Asynchronous Academy

How is Async Academy Different?

Suggested Duration: 6 Hours

"AI is not going to replace humans, but humans with AI are going to replace humans without AI."

Prof. Karim Lakhani, Harvard Business School

It is so important to acknowledge that the world you are graduating into is changing faster than ever before. Generative AI is no longer a futuristic concept or a niche tool; it is becoming a standard part of how we communicate, work, and solve problems right here in Ontario and across the globe. While many teachers see these tools as a way to bypass the hard work of thinking, the reality is that knowing how to direct an AI is becoming a core literacy. Just as previous generations had to learn how to navigate a library or use a search engine, your ability to partner with these tools will likely be a defining part of your professional life.

We also need to be honest about the fact that these tools are right at your fingertips. It is perfectly natural to be curious about them or to feel the pull to use them when a deadline is looming. However, the goal of this course isn't to police your every click: it's to help you develop the integrity and the skill set to use AI as a collaborator rather than a replacement for your own voice. By learning to prompt effectively and critically evaluate what an AI produces, you are making sure that you are the one directing your education and aren't acting as a marionette controlled by a chatbot. We want you to be the person who knows how to make these tools work for you, rather than just letting the tool do the work for you.

Part 1: Prompt Engineering & Scriptwriting

Your objective in this first part is to establish a set of guidelines for using AI responsibly and then use an AI model (like Google Gemini) as a brainstorming partner to draft scripts for your videos.

Step 1: Watch & Learn

Watch the video Generative AI in a Nutshell. As you watch, pay attention to how generative models function and think about what responsible, ethical usage looks like for a high school student in Ontario.

Step 2: Establish Your "Golden Rules"

Draft a list of three "Golden Rules" for yourself and your peers when using AI in your schoolwork. These rules should help you use AI as a helper or collaborator rather than a replacement for your own voice. Examples might include rules on:

  • Fact-checking and verifying AI outputs.
  • Never copying and pasting raw AI text as your own work.
  • Using AI to brainstorm structures and outlines, but writing the final drafts yourself.

Step 3: Prompt Engineering Your Scripts

Now, open Gemini. You will use Gemini to help you expand your three Golden Rules into three short video scripts (approximately 30 seconds each, or about 75 words).

Here are effective strategies to help get the output you want more quickly. Try using all three in this task.

  • Assigning a Role: Tell Gemini who it should be. For example: "Act as a friendly, expert peer mentor from Toronto who uses clear, authentic language and avoids sounding robotic."
  • Chain of Thought: Guide Gemini to think step-by-step rather than asking for everything at once. For example: "First, list a common pitfall students face with AI. Second, explain how my Golden Rule solves it. Third, write a 30-second conversational video script illustrating this rule."
  • Few-Shot Prompting / Iterative Feedback: Don't accept the first result. Give Gemini feedback: "That script sounds too formal. Make it sound more like a conversation you'd have with a friend, and shorten it to 75 words."

Step 4: Document Your Journey

Keep a record of your interactions in a Google Doc. This document must contain:

  1. Your three initial Golden Rules.
  2. A record of your prompt journey: show your initial prompts, the AI's drafts, the feedback you provided, and how the scripts improved.
  3. The final three polished scripts you will use for your videos in the next steps.

Deliverable:

📤

Prompt Engineering Google Doc

This is a chance to try using Google Docs and familiarize yourself with our tools, while thinking about how to make choices that will help future you.

Part 2: Filming & Editing in Canva

"Man has an instinctive tendency to speak, as we see in the babble of our young children, but no child has an instinctive tendency to bake, brew, or write."

Charles Darwin

Modern communication is moving more and more towards forms of communication which facilitate richer interactions, whether it's the ability to use the tone of your voice in audiobooks or podcasts, or the full range of body language in video. Our courses encourage students to develop all of their communication skills, and teach them how to edit their ideas into accessible messages for any audience. Your registration fee includes a fully unlocked Canva.com account, which is one of the web's most popular media editors. You can find a tutorial for Canva on our File Formats page.

Step 1: Film Your Clips

Record yourself presenting the three scripts you wrote in Part 1.

  • Use your phone or a computer camera.
  • Speaking skills: Focus on speaking clearly, pacing yourself, and using natural body language and facial expressions to connect with your audience.
  • Keep each recording to about 30 seconds.

Step 2: Set Up in Canva

  • Log into Canva using your school account.
  • Search for "Mobile Video" (for a vertical, TikTok/Reels style layout) or "Video" (for a classic widescreen layout).
  • Choose a clean, modern template that looks professional and "neighbourly".

Step 3: Edit and Polish

  • Upload your video clips into Canva and place them on the timeline.
  • Text Overlays: Add headings, key terms, or on-screen captions to highlight the main points of your Golden Rules. Text overlays are crucial for making media accessible.
  • Transitions: Add subtle transitions (like a simple fade or dissolve) between clips to ensure the video flows smoothly.
  • Keep the presentation polished and clean. Avoid distracting animations or crowded layouts.

Step 4: Export

  • When your videos are ready, click Share -> Download -> and select MP4 Video.
  • Export each video and upload them to the course application.

Deliverable:

📤

2-3 ~30 sec. study skills videos

This is a chance to try using your Canva account and its video editor. Edit your videos into one file with all of them together. Check out the link to a Canva tutorial on our File Formats page if you're not familiar with video editing.

