An Inside Look at AI Tools & Uses: A Practical Guide for Teachers
In 2020, I began writing a book about AI's impending impact on education. Despite completing 140 pages, publishers showed no interest. I wasn’t surprised. The world was grappling with a pandemic and remote schooling, and the last thing school administrators wanted to hear about was AI's impending disruption.
Fast forward to 2022. Soon after selling EdTechTeacher, the company I'd led for fourteen years, ChatGPT burst onto the scene. Suddenly, school administrators and teachers were in a panic, caught off guard by generative AI's arrival and unsure how to react.
This time, I decided to focus on helping teachers directly. Their apprehension about generative AI was palpable, and school leaders seemed at a loss about how to guide them or create useful policies. Even now, the vast majority of teachers haven't received any AI training from their schools.
I spent seven months developing my "Tom's Takes: AI Tools & Views" website, offering curated AI tools and guidance for educators. This became the foundation for my new book, "AI Tools & Uses: A Practical Guide for Teachers," which took another five months to complete.
What Sets this Book Apart
While researching, I found books on AI in education to be strikingly similar – long on concepts and issues, but short on practical tools and actionable strategies for teachers. Books purportedly on “teaching with AI” or “AI for the classroom” largely remain in the realm of generalizations and are short on practical applications.
My book aims to fill this gap. It's not just about understanding AI; it's about specific ways to use AI in the classroom. Here's what I think makes the book unique:
1. Practical, Subject-Specific Guidance
Unlike other AI in education books, mine is organized by K-12 subject areas and teaching responsibilities. Each chapter – from English Language Arts to History, Math, Science, World Languages, and Elementary Education – offers in-depth, subject-specific guidance.
For instance, the Science chapter aligns recommendations with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), ensuring that AI integration enhances rather than detracts from curriculum goals. A science teacher might find strategies for using AI to create interactive simulations that bring complex concepts to life, all while addressing specific NGSS standards.
2. Extensive List of Tools with Analysis
The book includes an unparalleled range of AI tools, each with a pointed "Tom's Take" analysis. This goes beyond mere description, offering teachers insider insights on a tool's strengths, weaknesses, or best use cases.
For example, in the Math chapter, I not only introduce tools like Wolfram GPT and Khanmigo but provide specific scenarios where each tool shines. This level of understanding is crucial for teachers navigating the overwhelming landscape of educational AI tools.
3. Actionable Approaches and Strategies
Each subject chapter includes an "Approaches" section, aligning AI use with curriculum needs and educational standards. These aren't vague suggestions but concrete guides for implementation.
In the History chapter, for instance, I outline how tools like Diffit can be used to teach students about evaluating historical sources, tying directly into Common Core standards for literacy in history/social studies.
4. Detailed Lesson Activities
The book goes beyond strategies to offer extended, detailed lesson activities that demonstrate real-world AI integration. These aren't just ideas; they're extended lessons to integrate or simulate.
One example from the English Language Arts chapter showcases how to use Twee, an AI-powered platform, to enhance grammar instruction. The lesson demonstrates how teachers can use Twee to generate customized exercises that target specific grammatical concepts, adapting to each student's proficiency level.
5. Real Teacher Perspectives
Each subject chapter spotlights a teacher from that discipline, sharing their AI integration journey and advice. These aren't sanitized success stories, but honest accounts of the challenges and triumphs of bringing AI into the classroom.
As one featured teacher advises, "Don't be resistant. Our goal is to make complex things simple and not simple things complex. How can we leverage AI to make complex things simple?"
6. Moving Beyond Time-Saving
While many teachers trumpet AI to save time on existing tasks, my book pushes readers to think bigger. The real potential of AI lies not in automating human tasks, but in augmenting human abilities and transforming the learning experience.
I advocate for an "outside-in" approach to AI integration. We start with foundational knowledge acquired outside the classroom, gradually moving towards transformative practices that put AI tools directly into students' hands. The goal isn't just to make teachers' lives easier (though that's a nice side effect), but to fundamentally reshape the student learning experience.
For instance, in the World Languages chapter, I don't just suggest using AI for generating verb-usage lists. Instead, I provide strategies for using AI-powered conversation partners to give students authentic speaking practice, complete with cultural context and real-time feedback.
Two Key Limitations
The book certainly isn't perfect. Space was a challenge as it grew to 300 pages. Some subjects, like Music and the Arts, aren't covered. There's no dedicated section on using AI for ELLs or for administrative communication.
A print book also has inherent limitations. The Spotlight sections could benefit from video tutorials. I may provide links to these in future digital updates.
AI ‘s Role in Developing the Book
I used AI in developing this book, applying many of the prompting strategies shared in Chapter 3. AI brainstorming was incredibly helpful, offering fresh perspectives and new ideas. However, ideas always needed refining, and I often had to push back hard to make the AI work smarter. Some of my prompts were ridiculously long, but I (mostly) got the AI to do as I instructed.
Working with AI felt strange at times. I felt I was doing most of the work while AI was getting undue credit. For instance, when I provided AI with a section to review, it often made only minor edits. Yet, if I pasted the revised version into a plagiarism detector, it would flag the entire piece as AI-generated. This disconnect between the actual work done and the perceived AI contribution was unsettling.
That’s not to say I didn’t let AI do some writing. I sometimes gave it my notes on a tool and asked it to draft a factual description. I gave it some creative freedom in a few limited areas. In all, I carried the load, but AI served as my trusted assistant for brainstorming, organizing, and writing. You can judge for yourself whether it was a fruitful relationship.
My Hope
As we look ahead to the coming school year, it's clear that many more teachers will be incorporating AI tools into their classrooms, often with little or no formal guidance. Without proper direction, teachers might limit themselves to surface-level applications of AI, missing out on its transformative potential. Or worse, they might unknowingly use AI in ways that violate district policies or damage learning outcomes.
My sincere hope is that this book finds its way into the hands of these educators, serving as a practical and important guide. It's designed to meet teachers where they are, offering concrete strategies for those just starting out with AI, while also providing advanced techniques for those ready to push the boundaries of what's possible in AI-enhanced education.
AI Tools & News
Microsoft Designer has added new tools and is available as a free app for iOS and Android.
TCEA has a great review of PamPam, an AI mapping tool, which I feature in my book.
Magic School for Students has new features, including: Quiz Me, Student Support Chatbot, Standard(s) Based Chatbot, Chat with Docs and more.
MagicSchool (for Educators) has new tools, including:
Chat with Docs, Survey Creator, 504 Plan Generator, Advanced Learning Plan,
Support Goals Creator, and more
Instaclass - create a class on anything you want
Perplexity now includes Voice Mode. It also now provides web links in searches, like Google.
The Poe AI chatbot now includes a Live Portrait feature that enables users to create videos from text, images, & more.
How Social Media Influences Teaching, Learning and the Student Experience - EdSurge
Andrej Karpathy has started an AI+Education company called Eureka Labs, which is building an “AI native” school.
Using Technology to Support Students’ Understanding of Nonfiction Reading - Edutopia
I Tested Grammarly’s AI Writing Assistant For Teaching. I Love And Hate It - Tech&Learning
Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 - World Economic Forum