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AssessmentClassroom ManagementGood TeachingProfessional LearningTechnical SupportTechnology Applications

Your Technology Integration Guide: FAQs for Educators

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

It’s a new school year and teachers both new and not have many questions regarding what this year should look like. You may even find yourself in that boat where you feel like you just need a little direction to get going. When you have questions related to curriculum or your content, you can easily pinpoint who to address those questions to. But, what if the questions are about integrating technology into your lesson plan?

Sometimes there is not a go-to person to ask your technology questions and find support, or there is but they are so busy getting everyone ready and everything repaired that it can make you feel guilty for trying to get enough attention to have your questions answered. So, to help you along, I’ve compiled this FAQ of questions that may arise at the beginning of the school year that you might find helpful. I also encourage you to jump in the comment section and share your response to one (or more) of the questions to give input on what you’d share with your teachers, or something helpful that was shared with you!

Q: How do I choose the right tools to use?

A: There are a lot of educational technology tools available. And, just because one works well for one class doesn’t mean it’s the best one for your class. Start by doing some basic research. You can find a short list recently posted by Medha Pandey  on Wiingy. As you scan the list, see if there are ones that fit your content and style of teaching as well as your budget.

The American Association for School Librarians has a list each year of top sites that were nominated. You can find the list at https://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/best. Voting for the 2025 list will begin later this fall, so you might want to nominate the tools that you decide to use. Scroll down past the awards information to see websites that were recognized for 2024, 2023, 2022, and so on.

Lastly, consider asking your peers what they use. Remember, it’s better to start small with just one tool and implement it well before adding additional tools to the mix.

Q: How do I effectively integrate technology into my existing curriculum?

A: Using the right tool to support your curriculum is critical. Besides making sure that the tool is safe for your students in regards to protecting their data, it’s important to use a tool that doesn’t distract from your content.

If you are just beginning to integrate technology into your classroom, consider using a simple tool for formative assessment such as Padlet, which provides a wide variety of ways for students to respond. Even though the tool is “freemium,” you may feel limited by only having access to create to 3 Padlets.

Padlet does have a lot of options that you can tweak so consider going to their Learn Page to watch videos on how to get started. Here is a sample Padlet I created for you to use as if you were a student; simply click on the plus symbol in the lower right corner and select how you want to share. Play around with it to explore the many different ways that students can share what they know.

If you have an instructional coach, ask to see what they suggest using to support a specific content area or lesson. They may have the perfect tool for you that has already be utilized by other teachers, making it easy for them to connect you with other teachers in your district who can possibly share how to make the most of the tool.

Q: How do I manage classroom behavior when integrating technology?

A: Begin by having clear guidelines as to when technology (especially personal devices like cell phones)is allowed. Realize that students may know how to use their phone to do many things but may not have received specific instruction on how to use it as an instructional tool. Consider creating signals or cues to let students know when devices are allowed, when to pause using their device for announcements or whole group instructions, etc. Your students can also benefit from conversations on digital citizenship and appropriate online behavior. If you aren’t sure about what rules to put in place, a basic Google search will show what others are using, allowing you to easily find out what is appropriate for your grade level.

Q: How do I monitor student device use during class to ensure they stay on task?

A: If devices are issued by the school/district, you may be able to make use of software like GoGuardian Teacher or Dyknow for real-time monitoring. You may also be able to make use of browser extensions like ClassroomScreen for browser-based monitoring. Check with your district’s technology department to see what they can suggest. They may already have a subscription to a solution that you and your students can be added to.

Walking around the classroom and monitoring the old-fashioned way, however, is still the best way to ensure that students stay on task. While technology can help, it isn’t a good substitute for paying attention and aware of what is going on in your classroom at all times.

Q: How can I effectively integrate technology into group projects?

A: Using collaborative tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams is a simple way to start. Besides being easy to use and intuitive, there are likely many teachers in your school or district that can give you specific pointers on where to start with either of these tools. Before doing group projects with technology, you’ll want your students to become comfortable using collaborative technologies as a whole.

As your confidence (and that of your students) grows, move technology usage to small groups. It helps to assign roles for each student to add accountability and give them focus when using technology. Consider keeping groups small with only 3 or 4 students max. Too many students in a group can make it more likely for some of the students to be off-task or misuse the technology.

As your students are using technology, walk around to each group periodically and ask how they are doing, if they are having any trouble, etc. Proximity can help them stay on task even if you don’t have specific roles assigned to each student.

Q: How do I integrate technology in a way that is accessible to all students?

A: Ensuring that all of your students have access to resources they need goes without saying. Unfortunately, sometimes we fail to consider that this applies to technology (tablets, cell phones, laptops/Chromebooks, etc.) and even Internet access. Consider adapting these Student Survey Questions for your classroom.

These questions focus on online learning, but can easily be tweaked to focus on using technology as an educational tool with little effort. While I wouldn’t recommend asking all the questions included in the survey, do consider identifying about 10 questions that give you adequate understanding of what your students have available. If your students need accommodations, touch base with your campus special education teacher or counselor for help in identifying and locating such technology.

Q: How do I troubleshoot common tech issues in the classroom?

A: While we joke about ‘restarting the computer’ the best way to troubleshoot technical issues, restarting a computer really does resolve many issues. Once restarted, consider if any changes were recently made to the computer, cables, or peripherals.

Ask your instructional coach, administrator, or technology department if they have a troubleshooting guide for frequently encountered issues. They most likely do! If you are asking for help, it is likely that others have been asking for that same help. Having a troubleshooting guide can go a long way in quickly resolving most of the issues without waiting for a trouble ticket to been process, assigned, and completed.

Also, don’t ignore the talents of you students. They may know how to troubleshoot a common issue because they’ve seen it happen in another classroom or with a previous teacher. Make use of their knowledge and recognize them for their ability to learn and share when possible.

Q: What if the technology fails during a lesson?

A: The question isn’t if it is going to fail but when. It is the nature of technology to act up for any number of reasons. That’s why it’s important to always have a backup plan (e.g., printable worksheets, an offline activity that engages students with the same learning intentions, etc.). Before using new technology, you might check with some of your colleagues to see if they have done what you are wanting to do and if they were successful.

Q: How can I incorporate technology to enhance assessment and provide timely feedback to students?

