Introduction
AI teaching tools have grown to saturate the education landscape, becoming nearly impossible to ignore. Some teachers have embraced them wholeheartedly, finding immense value in the time they save and the ways they enhance student engagement.
On the other hand, some teachers remain hesitant (or outright resistant) to adopting AI teaching tools. Concerns about over-reliance on technology, fears of losing the human touch in teaching, or simply the steep learning curve that comes with integrating new tools can make AI seeming more like a threat than a benefit.
To navigate this divide, here are a few key considerations:
- Start by identifying your biggest pain points. Are you spending hours grading essays or struggling to create differentiated materials? Pinpointing where you need the most support will guide you toward the right tools.
- Look for tools that integrate seamlessly into your workflow. The last thing you want is another platform that disrupts your routine. Find options that meet you where you already work.
- Experiment with free versions before committing to paid plans. Many AI teaching tools offer robust free tiers, allowing you to test their effectiveness without financial risk.
That said, here are some AI teaching tools you should start using at a glance:
| AI Tool Category | AI Tool Name | Primary Function | Why Educators Like It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructional Planning | Edcafe AI | All-in-one teaching assistant for lesson planning, assessments, grading, and content creation. | Streamlines workflows by combining multiple tools into one platform; generates engaging lesson plans, interactive quizzes, and personalized feedback. |
| Brisk Teaching | Chrome extension for AI-powered lesson planning, differentiation, and writing feedback. | Seamlessly integrates with existing tools like Google Docs and LMS; provides real-time assistance without switching platforms. | |
| Eduaide AI | AI-powered lesson planning and resource creation aligned with learning standards. | Saves time by generating classroom-ready materials; allows for differentiated content and engaging activities tailored to specific grade levels and subjects. | |
| Grading | Gradescope | AI-assisted grading for exams, coding projects, and online quizzes. | Groups similar answers for bulk grading, saving significant time; ensures consistency with rubric-based scoring. |
| CoGrader | AI-powered evaluation of written assignments with instant feedback and scores. | Reduces grading time by up to 80%; provides constructive, individualized feedback to students, helping them improve their writing skills. | |
| Assessments | ClassPoint AI Quiz Generator | Generates quiz questions from PowerPoint slides. | Saves time creating quizzes; integrates directly into PowerPoint; boosts student engagement with live quizzes. |
| QuestionWell | Creates quizzes from text, YouTube videos, or articles. | Quickly generates standards-aligned questions; versatile for factual recall and higher-order thinking questions; integrates with platforms like Kahoot and Quizlet. | |
| Yippity | Turns text, articles, or notes into quizzes and flashcards. | Effortless quiz creation; provides multiple study aids like flashcards and Q&A pairs for versatile student engagement. | |
| Student Engagement | Curipod | Creates interactive slide decks with quizzes, polls, word clouds, and drawing prompts. | Energizes even quiet classrooms; builds confidence in introverted students; fosters 100% participation through gamified elements. |
| ThingLink + Skybox by Blockade Labs | Generates immersive 360° environments for virtual tours and interactive lessons. | Captivates students’ interest with immersive visuals; helps students emotionally connect with material through interactive hotspots and quizzes. | |
| Tutoring and Personalized Learning | Khan Academy – Khanmigo | AI-powered tutor that guides students through problems step-by-step using Socratic questioning. | Provides one-to-one tutoring on demand; engages students in meaningful dialogue; supports even the most challenging concepts. |
| Duolingo | Personalized language learning app with gamified features and AI-driven practice. | Keeps students engaged with game-like mechanics; adapts to individual skill levels; advanced features like “Explain My Answer” and “Roleplay” enhance learning. | |
| Quizlet with Q-Chat | AI chatbot that guides students through study sessions using Socratic questioning. | Makes studying interactive and engaging; reinforces key concepts with adaptive, dialogue-based coaching; familiar and widely used by students. | |
| Content Creation | ChatGPT | General AI chatbot for drafting lesson plans, brainstorming ideas, and creating educational content. | Saves time on tasks like lesson planning and writing materials; acts as a versatile idea generator; always available for quick drafts or explanations. |
| Canva | Graphic design platform with AI tools for creating visually appealing educational materials. | Simplifies visual content creation; automates parts of the design process with “Magic” tools; offers education-specific templates and collaborative features. | |
| Language and Literacy Support | Quill.org | AI-powered writing and grammar practice with real-time feedback. | Lightens grading load; provides immediate feedback to students; saves teachers ~100 hours/year on grading while improving writing skills. |
| Grammarly | AI writing assistant for grammar, spelling, and style improvements. | Acts as an always-on writing coach; teaches students through detailed explanations of corrections; improves clarity and mechanics in writing. | |
| Diffit | AI tool for differentiating reading materials by adjusting text complexity. | Simplifies differentiation by adapting texts to various reading levels; increases student confidence and engagement by providing accessible materials; celebrated for saving time and effort. |
AI Tools for Instructional Planning
1. Edcafe AI
What It Does: If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools out there promising to make your teaching life easier, you’re not alone. From lesson planning to grading, content creation to student engagement, it can feel like you need a dozen different apps just to get through the day. But what if there was one platform that could do it all? Edcafe AI, the ultimate all-in-one teaching assistant, is designed to lighten your workload without compromising quality.
