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Peter Pappas is a University of Portland-based educator, writer and instructional designer exploring frontiers of teaching, jazz, Macs, film, great books, and garlic. AI-curious

Recent Posts

  • Title slide for “AI at the Crossroads,” with text on the left and an illustration on the right of two diverging roads and a signpost showing a sun icon on one arrow and a warning triangle on the other. Subhead reads “What We Gain, What We Risk, and What We Should Demand,” with “Peter Pappas, Saturday Breakfast Forum, Feb 28, 2026” at the bottom.
    Better Than Clipart, Faster Than Stock: The Keynote Trick for Polished Decks
    I ditched stock photos and built my slide visuals inside Keynote using Creator Studio, with ChatGPT helping with metaphors and prompts. The payoff was a coherent visual style and cleaner concept slides, fast.
  • Color political cartoon from Judge titled “A Thing Well Begun Is Half Done.” A caricature of President William McKinley stands on a map of North and Central America, using a shovel like a spade to dig a canal across the isthmus between the Atlantic and the Pacific. U.S.-flagged ships crowd both coasts, and American flags mark places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. In the background, Uncle Sam stands near the U.S. Capitol carrying tools and a flag, implying Washington is backing the project as part of national expansion.
    The Constable or the Conqueror? Debating U.S. Intervention
    A quick lesson idea built around turn-of-the-century political cartoons that reveal how U.S. expansion was sold to the public, as “natural,” “necessary,” and even “for their own good.” Using primary sources from the Library of Congress, students trace the shift from waiting, to taking, to “teaching,” and connect those arguments to today’s headlines about Venezuela.
  • Mystery Spot entrance, Saint Ignace, Michigan
    Design Your Own Historical Mysteries With AI
    Turn your students into historical detectives. This post shows how to use AI to build custom “mystery” activities where every student holds a clue and the whole class has to talk, argue, and piece together the past. If you teach history and want richer discussion with less prep time, this one is worth a look.
  • Rewinding History with AI: A Timeline Technique that Teaches Perspective
    Teaching historical thinking with a million-year timeline, three clashing perspectives—and a little help from ChatGPT
  • Waiting on Apple AI? Launch ChatGPT with a Tap
    While we wait for Apple Intelligence to arrive, the iPhone 16’s action button lets you launch ChatGPT’s voice mode instantly. Set it up in seconds and start chatting with AI at the press of a button—no Siri needed. Here’s how to make it happen right now.
  • AI Magic: Create Podcast-Style Summaries with STORM and NotebookLM
    Unlock the power of AI with STORM and NotebookLM! Turn written content into engaging podcast-style audio summaries in just a few clicks. Perfect for teachers, students, and anyone looking to supercharge their workflow, STORM organizes your research while NotebookLM transforms it into audio you can listen to on the go.
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