A: Explore formative assessment tools like Kahoot!, Quizizz, or Formative. Again, this is one of those situations where it’s helpful to ask your instructional coach or technology department for recommendations. They may already have a district or campus subscription that you can make use of which give you many more features than signing up for a personal free edition of a freemium tool.

Above all, as you are considering a tech tool to help with formative assessment and feedback, remember that the technology should not be a distraction to you or to the students. If it is, it may not be the best tool for your situation. We have shared a variety of tech tools for you consider on previous TechNotes blog posts so be sure to scroll through the available post options. You might just find the perfect tool to fit your needs!

A: Educational technology is a huge field that can look very different depending on what subject or grade level(s) you teach, as well as your unique school setting. What works for the elementary math teacher may not work for a secondary special education teacher, just like a middle school ELA reading teacher may have very different technology needs than an instructional coach or the gifted and talented teacher that services all campuses. You’ll want to make use of the following three areas:

  • Establish a local professional learning network of like-minded educators to solicit suggestions, support, and help from. Collaborating with people in your local area can go a long way in your successful technology integration.
  • Follow organizations like TCEA for current trends, easy to use tools, and even instruction on implementing complex technology to meet very specific needs. You can follow the TCEA TechNotes blog for detailed information or lean more towards social media such as @TCEA on X (formerly Twitter) for more succinct but just as powerful ideas.
  • Lastly, consider various professional development that best meets your needs. This can include self-paced online courses, weekly webinars that are recorded for your convenience to go back and review, targeted conferences for specific educator roles (elementary teacher, instructional coaches, librarians, etc.), or larger conventions that offer a ton of content over several days giving you maximum choice and learning potential. Check out TCEA’s Events page, as well as our website resources under Professional Learning, Courses, Collaboration, and more.

Did we miss anything?

If you didn’t find the answer to your specific question above, don’t worry! Just submit your question in the comments section below for an answer from our team. Also, I encourage you to share your favorite strategy for solving technology integration challenges. Your experiences and insights can be incredibly valuable to fellow educators facing similar situations. Let’s build a supportive community where we can all learn and grow together!

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AssessmentCTO/CIO

ClassLink Analytics: Unified & Upgraded

by Mary Batiwalla
written by Mary Batiwalla

Have you ever wondered who’s accessing digital resources in your schools? What they’re accessing? How much learning time is spent using each instructional resource? If you’re getting a return on your digital resource investments? If you have, ClassLink Analytics is for you! 

ClassLink Analytics has all the answers to your digital resource usage questions! It now features a fresh look, more report options, and added functionality. Click on the “New Analytics” button in the left navigation to check it out.

ClassLink New Analytics

Measure Time Spent Learning

Go beyond tracking clicks and experience usage analytics like never before. Now, prioritized reporting offers data on how much time students spend using each resource daily or over any time period you choose at the district, school, and student levels. Want to know which resources students use the most? Check out our Digital Resources report under the Usage Table.

ClassLink Measure Time

ClassLink Total Digital Resource time

With Analytics+, time calculations include time spent in digital resources accessed within My Apps and when students or staff go directly to a website on a school-owned device.

Group Applications Together to Analyze Product Usage

Do you have multiple applications in ClassLink Launchpad that represent the same product? You may have an application that requires you to set up one instance per school or multiple resources from the same vendor. 

Now, in Analytics, you can gather all product or vendor data together using our Application Groupings data type. This allows for a comprehensive analysis of time spent across a product and the ability to do a comprehensive cost analysis. To create a group, select the applications you wish to analyze collectively and hit the “Quick Merge” button. You will see your group under the Apps+ Type. 

ClassLink Digital Resources by Usage

With Analytics+, you collect data on all websites your students and staff access on school devices. This domain data is a powerful addition to your application groupings, allowing you to feel confident that all usage data is captured in your analyses.

Compare Across Buildings with New School Comparison Reports 

Using the new school comparison reports, you can easily compare key metrics across your schools. In our new module, you decide which metric to analyze—logins, time, digital resources, or users. Next, select which schools to compare.

ClassLink Top Digital Resources

With Analytics+, you can compare the usage of all digital resources, including websites accessed outside of ClassLink. You also gain grade-level comparison reports.

The new look and feel of ClassLink Analytics makes it easier than ever to gain insight into using digital resources in your schools. With reports focused on time spent on digital learning, enhanced school comparison reports, and the ability to group applications together, Analytics increases your ability to make informed decisions about your digital ecosystem. 

Still looking for answers to questions like student usage of generative AI and usage data for resources accessed directly from your LMS? Need more insight into the resources used in classrooms to ensure all the proper security policies are in place? With Analytics+, you get all the new and improved reports plus answers to the questions above! 

Learn to tell your data story at CLAS 2024—ClassLink’s FREE annual Learning Analytics Summit! Register today!

Want to share your data best practices? Submit your CLAS 2024 session proposal here. 

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Four benefits of the Frayer model
AssessmentContent AreasEducational ResearchGood Teaching

The Frayer Model: Transforming Vocabulary Learning in All Grade Levels

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

How often do you encounter students who can memorize terms but struggle to apply them in context? What if there was a tool that could not only help students remember vocabulary but also deeply understand and apply these concepts? This tool is not new but might be one of the most underutilized in our teaching arsenal. Let’s take a look at how the Frayer Model can bridge the gap between rote memorization and true conceptual understanding.

What is the Frayer Model?

The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer that was originally developed by Dorothy Frayer and her colleagues at the University of Wisconsin in 1969. It was part of a project to find effective ways of teaching high school students new concepts. But, it is a helpful graphic organizer for students all the way down through early elementary. Since we all have concepts and academic vocabulary to teach that are foundational to our content area, the Frayer Model is a perfect tool to build into as you scaffold students’ understanding and mastery of critical pieces of your content. Initially, the Frayer Model was meant to be used for students in reading and language arts. However, it soon became popular for use in other content areas as well.

The Benefits of the Frayer Model

Four benefits of the Frayer model

The Frayer Model offers several advantages that can greatly enhance student learning. Plenty of research underscores the value of using the Frayer Model with your students at appropriate times. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Improves comprehension: It breaks down complex concepts into more manageable parts, which helps students understand and remember details better.
  • Supports diverse learning styles: It also supports all learners, making it an excellent tool for classrooms with diverse learning styles and abilities.
  • Encourages active learning: Students who engage directly with the material are more likely to retain information and understand it deeply.
  • Facilitates classroom discussions: The Frayer Model provides a structured way for students to share thoughts and learn from each other.