Whether you’re drafting standards-aligned lesson plans, creating interactive quizzes, streamlining grading, or generating dynamic educational materials, Edcafe AI has you covered. And the best part? It’s intuitive, efficient, and built specifically with educators in mind.
Pricing: Edcafe AI offers a free plan with up to 100 content generations per month, making it easy to test-drive. For heavier use, Pro plans start at around $8/month (about $96/year), unlocking advanced features that can handle even the busiest classrooms.
Why It Stands Out: Edcafe AI prides in being a few steps ahead of being just another regular generative AI tool. With its powerful interactive AI capabilities, educators can directly send teaching content straight to student devices with a simple scan of a QR code, making learning accessible anytime, anywhere.
Check out this quick Edcafe AI review and walkthrough by Frank Bergdoll:
Check out more helpful videos on integrating tech into teaching from Frank: Learning and Technology with Frank.
2. Brisk Teaching
What It Does: If you’ve ever wished for an AI assistant that could meet you where you already work, Brisk Teaching might be exactly what you’re looking for. This Chrome browser extension integrates seamlessly with the websites and learning management systems you already use, like Google Docs, Gmail, or your school’s LMS. It brings AI assistance directly into your daily workflow, offering tools like a lesson plan generator, a differentiation advisor, and a writing feedback tool for student essays.
Pricing: The Basic Plan is free but has limited access to core AI features. The Pro Plan costs $9.99 per month and bumps limitations to higher usage ceilings. School and district plans are available with custom pricing, offering expanded analytics and admin controls
Why Educators Like It: Teachers who use Brisk appreciate its seamless integration into their workflow. Instead of going to a separate AI website or tool for help, Brisk comes to you on the pages you’re already using.
3. Eduaide AI
What It Does: If creating detailed lesson plans and resources from scratch feels like reinventing the wheel, Eduaide.AI is here to help. This AI-powered assistant specializes in lesson planning and resource creation, generating classroom-ready materials aligned with learning standards and evidence-based strategies.
Pricing: Eduaide provides a free trial of about 15 AI generations per month for teachers to experiment. For unlimited access, the Pro plan costs roughly $5.99/month (about $50 per year), unlocking the full suite of 100+ resource templates and tools. Discounted school or district plans are available as well.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers who use Eduaide report that it streamlines their planning process tremendously. It’s like having a personal curriculum assistant that can instantly produce materials tailored to your grade level and subject. Educators particularly appreciate that they can request differentiated content (for different ability levels) and get suggestions for engaging activities without starting from scratch.
(Other notable tools: There are several other AI planners gaining notice. TeacherBot, Education CoPilot, and Auto-Classmate are similar “AI teacher’s assistants”. These tools, like Edcafe AI, Brisk and Eduaide, are built to give educators a starting point for high-quality plans and materials.)
AI Tools for Grading
4. Gradescope
What It Does: If you’ve ever spent hours grading stacks of exams or assignments, one by one, Gradescope could be exactly what you need. This platform, now part of Turnitin, uses AI to group similar student answers together. That means instead of reviewing each response individually, you can grade all identical answers at once.
Pricing: The best part? Gradescope offers a free version for individual instructors, so you can try it out without any strings attached. For schools or districts, there are paid licenses available, but many universities already provide campus-wide access to faculty and students at no extra cost.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers appreciate the significant time savings. The AI-assisted answer grouping means less repetitive grading as it allows teachers to grade an entire class’s responses in one go rather than student-by-student.
5. CoGrader
What It Does: Grading essays and open-ended responses can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling dozens (or even hundreds) of submissions. CoGrader is an AI-powered tool that evaluates written assignments quickly, providing instant feedback and scores based on your rubrics.
Pricing: The platform offers a free tier, supporting up to approximately 100 student submissions per month, so you can try it out risk-free. For larger workloads, the Standard plan costs about $15/month (billed annually) and accommodates up to 300 essays.
