How to Use AI Tools for Teachers to Save Time, Boost Engagement, and Personalize Learning

As a teacher, you know how challenging it can be to plan, prepare, and deliver effective and engaging lessons for your students. You also know how important it is to personalize learning for each student, according to their needs, interests, and goals. But how can you do all this without spending hours of your precious time and energy?

The answer is AI tools for teachers. AI, or artificial intelligence, is the technology that enables machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing images, and solving problems. AI tools for teachers are applications that use AI to help you with various aspects of teaching and learning, such as creating content, assessing students, providing feedback, and more.

In this blog post, we will show you how to use AI tools for teachers to save time, boost engagement, and personalize learning for your students. We will show how you can get started with them, and by the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of how AI tools for teachers can transform your classroom and enhance your teaching experience.

Please note: This blog post was hand-crafted and was not created using AI.

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How to Prompt AI as a Teacher

There doesn’t sound like there’s much to launching an AI tool, entering a prompt and seeing the results. But, prompting AI is a work of art that takes us beyond our world of immediate ask and receive. As we learn more about AI, we’ve come to realize that it’s important to be specific, thorough, and challenging.

A teacher using AI to generate content needs to be specific. Try entering in a grade level, targeted standards, learning goals, and even rubrics. If you’re looking to clarify directions, try adding, “make these directions clear for students age 10.” We find it helpful to use natural language that’s easy to understand and follow. Try to use keywords or phrases that match the topic and level of your students. Teachers can also use filters or modifiers to narrow down or expand search results.

Remember, AI responses can contain biases and out-dated information, so it’s important to think and challenge what is being generated. If a generated response doesn’t look right - challenge it. For example, if you use the prompt: “Generate a lesson plan on _______,” and the lesson plan doesn’t look grade-level appropriate, respond to your current prompt with, “now make it appropriate for ______ grade.” This can help the AI narrow down the content.

Diffit

Cost: Free and paid versions available
Compatibility: web based

Diffit is an AI-based platform that helps teachers customize their teaching methods to suit students’ reading levels and needs. Diffit can help teachers differentiate their content and instruction by:

• Instantly creating leveled resources for any topic, lesson, or student

• Providing vocabulary words, multiple choice questions, and other features to enhance comprehension and retention

• Converting any content to all reading levels from 2nd to 11th grade (and higher), and in over 30 languages

Click here to sign up for a free account and watch and learn how it all works below!

Magic School AI

Cost: free and paid versions available
Compatibility: web based

Magic School AI is an AI platform for educators that offers 60+ tools to help with translation, differentiation, assessment, communication, and more. It can help teachers save time, fight burnout, promote sustainability, and build AI competencies and skills. Some of our favorite features of Magic School include their Text Leveler, Clear Directions, Custom Chatbox, Math Story Problems, and more. There’s a lot to love about Magic School AI, but another feature that has us excited is MagicStudent. MagicStudent is an AI platform designed to build AI literacy for students. It not only teaches students to use AI responsibly, it also unlocks learning opportunities not possible without generative AI. This feature is coming, so be sure to stay tuned for updates. Sign up for a Magic School AI account by clicking here and check out what it has to offer below!

School AI

Cost: free
Compatibility: web based

School AI is an AI platform that helps teachers create, personalize, and engage their students with adaptive and interactive learning experiences. It also helps students learn at their own pace, level, and style, and get instant feedback and guidance from the AI. School AI is designed for K12 students and has built-in monitoring and controls for teachers.

School AI can help both teachers and students be successful by:

• Saving teachers time and effort in planning, preparing, and delivering lessons

• Providing teachers with data and insights on student performance and progress

• Offering teachers various tools to customize and differentiate their instruction

• Enhancing student motivation, engagement, and retention with gamified and immersive content

• Supporting student autonomy, self-regulation, and metacognition with AI feedback and scaffolding

• Catering to student diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility with multilingual and multimodal options

One of our favorite parts of SchoolAI is Spaces. With Spaces, users (both students and teachers) can use AI powered chatbots in creative ways. For example, you can set up a chatbot to act as a historical figure, taking questions from the student(s). It all feels very familiar to the kids - resembling a text message thread.

You can sign up for free and start using School AI today by clicking here, and check out what it has to offer below!