The Graphic Organizer

In the center of the graphic organizer is the main concept or vocabulary word. Each outside quadrant is designated for a particular aspect of the learning that you want your students to learn. Traditionally these have been designated for the definition, characteristics of the word/concept, examples, and non-examples. Based on what you are teaching, you can change the quadrants to be more relevant if needed to support more targeted learning…such as using the word in a sentence, drawing a picture of the word/concept, etc.

Frayer Model
Access the Frayer Model Template and Examples

While this has traditionally been a paper-pencil activity, we can easily bring the Frayer Model into the digital age. Access the Frayer Model Template using Google Slides and adapt it to make it your own! You will notice that the template includes several different examples for different grade levels and content areas to get you started. Consider using this as you check for prior knowledge, introduce critical concepts, or even as an exit ticket at the end of a lesson. You could also use this with digital tools like Figjam, Canva, PowerPoint, Microsoft Whiteboard, or Excalidraw.

Using the Frayer Model Template

There are several ways to use the template. Before sharing, you may want to adapt the examples to your grade level and content area to help students better understand with relevant examples that they can refer to as needed. These instructions are given for using the template within Google Slides but can be adapted for other platforms.

Method 1: Using the Template with a Whole Group

Share the Frayer Model template with the class giving everyone edit rights. Instruct them to each create a new slide (whether individually or working with a partner). They should first type their name in the top area to designate that the slide is theirs to edit. Assign each student (or pair) a word or concept to learn about. As they learn about the concept or word, they update their slide. Others can comment on quadrants and give additional insights, examples, non-examples, etc. Using the template in this manner makes it great for test review. It can also be the equivalent of a digital word wall that students can access on their devices when needed.

Method 2: Using the Template with Individual Students

Update the template slide deck as needed. Have students make a copy of the slide deck to their Google Drive, share a copy with them directly, or provide a “make a copy” link. Direct students to add a new slide for each word/concept and begin filling them in. Feel free to adapt the quadrants as needed. For example, change the non-example quadrant to now have students insert an image of the word or concept. Or they can find and share a YouTube video about the word or concept as a resource.

Regardless of what you teach and the grade level(s), be sure to add the Frayer Model to your teacher bag of good pedagogy tricks. These are great supports for ESL students and can be adapted for gifted students to extend beyond the regular expectations.

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Five steps to data-informed student grouping in the classroom
AssessmentEducational ResearchGood Teaching

How to Make Flexible, Data-Informed Student Groups

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Would you believe that, according to teachers, behavior is the most important factor when it comes to grouping students? There are several reasons to group students, and, recent research suggests that there are benefits to creating student groups. The teacher can tailor them to optimize learning and use grouping students to address varied:

  • learning needs
  • abilities
  • interests

What does the research say?

Unfortunately, student grouping strategies focusing on grouping by ability have poor results. For example, ability grouping for gifted students has a low effect size (d=0.21). An alternative is flexible, data-informed grouping strategies. Let’s take a quick look at the research from Gest and Rodkin’s 2011 study. Teachers in that study reported that they grouped students for several reasons. Here are the top five reasons from most important to least important:

  1. Behavioral Problems
  2. Heterogeneous Ability Grouping
  3. Homogeneous Ability Grouping
  4. New Friendship
  5. Existing Friendship

If behavior was the most important reason for student groups, what was the least important reason for grouping? That would be grouping students by similar ability levels or to reinforce friendships.

Flexible, Data-Informed Student Groups

In this approach, data informs the composition of student groups. This involves assessing, grouping, and regrouping students based on ongoing assessment data. This results in grouping students not by ability or prior achievement but rather by fresh, new data about the phase of learning they are in. This can have a certain appeal, no?

In this approach, you group students to meet the following needs:

  • Needs and performance. This ensures lessons are relevant and meet students where they are.
  • Current understanding and skills. Your informed insight enables you to personalize learning across subjects or topics based on their knowledge.
  • Include students of different abilities. With data in hand, you can more easily mix students of different abilities and backgrounds together.
  • Customize activities. Since you can use data to grasp where students are in their groups, you can create more tailored engagement activities.

While you could rely on digital grouping tools for the classroom, there is another way.

Five steps to data-informed student grouping in the classroom
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Five Steps for Flexible, Data-Informed Groups

To group your students, consider following the steps below. Note that you can use a variety of digital tools to facilitate each step.

Step 1: Conduct assessment. In this step, use low-stakes, just-in-time assessments to evaluate students and identify their current level of understanding and skill. Recognize that you will be reusing your assessments to track both individual and group progress.

Step 2: Form groups. Once you have processed the latest assessment data, create student groups that align with students’ learning needs.

Step 3: Consider SEL and class culture. Recognize students’ social and emotional needs. Building peer-to-peer relationships is critical. Support classroom culture with a keen awareness of culturally responsive teaching and brain-based learning approaches.

Step 4: Create custom learning activities. Align your instructional strategy (e.g. surface learning, deep learning, transfer learning) to the needs of the group and its members.

Step 5: Provide feedback for self-regulated learners. In dynamic groups, it’s important to provide useful feedback that empowers self-regulated learning.

Using Data to Group Students by Phase of Learning

Mermaid code graph generated by Claude.ai at the direction of the author
Mermaid code graph generated by Claude.ai at the direction of the author

One of the challenges you may encounter with flexible grouping is not grouping students by ability. When you rely on flexible grouping that’s informed via assessment data, you are actually organizing students by the phase of learning they are in. These phases of learning include Surface Learning, Deep Learning, and Transfer Learning. To get a better grasp of where students are at in their learning using assessment data, identify their phase of learning with the SOLO Taxonomy. Here’s a quick overview of The SOLO Taxonomy:

StageSOLO TaxonomyHattie’s TermLearning Phase?What It MeansHES Instructional Strategies
1Pre-structuralNo IdeaMay or may not have Prior KnowledgeLack of understanding or knowledge of the conceptBuild and/or activate prior knowledge
2Uni-structuralOne IdeaSurface LearningHas limited understanding, but doesn’t know how to apply it or how it connects to other ideasThree-Step Jigsaw Method, Summarization, Vocabulary Programs
3Multi-structuralMany IdeasSurface LearningHas a basic understanding, but isn’t sure how to fit ideas togetherDirect Instruction, Flipped Classroom, Note-Taking
4RelationalRelateDeep LearningUnderstands how ideas fit together and the relationship between them; still needs scaffolding and instruction to be successfulConcept Mapping, Metacognition, Self-Judgement, Reflection
5Extended AbstractExtendTransfer LearningCan take what has been learned and make something new; directions are not neededProblem-Based Teaching, Transfer Strategies
Source: Get a Clue: The SOLO Taxonomy

The SOLO Taxonomy descriptors make it easier to identify students’ grasp of ideas or concepts. What’s more, there is a rich group of highly effective strategies you can use depending on the phase of learning students are in.