Why Educators Like It: Many teachers find CoGrader “remarkable” for handling writing assessments. It lightens the grading load, especially in writing-heavy courses. In educator forums , teachers have called it “the best help I have ever found when grading essays.”
AI Tools for Assessments
6. ClassPoint AI Quiz Generator
What It Does: If you’ve ever wished you could turn your PowerPoint slides into quizzes without jumping through hoops, ClassPoint AI is worth checking out. This add-in works right inside PowerPoint and automatically generates quiz questions from the content on your slides.
Whether you’ve got full paragraphs or just a single keyword, ClassPoint can whip up multiple-choice, short-answer, or even higher-order thinking questions aligned with Bloom’s taxonomy. The best part? You don’t have to leave PowerPoint to make it happen. It’s all done within the app.
Pricing: There’s a free Basic plan that gives you 20 AI-generated quiz credits per month, which is great if you’re just testing it out. For heavier use, the Pro plan costs about $8/month (billed annually at ~$96/year) and bumps that up to 500 AI quiz credits each month.
Why Educators Like It: As a direct PowerPoint add-in, ClassPoint AI particularly shines in its ability to make quiz questions on the spot, perfect for busy teachers who want to make the most out of already-existing teaching content.
7. QuestionWell
What It Does: If you’ve ever spent hours writing quiz questions by hand, QuestionWell might feel like a lifesaver. This AI tool takes any source material, whether it’s text, a YouTube video link, or an article, and generates a variety of quiz questions for you.
Pricing: QuestionWell has a free plan that lets you test it out with basic features. If you want more, the premium plan is about $7/month (around $70/year), which unlocks unlimited question generation and additional tools.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers love how QuestionWell saves time by generating quality questions that are standards-aligned and fully editable. Instead of starting from scratch, you can instantly get a mix of factual recall and higher-order thinking questions with just a click. I’ve used it myself to prep for last-minute review sessions, and it’s been a game-changer. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with platforms like Kahoot or Quizlet, making it easy to create interactive quizzes for your students.
8. Yippity
What It Does: Yippity is another AI-powered tool that makes quiz creation a breeze. You can paste in text, an article, or even notes, and Yippity will automatically generate a set of quiz questions, including multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank formats. It even creates flashcards for review, which is a nice bonus.
Pricing: Yippity offers a free tier that lets you generate up to 3 AI-created quizzes per month. If you find yourself using it often, the Early Bird premium plan is around $4.99/month, which is pretty affordable for unlimited quiz generation.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers appreciate how effortless Yippity makes quiz creation. If you’re short on time but need a quick comprehension check or study aid, Yippity has your back. It’s also versatile. You get quizzes, flashcards, and Q&A pairs, giving students multiple ways to study.
(Note: Other AI assessment tools: Kahoot’s AI question generator is another notable tool that auto-creates quiz questions for games. It enables teachers to “create instant fun with the new AI-enhanced Kahoot! question generator to make games and trivia on any topic in seconds.” This can boost student engagement during review sessions. Similarly, Quizlet (covered below under tutoring) uses AI to generate practice tests and flashcards, blurring the line between assessment and study tool.)
AI Tools for Student Engagement
9. Curipod
What It Does: If running quizzes and sparking participation feels like pulling teeth, Curipod might be the tool you’ve been looking for. This AI-powered platform creates interactive slide decks designed to engage students from start to finish.
Just give it a simple prompt, like “solar system introduction for 8th grade”, and Curipod generates a presentation complete with quiz questions, polls, word clouds, and drawing prompts. You can tweak the slides or use them as-is. It’s flexible enough to fit your teaching style.
Pricing: Curipod offers a robust free plan for educators, which includes unlimited students, unlimited presentation plays, and a limited number of AI-generated slides or translations per month. If you need more, the Premium plan costs about $90/year (or $9/month), unlocking unlimited AI generations, priority support, and advanced features like additional translations.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers love how Curipod energizes even quiet classrooms. Its mix of polls, quizzes, and creative questions helps “build the confidence of even the most introverted students.” Personally, I’ve seen how tools like this, including ClassPoint, can transform a room full of disengaged students into an active, buzzing classroom.
10. ThingLink + Skybox by Blockade Labs
What It Does: Want to take your students on a virtual field trip without leaving the classroom? ThingLink paired with Skybox by Blockade Labs makes it surprisingly easy. ThingLink lets you create interactive images and virtual tours, while Skybox uses AI to generate 360° panoramic environments based on simple text descriptions.
