Top 5 AI-enabled educational tools shaping learning in 2024

The AI technological revolution is here, giving rise to the frequent use of AI in education.

Whether you're a teacher looking to incorporate smart tools into your classroom activities or a student seeking to enhance your learning, writing, and comprehension skills, you won't want to skip these five AI-enabled educational tools shaping modern learning.

• Incorporating AI tools in and out of the classroom can significantly benefit teachers, students, and parents.
• We've compiled a list of the top AI education tools shaping learning in 2024, including renowned AI assistants like Grammarly and lesser-known technologies with significant potential.

Introduction to AI tools and their uses

Artificial intelligence has been advancing rapidly, especially during the last decade. From generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney to advanced AI systems like face recognition technology and digital assistants, AI-based solutions are everywhere.

For the most part, AI tools can be separated into three main categories, from least advanced to most advanced: narrow (weak) artificial intelligence, general (strong) artificial intelligence, and super artificial intelligence.

AI tools encompass a wide range of applications, including (but not limited to) robotics, finance, healthcare, social media, customer service, automobile manufacturing, security, agriculture, media and entertainment, and education.

In the education sector, the use of AI systems and tools is undoubtedly on the rise. Alongside solving common educational challenges, emerging technologies are also proving to be engaging and efficient learning tools, helping children and teens with comprehension and performance.

On that note, let's explore popular AI education tools and the challenges they help solve.

How is artificial intelligence used in education?

As artificial intelligence systems continue to advance, so does educational technology. Although the education sector still faces many challenges, AI education tools are becoming common and accessible solutions for schools and universities.

Common applications of artificial intelligence in education include writing support, intelligent tutoring systems, summarizing tools, quiz-generative AI, and tools that automate teacher tasks to lighten their workload.

Integrating AI tools at all schooling levels, including primary education, secondary schools, universities, and private tutoring, can greatly benefit teachers and students.

That said, let's explore some of the benefits of incorporating AI technology into the modern learning process in more detail.

Educational challenges AI tools can solve

Although education is one of the most important public sectors, it's certainly not easy to navigate for educators, students, and even parents. The educational sphere presents many challenges on all levels. From overworked and underpaid teachers to decreasing student attention spans, extra assistance is highly valued on both ends.

This is where AI educational technology enters the picture, helping to solve many modern learning challenges through several key benefits:

Improve concentration

In the era of short attention spans, AI tools aimed at improving concentration can assist students in many ways. From interactive tutoring systems to lecture-transcribing apps to summarizing tools for complex texts or concepts, AI systems can improve students' concentration and facilitate enhanced comprehension.

Encourage learning

Aside from their valuable functionalities, AI educational technology is also fun and novel for students of all ages (especially those in younger classes). By incorporating various AI-powered tools into the learning curriculum, students can improve their learning and comprehension skills, learn about technology, and have fun at the same time.

Improve students' writing skills

With an abundance of AI-powered writing tools on the market, like Grammarly, Quillbot, and Hemingway Editor, students can improve their writing skills while learning to identify common mistakes.

AI writing assistants are excellent for essay-writing purposes, presentations, and school assignments. While they don't provide AI-generated essays like generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini (and for a good reason), an advanced AI assistant like the ones mentioned above can help students improve upon previously written work.

From identifying typos and common grammar mistakes to making smart suggestions, writing-based AI models are unmatched in their capabilities to guide and assist students and education leaders.

Reduce teacher workload

From assignment-checking tools to quiz-generation software, AI educational technology can help tired educators improve efficiency in tackling their teaching responsibilities during and after class. It's a well-known fact that teachers are often overworked and overwhelmed by responsibilities, which is where AI education technology comes in handy to help with activities like assignment grading, quiz generation, and interactive lessons.

Address accessibility issues

In addition to providing value to students in general, AI technologies are also actionable ways to assist students with learning disabilities, visual and auditory impairments, and even neurodivergent students.

Improve comprehension

As mentioned above, AI technologies can help improve comprehension by simplifying complex concepts or texts, providing audio versions of books or homework chapters, and creating educational games.

Top 5 AI education tools shaping learning in 2024

Now that we've covered how AI technologies are implemented in education and the benefits of such tools, let's take a detailed look at some of the best AI-powered tools for educational purposes.

ElevenLabs

When it comes to efficient learning, AI voice and natural text-to-speech generators can generously help transform written educational material into digestible chunks. With a human-like quality, ElevenLabs is easy to listen to, breaks content up, and provides accessible content to students with various abilities.

ElevenLabs combines natural-sounding speech synthesis software with deep learning to transform any written content into audio. Such tools can be beneficial for several tasks, including summer reading assignments, university homework, and even presentation creation via dubbing and multi-language features. The Reader App can also be used to read aloud textbooks and other course material.

Students can incorporate voice-generation AI tools like ElevenLabs into their reading assignments, while teachers and lecturers can easily create natural-sounding narrations for presentations and pre-recorded lectures or even in reading and speaking - listen to an example of this via the Great Gatsby below.

