It seems like everyday I hear about a new AI tool or a new thing AI can do. All this change can make teaching exciting or overwhelming, or a little of both. To help sift through the options I have put together a list of my favorite tools and ones I look forward to trying.
Tools I know and love:
- Canva – Canva is one of my absolute favorite tools. It is so versatile. Professionally, I make all of my presentation decks in Canva and it really sets them apart. Personally, I make invitations and even edit Instagram posts. I also love showing the students how to use it for things like videos and infographics. I love that it exposes students to industry level technology. The amazing thing is that you can get Canva Pro for free as an educator, and students can get it for free if they are in your class (check this out!). Canva has so many AI tools in the Magic Studio and you can learn more about it all here.
- Notebook.LM – This tool blew my mind when I learned about it. You upload whatever reading material you want and it creates a podcast for you. The voices sound so realistic it’s crazy. After you listen to a few of them it can become formulaic, but I am certain it will become better with time. If you find three academic articles you are very interested in but don’t have time to read them, listen to a recap of them in a podcast form! The podcast feature is just one thing you can do. It can also help you research. If you upload an article, you can ask Notebook.lm questions about the contents. One thing I learned about at FETC, but haven’t tried yet is that you can even use it to make a chatbot. That is next on my list.
- MagicSchool – I heard alot about Magic School before I actually tried it for myself. Once I finally did, I closed my computer and didn’t log back into the website for a few weeks. At first, it can be overwhelming. However, if you take it slow, it really does have everything. Need help writing your IEPs? MagicSchool has got you. Want to make a choice board based on the theory of multiple intelligences? MagicSchool can help! The one drawback is that even though you have access to all of the tools on the free version, in order to revise and give feedback you have to have the Plus version. Still worth checking out though.
Tools I can’t wait to try:
- Schoolai – Schoolai has many of the same features as MagicSchool. However, the reason I want to try it is because you can create “spaces” where your students can chat with a character of your choosing. For example, they can talk with Sir Isaac Newton and learn about his laws. It can also work like a personal tutor.
- Snorkl – I recently saw a demo of Snorkl and now I can’t wait for my math teachers to try it. A student can record themselves solving a problem not only showing what they wrote, but with their voice. This means the teacher can hear their thought process as they work through the problem.
- Deck.Toys – I absolutely love hyperdocs. They are one of my favorite ways to give students a lesson. I always make them in Google Slides and design them myself. However, Deck.Toys seems like it is an AI version of hyperdocs. I looked at some of the ones that you can search for from other teachers. For my subject, the ones I found seemed more like a substitution for worksheets, so I want to take the time to make one from scratch.
What is your favorite AI tool that I left off my list? I love to hear your thoughts.