Pricing: Skybox by Blockade Labs has been free to use for generating 360° images. ThingLink offers a free 60-day trial for educators, after which an individual teacher account costs around $60/year. Schools and districts can also purchase group licenses for broader access.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers rave about how these tools captivate students’ interest in ways textbooks and flat images simply can’t. From my own experience, tools like these are particularly effective for helping students connect emotionally with the material. It’s one thing to read about ancient Rome, but quite another to step into it virtually.
AI Tools for Tutoring and Personalized Learning
11. Khan Academy – Khanmigo
What It Does: A personal tutor available to every student in your classroom. Someone who asks thoughtful questions, provides hints, and guides them step-by-step through problems. That’s exactly what Khanmigo offers.
Built on advanced language models, Khanmigo acts as an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant. It engages students in Socratic dialogue. Whether it’s explaining a tricky concept or walking them through homework problems, Khanmigo responds in a coaching style that feels human-like and supportive.
Pricing: During its pilot phase, Khanmigo has been offered to a limited number of classrooms and donors, with an initial suggested voluntary donation of $10/month for early access. Thanks to partnerships (like the one with Microsoft), some teachers now have free access. It’s not yet broadly free for all users, but Khan Academy aims to expand access. Given their nonprofit model and ongoing grant support, pricing is likely to remain low or subsidized.
Why Educators Like It: Khanmigo leverages Khan Academy’s trusted content with AI. It also handles individualized questions from students, effectively offering one-to-one tutoring on demand.
12. Duolingo
What It Does: If you’ve ever struggled to find a tool that keeps students engaged while learning a new language, Duolingo might be your answer. This popular app uses AI to personalize practice for each learner. Its Birdbrain AI ensures every student gets a tailored experience that matches their skill level.
Duolingo keeps learning fun and game-like with points to earn, levels to pass, and instant feedback on answers. The premium tier, Duolingo Max , takes things further by integrating OpenAI’s GPT-4. Features like “Explain My Answer” provide detailed breakdowns of why an answer was right or wrong, while “Roleplay” lets learners practice conversational skills by chatting with an AI character.
Pricing: Duolingo’s core app is free, though it includes ads and limits mistakes. The Super Duolingo subscription costs around $7–$10/month, removing ads and allowing unlimited mistakes. For those wanting advanced AI features, Duolingo Max is priced higher at about $30/month due to its GPT-4 integration.
Why Educators Like It: Even though Duolingo is primarily a consumer app, many language teachers recommend it as a supplement because of its strong personalization and engagement.
One analysis noted that Duolingo’s use of AI to personalize lessons has been a core feature “since the company launched in 2012,” contributing greatly to its effectiveness and popularity.
13. Quizlet with Q-Chat
What It Does: Quizlet has long been a staple for study tools, but its Q-Chat AI tutor takes things even further. Q-Chat, built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT, acts as an adaptive chatbot that guides students through study sessions.
For example, a student can choose a set of flashcards and enter a chat where the AI tutor asks questions, gives hints, and corrects misconceptions. It’s like having an interactive study buddy that employs the Socratic method.
Pricing: Quizlet offers a free basic version where students can access and create study sets, though there are some limits and ads. The Quizlet Plus subscription costs around $36–$45 per year, unlocking unlimited expert solutions, advanced content creation, offline access, and an ad-free experience.
Why Educators Like It: Quizlet is already widely used in classrooms because it’s effective and familiar to students. With the addition of Q-Chat, it’s become even more powerful. Teachers love how Q-Chat can coach students in a dialogue, making studying more engaging and less passive.
AI Tools for Content Creation
14. ChatGPT
What It Does: ChatGPT is a general AI chatbot (developed by OpenAI) that many teachers have adopted as a multi-purpose tool. While not built exclusively for education, it can generate text on almost any topic, making it incredibly useful for creating teaching content. Educators use ChatGPT to draft lesson plans, brainstorm project ideas, create example essays or paragraphs, compose emails to parents, build rubrics, and even explain complex concepts in simpler terms.
Pricing: Access to ChatGPT is free using the GPT-3.5 model via OpenAI’s website. For those who want more advanced capabilities, the ChatGPT Plus subscription costs $20/month, unlocking priority access and the GPT-4 model, which provides more accurate and detailed outputs.
Why Educators Like It: ChatGPT has been transformative in terms of time savings and idea generation. According to surveys, a large number of teachers now use ChatGPT to help do their jobs. Educators like that it’s always available and can provide instant inspiration or first drafts.
15. Canva
What It Does: Creating visually appealing materials can feel like a chore (I so relate,) but not when you have Canva. This graphic design platform has long been a favorite among educators for crafting slides, infographics, posters, worksheets, and more. Recently, Canva integrated generative AI features, branded as “Magic” tools, to make content creation even easier.
