AI for specific step-by-step instructions.

Now, rather than simply prompting AI for solutions in the moment, such as these examples showed, there are ways to be proactive as well.

One way to do this is to build a tech support prompt bank for yourself, your team, or maybe even your whole school. This can take the form of a shared document with ready-to-use prompts that can be copy and pasted into the AI chatbot of your choice. To make it more accessible, you can organize the prompts by category, maybe Wi-Fi, projectors, Chromebooks, document cameras, Google Workspace, things like that.

This document can become a first line defense against everyday tech issues: no waiting, no stress. In fact, you can have the AI build this guide for you. In creating this episode, I actually did just that. I asked ChatGPT to create ready-to-use tech support prompts for both elementary and secondary school teachers.

The AI was great about asking me clarifying questions, such as: if I wanted examples written in chat style so that they could be copy and pasted directly into an AI chatbot; if there should be a combined document for elementary and secondary or two separate documents; how many examples should be included; and the complexity of the prompts. I find that generative AI prompts have really been improving in this area. Rather than waiting for me, the user, to input all the details, the chatbot is becoming more like a partner in the prompting process, asking relevant follow-up questions that strengthen the input.

At the end of our back-and-forth collaboration, ChatGPT created two great documents for me: one with prompts for elementary and one with prompts for secondary. It also included some directions at the top that said, "If this specific example doesn't meet your needs, you can replace some of the specifics with those in your context."

I'll post the examples in the show notes for the episode if you want to check them out.

Another way that you can take AI support to an advanced level is to go beyond troubleshooting. Rather than using it just for fixes in the moment, you can have it create support guides that can head off user-related issues before they become problems. For example, you could have the AI draft simple how-to directions for staff and students, or have it generate step-by-step visuals for common workflows.

This is a great strategy for preempting common missteps before they become problems. It's especially great for recurring tech questions or processes that cause the same missteps time and time again. You might even begin your class or semester with this type of document, so that students begin to rely on them rather than you for all the answers. These guides can be posted in a learning management system, a class website, or a team resource guide.

You can also post the most common questions in Q&A poster format on the walls of your classroom or maybe your PLC meeting room. Not only will this reduce questions, but it will empower the users in your tech spaces with the skills and information that they need to solve the problems themselves.

Generative AI won't replace your IT team, but it can give you a powerful new ally right at your fingertips. It's your patient, always available tech assistant that can save you time, reduce stress, and get your classroom up and running again in minutes. And for those situations where the AI-generated steps don't lead you to a solution, you can still call your trusted IT team, and if you and your colleagues are using AI as the first line of defense, your valuable human support contacts will be more available for those times when they are really needed.

Paul Beckermann 6:53 To learn more about today's topic and explore other free resources, visit Avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, I encourage you to check out the article collection, "AI in the K-12 classroom," and, of course, be sure to join Rena Winston and me every Wednesday for our full-length podcast, Unpacking Education, where we're joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care, and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.