Top AI Tools for Teachers and Educators
2024 EditionIntroduction
The world of education is undergoing a transformative shift, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a pivotal role in revolutionizing how educators teach and students learn. AI tools are helping teachers save time, create engaging content, and personalize learning experiences for diverse student needs. However, selecting the right tool involves understanding their capabilities, costs, and licensing restrictions. In this article, we delve into a comprehensive list of AI tools that are reshaping education and why they are indispensable for educators today.
1. ChatGPT for Education
Website: ChatGPT Education Target Grade Level: All Age Levels We all know ChatGPT is an excellent multipurpose tool with all sorts of use cases in education, but not everyone knows that OpenAI has a dedicated service for education called ChatGPT Education. This service is designed to streamline classroom tasks like lesson planning, personalized tutoring, and grading. Signup requirements may include eligibility verification to ensure it’s used by educators and institutions. This tool targets educators seeking to enhance teaching efficiency and student engagement. It was designed to solve challenges like lesson planning, grading, and personalized tutoring. By leveraging AI, it provides tailored solutions to save teachers time while improving educational outcomes.
Key Features:
Provides instant responses to queries, making lesson planning and brainstorming seamless.
Facilitates personalized tutoring by helping students understand complex topics.
Assists in creating quizzes, worksheets, and creative learning activities.
Real-Life Use Case: A middle school teacher uses ChatGPT to generate diverse lesson ideas for a history class. For instance, it helps create timelines, discussion questions, and interactive quizzes to keep students engaged. It also acts as a virtual tutor for students who need extra help understanding the material.
Benefits:
Simplifies administrative tasks such as grading and feedback.
Encourages critical thinking and deeper inquiry by enabling students to ask questions and refine their ideas.
Cost: Free version available; premium features included in ChatGPT Plus for $20/month.
Training Resources: How to Use ChatGPT for Teachers and Educators (YouTube)
2. Khan Academy and Khanmigo
Website: Khan Academy Target Grade Level: K-12, Undergraduate Khan Academy and its AI-powered assistant, Khanmigo, are designed for both educators and students. These tools provide free, high-quality learning resources, including videos and practice exercises, while Khanmigo acts as an AI tutor and classroom assistant, making it easier for teachers to guide their students effectively.
Key Features:
Offers comprehensive video tutorials and practice exercises for various subjects.
Khanmigo provides real-time tutoring and support for personalized learning.
Real-Life Use Case: A middle school teacher integrates Khan Academy into their math curriculum to provide students with supplemental exercises. Meanwhile, Khanmigo helps answer individual student questions during independent work sessions, reducing teacher workload.
Benefits:
Free access to a wealth of educational content.
Enhances personalized learning with AI-powered tutoring and feedback.
Cost: Free for most features; contact for premium services.
Training Resources: Using Khan Academy for Effective Teaching (YouTube)
3. Canva for Education
Website: Canva for Education Target Grade Level: K-12 Canva for Education is designed for teachers and students looking to create visually engaging educational materials. Built to simplify design tasks, it helps educators enhance lesson presentations while fostering creativity and collaboration among students.
Key Features:
Offers a vast library of templates for creating classroom resources like posters, presentations, and videos.
Enables collaborative projects for students to foster teamwork and creativity.
Real-Life Use Case: A high school art teacher leverages Canva to create visually stunning slides for lessons on art history. Students use Canva’s templates to design their own presentations, promoting creativity and collaboration.
Benefits:
Simplifies the creation of visually engaging materials.
Empowers students to express their creativity while learning design skills.
Cost: Free for K-12 educators.
Training Resources: Canva for Teachers: How to Create Classroom Resources (YouTube)
4. Grammarly
Website: Grammarly Target Grade Level: Undergraduate, Graduate Grammarly is tailored for educators and students who want to improve their writing. It was built to provide instant feedback on grammar, tone, and clarity, helping users enhance their communication skills efficiently.
Key Features:
AI-driven writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, and style.
Provides feedback on tone, clarity, and conciseness.
Real-Life Use Case: A college professor uses Grammarly to review student essays for grammar and clarity. Students are also encouraged to use Grammarly to self-edit their papers, leading to improved writing skills and reduced workload for the professor.
Benefits:
Helps students improve their writing skills and confidence.
Saves teachers time by quickly reviewing essays and assignments.
