Comparing AI Workspaces

The Big Idea: Your Persistent AI Teaching Assistant

The most practical development for educators is the introduction of projects and workspaces across all major AI platforms. These let you create a dedicated AI assistant that:

1. Keeps your documents (curriculum guides, standards, student profiles)
2. Follows your instructions (tone, grade level, format preferences)
3. Remembers past conversations so you don’t repeat yourself
4. Stays focused on your specific teaching context

Claude Projects (Anthropic)

What it is: A dedicated workspace on claude.ai where you can upload documents, set custom instructions, and have focused conversations that share context.

How to set it up:

1. Go to claude.ai and sign in
2. Click the Projects icon in the left sidebar
3. Click “New Project”
4. Give it a name (e.g., “5th Grade Science — ELPS Aligned”)
5. Add your custom instructions (e.g., “I teach 5th grade science to emergent bilingual students. Always align suggestions with ELPS standards and include Spanish vocabulary support.”)
6. Upload your files (curriculum guide, ELPS framework, sample lesson plans)

Key features:

• 1,000,000-token context window — that’s roughly 750,000 words of context
• Long-term project memory — Claude remembers architectural decisions and preferences across sessions
• RAG mode — when your documents exceed the context window, Claude can intelligently search through up to 10x more content
• Custom instructions — tell Claude your preferences once, and it follows them in every conversation within the project

Example for educators: Create a project called “My Bilingual Classroom Assistant” with your district’s curriculum guide uploaded, your ELPS standards document, and a set of instructions: “I teach 3rd grade in a dual-language program. My students are at intermediate English proficiency. Always provide vocabulary in both English and Spanish. Format lesson activities for 45-minute blocks.”

Now every time you chat within this project, Claude already knows your context. Ask it to “Create a science lesson on the water cycle” and it will automatically incorporate your standards, language levels, and format preferences.

ChatGPT Projects (OpenAI)

What it is: Smart workspaces in ChatGPT that keep chats, files, and custom instructions organized in one place. A ChatGPT Project is not the same as a Custom GPT: a Custom GPT is a reusable, shareable assistant you build once (you created one in the previous lesson), while a Project is a private workspace that groups related chats and files.

How to set it up:

1. Open chatgpt.com
2. Look for “Projects” in the sidebar
3. Create a new project and add your files and instructions

Key features:

• Project-only memory — ChatGPT uses only the project’s context, not your other conversations
• Cross-device access — start on your phone, continue on your computer
• File uploads — PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets
• Available on free tier — up to 5 files per project (25 for Plus, 40 for Pro)

Best for: Teachers who already use ChatGPT and want to organize their AI work by subject or class period.

Gemini Gems (Google)

What it is: Custom AI experts you create in Google Gemini with specific instructions for repeatable tasks.

How to set it up:

1. Go to gemini.google.com
2. Click your profile icon > Gem Manager > New Gem
3. Define four things: Persona (what role), Task (what to do), Context (how to do it), Format (how to present results)

Key features:

• Free tier access — Gems are available to all Google users
• Google Workspace integration — works with Docs, Sheets, Slides
• Interactive Gems built with Opal (Google Labs, 2025) — can include buttons, forms, and act like mini-apps
• Simple setup — describe what you want in plain language and Gemini creates the Gem

Best for: Teachers who use Google Workspace and want quick, repeatable AI assistants (e.g., a “Parent Email Writer” Gem or a “Rubric Generator” Gem).

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Our recommendation: Try creating one project in whichever platform you’re most comfortable with. The concepts transfer across all three. Start with a single class or subject and expand from there.