The SOLO Taxonomy gives you a way to gauge the assessment data and put students in the correct group. The grouping is important because it allows you to match the most effective instructional strategy to the student’s need. For example, students in a surface learning phase may range from lacking any background knowledge to having a basic understanding. However, that basic understanding still lacks a conceptual understanding of how ideas fit together.

Here’s a quick chart you can use to guide you :

Examples of flexible groups that are create based on students' phase of learning.
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Some Parting Thoughts

Grouping students by behavior isn’t the most effective method. Instead, try using fresh data to assist you in creating groups that support learning. Ensure every student receives exactly what they need to thrive. The role you play is crucial. Remember that grouping strategies are about meeting students where they are and using informed insight (e.g. The SOLO Taxonomy) and strategies (e.g. Surface/Deep/Transfer Learning strategies) to guide them to success.

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Explore tools for creating quizzes from YouTube videos in seconds. Save time, collect assessment data, and differentiate with ease!
Artificial IntelligenceAssessment

Create AI-Powered YouTube Quizzes in Seconds

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

In today’s digital age, videos grab the interest and attention of our students. One way teachers can significantly enhance the learning experience is by incorporating educational YouTube videos into lessons. Including interactive quizzes in these videos adds an interactive element to lessons and promotes active learning to boost student engagement. But creating quizzes on YouTube doesn’t have to be time-consuming! What if you could create quiz questions automatically from these videos?

AI-Powered YouTube Quiz Generators

Below are some tools to create quizzes from YouTube videos effortlessly.

Quizizz AI

Quizizz offers an AI-powered feature that can transform any YouTube video with captions into an interactive quiz. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Log in to Quizizz. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one.
  2. Under the Create with Quizizz AI section, click the ‘Upload Link’ button in the ‘Create with YouTube’ box.
  3. Paste the YouTube URL, and select the grade, subject, and number of questions.
  4. You can enable the option to allow your students to watch the video while answering the questions if you want to.
  5. Click Generate Questions (with Video).
Quizziz offers a tool to teachers that will auto-generate quiz questions to go along with a YouTube video!
Screenshot by Diana Benner | Quizizz AI Published Quiz and YouTube Video

MagicSchool AI

MagicSchool AI offers the YouTube Video Question Generator. The tool aligns guiding questions with video content. Here’s how it works:

  1. Log in to MagicSchool AI. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one.
  2. Click on YouTube Video Questions.
  3. Enter grade level, number of questions, and question type.
  4. Then, paste the YouTube URL.
  5. Click Generate. The AI analyzes the video transcript and generates questions.
MagicSchoolAI offers a tool to teachers that will auto-generate quiz questions from a YouTube video!
Screenshot by Diana Benner | MagicSchool’s Magic Tools Page

QuestionWell

Question Well is another AI tool that generates questions based on YouTube videos. In addition, you can create an interactive video puzzle based on a YouTube video. Here’s how:

  1. Log in to QuestionWell. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one.
  2. Click on the YouTube tab.
  3. Select Choose under Question Set or Interactive Video, depending on which you want to create.
  4. Enter the URL to the YouTube video and click Search.
  5. Click Generate Question Set
QuestionWell is an AI tool that provides teachers the chance to generate questions from a YouTube video.
Screenshot by Diana Benner | QuestionWell’s Create Set Page

 Quiz Wizard

Quiz Wizard is another AI question generator platform. The process is straightforward for creating questions from a YouTube video. Here’s how:

  1. Log in to Quiz Wizard. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one.
  2. Under ‘From which source would you like to create to generate questions?,’ click on YouTube.
  3. Enter the URL of the YouTube video and click Continue.
  4. Select Multiple Choice Questions and enter the number of questions you want. Note that you can also create open-ended questions or flashcards.
  5. Click Generate Content.
Quiz Wizard is an AI tool that lets teachers create quiz questions from audio/video.
Screenshot by Diana Benner | Quiz Wizard’s Create Content Page

Three Ways to Use Video Quizzes

There are several ways to use video quizzes in the classroom. Let’s take a look at a few.

1. Introduce New Content

Video quizzes work well when you’re introducing new content in class. They can be used for any grade level or subject area. A video is a great way to introduce students to a new topic they’ll be studying and pique their interest from the start.

2. Gauge Student Understanding

Video quizzes can be used for formative assessment. They can provide you with detailed insight into what your students have already learned and what they still need more help with. If you are looking for more formative assessment strategies, here is some additional reading you may find useful.

3. Differentiate Instruction

If one or a few students need additional support during a lesson, assign a video that reviews a concept. Students can watch the video over and over while answering the questions if they need to. It allows them to revisit concepts and content at their own pace.

Creating YouTube quizzes with Quizziz, Magicschool, and Quiz Wizard’s AI tools enhances learning, saves time, and boosts engagement. These tools empower you to create interactive assessments effortlessly. So, go ahead! Turn those educational videos into engaging quizzes and elevate the learning experience!

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Diverse group of educators discussing an AI tool on a laptop in a modern, colorful classroom
Artificial IntelligenceAssessment

A Teacher Rubric and Checklist for Assessing AI Tools

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

In the ever-evolving world of education, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in classrooms has become increasingly prominent. As an educator, it’s essential to navigate this landscape with a critical eye. The tools we choose can significantly impact the quality of education we deliver and the safety of the students we nurture.

The Importance of Assessing AI Tools

Imagine walking into a classroom equipped with the latest AI technology. It sounds exciting, right? But here’s the catch: just like apps and other teaching tools, not all AI tools are created equal. Some may align perfectly with your curriculum, while others might fall short in engaging your students or safeguarding their data. That’s why a thorough assessment of these tools before introducing them to your classroom is crucial.

