Which AI tools are actually improving teaching and learning?
Kia ora everyone,I’m interested in hearing from educators about which AI tools are genuinely making a difference in practice, rather than just sounding impressive.There are now so many options available, from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM through to more specialised tools for assessment, planning, feedback, accessibility, and content creation. What I’m most curious about is this:Which AI tools are you actually using in your work, and how are they improving outcomes for teachers or learners?
25 replies
It honestly has to be Notebook LM for the sort of personalised and highly visual resources that I am creating. That’s what makes it the most transformative.
I think it is less about specific tools and more about the prompts you use to get the most out of them. NotebookLM and Copilot Chat 'Teach' and 'Researcher' are good as they already have a certain level of prompt built in that makes them great at what they do. But honestly, most LLMs can be made to give you the level of assistance you require by including one simple statement to all your...
Snorkl is a game-changer because it bridges the gap between formative assessment and meaningful revision. It closes the feedback loop delay by providing instant, pedagogical feedback as students record themselves explaining their thinking. It shifts the focus from simply getting the right answer to mastering the process. Because the feedback is immediate and low-stakes, students don't just see...
Right now, I am seeing the most benefit from being able to almost instantly scaffold a lesson or material for all of the students in a classroom. Often, we may have a span of up to 4 different grade levels of reading ability in one classroom. Being able to produce the same material at all of those levels in seconds allows every child to not only stay in the classroom during instruction (as...
I start with the Backward Design framework—beginning with clear standards and identifying the durable skills students truly need. From there, I use Gemini as my "instructional design partner" to elevate assessments, moving them away from simple recall and toward higher-level analysis that requires genuine student thinking.During the "sandbox" portion of my professional learning sessions, I...
I believe it comes down to intentional and purposeful planning on what tool will fit which problem our students are facing. I am a special education teacher of 32 years- Elementary Level Resource Teacher. My favorite so far which has passed safety rating for FERPA & COPPA is Magicschoolai You can see how I use this tool in my room here-...
I can only access Gemini at work and I find it hit or miss. I use Claude and ChatGPT at home. Not sure if it is because I have used them for longer or if they really is a difference but I find them better for helping me create lesson resources. I quite like the Gemini gems for helping with quick low stakes feedback but it can get itself a bit muddled up
So important to know your "why" and make sure the collaboration and critical analysis pieces are part of the process. I do feel that the more intentional & deliberate you can make the interactions as a piece of unlocking complex content, the bigger impact for the students in transferring knowledge and fostering advocacy & ownership!
Our IT department essentially blocked everything AI. Access is to anything is exception and has to be approved. We have CoPilot, Adobe Express, ThingLink, Canva, SchoolAI, MagicSchool and Kahoot currently approved. I love using ThingLink and its AI functionality to create interactive learning experiences.
As with anything edtech - schools have to think about purpose. I have been on various calls from sales people promoting AI-powered products. On the whole, these are either unnecessary or not even good quality AI. You have to consider the age of the students, and whether they are allowed on the tools you want to use. You also need to make sure that AI is being used as a collaborator, a...