So far I have explored many AI tools in my capacity as an EdTech Trainer, Coach, and Research Chair working with Adult Education ESL, CTE Teachers, High School Diploma, University Teacher Candidates (Primary and Secondary), and Master and Doctoral Students. I’ve dabbled with over 100 AI tools over the past 10 months to try for myself and evaluate whether they would be tools that can help the teachers and educators I work with on a daily basis through coaching and professional learning sessions. I have ultimately narrowed them down to five tools at the writing of this blog in early November 2023. While I know this list will change with many new tools in the future, I really want teachers, coaches, and school leaders to first evaluate the greatest needs of their teachers, students, and schools. Tools can be costly and are a major decision. Additionally, tools may increase how much they cost after freemium plans change, which is something to keep on top of as that may require a migration to another tool.
I chose these tools based on their abilities to produce content for lessons in a timely manner, differentiate instruction (when possible for summative tasks), personalize feedback, and quite possibly personalize the learning experience, and can easily be integrated with research-based instructional strategies that can help students learn. I also wanted to see how each tool improved teacher workflow, such as the time it takes for a teacher to complete a task. An example of this would be to create and implement a lesson. While my methodology is not perfect, it’s what I am ultimately thinking of when I am working with teachers and any tool (regardless of whether it’s an AI tool or not).
Now, let’s jump into each of these tools that made my top five. There is no order to these top five AI tools as they all do different things. However, I will note that my first AI tool is my favorite and most applicable and powerful to supporting teachers in planning, assessment, instruction, and feedback (and more).
ChatGPT 4 Multimodal – The ability to generate content, analyze content, evaluate and conduct data-driven decision-making, and put it all of these facets together to problem solve, ChatGPT 4 is the best platform to do this for teachers. While it is a monthly fee and requires sufficient prompting and prompt libraries, it has the best computing power and can do the most for educators. In this same light, all of the content must be transferred over to another medium – maybe sometimes that integration will be a plugin or built directly into the tool. It may ultimately take more time to develop content and problem-solve versus many other AI tools, but it provides the best outputs and content by and far. Teachers can do the most of this platform to optimize their day-to-day tasks related to instruction, planning, workflow, and feedback. However, it will require the MOST work to develop the BEST content.
Curipod – Tired of spending time building interactive slideshows on Pear Deck, Nearpod, or Google Slides? Curipod allows teachers to build interactive lessons with formative assessment and interactive opportunities to engage students. There is a high degree of customizability with Curipid, which allows teachers to further customize the interactive AI slide decks with a wide variety of instructional strategies. Students can easily join with a QR Code or join via the slide deck link and code provided by their teacher. Additionally, what makes Curipod stand out is the ability for it to provide students with individualized feedback based on their responses, which can be game-changing during intervals of whole class feedback to further personalize feedback to students.
Quizizz (using AI integration) – Everyone knows Quizizz is a gamified quiz and interactive lesson platform. With its new AI integration to YouTube, websites, PDFs, and documents, it provides teachers so many opportunities to develop engaging lessons for students that focus on retrieval practice and formative assessment. This makes it incredibly easy for teachers to develop their first draft of an interactive quiz or lesson, which can be conducted synchronously during class time or any time with their asynchronous mode. Teachers can also customize the quizzes and lessons with their editor mode which also has additional AI capabilities added into it to further amplify teacher workflow.
MagicSchool.AI – Unlike ChatGPT, MagicSchool provides teachers with a wide range of built-in prompt libraries and templates that can be utilized for numerous tasks teachers face in their day-to-day work. There are more than 100 of these items in their library of prompt templates. Additionally, teachers can provide customizable prompts on the AI that’s been trained on day-to-day tasks teachers complete each day.
Diffit – Ever want to differentiate content for your classroom instruction? Diffit provides teachers the opportunity to create differentiated text and questions related to a content strand. More importantly, what makes Diffit stand out amongst many tools is its ability to produce its differentiated outputs onto a number of mediums, including Google Slides, Docs, PDFs, and more. Additionally, these mediums can then be integrated with several instructional strategies such as informal assessment, retrieval practice, and think, pair, and share.
Other AI Tools I Recommend
Here is a list of other tools that have AI integrations I utilize often. However, they did not make my top five list of AI tools for teachers.
- Canva
- Claude
- PI.AI (for students)
- Readtheory
- Google Apps with Duet AI Integrated
Conclusion
As we wrap up this exploration of my top five favorite AI tools for teachers (as of November 2023), it’s clear that the landscape is rich with potential and ripe for innovation. These AI tools are not just flashy tools to impress us with their technological prowess; they are practical aids and even co-teachers and co-pilots, when used judiciously, can transform the teaching and learning experience for both teachers and students. The key is to start with the needs and work backward—aligning the tool’s capabilities with our instructional design, workflow needs, and practical goals that we need to complete to serve our students the best we can on a daily basis.
For more insights into how technology can be wielded to empower educators and engage learners, I invite you to check out more on matthewrhoads.com. There, you’ll find a wealth of blog posts and books that delve deeper into the world of EdTech, offering guidance, tips, and strategies to harness the full potential of digital tools in education. Join the conversation and be a part of shaping the future of learning.
Navigating the Present and Future of Education 
This is an excellent and well-thought-out roundup of AI tools that truly support educators in planning, assessment, and instruction. I especially appreciate the focus on practical application and improving teacher workflow, which aligns closely with our mission at Helppo Tutoring—an online tutoring software designed to help educators and tutors personalize lessons, track student progress, and simplify scheduling and communication. It’s inspiring to see how tools like ChatGPT 4, Curipod, and Diffit are making differentiated instruction and feedback more accessible.
Thanks for sharing such valuable insights and resources for the education community!
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