Cost: Free version available; Premium starts at $12/month.
Training Resources: Grammarly for Teachers and Students (YouTube)
5. Edpuzzle
Website: Edpuzzle Target Grade Level: Middle School, High School Edpuzzle is aimed at teachers seeking to make video content interactive and engaging. Designed to embed quizzes and track engagement, it helps educators enhance flipped classrooms and active learning.
Key Features:
Allows embedding quizzes, annotations, and commentary into video lessons.
Tracks student engagement and progress.
Real-Life Use Case: A science teacher uses Edpuzzle to turn a YouTube video about ecosystems into an interactive lesson. Students answer embedded questions throughout the video, helping the teacher assess their understanding in real-time.
Benefits:
Enhances flipped classroom experiences.
Encourages active learning through interactive content.
Cost: Free with limited storage; premium plans available.
Training Resources: How to Use Edpuzzle for Teaching (YouTube)
6. Kahoot!
Website: Kahoot! Target Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School Kahoot! targets educators who want to gamify learning. Built to make quizzes, surveys, and polls fun and interactive, this tool boosts student engagement and participation through competitive, real-time activities.
Key Features:
A gamified learning platform for quizzes, surveys, and polls.
Encourages competition and engagement with real-time results.
Real-Life Use Case: An elementary school teacher uses Kahoot! to create a geography quiz. The competitive format excites students, turning review sessions into energetic and fun learning experiences.
Benefits:
Boosts classroom participation and enthusiasm.
Helps teachers assess student comprehension in a fun way.
Cost: Free version available; Premium plans start at $3/month.
Training Resources: Getting Started with Kahoot! for Teachers (YouTube)
7. Socrative
Website: Socrative Target Grade Level: High School, Undergraduate Socrative is designed for educators seeking real-time assessment tools. Built to create quizzes and polls with instant analytics, it helps teachers track student understanding and adapt lessons accordingly.
Key Features:
Enables real-time quizzes, polls, and exit tickets to assess understanding.
Provides detailed analytics on student performance.
Real-Life Use Case: A math teacher uses Socrative to conduct quick quizzes after lessons to identify areas where students need additional support. The detailed analytics guide the teacher in tailoring future lessons.
Benefits:
Supports formative assessment practices.
Aids in data-driven decision-making for instruction.
Cost: Free version available; Pro starts at $59.99/year.
Training Resources: How to Use Socrative in the Classroom (YouTube)
8. Quizlet
Website: Quizlet Target Grade Level: All Age Levels Quizlet is created for educators and students who need a flexible tool for studying and reviewing. It offers digital flashcards and games, designed to enhance retention and make learning more interactive.
Key Features:
Offers digital flashcards, quizzes, and learning games.
Integrates easily into lesson plans across various subjects.
Real-Life Use Case: A language teacher uses Quizlet to create flashcards for vocabulary practice. Students engage in games and quizzes to reinforce their learning, both in and out of the classroom.
Benefits:
Enhances study efficiency and engagement.
Provides teachers with tools to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
Cost: Free; Quizlet Plus starts at $35.99/year.
Training Resources: Quizlet for Teachers: Getting Started (YouTube)
9. Speechify
Website: Speechify Target Grade Level: All Age Levels Speechify is built for educators and students who benefit from auditory learning. This tool converts text into audio, making content accessible for individuals with learning disabilities or those who prefer listening to reading.
Key Features:
Converts text into audio, supporting auditory learners and accessibility needs.
Includes multiple languages and accents for diverse classrooms.
Real-Life Use Case: A special education teacher uses Speechify to assist students with dyslexia by turning reading assignments into audio files, making content more accessible and inclusive.
Benefits:
Ideal for students with learning disabilities or visual impairments.
Allows teachers to prepare lessons while multitasking.
Cost: Free version available; Premium starts at $139/year.
Training Resources: Speechify Tutorial for Teachers (YouTube)
10. Perusall
Website: Perusall Target Grade Level: Undergraduate, Graduate Perusall is designed for collaborative reading and annotation. It targets educators who want to encourage discussions and deeper engagement with course materials through interactive, shared notes.
Key Features:
A collaborative annotation tool for textbooks and other course materials.
Encourages discussions and questions within reading assignments.
Real-Life Use Case: A literature professor assigns a novel on Perusall, allowing students to annotate passages and discuss themes in real-time. This fosters deeper engagement and collaborative analysis.
