AI in Education: Why Teachers Should Use AI Tools

Since ChatGPT was rolled out in late 2022, the word “Artificial Intelligence” or AI has become more ubiquitous than ever before in a wide range of fields. The effects of this new revolutionary technology are impacting people in various industries, including education. Public reception of artificial intelligence in education falls across the spectrum, with excitement about simplifying content creation and personalizing learning to concerns about our jobs being taken by AI. Whether you as an educator are excited to embrace this new technology, rightfully cautious about its widespread adoption, or have a straight-up fear of the consequences of unmoderated AI usage, it’s no surprise that this technology is here to stay. Therefore, it is important that, as professionals in the education industry, we all learn about the power of AI and AI tools, how to use them ethically and find a healthy balance that helps us and the next generation succeed.

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Since the widespread adoption of AI over the past few years, many AI tools for teachers have emerged. These tools can enhance the teaching and learning experience, adapt and personalize teaching techniques to the individual student, save teachers time on grading assignments, or help teachers develop teaching tools like lesson plans and worksheets. 

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Before using any of these tools, however, it's essential to have a good understanding of the ethical concerns and potential for misuse of AI. Mastery Coding's AI Essentials for Educators is a self-paced,  professional development course that equips teachers and school district personnel with foundational AI literacy to engage productively and responsibly with AI technologies. 

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Now that you are aware of the ethical stipulations surrounding AI, and the need to use it responsibly, let's explore some of the top 7 AI tools for teachers in 2024.

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ChatGPT

Let's start off with a tool you're probably already familiar with: ChatGPT. This free and widely recognized tool is a powerful AI language model that uses advanced natural language processing to facilitate conversations and share information. Using ChatGPT, educators can enhance their teaching strategies, tailor learning experiences to individual students, and hopefully reduce some of their workload.

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• Personalized Learning: When a student asks a question, ChatGPT analyzes the context and intent behind the query to provide a customized explanation. For instance, if a student struggles with a specific concept in math, ChatGPT can offer a breakdown of the topic and provide examples that suit the student's level of understanding.
• Resource Generation: With its ability to produce educational materials, ChatGPT can help educators develop lesson plans, worksheets, or discussion prompts efficiently.
• Language Support: ChatGPT can help students overcome language barriers by providing instant translations and explanations, ensuring inclusivity in the classroom.

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Using AI tools like ChatGPT in education comes with some awesome opportunities, but there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to students using them:

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1. Misinformation Risks: Even though ChatGPT aims to be accurate, it can sometimes provide wrong or misleading information. Students might not have the necessary skills to tell what's true from what's not, which could lead to confusion and errors
2. Data Privacy Concerns: Using AI tools often means sharing personal information, which raises privacy concerns. Parents and teachers must ensure solid guidelines keep students' data safe while using these platforms.
3. Engagement Challenges: Chat-based interfaces can be tricky, especially for younger students who thrive in interactive, hands-on learning settings. Since ChatGPT is text-based, it can be tough for some kids to stay engaged and absorb the information.

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AI Tools for Lesson Planning and Creating Teaching Resources

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Magic School AI

With over 2.5 million teachers using it, this AI tool built specifically for educators facilitates lesson planning, assessments, and student differentiation strategies. 

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• Lesson Planning AI: Magic School AI has over 70 AI-powered tools that assist educators in creating, implementing, and assessing lesson plans.
• Student-centric AI: With more than 40 AI tools made to help students learn, educators can rest assured that their students are practicing critical thinking and actually learning rather than simply receiving answers from the AI.
• User-friendly Interface: The platform has been designed for ease of use, removing the need for complex commands for operating it.
• Comprehensive Training Resources: Magic School AI offers built-in training, including examples for each tool, certification courses, and video guides.
• LMS Interoperability: The platform can seamlessly integrate with Google Classroom and Microsoft, making the export and integration process straightforward for teachers.

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Cost

• Free for limited functionality
• $99.96/year for unlimited access and full functionality

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Brisk Teaching

Brisk Teaching is a free AI-powered tool designed to save teachers time and improve the quality of their instruction. It's a Chrome extension that seamlessly integrates with tools such as Google Docs, Slides, and YouTube, providing features ranging from generating quizzes to creating lesson plans.

