Key points:
It seems like everywhere you look, AI is there–and classrooms are no exception. During an ISTELive 25 session, Eric Curts, a technology integration specialist with the Stark Portage Area Computer Consortium, offered an overview of can’t-miss AI resources.
All the top educational AI tools can’t fit into a 45-minute session, but Curts treated attendees to a handful of his favorites, all of which have robust free versions.
And, as Curts promised, we ran out of time before we ran out of tools. (Find his comprehensive list of AI tools here.)
Suno: This offers AI tools that can create songs. Create educational songs that are catchy and can help students master certain concepts. Anything you create with the free version, you’re allowed to use for free, while Suno technically still owns the copyright. Using the paid version, users hold the rights to the music.
ChatGPT and Google Gemini: Many of us are very familiar with ChatGPT. But if it’s all you’ve been using, it might be time to put others on your radar, like Gemini. Google’s version of ChatGPT. What makes Gemini special? In addition to the “normal” stuff like asking questions and generating images or files, what makes it unique? It comes with built-in data privacy protection, which doesn’t sound exciting, but is important for educators. If you’re using a school account, the data is covered by the same agreement Google uses for its other education tools. Data is not reviewed by anyone or used for advertising purposes and is not shared with other users. It’s also COPPA, FERPA, and HIPPA compliant. Gemini also includes something called Deep Research–a free feature that lets users conduct in-depth research on any subject. Also check out Gemini Gems and Gemini Apps.
NotebookLM: Also from Google, think of this as a special version of Gemini. This free AI-powered tool helps users interact with and learn from their own documents. Users create Notebooks with up to 50 sources–PDFs, audio files, images, Google Drive resources, websites, YouTube videos, etc. For example, a teacher with an upcoming unit on the Cold War can upload their own pre-selected vetted content into NotebookLM and ask it to generate questions, prompts, etc.–all based on the educator’s own content. It also can create an audio overview of the content.
MagicSchool AI: A great tool to help support teachers who might be less comfortable using a tool like Google Gemini. MagicSchool offers pre-populated prompts to help teachers get started. MagicStudent lets students use the tool in a school-safe, student-friendly environment customized by educators. MagicStudent tools include AI tutors, studybots, character chatbots, and more–all recorded for teachers with accompanying summaries to highlight student struggles or areas of particular interest.
TeacherServer: Created by the University of St. Petersburg, this resource offers premade AI prompts. Similar to MagicSchool AI.
Brisk Teaching: This Chrome extension can be used to create resources, exemplars, quizzes, lesson plans, slideshows, and much more. Teachers can use the extension button to create something based off content from an online article, a PDF, a slideshow, a document, or even a YouTube video. Educators ground the AI prompts based on their vetted content.
SchoolAI: Students can have safe, monitored interactions with AI learning activities. Teachers can create AI chatbots for students to get support with any number of learning inquiries. Teachers can choose from thousands of premade chatbots, create their desired tool, and send a link directly to students. It does not do work for students, but instead, engages students with thought-provoking prompts and questions.
Snorkl: Students record voice and whiteboard work to answer teacher-provided questions. The tool provides feedback on the student’s answer and their reasoning.
EnlightenAI: Offers adaptive AI grading and feedback, on-demand AI feedback for students, data-driven teaching materials
Learning Genie: Creates entire units of instruction, lesson plans, assessments, and differentiated instruction.
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