We’ve all been inundated with stories about AI since ChatGPT was launched at the end of 2022. During this time, you may have encountered articles discussing how AI could potentially undermine students’ critical thinking skills. Conversely, you may have also read about the potential for new tools to transform education, offering each student access to their own personal tutor.

As a technology enthusiast, I’ve been keeping up with the latest developments for some time. However, the guidance in this field has been changing rapidly, making it challenging to keep up. New services are being launched every day, and even Twinkl has its own impressive AI services! When I received an email from Oak Academy “introducing” me to Aila, their new free lesson planning AI bot, I realised it was time to take stock and gain an overview of the current state of AI in education. AI in education is a vast and controversial subject. Let’s start by discussing the least contentious aspect: teachers using AI to prepare better lessons faster.

Before I go any further, it’s worth noting that it costs many $billions to develop an LLM (Large Language Model) – the engine behind any chatbot or most AI services. Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Facebook’s LLaMA. All of the other services (Aila, Twinkl AI etc.) are built on top of them. It’s not hard to build a chatbot. I made one to incorporate appropriate assistive technology into lesson plans. It wasn’t difficult. But it’s not finished. There are lots of helpful guides and videos online.

You should also know that AI lies (hallucinates). Always check important information.

It would be impossible to list all the resources here. They’re constantly evolving, and new ones are being launched. However, if you’re still manually writing out your lesson/unit plans, you’re wasting a lot of time. Used intelligently, AI can be like having a personal assistant, leaving you more time for the critical part of the job. Spending time with students. However, if you’re looking for somewhere to start, take a look at the information below. If you use any others, please leave a comment to share your experience with the community.

Chat GPT/ Gemini

Generate creative prompts and brainstorm ideas for lesson activities. Get instant explanations and examples. Generate questions for quizzes. Create lesson plan outlines.

Aila (Oak Academy

Keep in mind the following information: Give it a learning objective, an age group, and details of prior learning, and it will generate a lesson plan, a PowerPoint, 2 quizzes, and a worksheet. Its plans align closely with the English curriculum. You can edit them. You’ll need to do so since it doesn’t seem to want to differentiate them. It’s free. One of the best parts of the generated lessons is the quizzes, which can be accessed directly.

Twee

Twee works well for warm-up activities. Give it a YouTube video, which will generate various quizzes about the content.

Twinkl (Ari)

Primary only. Lesson planning includes differentiation and maps to their existing (and extensive) pool of resources. Also has a whole host of useful time-saving tools. Definitely worth a look.

Canva

Creates incredibly engaging AI-enhanced presentations. Very impressive! Free trial for teachers.

Eduaide