AI in Edu: News, Tools, & Views (June 27)
Welcome to my weekly digest of AI in education news, tools, and views to help keep you informed. Let’s get started:
An AI Wish List From Teachers: What They Actually Want It to Do
This EdSurge article reports that teachers want AI to lighten their workload without replacing their role in the classroom. They hope AI can handle repetitive administrative tasks like creating rubrics, unpacking standards, and drafting parent flyers, allowing more time for student interaction. They also want AI to support differentiation, such as scaffolded reading, vocabulary help, and real-time translation for multilingual or special-needs learners. Teachers value AI-generated creative prompts but insist that it should never make key pedagogical decisions or disrupt human relationships and professional autonomy.
A School Librarian’s Guide to Using ChatGPT’s Book Scout
This TCEA post introduces ChatGPT’s Book Scout, a tool tailored for school librarians to streamline tasks and foster engagement. It helps cultivate a reading culture by generating book talks, themed displays, and promotional activities. It offers personalized book recommendations and summaries for diverse readers. Additionally, it assists in designing curriculum-aligned lessons and tech-integrated activities, such as podcasts or book trailers. Book Scout unlocks efficiencies so librarians can focus on instruction and community connection.
https://blog.tcea.org/school-librarian-guide-chatgpt-book-scout/
Google’s VEO 3 AI Video Generator: What Educators Need To Know
Tech&Learning explains that Google’s VEO 3, launched in May 2025, merges Google’s Veo, Imagen, and Gemini AI models to generate short, high-resolution videos with synchronized audio—dialogue, sound effects, and ambient noise—from simple text prompts. Available only to Google AI Ultra subscribers ($250/month) and select enterprise users, it offers new possibilities for classrooms—like animating creative writing, historical reenactments, and science simulations. Educators must weigh benefits against ethical risks—deepfakes, misinformation, bullying—and address equity due to limited access.
https://www.techlearning.com/news/googles-veo-3-ai-video-generator-what-educators-need-to-know
Utilizing AI as a Personal Tutor
This TCEA post highlights how tools like the free, open‑source Llama Tutor offer personalized, grade‑level adaptive learning. Users select their level and topic to receive explanations, quizzes, vocabulary lists, fun facts, and clickable sources. It delivers instant feedback, aiding engagement and correction. Powered by Bing or Serper APIs, it stays current and transparent. This accessible tool could free teacher time, enabling students to learn at their own pace while preserving instructional roles.
https://blog.tcea.org/ai-personal-tutor/
Using AI Right Now: A Quick Guide
Ethan Mollick’s “Using AI Right Now: A Quick Guide” emphasizes hands‑on experimentation with powerful models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to understand their potential wsj.com+10oneusefulthing.org+10youtube.com+10. He advocates starting with voice mode for natural interaction and leveraging multimodal features—like screen and image input—to solve real‑world problems oneusefulthing.org+1linkedin.com+1. Beyond simple Q&A, Mollick encourages using AI to generate images, video, code, and documents via Canvas or built‑in tools oneusefulthing.org+6oneusefulthing.org+6youtube.com+6. The real value lies in iterative, conversational use—breaking tasks into steps and refining prompts through back‑and‑forth dialogue wsj.com. Approaching AI as a partner—an “intern”—can significantly boost practical productivity and creative problem-solving.
Kids need to experiment with AI
Emelia Probasco, a senior fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), argues that children must experiment with AI in low‑stakes settings to truly grasp its strengths and weaknesses. Her son tested ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini by posing Trivial Pursuit questions, revealing a surprising ~9% hallucination rate, while guardrails sometimes blocked valid responses. She believes hands‑on trials help students learn about AI firsthand, before it’s implemented in consequential contexts, and also encourage youth participation in debates about AI’s regulation and design.
https://edscoop.com/kids-need-to-experiment-with-ai-emelia-probasco-cset/
Edutopia Director on the potential of Education Technology
Cindy Johanson, Executive Director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and Edutopia leader, shared her excitement about AI’s transformative potential. Drawing parallels to early web innovation, she highlighted how tools like ChatGPT and Claude empower educators to personalize learning and automate routine tasks—unleashing deeper student engagement through creative, collaborative problem-solving. Johanson believes AI also democratizes project-based learning by aiding teachers in planning, differentiation, and assessment. She cited Google’s NotebookLM and Claude as game‑changers and credits her time at Teachers College—mentored by renowned scholars and enriched by communal experiences—for shaping her optimism.
https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2025/june/with-an-expert-cindy-johanson/
And More…
Introducing Custom Generation - Napkin (YouTube)
What Is Prisms And How Can I Use It to Teach STEM? - Tech&Learning
Google's Answer to Understand Anything: NotebookLM - Michael Spencer
ChatGPT Record: ChatGPT can transcribe and summarize audio recordings like meetings, brainstorms, or voice notes.
Vheer - Free Online AI Image Generator
KidsScribe - Put in a website link and choose how easy you want it to read
Chronicle - a modern form of presentations
Image Generation: Still Crazy After all these years - Gary Marcus
Make the Most of Google or Microsoft Forms - Edutopia
SchoolAI has been “rebuilt from stratch” and you can view a showcase of its features on July 16.
Mastering the Image Node - FunBlocks
Any suggestions to improve this newsletter? Please message me or leave a comment below!
Thanks for passing along the information from a school librarian using ChatGPT to support teachers in building a culture of reading. It’s amazing how innovative teachers are. You do a great job of curating, Tom. This is a great idea, one I’ve not heard or thought about. Nice!