AI tools for teachers, all conveniently in one place. The FMK at UCM has prepared an online catalog and a practical guide

The new catalog addresses a situation in which the range of AI tools is rapidly expanding, yet it is not always easy for educators to assess which ones are suitable for the school environment, for what purposes they can be used, and what safety or methodological guidelines must be followed when using them.

The purpose of the catalog, therefore, is not to promote the uncritical use of artificial intelligence, but to offer teachers a practical and easy-to-use resource for selecting tools based on specific educational needs. The catalog is available on the AI in Schools website.

The Catalog as a Practical Tool

The online catalog of AI tools for teachers brings together a selection of artificial intelligence tools that can assist with lesson planning, creating worksheets, formulating questions, designing activities, preparing presentations, working with text and images, facilitating feedback, reflecting on learning, and fostering students’ creativity and critical thinking.

Users can navigate the catalog using the tabs for each tool. Each tab provides basic information about the tool and allows access to more detailed sections that explain what the tool is used for, how to get started with it, what activities can be prepared using it, what assignments can be given to students, and what supplementary materials teachers can use.

“Teachers today don’t just need another list of apps. They need to know which tool can support a specific educational goal, whether it’s suitable for their subject and the age of their students, how to get started with it safely, and how to work with its outputs. That is why we designed the catalog to be not just a technical overview, but above all a methodological resource for classroom practice,” explains the project’s principal investigator, Professor Norbert Vrabec of the Department of Media Education at the Faculty of Media and Communication (FMK) of UCM in Trnava.

From Tool Selection to the Methodical Use of AI

The new release also includes a separate manual that explains to users how to work with the catalog. The manual shows how to navigate the catalog page, how to use filters, how to read an instrument’s information card, and how to view the details of a specific instrument.

Special attention is given to five sections of the tool: About the Tool, Getting Started, Activities, Tasks, and Materials. The manual explains that the “About the Tool” section helps users understand the tool’s basic capabilities and limitations, the “Getting Started” section supports users in taking their first confident steps, the “Activities” section offers broader methodological ideas, the “Tasks” section provides more specific assignments for students, and the “Materials” section offers supplementary resources, worksheets, sample prompts, or methodological notes.

This manual is designed primarily to assist teachers who are just getting started with AI tools and need clear guidance. At the same time, however, it can also be useful for more advanced users, school digital coordinators, instructional specialists, and school administrators who want to adopt a more systematic approach to using artificial intelligence.

AI as an assistant, not a replacement

Both the catalog and the manual emphasize that AI tools can assist teachers in preparing and conducting lessons, but they do not replace their professional judgment, knowledge of the class, or pedagogical responsibility. The outputs of AI tools must be reviewed, edited, verified, and adapted to the specific educational context.

Safety, ethical, and methodological recommendations are therefore an important part of the manual. They remind teachers that they should not enter students’ personal data, sensitive information, or internal school documents into AI tools. At the same time, they caution that AI output cannot automatically be considered accurate, complete, or pedagogically appropriate.

“We shouldn’t view artificial intelligence in school as a shortcut to ready-made answers. It is far more important to guide students to critically evaluate AI outputs, verify them, compare them with sources, adapt them, and be able to identify their own contributions. This is precisely how the use of AI can promote digital literacy, critical thinking, and responsibility,” says Professor Norbert Vrabec.

Support for Schools, Coordinators, and Future Teachers

The online catalog and manual are intended primarily for elementary and secondary school teachers who are looking for practical ways to get started with AI tools safely and meaningfully. However, they can also be used by school digital coordinators when preparing internal training sessions, by instructional specialists when designing educational activities, by school administrators when establishing guidelines, and by student teachers as they prepare for their future teaching practice.

For schools, the catalog can serve as a common point of reference when discussing which AI tools are appropriate, how to use them, what rules to establish, and how to guide students toward the transparent and safe use of artificial intelligence. The manual provides practical explanations, review questions, and methodological recommendations that can be used both in lesson planning and in developing school policies.

The online catalog of AI tools for teachers is available on this page. The accompanying manual serves as a practical guide for using the tools and helps teachers move from a quick introduction to the tools to a thoughtful, safe, and pedagogically meaningful use of AI in the classroom.

The manual and online catalog were created with financial support from the EU’s Next Generation EU program through the Slovak Republic’s Recovery and Resilience Plan as part of Project No. 09103-03-V04-00370, titled “Strategies to Promote Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy in the Context of the Digital Transformation of Education.”