AI in Edu: News, Tools, & Views (April 17)
Welcome to my weekly digest of AI in education news, tools, and views to help keep you informed. (With the holiday weekend looming, I only publish once this week.)
Let’s get started:
10 Ways Educators Can Use AI to Streamline Daily Life
This Tech&Learning article outlines 10 practical ways educators can use AI to simplify daily tasks, such as drafting emails, creating lesson plans, grading, and generating rubrics. By automating repetitive work, AI helps teachers save time and reduce burnout. It also supports differentiation and accessibility. The key takeaway is that AI, when used thoughtfully, can enhance productivity and allow educators to focus more on student engagement and meaningful instruction.
https://www.techlearning.com/news/10-ways-educators-can-use-ai-to-streamline-daily-life
Voices of Gen Z: How American Youth View and Use Artificial Intelligence
The latest survey from the Walton Family Foundation, GSV Ventures and Gallup explores how Generation Z is using artificial intelligence in their everyday lives and thinking about its role in their future. The survey reveals four in 10 (41%) Gen Zers feel anxious about the technology, pointing to a growing disconnect between their AI exposure and the guidance they receive from schools and employers. Students who say their schools allow AI use are 25% more likely to feel prepared to use the technology after graduation than those whose schools do not allow AI (57% vs. 32%).
https://www.gallup.com/analytics/651674/gen-z-research.aspx
OpenAI’s New Viral Art-Generating Tool and Its Potential for Teaching
Tech&Learning explores OpenAI’s new viral image-generation tool and its educational potential. Teachers can use it to spark creativity, support visual learning, and enhance storytelling across subjects. The tool allows students to turn ideas into images, making abstract concepts more concrete. While ethical use and content moderation are important, the tool offers exciting opportunities for engagement, especially in art, language arts, and history classrooms.
In partnership with Essay Grader
Essay Grader is a straightforward, powerful tool that uses AI to take the load off your shoulders and will completely change the way you approach grading!
Every feature puts teachers first, with a focus on simplifying repetitive tasks like grading to improve productivity - all the while letting teachers be fully in control.
Streamline grading, provide detailed, actionable feedback to your students, and maintain complete control over your assessments - all in one intuitive interface.
Reduce grading time by 80%. Grade your entire class's essays in 2 minutes or less and deliver high-quality, specific feedback to your students.
Ensure fair essay grading by removing bias and aligning with state standards like Texas STAAR, Florida BEST and California CCSS.
Join Essay Grader and its ever-expanding network of 60,000+ educators, and you’ll connect with others who share your passion and commitment.
What Would a Librarian Ask ChatGPT? Turns Out…A Lot.
This TCEA article offers 15 ChatGPT prompts tailored for librarians to enhance services, support learning, and engage patrons. Prompts include generating book recommendations, creating reading challenges, summarizing texts, and helping with research. ChatGPT can assist with lesson planning, newsletter writing, and tech troubleshooting. The goal is to empower librarians to integrate AI meaningfully into their work, saving time while fostering creativity, curiosity, and literacy among students and library users.
https://blog.tcea.org/librarians-ask-chatgpt-15-prompts/
Helping Educators Reimagine AI’s Role in Transformational Learning
In this EdSurge article, ISTE+ASCD highlights efforts to help educators rethink AI’s role in transforming learning. Rather than fearing AI, teachers are encouraged to explore its potential to enhance creativity, personalization, and student agency. Through professional development, educators can gain confidence and skills to use AI responsibly. The focus is on aligning AI use with human-centered, equitable learning goals, ensuring technology supports, not replaces, authentic, meaningful educational experiences.
Making the Case to Students That Math Is Important, Even When AI Does It All
This Education Week article discusses how educators emphasize the continued importance of learning math, even as AI tools handle complex calculations. Teachers argue that math develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning skills that AI can't replace. By connecting math to real-life situations and future careers, educators aim to show its relevance. Rather than viewing AI as a replacement, they present it as a partner, making deeper mathematical understanding even more valuable.
Anthropic Education Report: How University Students Use Claude
Anthropic’s report reveals that university students use Claude AI to enhance, not replace, their learning. Students rely on Claude for brainstorming, explaining complex ideas, and generating study guides or feedback on writing. Most use it ethically, valuing it as a tutor or collaborator rather than a shortcut. The report emphasizes the importance of teaching responsible AI use and integrating it thoughtfully into higher education to support critical thinking and deeper learning.
https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-education-report-how-university-students-use-claude
Does AI Kill Critical Thinking? Maybe Not If We Use It Right.
In this Educate AI article, Jeanne Beatrix argues that AI doesn't inherently kill critical thinking—it depends on how it's used. Rather than replacing thinking, AI can augment it by helping students analyze, reflect, and iterate more effectively. Educators should focus on designing assignments that encourage students to evaluate AI outputs critically. With thoughtful integration, AI becomes a tool for deeper inquiry, creativity, and learning, rather than a shortcut or threat to cognitive development.
https://edu-ai.org/does-ai-kill-critical-thinking-maybe-not-if-we-use-it-right/
And More…
5 AI tools for classroom creativity - eSchoolNews
Yorescape: How to Use It to Teach - Tech&Learning
The new Canva Visual Suite 2.0 users create across every design type, from presentations to videos, whiteboards, and websites, all in one new format.
These AI Prompts Can Support Your Teaching - MiddleWeb
An AI is going to art school — and might earn a diploma. Meet Flynn - MSN
How An AI Tutor Could Level The Playing Field For Students Worldwide - Forbes
Why we need a minimalist mindset when it comes to AI and tech use for young people - Brookings Institute
The 2025 AI Index Report - Stanford HAI
Teaching Future-Ready Skills in World Language Classes - edutopia
Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools? - Education Week
Anthropic is reportedly launching a voice AI you can speak to - The Verge
Find more AI tools, views, and how-to’s at tomdaccord.com
Find my book AI Tools & Uses: A Practical Guide for Teachers at Amazon
*Learn more about Essay Grader