AI Avalanche: 50 Free AI Tools to Transform Your Teaching Game!
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 ⬥ 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Presented by Melissa Henning
Session Description:
Buckle up for the ultimate AI power-up session that will unleash 50 incredible AI tools and strategies that will revolutionize everything from lesson planning to student feedback and differentiation. We’re serving up a buffet of digital brilliance that will make you the AI wizard for your students and staff!
Objectives:
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- Learn about several free collections of AI tools that can be used for lesson planning, differentiation, productivity, and assessment.
- Discover ways to implement at least 3-5 AI tools in their classrooms to streamline lesson planning, increase teacher (or student) productivity, create differentiated materials, or provide personalized student feedback.
- Consider efficient workflows integrating AI tools for time-intensive tasks (grading, parent communication, resource curation) to reclaim instructional time for high-impact student interactions.
Download a PDF copy of the slides here.
Resource Materials:
In this Resource Materials section, you will find reference materials, tutorials, and how-to information that will help you review or extend your knowledge from the presentation.
AI Productivity Tools
Teachers are pulled in more directions than ever — from lesson planning and grading to family communication and compliance paperwork — and AI productivity tools offer a practical way to reclaim time without sacrificing quality. From tools that draft emails and generate lesson plans in seconds, to platforms that create rubrics, summarize documents, automate feedback, and even break overwhelming to-do lists into manageable steps, AI gives educators a capable assistant that works as fast as they need it to.
- Collection of Reviewed Free AI Tools for Productivity
- AI Tone Rewriter (TeachersFirst Review)
- Goblin Tools (TeachersFirst Review)
- Magic School (TeachersFirst Review) – Email Responder, Choice Board, Letter of Recommendation, Newsletter, Difficult Conversations
AI Tools for Lesson Planning
Lesson planning is one of the biggest demands on a teacher’s time, and free AI tools make it possible to generate thoughtful, standards-aligned plans, activities, and materials in a fraction of the time it would take to build them from scratch. From tools that create full unit outlines, daily lesson plans, discussion questions, and exit tickets, to platforms that suggest cross-curricular connections, adapt content for different learning levels, and align objectives to specific standards, free AI puts a tireless planning partner in every teacher’s hands — at no cost.
- Collection of Reviewed Free AI Tools for Lesson Planning
- Nolej (TeachersFirst Review)
- Lesson Plan Generator (TeachersFirst Review)
- Magic School for Lesson Planning (TeachersFirst Review) – Lesson Plan, Presentation Generator, YouTube Video Questions, Unit Plan Generator, Lesson Hook
AI Differentiation Tools
Every classroom is filled with diverse learners, and free AI tools make it easier than ever for teachers to meet each student where they are without spending hours creating separate materials from scratch. From tools that instantly re-level texts to different reading levels, generate tiered assignments, create modified instructions for English language learners, and build scaffolded supports for students with diverse needs, free AI turns one-size-fits-all content into personalized learning — quickly, consistently, and at no cost.
- Collection of Reviewed Free AI Tools for Differentiation
- Latimer: AI for Everyone (TeachersFirst Review)
- Diffit (TeachersFirst Review)
- Reading Coach (TeachersFirst Review)
- Magic School for Differentiation (TeachersFirst Review) – Text Rewritter, Text Summarizer, Academic Content, Multiple Explanations, Accommodation Suggestions
AI Tools for Assessment
Providing meaningful, timely feedback is one of the most impactful things a teacher can do for student growth — and free AI tools make it possible to do that at scale without sacrificing the quality students deserve. From tools that generate detailed rubrics, draft personalized written feedback, create formative quizzes and exit tickets, analyze student responses for patterns, and produce report card comments, free AI helps teachers close the feedback loop faster so students can act on it while it still matters.
- Collection of Reviewed Free AI Tools for Assessment
- EdCafe AI (TeachersFirst Review)
- Snorkl (TeachersFirst Review)
- Class Companion (TeachersFirst Review)
- Magic School for Assessment (TeachersFirst Review) – Writing Feedback, Rubric Generator, AI Resistance Assignments
AI Tools for Creating Projects
Creating engaging presentations and project materials from scratch can eat up hours of a teacher’s planning time, but free AI tools make it possible to go from a blank screen to a polished, classroom-ready product in minutes. From tools that generate complete slide decks, design visually compelling graphics and infographics, create data visualizations and charts, produce AI-generated images for classroom content, and even help educators and students build podcasts and audio projects, free AI gives teachers the creative power to produce professional-quality, multimodal materials — without needing a design degree, a recording studio, or an extra hour in the day.
- Collection of Reviewed Free AI Tools for Creating Projects
- Adobe Podcast (TeachersFirst Review)
- Napkin AI (TeachersFirst Review)
- Canva for Education (TeachersFirst Review)
- SlidesGo (TeachersFirst Review)
- Magic School for Creating Projects (TeachersFirst Review) – Educational Podcast Generator, Educational Song Generator, Presentation Generator (Slides), Rap Battle
In-the-Classroom:
Our In-the-Classroom section is where you will find ideas and examples on how to integrate the tools shared into classroom instruction.
Additional Free AI Resources Available at TeachersFirst
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): AI for Creating Learning Objects
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Gemini In the Classroom – Getting Started
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Google Gems Basics: Personalized, interactive, and safe AI learning experiences
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Empowering Students: Navigating AI in the Classroom
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): AI Templates That Work: Quick & Easy Prompting Solutions
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Interactive Lessons with Canva’s AI Magic Tools
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Copilot for Educators: Transforming Teaching with AI
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): AI-Enhanced Assessment Design: Reimagining Feedback and Evaluation
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): Google Notebook LM: Your AI Research Assistant for Transforming Teaching and Learning
- OK2Ask (free, on-demand recording): AI for Educator Excellence: Reclaiming Time and Enhancing Instruction
- Blog Post: AI Literacy Starts Here: Practice Classroom Approaches for Middle School
- Blog Post: Tech Tool of the Month – Adobe Podcast
- Blog Post: History Comes Alive: Using AI and Thinking Routines to Build Student Empathy
- Blog Post: AI-Powered Interactive Activity Creation with Canva Code
- Blog Post: What’s New (and Awesome) in AI for the Classroom
- Blog Post: Experience the Magic: Canva AI for Educators
- Explore all 300+ of our free reviewed AI resources
- Professional Article: Hey Siri… What is AI? Introducing Students to Artificial Intelligence
Return to the ISTE 2026 Session Listings Page

https://teachersfirst.org/