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Chapter 4 - Choosing Tools for the AI-Age Classroom

Choosing tools that actually match your students, not just your lesson plan

Need first, tool second - making it concrete

The most common technology mistake is choosing the tool before the need is clear. Use this short filter before adding any tool to a lesson: What exact stuck point (Chapter 2) is this for? Is it synchronous or asynchronous? Could a free, simple tool do this, or does it genuinely require AI?

Stage	Free / low-tech option	When AI earns its place
Brainstorming	Padlet, sticky notes, paired talk	Shy students need a patient, judgment-free idea partner
Drafting	Google Docs, paper	Generating a model text on demand, any topic, any level
Revising	Peer review with suggesting mode	Instant, scaled feedback when peer review isn't available
Editing	Reading aloud, peer proofreading	Diagnostic grammar checking (Ch.7 protocol)
Publishing	Class display, printed booklet	None - publishing should stay human and real

A single AI tool cannot replace your full toolkit. It generates and explains well but lacks real-time collaborative editing, structured peer review, and classroom management built into dedicated tools.

BYOD and limited resources: making it work

If only some students have devices, default to pair work with one device per pair rather than excluding non-device students from digital activities entirely. Asynchronous tasks (Padlet boards checked at home, voice notes recorded on a borrowed phone) extend access without requiring one-to-one ownership.

Additional activities for Chapter 4

Group20 minProject

Activity 4.A - Toolkit Audit. Groups map their current go-to tools onto the five writing stages above and identify any stage with no tool at all, then propose one free addition.

Individual15 minDigital

Activity 4.B - SAMR Self-Check. For one upcoming lesson, teachers classify their planned tech use as Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, or Redefinition, and ask whether a higher SAMR level is actually available without overcomplicating the task.

Further resources

Appendix C - Tech Toolkit Builder ↗