Greetings, TECHxas Toast readers!

As an educator, I’m always on the lookout for tools that can help me work smarter, not harder. The world of educational technology (ed-tech) is constantly evolving, and the rise of AI has brought some truly game-changing tools to the forefront. The best part? Many of them are completely free to use and incredibly intuitive.

Today, I want to share four of my favorite AI ed-tech tools that have become staples in my digital toolkit. They’ve helped me save countless hours and create more engaging, personalized learning experiences.

1. Brisk Teaching

Brisk Teaching is a powerful Chrome extension that integrates AI directly into the platforms you already use, like Google Docs, Slides, and web articles. It’s like having a personal teaching assistant right at your fingertips.

• What it is: A browser extension that provides a suite of AI-powered tools for teachers.
• Why it’s useful: Brisk is a massive time-saver for a variety of tasks. You can quickly generate lesson plans, create quizzes and rubrics, and differentiate resources for different reading levels. My favorite feature is the ability to give high-quality, personalized feedback on student work directly within a Google Doc. You can craft comments that are specific and actionable, helping students truly understand their strengths and areas for growth.

2. NotebookLM

Think of NotebookLM as a super-powered research and note-taking assistant. Developed by Google, this tool is perfect for organizing your own documents and turning them into a searchable, interactive resource.

• What it is: An AI-powered notebook that uses your uploaded sources (like PDFs, Google Docs, or transcripts) to answer questions and generate new content.
• Why it’s useful: This is a game-changer for preparing course materials or doing research. You can upload all of your lesson readings, articles, and handouts and then ask NotebookLM to summarize them, create a study guide, or generate FAQs. It’s fantastic for finding connections between different sources and for creating custom materials that are tailored specifically to your content.

3. Suno

Ready to bring some rhythm and creativity into your classroom? Suno is an AI music generator that can create original songs from a simple text prompt.

• What it is: An AI that generates full songs, complete with vocals and instrumentation, based on a text description.
• Why it’s useful: The possibilities here are endless for cross-curricular projects. Imagine your students writing lyrics about a historical event, a scientific concept like photosynthesis, or a character from a book. Suno can then turn those lyrics into a complete song. It’s a fantastic way to engage students with different learning styles and to make abstract concepts more memorable and fun.

4. MagicSchool AI

MagicSchool AI is a comprehensive platform designed specifically for educators, with an incredible range of tools to streamline your daily workflow. It’s a one-stop shop for all things AI in the classroom.

• What it is: A web-based platform with a vast collection of over 60 AI tools tailored for educators.
• Why it’s useful: MagicSchool AI is a true hero in the fight against teacher burnout. You can generate everything from lesson plans and rubrics to report card comments and differentiated texts. The platform also has student-facing tools, so you can help build AI literacy with your students in a safe and controlled environment. It takes care of the repetitive, time-consuming tasks so you can focus on the most important part of your job: teaching and connecting with your students.

These four tools represent a new frontier in educational technology. They’re not about replacing the human element of teaching, but about empowering us to be more efficient, creative, and effective.

What are your favorite AI ed-tech tools? Let me know in the comments below!

Note: This blog post was written with the assistance of Gemini, an AI language model.