Class Companion

Cost: free
Compatibility: web based

We’re not going to lie….Class Companion is one of the tools that we’re most excited about. Class Companion is a website that uses AI to help teachers give instant, personalized feedback on written assignments. It can help teachers save time, monitor student progress, and differentiate instruction. It can also help students practice their writing skills, get immediate guidance, and improve their learning outcomes. Here’s how it works:

1. Teachers start by uploading an assignment and rubric. (TIP: When creating the assignment, we HIGHLY recommend setting the maximum number of attempts to more than 1. Doing so provides an opportunity to edit their work after the AI provides feedback.)

2. This gets shared to students (student accounts are required) via a shared link or an email.

3. Students complete their writing by typing out their essay in Class Companion, then submit for AI review / grade.

4. If you’ve chosen more than one attempt for your students, the AI will coach them through the teacher’s rubric, explaining whether or not the student has met the expectations. The student then has the opportunity to edit their work and try to improve.

5. When an assignment is submitted, the teacher has the ability to edit the AI’s score to provide a final grade.

To sign up for your FREE account, click here and check out our video below. You can also check out ouf full blog post on Class Companion by clicking here!

Curipod

Cost: free and paid versions available
Compatibility: web based

Curipod is a website that helps teachers create and deliver interactive lessons on any topic, with the help of artificial intelligence. Teachers can use Curipod to:

• Generate lessons with AI: Curipod can suggest content, questions, and activities based on the topic and learning objectives that the teacher inputs. The teacher can then customize the lesson according to their preferences and needs.

• Engage students with curiosity: Curipod’s lessons are designed to spark students’ curiosity and interest in learning, by using multimedia, gamification, and social learning features. Students can share their voices, opinions, and creations with their classmates and teachers.

• Save time and resources: Curipod reduces the workload and stress of lesson planning and delivery, by providing ready-to-play lessons from verified educators and authors, as well as a user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other platforms.

To sign up for a free account, click here. Check out our video for more information below!

Eduaide.AI

Cost: free and paid versions available
Compatibility: web based

Eduaide.AI is a website that helps teachers create lesson plans, teaching resources, and assessments using artificial intelligence. Teachers can use Eduaide.AI in the classroom in the following ways:

• Generate teaching resources: Teachers can choose from over 100 resource types and learning objects, such as worksheets, quizzes, slides, videos, etc. and use AI to generate content based on their topics and objectives.

• Personalize instruction: Teachers can use the “transform” tool to modify the generated content to suit their students’ needs and preferences. They can also use the “feedback bot” to provide instant and customized feedback to students.

• Collaborate with AI and other teachers: Teachers can use the “Eduaide chat” to ask questions and brainstorm ideas with the AI model. They can also share their resources with other teachers and access a community of practice.

To sign up for your account, click here and check out our video below!

CoPilot

Cost: free
Compatibility: web and mobile

Microsoft CoPilot is an AI companion that can help teachers and students with various tasks and projects, such as:

• Writing and editing: CoPilot can assist with writing essays, reports, summaries, poems, stories, and more. It can also help with editing, proofreading, and improving the quality and clarity of the text.

• Researching and learning: CoPilot can provide information, facts, definitions, examples, and explanations on any topic. It can also help with finding and citing sources, creating bibliographies, and checking plagiarism.

• Coding and creating: CoPilot can help with coding in different languages, such as Python, Java, C#, etc. It can also help with creating apps, games, websites, graphics, and more.

• Teaching and assessing: CoPilot can help teachers with creating lesson plans, teaching resources, and assessments. It can also help with providing feedback, grading, and tracking student progress.

• Generating images: CoPilot paired with Microsoft Designer is able to produce images that may be used for presentations, lessons, etc.

To use CoPilot in the classroom, teachers and students need to sign in to their Microsoft account or Entra ID account and access CoPilot through the Microsoft Edge or Chrome browser, on Windows or Mac OS. They can also use CoPilot in select Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Teams. They can chat with CoPilot by typing or speaking their requests, and CoPilot will respond with relevant and useful information, suggestions, or content. They can also ask CoPilot to show examples, explain how it works, or give feedback. Check out our video below for more info!

Gemini (formely Bard)

Cost: free
Compatibility: web and mobile

Google's Gemini (formerly Bard) is a tool designed that can assist teachers in various ways, primarily by providing them with access to educational resources, streamlining administrative tasks, and facilitating communication and collaboration among teachers, students, and parents. Here are several ways Gemini can help teachers:

• Resource Access: Gemini provides teachers with access to a wide range of educational resources, including lesson plans, teaching materials, videos, and interactive activities. These resources can help teachers enhance their lessons and engage students more effectively.