Think of it as a bridge between technology and education. On one side, we have the potential of AI to transform learning experiences, making them more interactive, personalized, and efficient. On the other side, there are valid concerns about student privacy, data security, and the relevance of these tools to your specific educational objectives.

By evaluating AI tools beforehand, you ensure that you’re not just jumping on the tech bandwagon but making an informed choice that enhances your teaching and benefits your students. It’s about finding that perfect match where technology meets pedagogy.

Criteria for Evaluation

To simplify this evaluation process, we’ve developed a practical checklist with three levels of quality: great, good, and poor. We also made a rubric with each criterion more clearly spelled out. This rubric breaks down the key criteria to consider, making it easy for any educator, regardless of how tech-savvy they are, to make informed decisions. You can download a PDF of the Rubric and Checklist to use and share. We highlight four categories of criteria to guide you in your assessment of the AI tool you are considering: relevancy, student data privacy, ease of learning, and support.

Relevancy

For relevancy, we need to consider how well the tool aligns with your curriculum. Does it cater to the age and developmental stage of your students? Is it engaging enough to keep your students interested? Does the tool help students accomplish learning objectives and gain new skills? Additionally, how does it support differentiation and instruction in your subject or content area?

Data Privacy

In regards to student data privacy, which is a big one, it’s important to identify if the tool has a clear policy on how it collects, uses, and protects student data. It should also comply with laws like FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR to ensure student safety. Because this category can be intimidating, you may need to touch base with your technology department for help in evaluating the tool. They can help provide valuable insight and possibly offer other AI tool recommendations that are safer and yet accomplish the same task as the tool you are investigating.

Ease of Use

Next, we take a look at how easy it is to learn how to use the tool. I’m sure things are still like they were when I was in the classroom – not enough time to get everything done. Therefore, the tool should be user-friendly for both you and your students. A steep learning curve can be a significant hindrance and disrupt even the best instructional activities. The goal is for the tool to help you save time and your students learn without having to focus on the tool itself so much.

Support

Finally, support is considered. Good support can be a lifesaver. Look for tools that offer comprehensive tutorials, responsive customer support, and have an active community or forum for additional help. This is even more important if you don’t have a team at your location with whom you can bounce ideas off and ask for their input on different features of the tool. Additionally, it can be helpful if the tool offers a resource library of materials for added support.

Two documents side by side for evaluating artificial intelligence tools in education. The left document is titled "Assessing AI for Classroom Use Rubric" with criteria rated as 'Great', 'Good', and 'Poor'. The right document is a checklist titled "Assessing AI for Classroom Use Checklist" with 'Yes', 'Kinda', and 'No' options for criteria assessment.
Evaluation Frameworks for AI in Education – Rubric and Checklist

Using the Rubric and Checklist

Consider using the checklist to make a quick initial screening of the AI tool. This can help you eliminate those that obviously don’t meet the basic criteria to be used in your classroom. After the initial screening, use the rubric and possibly a friend to evaluate the tool in more depth. Discuss your findings with each other to come to a consensus on how the tool measures up and if it is worthy of further consideration. Also, look for reviews of the tool by other educators and sources that might give insight to the validity and reliability of the tool. Use the tool for a trial period and then reflect on how well it met your needs and/or the needs of your students. Continued reflection and evaluation is important since tools are (hopefully) updated and improved along the way.

Searching for AI Tools

After familiarizing yourself with the rubric and checklist, whichever is a better fit for you, consider searching for an AI tool to use. While it’s great to find ones that are labeled and intended for education, don’t limit yourself to just these. However, when using AI tools that are not intended for educators or students, be sure to take a closer look at what they do with data, since this may disqualify them for use in schools.

Here are a few websites that allow you to filter and search for various AI tools:

  • Futurepedia is a dynamic online platform aimed at professionals interested in leveraging AI tools and skills for work. It offers a regularly updated collection of articles on the latest AI tools, including practical applications and emerging trends, designed to keep its audience of over 180,000 proactive professionals well-informed and ahead in their fields.
  • The Rundown is a comprehensive online resource that categorizes and organizes a wide range of AI tools. It’s designed to help professionals easily discover and keep up-to-date with the most useful AI applications across various fields, including education, productivity, marketing, and more.
  • There’s an AI for That (TAAFT) is an extensive AI tool aggregator, regularly updated and catering to over 2 million users monthly. It provides a diverse array of AI tools for various tasks and jobs, helping professionals discover and utilize AI applications effectively in their respective fields.
  • Future Tools is a digital hub that collects and organizes a vast array of AI tools, offering users an efficient way to find the exact AI application they need for various purposes. This platform is especially useful for educators and professionals seeking to enhance their work with the latest AI technologies, featuring categories such as productivity, education, marketing, and more.
  • Top AI Tools is an extensive directory of over 5k+ AI tools, acting as a valuable resource for AI enthusiasts and professionals. It offers a user-friendly interface to explore a vast range of AI products and services, categorized for various needs and tasks, including education, marketing, and productivity, making it a one-stop destination for discovering AI applications.
  • AI Tools Arena is a versatile platform that offers an extensive list of AI tools, categorized to serve various professional needs like automation, marketing, and productivity. It serves as a valuable resource for individuals looking to stay current with AI advancements, providing insights and information across a broad spectrum of AI applications.

Check Out the TCEA Community

If you are a TCEA member, then be sure to jump into the All About AI community group. Here you’ll find other like-minded educators and leaders discussing all things related to AI. 

Share a Tool You’ve Evaluated

So what tool have you evaluated that seems to be a good candidate for you and/or your classroom? Jump in the comments and let us know what you like about the tool

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unesco report
AssessmentEducational Research

UNESCO’s 2023 GEM Report: TCEA’s Solution to the PD Problem

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Have you seen UNESCO’s eye-opening 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report? It makes some startling claims about technology, education, and environmental impact. Let’s explore each of these claims in turn and reflect on solutions. Plus, I’ll make a few claims about ed tech of my own!

Highlighting Problems

The report highlights some problems with how countries and school systems approach technology use. Here’s a quick list of three points made in the report:

  • Little impartial, robust evidence about ed tech’s value in education is available.
  • Evidence-based research seldom (11%) factors in when school systems adopt ed tech in schools.
  • Professional learning fails to address teaching with technology.

Since this 420+ page report is global in scope, it’s important to take away relevant lessons. Let’s look at how to best address the three points above. Of course, there’s more to the report worthy of consideration, but that moves beyond the scope of this article.