Pricing: Canva for Education is 100% free for all K-12 teachers and their students. Teachers can sign up with their school email and get access to Canva’s premium features (normally part of Canva Pro) at no cost. This includes the AI tools, millions of templates, stock images, and collaborative features.
Why Educators Like It: Canva is extremely popular among teachers because it makes creating engaging visuals quick and easy. Educators who aren’t professional designers can still produce eye-catching slides and handouts that grab students’ attention. The AI features add to this by automating parts of the creative process.
AI Tools for Language and Literacy Support
16. Quill.org
What It Does: If you’ve ever wished for a way to give students instant feedback on their writing without spending hours grading, Quill might be the answer. This nonprofit platform uses AI to provide real-time coaching for writing and grammar activities.
Pricing: Quill is free for teachers and students. All the core activities and feedback features are available at no cost (funded by grants and donations). There is an optional Quill Premium for around $80/year per teacher, which adds class diagnostic reports and some additional analytics.
Why Educators Like It: Teachers are big fans of Quill because it lightens their grading load while improving student writing skills. Instead of collecting piles of worksheets to mark, teachers can have students practice on Quill and know that each student is receiving personalized feedback as they write.
17. Grammarly
What It Does: Grammarly is a widely-used AI writing assistant that helps improve grammar, spelling, and clarity in writing. In an educational context, both teachers and students use Grammarly to proofread and polish their writing. It works by automatically checking typed text (in documents, emails, LMS discussion posts, etc.) and offering suggestions for corrections and enhancements.
Pricing: Grammarly offers a free version that includes basic spelling and grammar checks – this is often enough for students to catch simple errors. The Premium version (used by some advanced students, educators, or institutions) adds advanced style suggestions, plagiarism detection, and genre-specific writing checks. Premium runs about $12 per month (billed annually) per user.
Why Educators Like It: Many teachers recommend Grammarly to their students because it’s like having an always-on writing coach that improves skills over time. One teacher noted that “Grammarly can be such a great tool for learning how to be a better writer. The actual mechanics of it is quite useful for students.”
18. Diffit
What It Does: Differentiating reading materials for students at varying levels can feel overwhelming, but Diffit makes it surprisingly easy. This free AI tool takes any text, and generates versions of that text at different complexity levels.
Pricing: Diffit boasts a completely free version for teachers, which is robust enough to handle even heavy tasks. They do offer a Premium plan for school-wide licenses, but pricing requires a custom quote.
Why Educators Like It: Differentiation usually takes a lot of teacher effort. Rewriting texts for multiple levels can be extremely time-consuming. Diffit has been a game-changer for differentiated instruction because it does that work in seconds.
Navigating the World of AI Teaching Tools: Where Do You Start?
AI teaching tools are everywhere, and while they promise to make your life easier, the sheer number of options can feel overwhelming. How do you know which ones are worth your time? Which will actually save you hours, engage your students, or help personalize learning without requiring a PhD in tech?
To help you cut through the noise, here are some tips to guide you, and a few tool suggestions to get you started:
- Look for Tools That Integrate Seamlessly Into Your Workflow
The last thing you need is another platform that disrupts your routine. Seek out tools that meet you where you already work, like browser extensions or LMS integrations. Brisk Teaching, for instance, works directly in Google Docs and Gmail, making it easy to incorporate into your day-to-day tasks without adding extra steps. - Test Free Versions Before Committing
Many AI teaching tools offer free trials or basic versions, so take advantage of these to see if they truly fit your needs. For example, platforms like Edcafe AI and Quizlet with Q-Chat let you experiment with their features before upgrading to paid plans. This way, you can ensure the tool delivers value before investing time or money. - Prioritize Tools That Save You Time Without Sacrificing Personalization
Some tools automate tasks but risk losing the human touch. Look for ones that enhance personalization instead of replacing it. For example, Khanmigo acts as a virtual tutor, guiding students through problems step-by-step, while Diffit adapts reading materials to match each student’s level. - Ask Yourself: Does This Tool Empower Both Me and My Students?
The best AI tools don’t just lighten your workload. They also empower students to take ownership of their learning. For example, Duolingo keeps language practice engaging and adaptive, while Quill provides instant writing feedback that helps students improve in real time. When both you and your students benefit, you know you’ve found a winner. - Trust Your Instincts and Be Willing to Experiment
Not every tool will be a perfect fit, and that’s okay. Trust your instincts. If something feels clunky or overly complicated, move on. On the flip side, don’t be afraid to try unconventional tools that spark curiosity. For example, ClassPoint AI Quiz Generator turns PowerPoint slides into interactive quizzes, blending familiarity with something new.
