Top 20+ AI Tools for Teachers

259: AI for the Holidays: 15 Ideas to Save Your Sanity The holidays are supposed to be joyful, but the planning, shopping, cooking, travel, and endless to-do lists can leave you feeling anything but merry. What if AI could help lighten the load? In this episode of The Shake Up Learning Show, Kasey Bell shares 15 practical and unexpected ways to use AI to make the holiday season a little easier. From family traditions to everyday tasks, these ideas will help you save time, simplify decisions, and make more room for what matters most. Plus, don't miss the AI Tip of the Week for turning your messy brain dump into a manageable plan. 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here ⭐ Join the Powerful Teaching Book Study  🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube

258:  Need to adapt a reading passage, create classroom materials, or help students explain their thinking? Explore 21 AI tools for teachers in this updated guide from Kasey Bell. Get a practical overview of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Canva, Brisk, Diffit, MagicSchool, and more, with ideas for matching each tool to the work you actually need to do. You'll also learn a simple way to compare AI tools, what to check before using them with students, and why you don't need to try every new tool. Choose one teaching task, find a tool that fits, and put it to work without adding to your overwhelm. 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here ⭐ Join the Powerful Teaching Book Study  🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube

257: Most teachers know AI can create lesson plans, quizzes, and parent emails—but those obvious uses barely scratch the surface. In this episode, Kasey shares unexpected ways teachers can use AI to build better classroom systems, think through difficult decisions, prepare for challenging conversations, learn new tools, and solve the small recurring problems that quietly consume time and energy. You'll also discover how the new AI Prompt Library inside ALL ACCESS helps teachers find uses for AI they may never have considered—and provides ready-to-customize prompts so you can skip the blank box and get straight to solving the problem in front of you. 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here ⭐ Join the Powerful Teaching Book Study  🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube

256:  If you're only using Canva to make cute slides, you're leaving most of it on the table! In this episode, Kasey shares 10 powerful Canva for Education features that can save teachers time, simplify classroom workflows, and help create more engaging learning experiences. Discover how to use Bulk Create, Canva's AI Quiz Generator, Magic Activities, Magic Write, the Learn Grid, classroom Brand Kits, LMS integrations, and more. Plus, get a look at Canva's new Live Learning Sessions, which allow teachers and students to collaborate in real time. Whether you're new to Canva or use it every day, you'll find practical features you may have overlooked—and ideas you can start using in your classroom right away. 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here ⭐ Join the Powerful Teaching Book Study (starts September 23) 🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube  

#255: Some of the study strategies your students rely on most- rereading notes, highlighting, cramming the night before- actually give them a false sense of learning. In this episode, I'm breaking down four research-based strategies from the book Powerful Teaching by Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain that help learning actually stick, not just look like it stuck in the moment. ⭐ Get the book: Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning ⭐ Join the Powerful Teaching Book Study (starts September 23) In this episode: The difference between encoding, storage, and retrieval, and why familiarity can fake you out into thinking students have learned something Power Tool #1: Retrieval Practice, low-stakes ways to get students pulling information from memory instead of just rereading it Power Tool #2: Spacing, why cramming works short-term and fails long-term, and simple ways to bring old learning back Power Tool #3: Interleaving, mixing related concepts so students have to decide which strategy applies instead of following a pattern Power Tool #4: Feedback-Driven Metacognition, helping students get honest about what they actually know versus what just feels familiar A one-move classroom challenge you can try tomorrow, no new app, no prep 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here 🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube  

#254: Google Classroom got a whole lot of updates this summer, and in episode 253 I promised I'd come back and go deeper. This is that episode. I'm walking through the redesigned homepage, how to build and assign a Gemini Notebook or a Gem right from Classwork, the new AI rubric generation, and the learning goals tracking that quietly showed up in your gradebook. Plus the honest caveats: what your admin has to turn on, and what you can't see about how your students are using AI. In this episode, you'll learn: What actually changed on the new Classroom homepage, and why yours may look different from mine How to assign a Gemini Notebook or a Gem straight from the Classwork page How to build a Study partner Gem from a unit doc you already have (this week's AI Tip) How to generate a brand new rubric from inside the assignment creation page How to track learning goals and see student performance by standard What the student Gemini tab means now that it's open to all ages, and what you can't monitor The three questions to send your admin before you plan a single lesson around this ⭐ Full show notes and links: https://shakeuplearning.com/254 ⭐ Gemini AI in Google Classroom masterclass: https://shakeuplearning.com/geminimaster 🏆 Want PD credit for this session? ALL ACCESS members earn a certificate.  👉 Back-to-School Sale: 50% off quarterly ALL ACCESS through August 30 — https://member.shakeuplearning.com 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube

#253: Claude for Teachers, Google Classroom, and Canva all shipped major updates this summer. In this episode, I'm walking you through what's new, why it matters, and where I'd personally start heading into back-to-school.  ⭐ Explore Claude for Teachers: https://claude.com/solutions/teachers ⭐ Try Canva's Learn Grid: canva.com/learn-grid/ ⭐ Gemini AI in Google Classroom Cheat Sheet: https://shakeuplearning.com/gemini In this episode: What is Claude for Teachers?  The ecosystem of tools connected to Claude for Teachers (Brisk, Diffit, MagicSchool, Canva, and more) Google Classroom updates you probably missed, recording tools, AI feedback, rubric conversion, the new Gemini Classroom app, and the new homepage Canva's Learn Grid: free, live now, and built for differentiation without extra work 🔗 Access the full show notes and blog post here 📋 Back-to-School AI Prompt Cheat Sheet (FREE) ✅ AI-Powered Back-to-School Checklist (FREE) 🎟️ GET CREDIT for listening to this episode: Join the ALL ACCESS Membership (back-to-school sale running now) 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube

#252: NotebookLM is one of the most underused AI tools in education, and in this session, Ashley Shanley walks you through exactly how to put it to work in your classroom. From generating AI-powered podcasts to interactive quizzes, mind maps, explainer videos, and study guides, you'll see how NotebookLM turns your existing documents into engaging learning experiences, without ever pulling from the open web. In this session, you'll learn: What NotebookLM is and how its closed-loop, source-only model protects student data How to use the Studio features: audio overviews, slide decks, explainer videos, mind maps, reports, flashcards, and quizzes How to support English Language Learners with multilingual output (50+ languages) Data privacy best practices for using AI responsibly in K-12 classrooms (FERPA, COPPA, PII) How to turn a boring PDF or slideshow into a student-ready podcast or video in minutes Remember, today's episode is available in both video and audio formats. Check the description below for a link to access the video and blog post. And you can get credit for this session inside our ALL ACCESS Teacher Membership, also linked below. ➡️ Full video and blog post 📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube 🏆 Want PD credit for this session? ALL ACCESS members earn a certificate for every Summer Learning Series session they complete — perfect your district's PD requirements. 👉 Join ALL ACCESS: https://member.shakeuplearning.com 📅 Register for the FREE Summer Learning Series: https://shakeuplearning.com/summer The Summer Learning Series is a free professional development event for K-12 teachers, coaches, and leaders from Shake Up Learning. New sessions drop every Tuesday and Thursday all summer long.  

#251: What happens when proven instructional frameworks meet the power of AI tools? You get EduProtocols — and in this episode, Jon Corippo and Jacob Carr show you exactly what that looks like in action. This session is packed with live tool demos covering GimKit, Padlet Arcade, Curipod, Snorkl, and LearningGenie — and how to use each one to move students from passive consumers to active, engaged learners. From gamified Latin root practice to real-time debate feedback to AI-generated multi-week curriculum units, this one will reshape how you think about using AI in your classroom. ⚠️ Heads up: This episode features a lot of on-screen demos. For the full experience, watch the video on YouTube or read the recap on the blog — links below! ➡️ Full video and blog post 📚 Get their new books: The EduProtocol Field Guide Collection (10 books) → https://amzn.to/4vBbVGO  📺 Visit Shake Up Learning on YouTube 🏆 Want PD credit for this session? ALL ACCESS members earn a certificate for every Summer Learning Series session they complete — perfect for relicensure hours or your district's PD requirements. 👉 Join ALL ACCESS: https://member.shakeuplearning.com 📅 Register for the FREE Summer Learning Series: https://shakeuplearning.com/summer The Summer Learning Series is a free professional development event for K-12 teachers, coaches, and leaders from Shake Up Learning. New sessions drop every Tuesday and Thursday all summer long.

#250: What happens when you put creativity at the center of an AI-powered classroom? Joe and Kristen Merrill — teachers, authors, and the dynamic duo behind the InterACTIVE Class series — are here to show you. In this session, Joe and Kristen take tried-and-true classroom strategies and give them a modern twist, blending emerging AI tools with the kind of meaningful, student-driven creation that meets every learner where they are. You'll walk away with real lessons pulled directly from their own classrooms — not theory, but practice you can use tomorrow. They'll explore how to move students beyond passive consumption and into authentic creation using tools like Canva, Adobe Express, School AI, Book Creator, Snorkl, Padlet, and app smashing techniques that bring it all together. 🎨 Tools covered: Canva · Adobe Express · School AI · Book Creator · Snorkl · Padlet · App Smashing 📚 Get their new book: Creation in a World of AI → https://amzn.to/4aa5pOL 🏆 Want PD credit for this session? ALL ACCESS members earn a certificate for every Summer Learning Series session they complete — perfect for relicensure hours or your district's PD requirements. 👉 Join ALL ACCESS: https://member.shakeuplearning.com 📅 Register for the FREE Summer Learning Series: https://shakeuplearning.com/summer The Summer Learning Series is a free professional development event for K-12 teachers, coaches, and leaders from Shake Up Learning. New sessions drop every Tuesday and Thursday all summer long.