ElevenLabs supports multiple languages, rendering it a powerful TTS tool for teachers and students worldwide. The natural text to speech function can be easily incorporated both in and out of the classroom and is especially useful for teachers who work in a multicultural environment, helping students understand learning material in their own home language.

From enhancing pronunciation to providing multilingual support, ElevenLabs is an AI tool educators and learners should definitely keep on their radar this year.

Grammarly

Grammarly is an AI-powered grammar and spell checker tool, ideal for reviewing student essays, assignments, and professional communication (e.g., emails). The advanced AI writing assistant analyzes various types of content and provides real-time writing feedback and suggestions, including grammar, punctuation, citation formatting, sentence structure, and more.

Perfect for students looking to improve their writing and hand in higher-quality work, Grammarly includes an AI-powered built-in guidance system. This allows students to review their work during or after the writing process while also improving their writing skills.

Grammarly's advanced algorithm automatically detects common errors and unreasonably lengthy sentences, providing real-time feedback and suggestions for improvement. This function allows students to review their assignments before submission while simultaneously learning how to become better writers.

Moreover, Grammarly offers generative AI features for essay planning and idea generation, which can be turned on or off depending on the institution. This allows individual schools and universities to address familiar educators' concerns regarding AI educational technology, including how much AI assistance they are comfortable with their students having.

Lastly, Grammarly can be integrated across various platforms, including desktop apps, web browsers, email app extensions, and more, making it a perfectly multi-functional AI tool for students and educators alike.

Brainly

Initially a homework assistance tool, Brainly has evolved into an AI-powered learning companion that offers comprehensive learning assistance to students worldwide.

With features like scan-to-solve, live expert explanations, and AI test-prep, Brainly has taken the education sector by storm with its user-friendly features and multifaceted assistance.

Students can use Brainly to scan complex homework assignments (e.g., math, science, computer science) and receive detailed guidance on how to solve individual questions. Likewise, they can also ask the tutor companion questions and receive live expert answers and explanations.

In addition, Brainly offers comprehensive test-prep assistance through accurate exam question generation, allowing students to be well-prepared for critical educational milestones.

A multi-functional tool that allows users to create student, parent, and teacher accounts, Brainly assists students across different stages in their educational journey and facilitates deep understanding among pupils of all ages and backgrounds.

Otter.ai

AI-powered audio transcription tools are on the rise, especially in higher education. Gone are the days when university students needed to listen to lectures and take notes simultaneously, only to miss important points due to constant multitasking.

With transcription tools like Otter.ai, students can give their undivided attention to lectures while AI technology transcribes the lecture and takes notes for them.

Otter records audio and takes notes in real time, allowing students to concentrate on the present learning experience. The intelligent tool also enables users to highlight important sections and terminology, insert images into transcripts, and edit them as if they were actual physical notes.

Moreover, Otter also automatically generates a summary once the lecture or session is complete, allowing particularly busy or overwhelmed students a chance to review the material without having to read the entire transcript.

Regarding virtual lectures and meetings, Otter can be swiftly connected to popular platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, allowing students to follow along via the web, as well as the iOS and Android apps.

Yippity

Last but certainly not least, we have Yippity - a relatively simple yet highly effective AI-based quiz generation tool. Ideal for teaching and learning purposes, Yippity transforms any piece of text into multiple-choice, true-or-false, or fill-in-the-blank quizzes.

Whether you're a student looking for more innovative ways to prepare for your exams or an educator seeking time-efficient options for teaching purposes, look no further than Yippity.

To use Yippity, simply paste any text into the app and allow the algorithm to generate comprehensive quizzes that can be edited and exported in just a few clicks.

The best part? Although highly effective, Yippity is one of the most affordable AI-enabled educational technologies on the market. While the free version allows for three AI quiz creations per month, paying $4.99/month unlocks unlimited AI question generation, priority access to fresh features, and a price guarantee as an early supporter of the tool.

Common concerns regarding generative AI tools

If you've been active in the digital space, you may already know some of the common concerns regarding the use of artificial intelligence in education, especially when it comes to generative AI tools like ChatGPT.

Many educators believe that generative AI tools can facilitate cheating or encourage students to slack off and put all their hopes into AI technologies. Thankfully, the conversation is not as black and white as commonly presented by mass media and skeptical thought leaders.

For starters, teachers and educational institutions are in control of how much AI assistance they are willing to sign up for. Moreover, entirely AI-generated content is usually easy to spot, especially if the student in question does not display a similar level of understanding or vocabulary during in-class activities.

Another common concern is the possibility of human teachers being replaced by AI over time. Although dystopian films would like you to imagine otherwise, human oversight and interference are paramount to the success of AI integration, especially in human-focused spheres like education.

Final thoughts

Teacher, student, or parent, we hope this article has been helpful in introducing you to five popular AI-powered educational tools currently shaping learning in the modern world.

From generative AI tools like ElevenLabs, Otter.ai, and Yippity to powerful learning assistants like Grammarly and Brainly, incorporating artificial intelligence into learning can benefit educators, parents, and students of all ages.

Feel free to explore the tools listed above and any other AI-powered applications and programs that can help support students on their journey to knowledge and academic success.

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