Benefits:
Promotes deeper engagement with materials.
Automates grading for participation, saving time.
Cost: Free; some materials may require a license.
Training Resources: How to Use Perusall for Collaborative Learning (YouTube)
11. Gamma
Website: Gamma Target Grade Level: All Age Levels Gamma is built for teachers looking to create dynamic presentations quickly. It automates slide generation and visual design, allowing educators to focus on delivering engaging lessons.
Key Features:
AI-powered tool for creating automated, visually appealing presentations.
Allows for easy collaboration and iteration.
Real-Life Use Case: A teacher uses Gamma to create an interactive presentation on the water cycle in minutes. The tool suggests layouts and images, saving hours of design work and ensuring the presentation is visually engaging.
Benefits:
Saves time with automated slide generation.
Produces professional-grade visuals without requiring design expertise.
Cost: Free with basic features; Premium plans available.
Training Resources: Gamma for Teachers: Creating Dynamic Presentations (YouTube)
12. Gradescope
Website: Gradescope Target Grade Level: High School, Undergraduate, Graduate Gradescope is tailored for educators who need to streamline grading. It automates feedback for quizzes and exams, saving time and ensuring consistency in assessments.
Key Features:
Automates grading for assignments, quizzes, and exams.
Provides detailed analytics on student performance.
Real-Life Use Case: A university professor uses Gradescope to grade handwritten math exams by uploading scanned sheets. The tool identifies errors and provides feedback instantly, reducing grading time from hours to minutes.
Benefits:
Improves grading consistency and efficiency.
Allows teachers to focus on providing personalized support.
Cost: Pricing varies for institutions.
Training Resources: Using Gradescope to Streamline Grading (YouTube)
13. Smart Sparrow
Website: Smart Sparrow Target Grade Level: High School, Undergraduate Smart Sparrow is aimed at educators who want to create adaptive learning experiences. Designed to analyze student interactions, it offers personalized lesson pathways to address unique learning needs.
Key Features:
Adaptive learning platform offering customized lesson pathways.
Analyzes student interactions to improve content delivery.
Real-Life Use Case: A physics teacher uses Smart Sparrow to develop interactive simulations for Newton’s Laws. Students who struggle with concepts receive additional resources, while advanced learners get more challenging problems.
Benefits:
Personalizes learning at scale.
Engages students with interactive and adaptive content.
Cost: Contact Smart Sparrow for pricing.
Training Resources: Smart Sparrow in Action: Adaptive Learning (YouTube)
14. Labster
Website: Labster Target Grade Level: High School, Undergraduate Labster is designed for science educators and students seeking virtual lab experiences. It offers interactive simulations that make complex experiments accessible, safe, and engaging.
Key Features:
Offers virtual science labs with interactive simulations.
Covers topics in biology, chemistry, physics, and more.
Real-Life Use Case: A high school biology teacher uses Labster to conduct virtual dissections, allowing students to explore anatomy without needing physical specimens.
Benefits:
Provides hands-on learning in a risk-free environment.
Reduces costs and logistical challenges of traditional labs.
Cost: Contact for institutional pricing; individual licenses start at $99/year.
Training Resources: Getting Started with Labster Virtual Labs (YouTube)
15. Elicit
Website: Elicit Target Grade Level: Graduate, Researchers Elicit is targeted at educators and researchers who need to process academic papers quickly. It summarizes literature, highlights key insights, and suggests related studies, accelerating the research process.
Key Features:
Assists in research by summarizing and analyzing academic papers.
Suggests related studies and highlights key findings.
Real-Life Use Case: A graduate student uses Elicit to quickly review literature on climate change, summarizing findings from multiple papers and identifying research gaps.
Benefits:
Saves time during literature reviews.
Helps educators and students explore academic research more effectively.
Cost: Free.
Training Resources: How to Use Elicit for Research (YouTube)
Conclusion
AI tools are revolutionizing education by offering innovative ways to save time, engage students, and enhance learning outcomes. Tools like ChatGPT for Education are leading the charge by making advanced AI capabilities accessible to teachers and students alike. With practical applications in lesson planning, assessment, and interactive learning, these tools provide endless opportunities to elevate the educational experience. Explore these tools today and see how they can transform your teaching experience.