Point #1: Little Impartial Evidence

Under what conditions can technology impact teaching and learning? When educational technology is the engine for learning, it fails. The failure is expensive and a waste of time for teachers and learners. “Pedagogy is the driver, technology is the accelerator,” says Michael Fullan.

In fact, this has been long known. But ed tech spending continues unabated:

The vast preponderance of studies on the use of media and/or technology do not show significant gains in student achievement, at least in regards to what the assessments are assessing. (source)

It may be that educators have worked under “no significant difference” for so long with ed tech that it doesn’t matter. That said, there is a way to ensure that ed tech supports teaching and learning. It requires analysis of effective strategies and a leap of faith.

Don’t believe me? Read this excerpt from The Distance Learning Playbook (Dr. Douglas Fisher, Dr. Nancy Frey, and John Hattie, 2021), written in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic:

“…only a few of the research studies collected for any of the meta-analyses were done from afar. In this case, we’ll have to take a leap of faith and identify the essential components of a [strategy] and determine how it can be used online.”

If a leap of faith works for them, why not educators? At this point, it may be worthwhile to remember the words of a critical-thinking guru. Melanie Trecek-King writes on why we shouldn’t do “our own research:”

Image Source: The Optimum Drive

1. That’s not what research is.

Research is a systematic process of investigation. Scientists collect evidence and evaluate it in an unbiased manner. Those methods have to be available to other scientists for replication.

2. Science is a process.

It is an attempt to understand reality, and recognize how biased and flawed the human brain is. Real research is about trying to prove yourself wrong, NOT right.

3. You’re not as smart as you think you are.

Consider the Dunning-Krueger Effect. When those who are least competent at a task overestimate their abilities. If you’re incompetent, you can’t recognize how incompetent you are.

For those bringing ed tech in to solve an education problem, it may be that they don’t know enough. That is, they are overestimating ed tech’s value to solve an education problem.

Point #2: Consider the Research

Only 11% of surveyed teachers and administrators requested peer-reviewed evidence before adopting ed tech. That’s a sobering statistic included in the UNESCO report. Today, what happens in classrooms shouldn’t rely on pop research or anecdotes. Unless anecdotes represent the evidence, we should avoid using them to explain.

Technology may not even be the best or only solution to consider. People are often attracted by new education technology (UNESCO, 2022a), and purchasing for the sake of technology rather than for pedagogical reasons is a common mistake….

The UNESCO report (p. 135) suggests two types of assessments of ed tech should happen. These assessments should take place before the technology appears in the classroom. The two tests include:

  1. Does the technology have a proven impact on teaching and learning?
  2. Does evidence exist showing that the implementation of an ed tech intervention has worked?

For many users of ed tech, a “leap of faith” is all that is possible. According to Fisher et al., the only alternative is an analysis of an instructional strategy’s components. That may be all that remains. Wishes and unproven anecdotes. Even the What Works Clearinghouse is suspect, as cited in UNESCO’s report:

An incisive summary of the evidence contained in the Clearinghouse pointed out that only 188 of 10,654 studies showed that products had ‘strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness’ (Garcia Mathewson and Butrymowicz, 2020)

There are other sources of evidence-based research. We do know that there is ample research on traditional interventions or high-effect size instructional strategies.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers several online courses that are focused on evidence-based strategies. Sign up for TCEA’s Evidence-Based Teaching online, self-paced course now.

Point #3: No PD? Expect Teacher Failure

“If we are to better educate our kids, we need to better educate their educators,” says Tom Whitby. A longtime educator and contributor in the ed tech world, Whitby’s point echoes what many believe: You aren’t going to get powerful results with innovation without teacher training. This is particularly true for educational technology.

A recurring question from Texas educators is, “How do we assess technology applications?” This is a reference to Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TA-TEKS). What some districts have forgotten is that TA-TEKS are best blended into all instruction. But how thoroughly have the TA-TEKS been analyzed? Do schools want to produce critical thinkers or tech-savvy children? Also, how thoroughly have educators been trained in integrating the TA-TEKS successfully into instruction?

How to Train Staff to Amplify Learning with Technology

Students learn best when technology amplifies the effect of evidence-based instructional strategies. But how do you use technology to boost these strategies? And how does this get reflected in professional development? Consider these ways school systems can address professional development on technology integration:

  • Provide specific professional learning on high-effect size instructional strategies
  • Model how digital media (videos/podcasts) supports teaching and learning
  • Engage learners with hands-on experiences that match the students’ phase of learning
  • Scaffold team building and rapid prototyping
  • Pose real-world problems in the context of Problem-Solving Teaching or Engineering Design Process

Align PD to TCEA’s Online, Self-Paced Learning

Want to prepare your teachers? Consider these linked online, self-paced courses TCEA provides for just $39. Not only will teachers learn evidence-based strategies, but they’ll also learn how to use them with technology. These are flexible learning opportunities that:

Provide specific professional learning on high-effect size instructional strategies:

Model how digital media (videos/podcasts) supports teaching and learning:

Engage learners with hands-on experiences that match students’ phase of learning and scaffold team building:

Pose real-world problems in the context of Problem-Solving Teaching or Engineering Design Process:

Schools may also want to audit their existing technology tools and programming to identify areas of growth and create strategic plans. After all, do you need all those ed tech solutions? Or only the ones that align with research? Maybe your staff just needs some training on aligning instructional strategies and technology tools.

Leverage technology when it facilitates problem-solving at a distance and rapid prototyping. Use it to collaborate at a distance, for information processing, and management. Rely on technology to improve productivity and learning. But don’t use it for drill-n-practice as a way to engage learners in razzle-dazzle displays.

Technology, for technology’s sake, is often a waste of time and money. In most cases, learning can happen without technology. You can achieve long-term information retention (the aim of much teaching) without it. But combine ed tech with evidence-based strategies that work, and you’ll deepen learning and boost outcomes.

