⏱️ 30 minutes
Welcome to Your AI Learning Journey!
You're about to discover how AI tools can transform your work as a program coordinator. This first topic focuses on getting you set up with the essential tools and understanding the basics of AI assistance.
🎯 Learning Objectives
- Create accounts on 4 major AI platforms
- Understand privacy and data protection in AI
- Explore the basic interface of each AI tool
- Learn when to use which AI assistant
⚠️ CRITICAL PRIVACY WARNING: Never paste student names, IDs, grades, or any personally identifiable information into AI tools. These systems learn from inputs and may retain data. Always anonymize sensitive information!
🛠️ Getting Started: Create Your AI Accounts
You'll need free accounts on these four platforms. Each offers unique strengths for different tasks.
📝 Step-by-Step Setup Guide
Create Your ChatGPT Account
- Visit chat.openai.com
- Click "Sign up" and use your work email
- Verify your email address
- Choose the free plan (sufficient for this course)
- Test it: Type "Explain what a program coordinator does" and press Enter
Set Up Claude
- Go to claude.ai
- Sign up with your email or Google account
- Verify your phone number (required for security)
- Test it: Ask "What's the difference between you and ChatGPT?"
Create Google Gemini Access
- Visit gemini.google.com
- Sign in with your Google account (or create one)
- Accept the terms of service
- Test it: Try "Search the web for recent AI education trends"
Register for Gamma
- Navigate to gamma.app
- Sign up with your email (free tier includes AI features)
- Complete the quick tutorial
- Test it: Click "Create new" to see the interface
Organize Your Workspace
- Bookmark all four tools in your browser
- Create a folder called "AI Tools" in your bookmarks
- Consider pinning the tabs if you use them frequently
- Save your passwords in a password manager
💡 Pro Tips for Getting Started
- Use descriptive names: When creating accounts, use professional profiles that match your work
- Enable two-factor authentication: Add extra security to protect your accounts
- Explore mobile apps: ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini all have excellent mobile apps
- Start simple: You don't need to understand everything immediately - learning is iterative!
- Keep a learning journal: Document discoveries and useful prompts you find
✅ Completion Checklist
Before moving to the next topic, verify:
🚀 What's Next?
Now that you have all your tools set up, you're ready to compare how different AI assistants handle the same tasks. You'll discover that each has unique strengths and use cases.