Key Takeaways
- Glasgow releases a free toolkit on digital technology and AI Tools for Teachers.
- It asks a “should I?” question before any tech enters a lesson.
- It ends with a guided practitioner research process.
The University of Glasgow’s School of Education has published a free toolkit that helps teachers decide when digital and AI tools belong in a lesson, and when they do not.
A Toolkit Built on Questions, Not Recommendations
The Toolkit for Reflecting on the Use of Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies in Learning and Teaching runs 92 pages. Dr Mark Peart, Dr Gabriella Rodolico and Leon Robinson developed the AI Tools for Teachers resource with input from educators, students, policymakers and partner organizations.
The toolkit does not list approved apps or push specific platforms. Instead, it walks teachers through their own assumptions, classroom scenarios, lesson design, and later reflection on their own practice.
A core feature is a “should I?” checklist. Teachers ask what a tool replaces, whether students still need to practice that skill alone, and what the tool costs in time, attention, data, or environmental impact. They also weigh who might benefit or lose out, and what happens if the technology is removed entirely.
Peart, who leads the university’s MSc AI in Education program, said the goal was to support “critical, evidence-informed reflection.” He added that the resource favors professional dialogue over promoting any single technology.
From Personal Bias to Classroom Frameworks
The toolkit opens by asking teachers to examine their own views on technology and AI Tools for Teachers. They place themselves somewhere between early adopters and those who favor familiar methods, then respond to common claims about edtech.
These claims include whether digital tools always improve learning, whether young people count as “digital natives,” and whether resistance to new tools stems from unwillingness to learn. A separate exercise focuses on generative AI, covering reactions from enthusiasm to safeguarding concerns.
Teachers then apply established frameworks to real classroom scenarios, including the Technology Acceptance Model, SAMR, TPACK and Diana Laurillard’s Conversational Framework. Case studies cover topics such as virtual reality in science lessons, AI-supported creative writing and voice assistants in literacy classes.
The authors note that, unless stated otherwise, these scenarios were generated using AI and edited by the research team. They do not represent real classroom records.
Also Read: 9 Best AI Tools for Students to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Ethics, Equity and a Path to Practitioner Research
Once teachers move past ease-of-use questions, the toolkit turns to deeper concerns. It asks how a tool affects creativity, privacy, inclusion, wellbeing and long-term skill development.
Specific questions for evaluating AI Tools for Teachers include whether AI encourages students to skip their own thinking, whose knowledge appears in a tool’s output, and whether generated content makes it harder for teachers to judge real understanding. Data protection, algorithmic bias, and device access also feature.
The planning section applies TPACK and ABC Learning Design to real lessons. Teachers start with subject content and pedagogy, then decide what technology, if any, adds value. For generative AI, the toolkit repeatedly asks whether the system supports student thinking or takes over too much of it.
The authors used AI tools themselves during development for drafting and editing, but state they reviewed and approved all final content.
The final section guides teachers through their own classroom research project, starting with a specific problem and moving through existing evidence, data collection, and sharing results with colleagues. It also covers research ethics, including consent, confidentiality, and whether participation feels genuinely voluntary.
The toolkit ends by asking teachers to revisit their starting assumptions and consider what changed. The university team describes it as a living resource for educators exploring AI Tools for Teachers and welcomes feedback from educators who use it. It is released under a Creative Commons license, allowing free sharing and adaptation for non-commercial purposes.