Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education, helping teachers and online educators plan lessons, create learning materials, assess students and deliver more engaging learning experiences.
For online educators, AI tools can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks while creating opportunities for more interactive and personalised teaching. However, AI is not a replacement for educators. Its outputs can contain errors, so teachers must review, edit and verify AI-generated materials before using them with students.
Here are 15 useful AI-powered tools that online educators can explore.
1. ChatGPT
ChatGPT can assist educators with lesson planning, brainstorming, explanations, writing exercises, teaching aids and classroom activities. It can also help teachers develop discussion questions, quizzes and differentiated learning materials.
2. Google Gemini
Gemini for Education supports educators with lesson planning, brainstorming, research and the creation of learning materials and assessments. Google says educators can also use Gemini to personalise learning, differentiate course materials and create quizzes, assignments and rubrics.
3. Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot can help educators create lesson plans, quizzes, rubrics and other teaching materials. Its Teach feature can also modify content according to language, reading level, length, difficulty and relevant educational standards. Availability depends on the user’s Microsoft 365 for Education setup.
4. Khanmigo
Developed by Khan Academy, Khanmigo is an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant. Its teacher-focused tools can support lesson planning, assessment creation, rubrics, exit tickets and other teaching activities.
5. NotebookLM
NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research and learning tool, allows educators to work with their own sources, including course notes, PDFs and other documents. It can help users summarise and understand their materials and generate study guides and other learning resources based on those sources.
6. MagicSchool
MagicSchool is an AI platform designed specifically for education. Teachers can use it for lesson planning, assessment, differentiation, instructional materials and other classroom tasks.
7. Eduaide
Eduaide provides AI-assisted tools for creating instructional materials. Educators can use it to develop lesson plans, worksheets, assignments, questions, discussion prompts, rubrics and other learning resources.
8. Diffit
Diffit focuses on differentiated instruction. Educators can use existing materials or topics to create resources adapted to different reading levels and learner needs. This can be particularly useful when teaching students with different abilities in the same online class.
9. Brisk Teaching
Brisk Teaching is an AI-powered education platform that assists teachers with lesson preparation, feedback, student practice and the adaptation of educational materials. It can be useful for educators who work extensively with digital documents and online resources.
10. Canva
Canva is not exclusively an education platform, but its AI-powered features and education tools make it useful for online educators. Teachers can create presentations, graphics, videos, worksheets and other visual learning materials.
11. Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a creative platform that educators can use to produce presentations, graphics, videos and other digital learning materials. Its generative AI features can also assist with aspects of the content-creation process.
12. Curipod
Curipod focuses on interactive lessons and digital classroom activities. Its interactive slides and learning activities can help online educators encourage participation and make lessons more engaging.
13. Wayground
Formerly known as Quizizz, Wayground is an AI-supported learning and assessment platform. Educators can create quizzes, lessons, interactive activities and assessments, while its AI features can help with creating, adapting and differentiating learning resources.
14. Gamma
Gamma is an AI-powered presentation and content-creation platform. Educators can use it to organise information and develop visually structured presentations for online lessons, workshops and courses.
15. ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs specialises in generative AI for audio, including text-to-speech, voice design and dubbing. Online educators can use it to create narration for educational videos, audio lessons and other digital learning materials.
AI Should Assist Educators, Not Replace Them
The growing number of AI tools available to educators presents exciting opportunities, but it also comes with new responsibilities.
An AI-generated lesson plan may contain inaccurate information. A generated quiz may include poorly written questions, while an AI-generated explanation may oversimplify a complex subject.
Educators must therefore remain at the centre of the learning process. AI should be used as an assistant rather than as a substitute for professional judgement.
The most effective approach is not necessarily to use every AI tool available, but to identify the tools that address genuine teaching needs. For one educator, that may be lesson planning; for another, it could be assessment, differentiated instruction, research, presentation design or audio production.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.