So I stumbled upon this tool called Roshi the other day – “Custom Lessons in Seconds” – and I was like, yeah right, another overhyped AI thing. But then I actually tried it, and... okay, I was wrong. Let me tell you why.
I teach English to middle schoolers, and honestly, creating interactive materials is my least favorite part of the job. You have to think of a topic, write dialogues, find images, design exercises, and then format everything so it works online. That's hours of work right there. Roshi claims to do all that in seconds. Skeptical? Me too. But here's how it actually went down.
What Roshi Is (And Isn't)
Roshi is basically an AI assistant that takes your plain text description and turns it into a complete interactive lesson. You type something like "Make a matching exercise about different types of environments with images" and boom – it spits out a ready-to-use activity with pictures and all. It's not for creating full curricula or grading papers. It's specifically for making interactive learning materials – dialogues with audio, visual aids like brochures or diagrams, and exercises that target specific criteria (like CLB standards for Canadian Language Benchmarks).
The tool integrates with Moodle and Google Classroom, which is huge if you use those platforms. You can literally generate a lesson and share it with your class in under a minute. No copy-pasting, no reformatting. That alone is worth checking out.
My First Experience: From Prompt to Lesson
I decided to test it with something I actually teach – ecosystems. I typed: "Create a matching exercise with images about different environments: desert, rainforest, ocean, grassland. Each match should pair the environment name with a picture and a short description. Level: beginner."
I hit the button and waited maybe 5 seconds. The result? Four cards appeared, each with a label (Desert, Rainforest, etc.), a cartoon image of the environment, and a one-sentence description. Then there was a set of drag-and-drop matching questions. Honestly? It looked pretty good. The images were a bit stylized – not photorealistic – but they were clear enough for students to identify. The activity was interactive, and I could preview it before sharing.
One thing I noticed: the generation isn't always perfect. My first try gave me an activity with only three environments, not four. So I went back and adjusted my prompt to be more specific: "Include exactly four environments: desert, rainforest, ocean, and grassland." That fixed it. So you might need to fine-tune your instructions a bit, but it's not a big deal.
What Can You Actually Create? A Quick Overview
Roshi offers several types of content. Here's what I found most useful:
- Dialogues: Fully voiced conversations with custom voices and pronunciation. I tried making a restaurant dialogue with a waiter and a customer. The AI generated the script and then voiced it in a natural-sounding way. My students could listen and repeat. Great for ESL listening and speaking practice.
- Visuals: Images, brochures, and other documents. The image generation is decent for educational purposes – think infographics, simple diagrams, or promotional flyers. Not mind-blowing, but practical.
- Activities: Targeted exercises based on specific criteria. For example, you can create CLB-aligned activities for adult ESL learners. This is a huge time-saver if you're teaching language benchmarks.
There's also a "Collections" feature to organize your lessons, but I didn't dive deep into that. I'm more of a one-off lesson person.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Starting
Okay, a few honest cons:
1. The free version is limited. I got about 5 generations before it asked me to upgrade. If you're a heavy user, you'll need a paid plan. Check the Pricing page for details.
2. The AI can be off-topic sometimes. I asked for a science lesson on plant growth, and it gave me an environmental dialogue about pollution instead. Not terrible, but not what I wanted. You have to be specific.
3. The images are cartoonish. For older students or professional contexts, that might not work. But for K-8, it's fine.
Also, the tool is still relatively new, so expect occasional glitches. Overall, though, it's more reliable than many AI tools I've tried in the education space.
Who Should Use Roshi? My Honest Take
If you're a K-12 teacher (especially ESL, science, or social studies), Roshi is a game changer. If you teach adult ESL or immigration classes that follow CLB standards, it's worth the subscription. And if you use Moodle or Google Classroom regularly, you'll love the seamless integration.
But if you teach highly specialized university courses or need deeply customized materials with complex formatting, Roshi might not cut it. It's designed for quick, interactive, and visual lessons – not for academic papers or lab simulations.
That said, the time savings are real. I calculated that I spent about 15 minutes per lesson using Roshi (including refining the prompt), compared to the usual 1-2 hours when I made everything from scratch. That's over 5 hours saved per week if you prepare 4 lessons. More than the 4 hours they advertise, actually. 😄
Final Verdict
Roshi isn't perfect, but it's a genuine time-saver for busy teachers. If you're tired of spending hours creating interactive materials and want something that actually works out of the box, give it a try. The free sign-up is quick, and you can see for yourself whether it fits your teaching style. For me, it's become a regular part of my lesson prep – and that's saying something, because I usually hate AI tools in education. Trust me, I was the biggest skeptic. Now I'm the guy telling everyone else to try it. Go figure. 🤷♂️