An icebreaker is supposed to help people get to know one another before having an in-depth experience together. Sometimes, however, it might not have the desired effect. But what if you could make an icebreaker more interactive than thinking of an answer on the spot? Or what if it could be used throughout a conversation instead of just at the beginning?
“Whether you’re in person or you’re digital, there are icebreakers that you can use with technology and artificial intelligence,” says Kelli Erwin, Senior Instructional Design Manager at Learning.com. “A lot of people are still fearful of [AI]. So how can I take something as simple as an icebreaker, use AI and help break that barrier? We look at why we use icebreakers, how to do them, and what the benefits are.”
Combining AI and icebreakers can help improve engagement in the classroom, save time for teachers, and break down barriers altogether.
If you’ve ever had to initiate a conversation with a group of people and did not know what to say, then you’re not alone. Icebreakers can help, but integrating AI with one can create an even more engaging environment to get students more involved.
So what kinds of AI platforms can be used to help icebreakers along?
“We actually use different tools for icebreakers,” says Erwin. “Things like Padlet, for example. That’s one of the tools that we use. One of the reasons I like Padlet is because it has a lot of neat tools built in, but it allows people to have a way to digitally communicate, even if they’re in person. We use a lot of the Adobe products, too. We use Adobe Express to get people engaged.”
These are two examples of technologies that can be used to introduce a different aspect to the traditional icebreaker concept.
How to Implement An AI Icebreaker in Your Classroom
Typical icebreakers have always been used in education, but adding AI tools to the process can make icebreakers feel brand new..
“Let’s say a teacher is introducing a new topic to students,” says Erwin. “Maybe the icebreaker is geared more toward the new topic. It’s helping take the fear out of a new topic. In Padlet, there’s a tool called ‘I Can’t Draw.’ It’s an AI tool and it makes you write a descriptive prompt so that the AI tool can go out and draw this image.”
Students can use this tool to better communicate what they know about a particular topic, but in a way that their chosen method of communication might succeed where simple conversation might fail.
“Students have to be very purposeful with how they write the prompt so that the image that is generated reflects what they’re intending,” says Erwin “Teachers can certainly use it as an assessment tool as well. Icebreakers can really be used anytime you need students to either show what they know, to collaborate, or break down any kind of barriers. It’s a fun way to open the door to discussions.”
Erwin offers another example of using an AI platform for an icebreaker to boost critical thinking skills.
“One [exercise] I do is called ‘It’s a Mystery to Me,’” says Erwin. “For this one, I usually use Adobe Express. I’ll pick a character and write a script for them, and I’ll read the script. The students have to listen to whatever the character says. It’s critical thinking but it’s also listening skills. So if teachers were to use something like that, it forces the students to practice their listening skills, but then have a conversation and think critically about what they think the character was talking about.”
By combining the ingenuity of AI tools with the social aspect of icebreakers, teachers can help students discover more about their work, their learning, and each other while also engaging them in ways that simple conversations cannot.