🤖 40 AI tools for teachers (updated)

Updates to our list PLUS saving time with Brisk Teaching

😫 So. Many. New apps. Overwhelmed?

The tech scene in education has always been inundated with new apps.

But recently? With all of the new AI stuff?

It’s been in overdrive. It’s so hard to keep up with everything.

Let me tell you something that’ll make you feel better. I can’t keep up with everything. (That’s right … the guy whose job it is to keep up with it all? I don’t know ALL of it.)

So how in the world are YOU expected to know it all? You’re NOT.

  • Find tools that’ll help you do what YOU need to do.

  • Get rid of the FOMO (fear of missing out) from the stuff you haven’t found.

  • If you see something new that interests you, give it a shot.

That sounds doable, right?

In our updated post of AI tools below, you might find that new thing that interests you.

PS: One of these tools — MirrorTalk — is doing a 30-day reflection challenge. (And there are prizes!) It’s not too late! Join here.

Inside:

  • School leaders 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 AI for Admins newsletter

  • 👀 DTT Digest: AI concerns, template, Adobe MAX, Edpuzzle

  • 💡 The Big Idea: UPDATED: 40 AI tools for teachers

  • 💻 Tech Tip: 3 Brisk Teaching activities to save you time

  • 😄 Smile of the day: Here they come, look out! 🫣

  • 👋 How we can help

School leaders 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 AI for Admins newsletter

If you’re involved in decisions about AI in your school or district, you should check out our AI for Admins newsletter.

It’s not just for admins, though. It’s for anyone — principals, superintendents, tech integration specialists, librarians, teachers — working through policy and procedures around AI in schools.

It’s a weekly newsletter, but we also have a community where we share information with each other.

Interested? Subscribe here!

If you know someone who would love this? Forward them this email!

👀 DTT Digest

4 teaching resources worth checking out today

  • 📘 ICYMI: 5 concerns about AI in education— In this post dive into Ken Shelton and Dee Lanier’s book: The Promises and Perils of AI in Education: Ethics and Equity Have Entered the Chat.

  • 🤳🏽 Learn like an influencer template — Your students can show what they've learned by following the same content creation plan that their favorite influencers use! This template walks them through the steps -- and focuses on helping them show what they know from your class.

  • 🚌 Take your students on a virtual journey to Adobe MAX— Come on a virtual journey to Adobe MAX, Adobe’s free, on-demand creativity conference.

  • 💻 Free webinar: Student Projects — Join this 1 hr. event in which you will learn about Edpuzzle's hidden gem, Student Projects. Let your students create video lessons that you can then assign to the whole class! Webinar is live on Thursday, October 3rd at 7:00 p.m. ET.

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🤖 UPDATED: 40 AI tools for teachers

We’ve been creating — and updating — and maintaining — this list of AI tools for a while now.

Our goal isn’t to have an all-encompassing list of every possible tool.

We want to bring you the GOOD ones (at least, the ones that impress us).

Here’s our full list of all 40 AI tools in the graphic above — with details, notes on pricing, and links.

Just recently, we added a few new ones to the list …

Snorkl (snorkl.app)

In Snorkl, students hit record and draw on the screen while they describe verbally what they’re doing. Snorkl analyzes what they said and drew — and offers immediate feedback. (Math teachers are LOVING Snork.)

MirrorTalk (mirrortalk.ai)

Students tell MirrorTalk what they’re working on or learning about. Then, MirrorTalk asks them questions to get them thinking deeper about it. Afterward, teacher and student get an analysis of the responses with suggestions for growth.

NotebookLM (notebooklm.google)

NotebookLM calls itself “your personalized AI research assistant.” Give it learning materials (PDFs, websites, documents, copied text) and it’ll create study guides, tables of contents, frequently asked questions. But it’ll also create an audio summary — a podcast-style summary with two hosts talking about your material. This is great for reviewing and reinforcing.

TeachAid (teachaid.ca)

TeachAid is a comprehensive lesson planning assistant. Create unit and lesson plans, instructional materials, and engaging activities — and offer personalized learning for your students. Plus, TeachAid’s interactive slide presentations provide hands-on digital activities to get students learning.

Find more AI tools in our post

Read our post — 40 AI tools for the classroom — for our whole list, broken down into six categories:

  • chatbots

  • visual and design

  • lesson design and content creation

  • teaching aides

  • quiz/assessment generators

  • tutoring assistants and collaboration

💻 TECH TIP 💻

🕙 3 Brisk Teaching activities to save you time

Brisk Teaching (BriskTeaching.com) is a Chrome extension that brings safe AI into the tools you already use, such as Google Docs, Google Slides, YouTube videos, and web articles.

After you install it, the Brisk icon will appear in the corner of your screen, ready to use wherever you are on the internet.

This means you can create custom quizzes, lesson plans and presentations without switching between different platforms.

Brisk Teaching is packed with features that help you save time planning and creating for your student. 

3 sample activities using Brisk Teaching

Learn how you can create these using Brisk, along with step-by-step instructions:

🌍 1. Third Grade “Biomes” Google Slides Presentation

  • Visit the National Geographic Kids webpage on “What Makes A Biome?”.

  • Click on the Brisk icon, select “Create” then “Presentation”.

  • Enter the prompt: “Create a presentation for 3rd grade students about biomes. The presentation should inform students about the different features of each biome. It should also describe the plants and animals that live in each biome. Also include questions throughout to facilitate class discussion.”

  • Click “Brisk it!” to generate the presentation.

2. Google Forms Quiz from a Video

  • Open the Crash Course video on Ancient Mesopotamia.

  • Click on the Brisk icon, select “Create” then “Quiz”.

  • Use the standard prompt: “Create a quiz about this YouTube Video.”

  • Choose “New Form” and click “Brisk it!” to generate the quiz.

📖 3. Lesson Plan from a Prompt in Google Docs

  • Open a blank Google Doc.

  • Click on the Brisk icon, select “Create” then “Lesson Plan”.

  • Enter the prompt: “Create a comprehensive lesson plan for 6th-grade students that aligns with the Math Common Core standard 6.EE.A.2. Include detailed activities that guide students through writing, reading, and evaluating algebraic expressions. Include interactive elements such as group work, hands-on activities, and real-world examples. Ensure the lesson plan is engaging, interactive, and suitable for a diverse classroom. Include any relevant visual aids, technology tools, or supplementary resources that can enhance the learning experience.”

  • Click “Brisk it!” to generate the lesson plan.

❤️ Loving these ideas? You can do all of these with Brisk’s free plan for teachers. (Brisk has one of the best free plans in edtech!)

📈 Want more? Get additional features like Targeted Feedback in Google Docs and images in presentations with Brisk Educator Pro.

🆓 Try it for free: Get 3 months of Brisk Educator Pro for free! (No credit cards. Keep whatever you make.)

😄 Smile of the day

You can’t escape parent teacher conferences!

h/t @teacherskind on Instagram

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

  1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

  2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

  3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!

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