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• AI-Powered Functionality: Brisk's AI capabilities swiftly generate targeted feedback, quizzes, lesson plans, presentations, and more, reducing the time spent on content creation.
• Customizable Feedback: Brisk offers multiple feedback styles, including personalized comments and rubric criteria, to enhance the feedback process. AI aids in ensuring each student receives high-quality, consistent feedback.
• AI-Driven Curriculum Creation: From lesson plans to quizzes and presentations, Brisk's AI functionality rapidly produces comprehensive and engaging instructional materials.
• AI Text Modification: Brisk can instantly convert online text into a simplified or translated Google Doc, ensuring content accessibility for all students.

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Cost

• Free for standard plan
• $99.99 USD/year for additional features and Turbo AI

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Eduaide.Ai

Eduaide.Ai is an AI-driven platform that assists teachers in creating dynamic lessons, generating tailored resources and providing insightful feedback. This AI tool is built to reduce the burden of administrative tasks on educators, freeing up time for them to interact directly with students.

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• Lesson Planning and Instructional Design: With Eduaide.Ai, teachers can efficiently design lessons and generate over 100 types of resources using AI. 
• Feedback Bot: It offers a feedback bot that utilizes AI to provide prompt, relevant, and actionable responses to students. Includes the ability to provide a custom rubric to guide feedback. 
• Eduaide Chat: Teachers can interact with the AI, ask questions, and brainstorm new ideas as it it were a teaching assistant. 
• Assessment Builder: The platform includes an Assessment Builder that allows teachers to create assessments quickly, adjusting question complexities to suit their requirements. 
• Multilingual Support: Language is no barrier with Eduaide.Ai, as it supports AI-assisted planning in over 15 languages.

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Cost

• Free for limited use and functionality
• $49.99 /year for unlimited access to all resources and tools

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AI Tools for Creating Interactive Activities

Quizizz

Engage and motivate every student with Quizizz, the AI-powered educational tool delivering accessible assessment, instruction, and practice in a fun, interactive format. Rrusted by teachers in 90% of U.S. schools, Quizizz helps make teaching more efficient, accessible, and engaging.

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• AI Activity Generation: Quizizz uses AI to create interactive learning activities in seconds from websites, PDFs, and documents. 
• Interactive Worksheets: Transform existing teaching materials into digitized, interactive worksheets with AI assistance. 
• Gamify Learning: Captivate students with game-like features such as Power-Ups, Leaderboards, and Team Mode.

Cost

• Free starter plan available for teachers with limited access
• School/District pricing available for full features

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AI Tutor and Teaching Assistant

Khanmigo

Khanmigo is an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant created by the renowned nonprofit Khan Academy. This tool is designed with educators and learners in mind, providing tailored tutoring, support and guidance for students of all levels.

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• AI Tutoring Functionality: Khanmigo uses intelligent algorithms to guide learners in finding solutions on their own, stimulating critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Rubric Generator: Teachers can use this AI-powered feature to construct detailed rubrics within minutes, drastically reducing preparation time.
• Personalized Learning Approach: The AI adjusts to individual learning styles and paces to provide a tailored educational experience.

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Cost

• Free for teachers
• School/District pricing available
• $4/month for students

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Flint

Flint is a AI-powered tutoring platform designed specifically for schools. It allows teachers to create personalized learning experiences, driven by AI, tailored to meet the unique needs and skills of each student.

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• AI Tutoring: Flint uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized tutoring and assessments for each student, based on their unique learning objectives and materials.
• Real-time Interaction: Flint's AI engages students in 1-1 conversations, providing real-time feedback and assistance, similar to a personal TA.
• Customized Instruction: Teachers can design AI to follow specific rules, choose from 50+ languages to communicate in, and set the reading level and grading criteria.
• Personalized Assistance: Flint's AI adjusts to each student’s level, aiding when they encounter difficulties while also extending the learning for advanced students.

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Conclusion

In today's tech-driven world, education technology is rapidly evolving, with many AI tools becoming available to teachers and schools. These tools can help teachers save time, create custom teaching resources, and personalize learning experiences to fit individual students' needs. While these advancements are exciting, we also need to consider some of the potential risks.

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Relying too heavily on technology can affect students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Plus, even though these platforms aim to be accurate, there's always a risk of misinformation. Without the ability to tell what's true and what's not, students may end up misinformed.

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Another concern is the lack of human interaction. The exclusive use of AI-driven platforms can lead students to miss out on the emotional and social connections that happen in face-to-face interactions with teachers and classmates, which are so important for developing social skills.

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As educators, we need to find the right balance—taking advantage of the benefits of AI while addressing its downsides. This way, we can create a well-rounded educational experience that prepares students for the challenges of the future. 

Consider checking out Mastery Coding’s AI Essentials for Educators course as a professional development opportunity for your school or district.