In her recent blog, Dr. Nancy Sulla describes Generation Alpha as learners who “value choice, seek autonomy, expect immediacy of information, and crave authenticity.” These are children who have never known a world without devices, streaming content, or instant answers. They are natural explorers, but only when what they’re exploring feels real.

So the challenge for educators isn’t to compete with technology. It’s to leverage it. Use the very tools shaping students’ world to design experiences that ignite curiosity, strengthen connection, and make learning feel purposeful. By designing with AI and modeling the art of effective prompting, educators transform learning into something students create rather than just consume.

From Consumers to Creators: Making Learning Authentic

Gen Alpha doesn’t just want to receive information; they want to interact with it. They thrive when learning feels purposeful and personal, not packaged. As Dr. Sulla reminds us, schools can’t rely on whole-class lessons and rigid pacing guides to reach this generation. The key is designing experiences that mirror the world students live in.

AI tools make that possible in powerful ways. Educators can use them to:

  • – Design choice-driven tasks that give students ownership over how they demonstrate understanding.
  • – Generate real-world scenarios that anchor content in relevance, whether through project prompts, community-based challenges, or simulations.
  • – Differentiate entry points so every learner can access complex ideas in a way that feels meaningful.
  • – Co-create with students, using AI to prototype ideas, draft scripts, or visualize solutions that bring concepts to life.

In doing so, AI becomes not a shortcut but a creative partner, helping educators spend less time producing materials and more time facilitating meaningful learning. It’s how we move from students consuming content to creating knowledge, and from lessons that deliver information to experiences that build authenticity.

Tools to Support Design Thinking

On MyQPortal, educators can explore a growing collection of tools that align with this approach to plan with authenticity in mind. They’re not about adding more to an educator’s plate; they’re about redesigning the plate altogether.