Part 3: Reflection (A Rose and a Thorn)

In our school culture, we often feel pressure to make everything look perfect on the first try. But true learning is messy. We expect you to make mistakes, and we celebrate the "scuff marks" of trying something new. The reflection is the most important part of this assignment.

You will reflect on your workflow using the Rose and Thorn framework:

  • Rose (Success): One specific thing that went exceptionally well during your process (e.g., a prompting technique that gave you the perfect tone, a visual transition you designed, or how clear your voice sounded in the recording).
  • Thorn (Challenge): One mistake, challenge, or unexpected hurdle you encountered (e.g., a prompt that gave a robotic answer, background noise in your recording, or difficulty editing a clip) and how you pivoted or what you would do differently next time.

Step 1: Record Your Screencast

  • Use Canva's built-in screen recording feature (go to Uploads -> Record yourself, and select Screen or Screen and Camera).
  • Record your screen showing either your Canva editing timeline or your Prompt Engineering Google Doc.
  • Explain your Rose and your Thorn in a brief 1-2 minute screencast video. Speak naturally as if you are talking directly to your teacher.

Step 2: Export and Submit

  • Save your screencast recording and upload it to the course app as your reflection video.

Deliverable:

📤

Reflection screencast video

We believe that if you did something perfectly, you didn't learn anything. Reflections let you showcase what you learned by making mistakes and make a plan to get farther next time.

Assessment

Pre-Submission

Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.

What to Turn In

  • 📤

    Prompt Engineering Google Doc

  • 📤

    2-3 ~30 sec. study skills videos

  • 📤

    Reflection screencast video

💡 A Different Way to Learn

Async Academy courses are inquiry-based. There are no rote answer keys or multiple-choice worksheets here. You learn by exploring, questioning, and building projects you care about.

Because your discovery path is completely unique, you need a human sounding board. Enroll to submit your projects and get personalized video feedback from an Ontario Certified Teacher to guide your work.

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Plan and reflect on my creative process to set meaningful goals for improvement.

  • 🎯

    Use digital tools, like AI and video editors, to create informative and engaging content that reflects your digital identity.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • ✅

    Create effective content using digital tools. This means my videos clearly explain how to use tools like LLMs for learning and are designed to positively shape my digital identity.

    Expectations Covered: A1, A2, D2
  • ✅

    Communicate clearly and purposefully. This means I use a voice, tone, and body language that are appropriate for my topic and my intended audience.

    Expectations Covered: B1
  • ✅

    Reflect on my process and set goals for improvement. This means I can accurately explain my creative choices, identify specific strengths and weaknesses in my work, and create a clear, actionable plan to get better.

    Expectations Covered: A1, C3, D1, D3

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Knowledge/Understanding
How effectively does the student demonstrate understanding of media forms and conventions?
 Consistently demonstrates a thorough understanding of media forms and explains techniques very clearly Usually demonstrates understanding of media forms and explains techniques clearly Sometimes demonstrates understanding of media forms with partial or unclear explanations Seldom demonstrates understanding of media forms or conventions
Thinking/Inquiring
How effectively does the student reflect on their media production and speaking strategies?
 Consistently reflects insightfully on strengths, challenges, and specific next steps Usually reflects appropriately on strengths, challenges, and next steps Sometimes provides a general reflection with limited focus on improvement Seldom provides meaningful reflection on the creative process
Application
How effectively does the student apply AI concepts and media techniques to create a finished product?
 Consistently applies AI knowledge and media techniques to create a highly polished and effective video Usually applies AI knowledge and media techniques to create an effective video Sometimes applies techniques with limited effectiveness or cohesion Seldom applies techniques effectively in the final product
Communication
How effectively does the student communicate ideas orally and through visual design?
 Consistently communicates ideas with exceptional clarity, using professional vocal and visual cues Usually communicates ideas clearly, using appropriate vocal and visual cues Sometimes communicates ideas with some clarity; cues may be inconsistent Seldom communicates ideas clearly or uses effective cues
Knowledge/Understanding
Criteria: How effectively does the student demonstrate understanding of media forms and conventions?
Level 4

Consistently demonstrates a thorough understanding of media forms and explains techniques very clearly

Level 3

Usually demonstrates understanding of media forms and explains techniques clearly

Level 2

Sometimes demonstrates understanding of media forms with partial or unclear explanations

Level 1

Seldom demonstrates understanding of media forms or conventions

Thinking/Inquiring
Criteria: How effectively does the student reflect on their media production and speaking strategies?
Level 4

Consistently reflects insightfully on strengths, challenges, and specific next steps

Level 3

Usually reflects appropriately on strengths, challenges, and next steps

Level 2

Sometimes provides a general reflection with limited focus on improvement

Level 1

Seldom provides meaningful reflection on the creative process

Application
Criteria: How effectively does the student apply AI concepts and media techniques to create a finished product?
Level 4

Consistently applies AI knowledge and media techniques to create a highly polished and effective video

Level 3

Usually applies AI knowledge and media techniques to create an effective video

Level 2

Sometimes applies techniques with limited effectiveness or cohesion

Level 1

Seldom applies techniques effectively in the final product

Communication
Criteria: How effectively does the student communicate ideas orally and through visual design?
Level 4

Consistently communicates ideas with exceptional clarity, using professional vocal and visual cues

Level 3

Usually communicates ideas clearly, using appropriate vocal and visual cues

Level 2

Sometimes communicates ideas with some clarity; cues may be inconsistent

Level 1

Seldom communicates ideas clearly or uses effective cues