Artificial intelligence can help teachers be more productive and get more time in their day by assisting with everything from lesson planning to making recommendations and even providing ideas for curriculum development.
However, questions remain about how to do so. Please use these tools responsibly, safely and effectively. Schools and teachers themselves need a proactive approach to the responsible use of AI, with the aim of increasing teacher productivity.
clock: Industry experts discuss AI’s trajectory in 2026.
Evaluate and manage AI tools for K-12 teachers
Responsible use of AI starts with choosing the right tools.
“We are looking for a very user-friendly, elegant and clean solution. google I just checked the box.” Daniel Mateo saysDeputy Superintendent Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “Everything is in place to allow users to use AI in a very secure way.”
Security is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s also important to make sure you’re purchasing an AI product that meets the needs of your classroom.
“We need to make sure that teachers are heard in decisions about what we are considering using and adopting,” says Jenny Maxwell, director of education at Superhuman (former superintendent). grammatically). “What are the big challenges that the district is trying to solve? And how can specific solutions help achieve that goal?”
From there, it makes sense for schools and districts to develop consistent governance and help teachers use the tools effectively.
“Evaluating existing policies governing educational technology tools is critical,” says Jessica Garner, senior director of innovative learning. ISTE+ASCD. “Think about where they apply: where are AI tools a good fit, and where do those policies need to be expanded?”
As the AI landscape changes rapidly, guidelines may be more helpful than policies for school districts.
“Guidelines can be adjusted more quickly than policies,” Garner said. “The world of AI is changing rapidly, so it helps to be a little more nimble.”
Types of AI tools for teachers and their benefits
As schools and districts evaluate these services, they are likely to discover a number of AI-driven features that can be leveraged to improve teacher productivity.
“AI can increase teacher effectiveness by acting as a thought partner for educators, giving them back time to build meaningful relationships, provide targeted support, and spark students’ innate curiosity,” said Jenny Magiera, Global Head of Education Impact. google.
Here are some examples of solutions that can help teachers overcome the time challenges they face every day.
- AI lesson planning tool Similar to what is provided by google, microsoft and Kamba It helps teachers create lesson plans based on the needs of their classrooms while considering factors such as state standards and ISTE guidelines.
- quizzes and tests generated by Google Gemini jotto formFor example, it helps teachers quickly create assessments that align with classroom goals.
- design tool like Kamba A.I., microsoft designer and adobe express It provides templates and other design-oriented features so teachers can create engaging visuals without having to start from scratch.
- writing companion tool like grammatically, Canva magic light and Google Notebook LM It helps teachers clarify their thoughts and sharpen their writing, speeding up everything from composing emails to letters of recommendation and other written communications.
In many schools, there is an expectation that teachers must complete lesson planning and grading on their own time due to insufficient time available in the traditional school day. Thanks to AI, “teachers are actually getting some of their personal time back,” Garner said.
For example, some teachers are required to submit lesson plans to administration in a specific format. Garner says AI can help speed up time-consuming processes and allow teachers to provide the plans they already have to administration in the format they need.
Using AI responsibly in education
Teachers should approach AI carefully to ensure they are using it appropriately and effectively while seeking to leverage its benefits.
“Make sure students are familiar with and understand their school and district policies,” Garner says. This includes knowing and understanding which tools are approved and how they are allowed to be used.
“Are we allowed to use the student’s name within the tool? That depends on the tool and what the district has agreed to with the company,” Garner said. “Can we put assessment information in there to do the analysis? These are all questions that need to be answered before teachers can use the tool.”
School districts also have a role to play in preparing teachers to use AI responsibly.
“The most effective way to properly use AI tools is to Supporting teachers with professional learning From the beginning,” says Magiera.
Leaders can work with vendors to support teacher training. Google is a good example.
“We want to empower educators by: AI training — This will help you understand our products better — and community of practice This allows us to connect with other users and explore ways to use our tools effectively and efficiently,” says Magiera.
Subscribe: Sign up to stay informed edtech Content delivered to your inbox weekly.
When teachers work to help themselves and their students use AI appropriately, they can take advantage of the capabilities of AI products themselves. For example, Grammarly has built-in guardrails for enforcing policies. For example, imagine that the policy is that students cannot write using AI, and the student prompts the AI to write a five-paragraph essay.
“The guardrails within our tool say, ‘Hello, it looks like you need help. Let’s talk about how to create a great outline. Let’s talk about what your paper will look like,'” says Maxwell.
Responsible use of AI also requires transparency from teachers, who should communicate with principals and families about how they plan to use AI in the classroom, Garner said.
“AI is literally everywhere, people have different opinions about it, and it’s somewhat controversial,” she says. “If there is something potentially controversial, proactive and transparent communication is the way to avoid it.”
Click on the banner below To gain insight into how the right technology training can modernize your classroom.
It is also important that teachers be able to measure the impact of using AI in their classrooms. Track your time formally or informally and see how new efficiencies free up your time. You can also ask vendors for data on their impact on students.
“On the Grammarly side, we actually work with a third-party research team that can act as a conduit between data about how students are using Grammarly and what that data tells us about how students are performing in their courses,” Maxwell says.
Meanwhile, Google says, “We are working with Digital Promise, a global nonprofit organization, to create a framework “This framework has the potential to be used across the industry to guide the development and evaluation of educational technology tools,” says Magiera. This framework encourages teachers to use meaningful measures to define learning outcomes and plan iterative improvements.
By taking an active interest in new AI tools, teachers can improve their efficiency in a variety of tasks. Doing so saves time and allows teachers to focus more on the learning needs of their students, while achieving that all-important work-life balance.
