AI tools for teachers keep changing, but the goal hasn’t: spend less time starting from scratch and more time on the work that matters to your students.Maybe you need to adapt a reading passage, get a first draft of a rubric, or find a better way to hear students explain their thinking.There are tools that can help with each of those tasks—and you don’t need to learn them all! I’ve updated this list with new options, changes to familiar tools, and practical ways to use them.
You’ll also find related training available inside ALL ACCESS, including my courses and sessions from guest educators, so you can go beyond exploring a tool and learn how to use it in your classroom.AI can help with the preparation.You still bring the expertise, relationships, and judgment.
Listen to this episode: Top 20+ AI Tools for Teachers These tools are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked.Some help you prepare materials; others support student activities.“Free” does not always mean unlimited, and a teacher’s free account does not necessarily include student access.
Tool Access at a glance Why try it? Adobe Express for Education Free K–12 education offering Create classroom visuals, multimedia projects, and student creative work Brisk Teaching Free and paid plans Adapt resources and draft feedback where you already work Canva Education Free for eligible K–12 educators and students; AI limits vary Design presentations, visuals, and classroom activities ChatGPT / ChatGPT for Teachers General free and paid plans; eligible U.S.K–12 educators get the teacher workspace free through June 2028 Work through ideas, adapt materials, and develop drafts through conversation Claude / Claude for Teachers General free and paid plans; free teacher offering for verified U.S.K–12 educators Work with documents, develop lessons, and refine instructional materials Curipod Free access and paid options Teacher-led interactive lessons, writing practice, and feedback Diffit Free and paid options Adapt readings and build differentiated learning resources Eduaide Free and paid plans Create teaching resources, assessments, and differentiated supports Education Copilot Free and paid plans Draft lesson plans, worksheets, rubrics, quizzes, and slides Flint Free teacher tools; check student-platform access separately Build guided AI learning activities around your instructional goals Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM Free access with expanded paid options Explore sources and turn materials into study resources Google Gemini for Education No-cost access for qualifying institutions; premium features vary Planning, brainstorming, and creating learning materials in a Google-centered workflow Grammarly Free and paid plans Improve clarity, correctness, and tone in everyday writing Khanmigo for Teachers Free teacher tools in supported regions Guided help with lesson plans, rubrics, and instructional ideas MagicSchool Free and paid plans Lesson planning, rubrics, differentiation, and everyday teacher tasks Microsoft Copilot Chat No additional cost for eligible education users; Microsoft 365 Copilot is a separate paid add-on Brainstorm, summarize, and work with files in a Microsoft-centered workflow Parlay Free access and paid options Develop and facilitate written and verbal class discussions SchoolAI Limited free access and paid plans Create teacher-guided AI Spaces for student learning Snorkl Check current classroom and school access Hear and see student reasoning, with AI-supported feedback TeachAid Free and paid plans Build connected units, lessons, presentations, and student resources Wayground, formerly Quizizz Free and paid plans Create assessments and practice materials with student supports Access and features were checked in October 2026.
Follow the tool links for current eligibility, limits, and plans.Adobe Express for Education Adobe Express for Education supports visual and multimedia creation, with education templates, creative assets, and generative AI features in its K–12 offering.Try it for: Having students create a visual explanation of a concept and explain their choices.
Keep the emphasis on what their work communicates, not just what the AI can generate.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Hit Me With Your Best Design: Adobe Express In Action!: Elaine Kloeker explores classroom templates, guided activities, responsible AI use, and student creativity.Brisk Teaching Brisk brings AI support into the resources and browser-based tools you already use.
It can help adapt reading materials, create instructional resources, and draft feedback without requiring you to begin in a separate planning platform.Try it for: Adapting a reading resource, then comparing the revised version with the original to make sure important ideas and vocabulary remain.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: The Best Chrome Extensions for Teachers: My Podcast PD lesson includes a Brisk section covering differentiation and feedback.
Tired AI Slop? Solve It with the Assessment Puzzle Toolkit: For student-facing Brisk Boost connections, Lindy Hockenbary explores ways to make student thinking more visible.Canva Education Canva’s education offering goes beyond making a lesson look good.Its AI tools can support writing, visual creation, quizzes, and classroom activities alongside familiar presentation and design tools.
Try it for: Creating a visual explanation or an activity that asks students to apply an idea—not just decorate a slide.Canva Education is free for eligible K–12 teachers and students, but individual AI features have their own limits and access requirements.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: 10 Canva Secrets Every Teacher Should Know: My Podcast PD lesson includes Magic Write, AI quizzes, Magic Activities, and other classroom uses.
ChatGPT / ChatGPT for Teachers ChatGPT is useful for working through an idea, comparing approaches, and revising materials through follow-up questions.You do not have to accept the first response! ChatGPT for Teachers adds an educator workspace with file uploads, search, collaboration, and school administration features.It is free for verified U.S.
K–12 educators through June 2028.That teacher offer is not a student account plan.Try it for: Providing a lesson outline and asking for ways to remove barriers without lowering the learning goal.
Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Monster Making Machine: Marci Klein shows how ChatGPT can help adapt a hands-on K–5 project for different learning needs.AI That Works With You: Custom Bots for Real Classrooms: Tara Altherr’s recorded session explores custom GPT workflows for planning, communication, and reflection.Claude / Claude for Teachers Claude can help you work with documents, think through lesson design, and revise instructional materials.
Claude for Teachers adds teaching-focused skills and curriculum connections for verified U.S.K–12 educators.The current offer provides a year of free access when eligible educators sign up by June 30, 2027.
Try it for: Comparing a draft lesson with the standards and instructional requirements you provide, then identifying gaps for you to review.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Claude for Teachers, Google Classroom & Canva: What’s New for Back to School: My Podcast PD lesson includes a Claude for Teachers overview and classroom applications.Curipod Curipod supports teacher-led interactive lessons where students read, write, respond, and discuss.
Its AI-supported feedback can help students revisit their work during the learning process.Try it for: Adding a short writing-and-revision activity to a lesson, with time for students to discuss what they changed and why.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Eduprotocols and AI Tools: Even Better, Even Faster!: Jon Corippo and Jacob Carr demonstrate Curipod literacy activities, including vocabulary, phonics, and word-root applications.
Diffit Diffit helps teachers adapt reading materials and develop supporting learning resources.It is especially useful when you want students to work with the same topic while adjusting the supports they need to access it.Try it for: Adapting a reading and creating vocabulary supports or questions, then checking that the essential ideas remain intact.
An easier reading level should not automatically mean an easier thinking task.Keep the learning goal in view as you revise.Eduaide Eduaide offers templates for instructional resources, assessments, and learning supports.
It is useful when you know the kind of resource you need but want help getting the first draft on the page.Try it for: Creating an organizer and follow-up questions for a lesson you already teach.Review both for accuracy and instructional purpose before sharing them.
Education Copilot Education Copilot is a teacher planning toolkit for lesson plans, worksheets, slides, rubrics, and quizzes.It is a separate product from Microsoft Copilot.Try it for: Drafting a lesson and a matching check for understanding, then reviewing whether the assessment actually measures the intended learning.
A free plan is available, with paid options for expanded use.Flint Flint supports teacher-designed AI learning activities and tutoring experiences.Teachers can shape an activity around their materials and goals and review how students interact with it.
Try it for: Building a guided practice activity that asks students to explain their reasoning and receive help along the way.Flint also offers free teacher tools.Check student-platform access, school approval, and teacher controls separately before using it with a class.
Gemini Notebook, Formerly NotebookLM Google renamed NotebookLM Gemini Notebook in July 2026.It remains a source-based research and learning tool, with connections to the broader Gemini experience.Use it to explore materials you provide and develop study resources from those sources.
Source-based does not mean error-free: check the references and generated materials.Try it for: Bringing together your unit materials and creating a study guide or review questions that you can check against the original sources.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: NotebookLM: Your New Teaching Assistant: Ashley Shanley explores source-based materials, audio and video overviews, mind maps, flashcards, quizzes, and more.
The course retains the product name used when it was recorded.Google Gemini for Education Gemini can help you brainstorm, plan, and develop materials through a conversation.Give it your learning objective, grade level, and classroom constraints, then refine the result.
There is an important access distinction: the Gemini app for qualifying education accounts is not the same as having every premium Gemini feature inside Gmail, Docs, and other Workspace apps.Features depend on your account, licensing, and administrator settings.Try it for: Turning a learning objective into several activity options, then asking for adaptations that keep the same learning goal.
Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Gemini AI in Google Classroom MASTER CLASS: My masterclass covers planning, instructional materials, choice boards, assessments, student supports, and reviewing AI output.Personalize Student Learning with Gemini!: Mesha Daniel demonstrates a workflow connecting lesson ideas, slides, narrated video, translation, and a Classroom choice board.Grammarly Not every helpful AI tool needs to create an entire lesson.
Grammarly supports the writing teachers do every day, including emails, directions, feedback, and family communication.Try it for: Reviewing an important message for clarity and tone before sending it.Keep your own voice and check that suggested changes preserve what you mean.
Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: The Best Chrome Extensions for Teachers: The Grammarly section explores its role in clearer teacher communication.Khanmigo for Teachers Khanmigo offers guided teacher tools for planning and preparation, including lesson plans, rubrics, and learning objectives.It can be a useful starting point if you want more structure than a blank chat window.
Try it for: Drafting an exit ticket that checks a specific learning objective.Keep teacher and student access separate when evaluating it.The free teacher offering is available in supported regions; it does not automatically give your students classroom access to Khanmigo tutoring.
MagicSchool MagicSchool gives teachers a collection of purpose-built AI tools instead of asking you to figure out every prompt yourself.You can start with a specific task, such as a lesson plan, rubric, or differentiated resource, and provide the context it needs.Try it for: Drafting questions for an upcoming reading lesson, then checking whether they match your learning goal and the thinking you want students to do.
Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Amping Up Literacy Instruction with MagicSchool: Sarah McKinney explores decodable texts, vocabulary activities, questions, and differentiation for early childhood and elementary learners.Beyond the Basics: AI to Streamline Your Classroom: Explore Ashley Shanley’s recorded session for broader classroom uses.Microsoft Copilot Chat Copilot Chat can help with brainstorming, summarizing, and working with files.
For eligible education users, it includes enterprise data protection at no additional cost.That is different from Microsoft 365 Copilot, the paid add-on that connects more deeply with Microsoft 365 apps and organizational content.Try it for: Summarizing an approved planning document and generating questions to discuss with your teaching team.
Check which version your school provides before assuming a feature demonstrated elsewhere is included in your account.Parlay Parlay focuses on discussion rather than simply generating more content.Its tools support written and verbal RoundTables, discussion prompts, peer feedback, and participation tracking.
Try it for: Developing an open-ended discussion around a reading, with follow-up questions that ask students to support their ideas with evidence.This is a useful option when your goal is to get students responding thoughtfully to one another.SchoolAI SchoolAI Spaces let teachers create guided AI experiences around a topic or learning goal.
The teacher sets up the experience and can review student interactions and learning insights.Try it for: A focused reflection activity that asks students to explain an idea and respond to follow-up questions.Check the free-plan limits before planning repeated classroom use.
SchoolAI currently includes five Space launches per year on its free plan; running the same Space again counts as another launch.Paid plans require a school or district purchase.See the current free-plan details.
Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Your First SchoolAI Space: What It Is, Why It’s Awesome, and How to Use It: Cheska Robinson’s recorded session walks through finding, remixing, and creating Spaces.Snorkl Snorkl gives students a way to show and explain their thinking using voice and a digital whiteboard.AI-supported feedback responds to their explanations, while teachers can review the work and look for patterns.
Try it for: Asking students to explain how they solved a math problem, rather than collecting only the answer.Use their explanations to decide what to reteach.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: Defeating the Forgetting Curve: Accelerating Math Mastery: Lisa Nowakowski connects Snorkl with Math Reps and daily formative assessment.
From Overwhelmed to Intentional: Designing High-Impact Lessons That Actually Stick: Explore Kim Voge’s session for additional lesson-design examples.TeachAid TeachAid focuses on connected curriculum planning: units, lessons, presentations, and student resources.Its paid options add features such as more advanced differentiation and assessment creation.
Try it for: Building a draft unit around your standards, then revising the sequence, activities, and supports to fit your students.Learn more inside ALL ACCESS Courses: AI in the Classroom: How Teachers Are Saving Time and Teaching Better: Cammie Kannekens walks through TeachAid for units, activities, assessments, differentiation, and accommodations.Wayground, Formerly Quizizz Wayground combines assessment and practice tools with AI-supported resource creation.
Teachers can develop quizzes and other learning materials, use student supports, and review responses to guide next steps.Try it for: Creating a short formative assessment from a resource you already use, then checking every question, answer, and explanation before assigning it.If you know the platform as Quizizz, look for the Wayground name.
Available accommodations and AI features vary by plan.What Happened to Quizlet Q-Chat? Q-Chat appeared in the original list, but Quizlet discontinued it in June 2025.It has been removed from the active recommendations.
This does not mean Quizlet itself has shut down.Read Quizlet’s notice.New to AI? Start Here Start with a task you already need to complete.
Want a guided teacher toolkit? Explore MagicSchool.Already working in Google tools? Check your school’s Gemini access.Want help with existing resources and feedback? Explore Brisk.
Pick one task, try one tool, and review the result.Did it save preparation time? Did it help you make something more useful for your students? Those answers matter more than how many AI accounts you have.Before using any tool with students, check your district’s approval process, age requirements, and data rules.
Do not assume a free account has the same protections as a school-managed account.Avoid entering identifiable student information unless your school has approved that specific use.And always review AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, accessibility, and fit.
A polished response can still be wrong.Learn How to Use These Tools Inside ALL ACCESS Finding a tool is one step.Knowing how to use it for the students in front of you is where the learning really happens.
Inside ALL ACCESS, you can learn with me and guest educators through courses, classroom examples, and practical professional development.Look for the course mentioned alongside the tool you want to explore—whether that’s the Gemini masterclass, a TeachAid walkthrough, SchoolAI Spaces, or using Snorkl to understand student thinking.Want ideas that connect several tools? Joe and Kristen Merrill’s Creation in a World of AI explores classroom creation with tools including Canva, Adobe Express, SchoolAI, and Snorkl.
You’ll also find the AI Prompt Library and downloadable resources to support what you’re learning.Eligible courses offer completion certificates; check your district’s requirements for professional learning credit.Explore ALL ACCESS and find your next course.
Already a member? Look for these course titles in your ALL ACCESS library.Recorded sessions may show an earlier interface.Choose What Works for You You don’t need to master every tool on this list.
Start with something that helps you solve a real classroom problem, and give yourself room to learn.Let AI help with the draft, the adaptation, or the preparation.Keep your students—and your professional judgment—at the center.
Original podcast episode 234: Shake Up Learning 2025.Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com.
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