In preparation for a course on blogging that I ran recently, I wanted to see how far I could get using AI tools to help me with my intended audience, outlining a post and drafting a whole article. In this first part I report on using ChatGPT to create a few personas.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, a persona is a target reader. The idea is that you describe your target reader, or readers, in great detail. What do they read, whar are their likes and dislikes, and so on.

Personally I don’t like this approach much as it’s a lot of work to create a typical person who may not be typical at all. I prefer to come up with a “thin” description, such as “a teacher of computing to secondary school kids”, or “the headteacher of a large comprehensive school”. I think that works because I have a pretty good idea of what such people do, and what they’re interested in that I can provide. I emphasise that because, unlike my Eclecticism newsletter, the ICT & Computing in Education blog is relatively narrow in scope. Basically, if the thing I’m thinking of writing doesn’t involve technology in some way, I’m unlikely to publish it. (Sometimes I’ll make an exception. For example, I published my review of Sensational partly because the book does discuss the use of technology and partly in case any Computing teachers reading it thought it might be useful to pass on to colleagues in the Science department.)

 In addition to that “thin persona” I use what I call a negative check. That is to say, if I’m in any kind of doubt, I will ask myself, “Is this likely to be of no interest to my target readership?” or “Is this likely to upset that readership” or “Is this likely to damage my brand or reputation in any way?”

For example, I feel like writing what I think of our Education Secretary’s suggestion that headteachers should collect absent pupils from their homes. However, first of all I can’t think of a way of making a convincing connection between that and technology. I suppose set-up whereby absent pupils’ homes were blasted with a loudspeaker telling them to get into school, operated automatically from the school’s information management system, might ber an approach, but to my mind it’s not one that is likely to be implemented, and is therefore unconvincing.

As for reputational damage, here’s an example. I was reading a blog post recedntly and the writer used the ‘F’ word. I thought it was rather unnecessary. Then he used it again. I checked out a few of his other articles and every one of them contained at least one instance of the ‘F’ word. Rightly or wrongly, that makes me think the following:

• Is this person inarticulate?

• Is he doing thiis in order to seem edgy, in the same way as a 12 year-old schoolboy might?

• If I wrote like this, would anyone wish to pass it on to their headteacher, or anyt colleague for that matter?

In fact, on that last point, I think swearing in articles, unless it’s to express anger or done in such a way as to elicit an involuntary laugh, is pretty stupid. Why? Because there’s little to gain from doing so, and much to lose. Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

Back to personas. I put ChatGPT on the case, and here’s what it came up with:

Prompt: Create 3 detailed personas for my blog about education 

Persona 1: Teacher Tonya

Background:

Teacher Tonya is a dedicated elementary school teacher with 10 years of experience. She is passionate about fostering a love for learning in her students and believes in creating a supportive and engaging classroom environment. Tonya constantly seeks new ideas and resources to enhance her teaching methods and ensure her students' success. 

Demographics: 

• Age: 35 

• Gender: Female 

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Education 

• Occupation: Elementary school teacher 

• Tech proficiency: Moderate; comfortable with using technology for teaching purposes 

Goals and Interests: 

• Stay updated with the latest educational trends and techniques. 

• Find practical strategies to manage classroom behavior and promote student engagement. 

• Discover creative lesson plans and activities that align with the curriculum. 

• Connect with other educators to exchange ideas and experiences. 

• Support students with diverse learning needs and provide inclusive education. 

Pain Points: 

• Limited time to research and explore new teaching strategies. 

• Balancing administrative duties, grading, and lesson planning. 

• Dealing with behavioral challenges and engaging disinterested students. 

• Finding effective resources to differentiate instruction for students with varying abilities. 

• Coping with burnout and maintaining work-life balance. 

Blog Engagement: 

• Tonya would be interested in articles that provide practical tips and strategies for managing classroom behavior, creating engaging lesson plans, and integrating technology effectively. 

• She would engage with blog posts that discuss best practices for inclusive education and supporting students with special needs. 

• Tonya may also seek articles that address teacher self-care and stress management. 

Persona 2: Parent Patricia 

Background:

Patricia is a caring and involved parent who values her child's education. She has a 7-year-old daughter who attends a local elementary school. Patricia is proactive in supporting her daughter's academic journey and actively seeks information and resources to help her succeed. 

Demographics: 

• Age: 40 

• Gender: Female 

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing 

• Occupation: Marketing Manager 

• Tech proficiency: High; uses various digital platforms for work and personal purposes 

Goals and Interests: 

• Stay informed about current educational practices and trends. 

• Support her child's learning at home by providing supplemental resources and activities. 

• Understand and navigate the school system effectively. 

• Help her child with homework and address any learning challenges. 

• Find tips for fostering a positive learning environment at home. 

Pain Points: 

• Understanding and interpreting the school curriculum and academic expectations. 

• Balancing work responsibilities with parental involvement in her child's education. 

• Identifying effective educational resources and tools for at-home learning. 

• Addressing learning difficulties or gaps in her child's education. 

• Ensuring her child remains motivated and engaged in learning. 

Blog Engagement: 

• Patricia would appreciate blog posts that offer insights into the current education system, explaining terminology and concepts in an accessible way. 

• She would engage with articles that provide practical tips for helping her child with homework and reinforcing concepts learned at school. 

• Patricia may also be interested in posts discussing the benefits and challenges of technology in education, as well as suggestions for age-appropriate educational apps and websites. 

Persona 3: Administrator Alex 

Background:

Alex is a school administrator responsible for overseeing the operations of a K-12 school. They have a background in education and are dedicated to creating an optimal learning environment for both students and teachers. Alex is interested in innovative approaches and strategies to improve educational outcomes, enhance teacher development, and foster a positive school culture. 

Demographics: 

• Age: 45 

• Gender: Non-binary 

• Education: Master's degree in Education Administration 

• Occupation: School Administrator 

• Tech proficiency: High; comfortable using technology for administrative purposes 

Goals and Interests: 

• Stay updated with educational policies, trends, and best practices. 

• Foster professional development opportunities for teachers and 

 Evaluation

There’s nothing here that I couldn’t have come up with myself. However, I think there are four potential advantages of using AI:

• It’s fast. These three personas took a few seconds to be generated, whereas the last time I created just one persona the old-fashioned way it took half an hour.

• If I was really stuck then this could have been a useful launching off point, a kind of starter for ten.

• It could come up with something I hadn’t thought of.

• If I really wanted to go for it I could use another A! app to create photographs of these fictitious people, to help me focus.

I hope you found this an interesting exercise.

I also write about AI more generally in my Eclecticism newsletter.