When typewriters were invented, students had a new tool to utilize—and educators were required to teach them how. The same was true of the advent of personal computers and the internet.
Today, educators are faced with yet another emergent technology—artificial intelligence (AI). Teachers have both the responsibility of teaching students how to use this technology (and how to use it ethically and responsibly) and the privilege of enhancing student outcomes through the use of these powerful AI tools.
Below, we’ll highlight some of the best AI tools available this year that you can employ in your classroom today. If you’re looking to transition into an education technology (EdTech) career, you can include your use of these tools when you describe your relevant work experience.
Top Educational AI Tools
As a teacher, you are uniquely positioned to introduce your students to helpful AI tools that can help them learn now and aid them in their future careers and adult lives. Check out our top picks. You will also find tools that enable you to work more efficiently.
GPT-4 by OpenAI
Open AI’s image and text generators are a great way to introduce students to AI. The systems are becoming increasingly reliable and easy to use, and students can be directed in responsibility using these programs to complete assignments. GPT-4 is the latest iteration, and more are certain to come. Help your students get a foundational understanding of the technology at its basic level.
Google Bard
Google has been an essential research tool for nearly three decades. Their Generative AI search feature is helping speed research by providing a summary of the most relevant search results. The Google Bard text generator can also be used to help with brainstorming.
Quizizz
Create personalized learning paths based on each student’s quiz responses. Difficulty is automatically adjusted via AI.
DALL-E 3
Create customized visual aids for your own lesson presentations, and teach your students to do the same for their projects and reports.
Eduaide.Ai
Eduaide is the ultimate research for lesson development. They offer a suite of more than 100 tools for creating educational material in 15 languages, including syllabi, individualized education programs, emails to parents, and more.
Runway Gen-2
If you’ve been teaching for a while, you may have noticed a reduction in your student’s attention spans. The increasing use of short video media may be to blame. The attention span associated with videos has declined from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds in 2023.
Because students are accustomed to watching short videos, using them in your teaching can be an effective tool. Runway Gen-2 allows you to create short, entertaining videos from text and image input.
Stable Audio
If you need background audio for the video you created with Runway Gen-2, you can generate it using text prompts with Stable Audio. You can also create immersive or concentration-assisting audio environments for your classroom.
AudioPen
Think of a great lesson plan idea on the drive home from work? Multitasking while grading term papers? You can use AudioPen on your computer or smartphone to jot down voice-to-text notes. AI integration makes this app more accurate than older voice-to-text tools.
Master Translator by Meta
This AI tool can translate nearly 100 languages in real time. This is a valuable resource for remote online educators or those with multicultural classrooms. Students can also be taught to use the technology to assist with language learning.
Adobe AI Image Generator
The Adobe Suite has been a reliable tool for creatives for decades. I fondly recall learning to use Photoshop and Indesign in high school; I’m grateful for that experience because using Adobe programs has been an indelible part of my professional career.
Adobe’s AI Image Generator is one more of those essential tools. It can replace photo elements or expand the background of an image much more quickly than can be done manually.
Grammarly
You no doubt use a proofreading program to double-check your own writing and teach your students to do the same. Grammarly is now more useful than ever; its AI integration allows it to not only edit your work but also make suggestions to overcome writer’s block.
Project Gutenberg Open Audiobook Collection
Students are busier than ever, and, as mentioned above, attention spans are shorter. You can help them embrace and explore classical literature by assigning books included in Project Gutenberg’s AI-narrated audiobook collection. There are currently more than 5,000 titles to choose from.
Related: Five Free AI Courses for Teachers and Educators
Key Takeaways
AI technology has the potential to make your job as a teacher easier while preparing your students for the future like never before—from homework help to learning new languages, from lesson plans to tools they’ll use in future careers.
Pick one or more of the AI tools above and try them out in your own classroom this week!
