Over the years, the teaching workload has not gotten any lighter. Between lesson planning, grading, differentiation, assessments, reporting and other administrative tasks, it is no wonder that teachers can experience burnout. However AI can be used to help reduce this burnout.
It is important to note that AI isn’t here to replace teaching—it’s here to handle the heavy lifting so teachers can focus on what they do best: connecting with students and building teacher-student relationships to aid with learning. In my opinion, AI should be viewed more as a support rather than an alternative to the teacher.
Here is a practical guide on using AI, with a focus on three specific tools:
For Lesson Planning & Differentiation: Magic School AI
Magic School AI is a purpose-built AI hub designed specifically for educators. It can help with rewriting articles, creating student choice boards, assessments, and various other aspects that teachers may not even be aware of. This is one of the most popular AI platforms for teachers as it not only aids with the creation of material aligned with the curriculum, but it is extremely user friendly and so it is more accessible to teachers.
For Instant Presentation Slides: Gamma AI
Building slide decks from scratch is a massive time constraint. Gamma creates beautiful, fully formatted slide decks from a single text prompt.
To use Gamma AI, you start by typing a simple text prompt describing the presentation, webpage, or document you want to create (for example, “A 10-slide deck on the Industrial Revolution”). The platform’s AI then generates an editable outline, allows you to pick a visual theme, and builds out your content with formatted text, images, and layouts in seconds. From there, you can use Gamma’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor or type instructions directly into an AI chat assistant to instantly rewrite paragraphs, swap out images, or add new sections.
For Formative Assessment: Quizizz AI
Checking for understanding shouldn’t require excessive grading for teachers. Quizizz AI can be used to generate quizzes, flashcards, and exit tickets based on any text, YouTube video, or learning standard. You can paste a link to an educational video, and the AI will auto-generate time-stamped questions to ensure students are actually processing the material.
Using AI Responsibly
No matter which AI tool to use, there are three “Golden Rules” as such that teachers should follow at all times:
- Student Privacy – Never paste identifiable student information (like full names, ID numbers, or sensitive medical histories) into public AI tools. Keep data anonymous.
- The 80/20 Rule – Treat AI as a “rough draft”. It gets you 80% of the way, but the final 20% requires teacher expertise. Always fact check and make sure the information is relevant and correct.
- Prompting – Be specific with your prompts. The better your input, the better the output. Don’t just ask for “a lesson on fractions.” Ask for “a 40-minute introductory lesson on fractions for visual learners, including a hands-on activity using sticky notes and a 3-question exit ticket.”
Next Steps:
- AI can be very daunting for teachers, especially if some have never explored the platforms. My advice is to try one platform at a time, for one specific task and then reflect on your experiences. Less is more!
- You do not have to use AI all the time, but it may help save you time in the long run.