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An animated chatbot shows the article title "AI-Powered Brain Breaks"
AI/VRArtificial IntelligenceAssessment

AI-Powered Brain Breaks

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Brain breaks are short breaks during lessons that usually incorporate physical activities or movement. Brain breaks are proven to increase student focus, engagement, and learning. Research shows that on-task behavior tends to decline the longer the lesson, and brain breaks can help curb that decline. Take a look at the research represented in this graph:

Image created by author

Four Facts About Brain Breaks

Yes, elementary children are less attentive as lessons increase from ten to thirty minutes. One way to trick our brains into paying more attention? Incorporate short brain breaks! Let’s consider these four facts:

  • Mixing in brief bouts of physical activity can keep children on-task and focused.
  • Brain waves indicative of mental fatigue increase during bouts of sustained attention. They decrease during breaks.
  • Breaks improve our focus by reducing boredom and restoring energy. They kindle motivation “…to resume on-task activity.”
  • Short chunks of time for learning are better than cramming learning into one block.

But how does AI come into play when incorporating these “brief bouts of physical activity?”

Where Do You Stand?

Let’s take a moment to consider the implications of AI and chatbots for classroom use when it comes to brain breaks. Place yourself on a continuum of agreement. I list five statements. Put the number of each statement in a place on the continuum that reflects your thoughts, agreement, or disagreement.

Continuum of agreement with a line graph showing end points labeled from left to right "strongly disagree, disagree, unsure, agree, strongly agree."
Image created by the author.
  • Statement #1: Relying on AI for brain breaks can dehumanize the classroom. It will diminish the teacher’s role in creating meaningful connections with students.
  • Statement #2: Brain breaks are a waste of valuable instructional time. They should be eliminated from the classroom.
  • Statement #3: Brain breaks cater to students with shorter attention spans. They hinder the development of focus and concentration.
  • Statement #4: Using AI for brain breaks can save teachers time, allowing them to focus on more critical aspects of instruction. It may lead to a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects individual needs.
  • Statement #5: AI-generated brain breaks may perpetuate biases present in the algorithms, leading to unfair or discriminatory content.

Here are my choices for where the statements should appear on the continuum. Do you agree or disagree? Share your reasoning in the comments.

Author completed continuum of agreement showing whether he agrees or disagrees with statements about AI in the classroom.

If AI-powered tools can assist with saving time, make my job as a teacher easier, and boost student learning, why not take advantage of them? This suggests another question: How should we, as teachers, use new AI-powered chatbots to make that work easier? Let’s explore one way.

AI Chatbots for Generating Brain Breaks

There are many chatbots available to help educators complete a variety of tasks. Some chatbots are available for free while others cost money, but most offer a free or trial account. Some of my favorite chatbots include:

Tips for Prompting AI

When providing prompts for AI, it’s important to be clear, precise, and directive in order to get the response that best meets your needs. Here are three tips that can help ensure you get the results you want from your prompts:

  1. Ask the AI to assume a role.
  2. Feed the AI source info.
  3. Provide the AI with feedback to hone the response.

Learn more via this 3-2-1 blog on prompt engineering!

3 ideas for promting AI Chatbots: 1. Ask the AI to assume a role. 2. Feed the AI source info. 3. Provide the AI with feedback to hone the response.
Get this infographic!

Example Prompts for Brain Breaks

Here is an example prompt for you to try. This prompt incorporates the three tips above. Linked below it, you can click to view the text prompt and several different AI responses to the prompt. Feel free to copy and paste the prompt and edit it to meet your needs.

Screenshot by author of his slide deck presentation

Here is one example response generated by Perplexity, which includes citations:

Perplexity AI-generated brain break
View the Results
More Ideas for Brain Breaks and When to Use Them!

Bonus: Bell Ringer AI Prompt!

Screenshot by author of his slide deck presentation
View the Results

What are some other ways you can use chatbots to advance teaching and learning in your classroom? Now that you’ve had a moment to explore AI-powered brain breaks, what are your takeaways? Let us know in the comments!

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6 AI tools to use to transform the way you check for understanding through formative assessment.
Artificial IntelligenceAssessment

Revolutionize Formative Assessments with AI-Powered Tools

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Formative assessments play a vital role in understanding student progress and adapting teaching strategies for better learning outcomes. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), educators now have access to a wide array of tools that can transform the way they create and use formative assessments in the classroom. Let’s explore some AI-powered tools that help teachers develop effective formative assessments:

What Is Formative Assessment?

Formative assessment is an ongoing way for teachers to check student understanding of what’s being taught. It gives the teacher information about how students are doing while they are still learning new material. Formative assessments can help identify concepts students are struggling with so teachers can adjust instruction, review, and reteach if needed. Examples of formative assessment include questioning during class discussions, quick writing or drawing assignments to show what they learned, practice quizzes, exit tickets, and more.

Six Tools for Creating Formative Assessments

1. ChatGPT

You can always ask ChatGPT or your favorite AI chatbot to create a formative assessment. An example prompt you could use is, “Generate a list of [number] formative assessment ideas related to [insert topic] for my [grade level and subject] students.” Just replace each bracket with the information for each prompt. You can also ask ChatGPT to align your formative assessments with specific learning objectives. In addition, differentiate your formative assessments by asking ChatGPT to give you five assessment ideas using a variety of modalities like exit tickets, quizzes, graphic organizers, etc.  

2. Conker

Conker is an AI tool that permits teachers to generate formative assessments in the form of multiple choice, mixed, read & respond, or fill-in-the-blank questions.
Screenshot by Emily Horn | Conker Create Page

Conker lets you create fast quizzes and formative assessments that can be differentiated by question type, grade level, and more. It will also allow you to copy/paste reading material to generate quizzes. All you have to do is open Conker and provide details about the quiz you want to create. Conker will then create a short formative assessment you can assign to students with a code or export it to Google Forms. You can even create a printable question sheet and answer sheet. There is a limited free plan, and teacher registration is required.

3. Magic School AI

MagicSchool is an AI with many tools available to teachers. Explore everything from lesson plan generation to formative assessment creation.
Screenshot taken by Emily Horn | MagicSchool’s Magic Tools Page

Magic School AI offers several tools and features that can be valuable for creating and implementing formative assessments in your classroom. This tool allows you to quickly build multiple-choice quizzes tailored to specific topics or standards. You can customize difficulty levels, question types, and answer keys to assess students’ base knowledge and readiness for new learning. In addition, you can generate quick reflection prompts or questions to collect student understanding at the end of a lesson. Then, you can quickly analyze the responses to identify areas for further clarification or address common misconceptions before moving on. There are both free and paid versions of the program. Learn even more about Magic School AI here.