• Curriculum Planning: Gemini offers tools for curriculum planning, allowing teachers to create, organize, and share lesson plans, unit outlines, and assessments. This helps teachers align their curriculum with educational standards and goals.

• Assessment and Feedback: Gemini enables teachers to create and administer assessments, quizzes, and assignments digitally. Teachers can track student progress, provide timely feedback, and analyze assessment data to inform instruction and support student learning.

Teachers are able to access Gemini by clicking right here and accepting the terms. Educators can find Gemini in Google apps such as: Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and more.

Canva Magic Suite

Cost: free
Compatibility: web and mobile

Canva's Magic suite tools are a set of features designed to enhance the design process and make it easier for users to create visually appealing graphics and designs. These tools leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to assist users in various aspects of design, including layout, color selection, and image editing. Here are some of the key features included in Canva's Magic suite:

• Background Remover: This tool automatically removes the background from images, allowing users to create transparent or custom backgrounds for their designs. It simplifies the process of isolating subjects from their backgrounds, which is useful for creating product images, profile pictures, and design elements.

• Color Palette Generator: Canva's Color Palette Generator analyzes an image and generates a complementary color palette based on the colors present in the image. This tool helps users create cohesive and visually appealing designs by providing color inspiration and ensuring color harmony.

• Font Pairing: Font Pairing suggests font combinations that work well together, helping users choose complementary fonts for their designs. It takes into account factors such as font style, weight, and contrast to ensure readability and aesthetic appeal.

• Layout Suggestions: Canva's Layout Suggestions feature analyzes the content of a design and provides suggestions for layout options. It helps users quickly explore different layout possibilities and find the best arrangement for their content, saving time and effort in the design process.

• Smart Resize: Smart Resize automatically adjusts the dimensions of a design to fit different aspect ratios and sizes, making it easy to create variations of the same design for different platforms and devices. This feature saves time by eliminating the need to manually resize and reformat designs for different purposes.

• Image Cropping: Canva's Image Cropping tool provides intelligent cropping suggestions based on the composition of the image and the aspect ratio of the design. It helps users crop images to fit specific dimensions or aspect ratios while preserving the most important parts of the image.

Overall, Canva's Magic suite tools leverage AI and automation to simplify the design process, provide creative inspiration, and assist users in creating professional-looking designs with ease. These features are valuable for students and teachers looking to create high-quality graphics and visual content for academic purposes. To learn more about how Canva can be used in the classroom, check out our blog posts and video tutorials below:

• How to Use Canva’s Magic Suite in the Classroom

• Canva Features To Use in the Elementary Classroom

• 20 Ways for Students to Use Canva in the Classroom

• 10 Ways for Teachers to Use Canva in the Classroom

-- Please follow us on social media and tag us with how you’re using AI tools in your classroom! 👓👗

For more tips, tricks and lesson ideas for making learning more interACTIVE, check out our books The InterACTIVE Class and Flipgrid in the InterACTIVE Class on Amazon!

10 Education Apps to Use in 2024

With the rise of AI in 2024, the landscape of education is evolving rapidly. With a myriad of education apps revolutionizing how we acquire knowledge and skills. Whether you're a student looking to enhance your academic performance or creeativity, an educator aiming to upskill in your field, or a lifelong learner thirsty for new information, there's a new app for you. In this blog post, we'll explore the top ten ed tech apps of 2024, curated to cater to various learning styles, subjects, and levels of expertise. Check them out below!

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Magic School AI

Cost: Free and Premium ($100 per year) Options available
Platform: Mobile and PC

Magic School AI is an AI-powered platform that helps teachers with various tasks such as lesson planning, differentiation, writing assessments, writing IEPs, and communicating clearly. It is designed to save time, fight burnout, and promote sustainability for educators. It also helps teachers build AI competencies and skills by using and learning about AI in the process. To learn more and sign up for an account, click here or the image below.

Diffit for Teachers

Cost: Free and Premium ($14.99 per month) Options available
Platform: Mobile and PC

Diffit for teachers (we believe could be short for “Differentiation for Teachers”) is an AI-powered tool that helps teachers create leveled resources for any topic, lesson, or text. It can analyze, modify, and generate texts that are tailored to each student’s reading level and needs, providing a natural way for teachers to differentiate. It can also provide vocabulary words, multiple choice questions, and other features to enhance learning. Diffit for teachers can save time, support differentiation, and foster literacy skills for teachers and students alike. To learn more or sign up for an account, click here or the image below.

Moov

Cost: TBD (Demo version available)
Platform: Mobile and PC

Moov is a startup from young CEO Kevin Camson. Kevin learned how to code and created a groundbreaking way to communicate to students. Moov is a one-stop-shop that will take attendance, track school busses, promote school events, meetings, school groups and so much more. Think of it as a secure and safe “social media” type feeling to an internal way of connecting with your students. Moov also has the coolest looking website that we have seen in a long time! Check it out and sign up for a demo by clicking here or the image below!

Class Companion

Cost: FREE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Platform: Mobile and PC

Class Companion is an AI-powered platform that helps high school social studies teachers assess written assignments. It can provide instant, personalized feedback to students, as well as generate and modify texts for different reading levels. It can also help teachers create assignments, track student progress, and learn about AI themselves. Class Companion is a great option for teachers to save time, support differentiation, and foster literacy skills. To sign up for an account or learn more, click here or the image below.

Book Creator

Cost: FREE and premium ($13 per month) options available
Platform: Mobile and PC

If you’ve followed us, then you know our love for Book Creator runs deep. But, this platform does so much more than it’s name suggests. Book Creator has added an integration with Canva which allows students to design their books using Canva without having to leave Book Creator (you read that right - click here to learn more). Book Creator also has added HUGE updates to their collaboration features including: commenting, video, audio recordings, emojis, and more. But students aren’t the only ones excited about Book Creator. Now, there are LMS (Learning Management Software) integrations with Canvas and Schoology. So, teachers can Book Creator assignments right within their LMS. These books can be submitted by students, read / graded by teachers, and even shared within a district. Book Creator has also just announced that central libraries are coming to it’s platform, This will soon be the starting place for educator’s to build and share resources that your whole district can use. To sign up for an account or learn more, click here or the image below.

Canva for Education

Cost: FREE
Platform: Mobile and PC

If you’re reading this and think, “Canva? That’s not a new tool!” You’re right, but what has been sticking out lately is Canva’s updates and integrations. There are a TON of AI options, including Canva’s Magic Suite (click here to learn more about them here). There are new apps being loaded into it’s integrations all the time, but some of our favorite include SecretInk, Murf AI, Type Gradient and more. To learn more and sign up for a free account, click here or the image below!

Kami

Cost: FREE and premium ($99 / year) options available
Platform: Mobile and PC

Kami is an online platform that allows teachers and students to annotate, collaborate, and interact with digital documents. It can be integrated with popular learning management systems such as Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology. Kami can also be used as a digital whiteboard, a PDF editor, and an accessibility tool. The app aims to make learning more engaging, flexible, and inclusive for all. To sign up for an account, click here or the image above. (NOTE: Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts, Google Certified Trainers / Innovators / Coaches can all receive a free Kami premium license for one year by singing up here.)

Lucidspark

Cost: FREE
Platform: Mobile and PC

Lucidspark is a virtual whiteboard app that allows you to brainstorm, collaborate, and interact with digital documents in real time. You can use it to capture and share your ideas, make connections, and plan and track projects visually. Lucidspark can also be integrated with Lucidchart, a diagramming and data visualization app, to create more polished and professional documents. Jamboard users will want to familiarize themselves with Lucidspark, because Lucidspark has created a way for Jamboard users to upload their Jamboard files and maintain the ability to edit them. To learn more and sign up for an account, click here or the image.

Beanstack

Cost: Contact for pricing
Platform: Mobile and PC

Beanstack is an online platform that helps schools, libraries, and families read more with fun reading challenges, easy tracking, and insightful data. You can use Beanstack to join reading programs, log your reading sessions, earn badges and rewards, and discover new books. It can also help you raise money for your organization with reading fundraisers. To learn more, click here or the image!

imagi

Cost: Contact for pricing
Platform: Mobile and PC

imagi is a coding education platform that teaches Python, a real programming language, through creative and social activities. It consists of two main components: imagiCharms and imagi Edu. imagiCharms are colorful and customizable accessories that you can program with the imagi app. imagi Edu is a learning platform that provides interactive and inclusive coding lessons and tools for educators and students. imagi aims to make coding fun, accessible, and empowering for everyone. To learn more, click here or the image below!

-- Please follow us on social media and tag us with how you’re using these platforms in your classroom! 👓👗

For more tips, tricks and lesson ideas for making learning more interACTIVE, check out our books The InterACTIVE Class and Flipgrid in the InterACTIVE Class on Amazon!