4. QuestionWell

QuestionWell is an AI that provides teachers the chance to input topic, choose question type, and generate questions from text, YourTube, URL, uploaded documents, or imported questions.
Screenshot by Emily Horn | QuestionWell’s Create Set Page

QuestionWell generates questions so teachers can focus on what matters. Start by identifying the topic, content, and grade level. If you have text you want your formative assessment based on, you can provide it, but it isn’t necessary. Then, the AI will write questions. In the free version of QuestionWell, you can create a multiple-choice quiz with 20 questions. Once the questions are generated, select which ones you want to include in the quiz. Then, you can export the questions to tools like Google Forms, Kahoot, Canvas, Microsoft Word, and more.

5. Quiz Wizard

Quiz Wizard is an AI tool that lets teachers create formative assessments from topics, documents, texts, links, or audio/video.
Screenshot by Emily Horn | Quiz Wizard’s Create Content Page

Quiz Wizard is an AI-powered tool that generates multiple-choice questions and flashcards that can be used for formative assessments within seconds. The process is straightforward and involves you entering the topic of your choice into the tool, and Quiz Wizard takes care of the rest by generating unique questions and answers. The content can be exported to other platforms, like Microsoft Word.

6. Quizizz AI

Quizziz AI offers searchable quizzes by topic and provides the opportunity to create your own formative assessments.
Screenshot by Emily Horn | Quizziz AI’s Create Page

Quizizz AI is an artificial intelligence-powered tool that can generate multiple-choice questions with four answer options. The tool can also automatically determine the appropriate number of questions to generate for a formative assessment from the content provided. You can create a quiz by uploading a document, entering text, or pasting a link to a webpage. Quizizz AI offers free and paid premium versions.

These AI-powered tools offer not only instant feedback but also insights into individual student needs, allowing you to tailor your instruction effectively. By leveraging these AI tools, you can create a dynamic and adaptive learning environment, fostering student engagement and growth.

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Want to quiz your students on semester content? check out these AI tools to make reviews quickly.
Artificial IntelligenceAssessment

Harness AI Tools to Make Engaging Quizzes

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

The weeks before school gets out for any break are probably not the best time for deep learning or introducing new content. Students (and the teachers) are already thinking about being out and dreaming of what they will do during the break. But what can we do to ensure learning is still happening? Well, it’s a great time to create a variety of quizzes for reviewing content introduced throughout the year and to practice discussion skills while working in teams. To make these tasks easier, let’s explore a variety of AI tools for making quizzes.

QuestionWell

QuestionWell AI Home Page
Screenshot by Emily Horn: QuestionWell Home Page

This is by far my favorite AI tool for making quizzes, especially if I want to quiz students using a particular platform. QuestionWell will create the questions and export them to the following platforms: Quizizz, Kahoot, Canvas, Schoology, Moodle, Gimkit, Blooket, Quizlet, Google Forms, Google Slides, Blackboard, Microsoft Forms, Socrative, and Microsoft Word. You currently can’t do this with Google Bard, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Bing. Start by identifying the topic, content, and grade level. If you have text you want questions based on, you can provide it, but it isn’t necessary. In the free version of QuestionWell, you can create a multiple-choice quiz with 20 questions. Once the questions are generated, select which ones you want to include in the quiz. Then, choose the export destination. Voila!

MagicSchool

MagicSchool AI Home Page
Screenshot by Emily Horn: MagicSchool.AI Home Page

MagicSchool is an excellent interface that gives you the benefit of identifying the grade level target for your audience. It’s a solid AI tool for making quizzes. Granted, you could easily put it in your prompt, but no need to do that with MagicSchool. MagicSchool offers a lot of tools, which is great for folks who aren’t interested in learning how to create effective prompts. I chose the Multiple Choice Assessment Generator tool. For my quiz, I selected 5th grade, identified 10 questions, and shared the prompt in the description area. The quiz questions were neatly generated to the right of the prompt with an answer key following. I was impressed with the questions and layout on the first try.

Using Major AI Assistants

ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, and Perplexity Logos
ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, and Perplexity Logos

Not all AI assistants are created equal. While one may be phenomenal on a particular task, it might falter and really miss the mark on a completely different type of task. So, when creating a quiz, try your prompt on several different AI assistants. I wanted to try out the top AI tools to see how they fair for making quizzes. Here is an example prompt that I used and the first results generated by four different AI assistants. I reviewed the first response to the prompt below; I did not ask it to regenerate a response. My goal was to find a tool that creates the best product on the first try.

The Results

Prompt: Create a 10-question multiple choice quiz on [SUBJECT]. For each question, there should be four answer choices. Create an answer key that identifies the correct answer but also gives a sentence for each wrong answer as to why it is wrong. SUBJECT = Christmas traditions

Claude: Overall, Anthropic’s Claude did an excellent job as an AI tool for making quizzes. Instead of giving me a sentence for each wrong answer explaining why it was wrong, it gave me a sentence that shared why all three wrong answers were wrong. It wasn’t necessarily poorly done, but it didn’t exactly follow my explicit prompt as written.

ChatGPT: I ran the prompt in 3.5 and 4. With GPT4, it didn’t surprise me that it produced the format exactly as I asked in my prompt. The quiz questions were given first with an answer key following the quiz, which is convenient if I want to copy/paste into another program and keep questions and answers separate. When I ran the prompt in GPT3.5, it intermingled the answer key with the quiz. Out of the two, I would opt for ChatGPT Plus (4) as an AI tool for making quizzes if I have a choice.

Bard: I like Bard, but I was disappointed with the results. It stopped in mid-sentence on question 9. And, of the nine questions produced before stopping, answer choice “A” was the correct answer for seven of them. If I were giving this to my students, I would need to do additional work to randomize the answers and produce additional questions.

Perplexity: Perplexity did the nicest job out of these four AI tools when it comes to making quizzes. It generated the quiz first with the answer key at the end. If I were using this with my students, it would make it easier to copy/paste to a Google Doc or other medium for sharing without needing to pull out the correct/wrong answer information with each question.

Which Should You Use?

If you want to write your prompt and use an AI assistant to create your product, I recommend ChatGPT4 or Perplexity. These two would require the least amount of edits and work on your part. I was surprised to notice that there were a lot of questions common across the tools, though some were unique. However, if you want an excellent interface where you don’t have to create or tweak prompts, you will find QuestionWell and MagicSchool to be great options. Which AI tool will you try for making quizzes? Tell us and share your prompt in the comments below!

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