"Gratis AI Education and Credentialing Opportunities for Teachers"
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In the rapidly evolving world of education, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a mainstay, with the arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 marking a significant milestone. Many platforms are offering training programmes to help educators confidently integrate AI into their classrooms. Here are some of the top free AI training options available in 2025.
The National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative launched by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic, stands out as the premiere large-scale, free, credentialed AI training option for educators. This academy aims to train over 400,000 K-12 educators nationwide by 2030, significantly expanding access to free AI training, especially in high-need districts.
The academy offers workshops, online courses, hands-on training sessions, and opportunities for continuing education credits, credentials, and certifications. Its flagship campus in New York City, set to open in fall 2025, will scale nationally, leveraging educator feedback and classroom experience to continuously improve training and resources. The initiative places a strong emphasis on ethical, safe, and wise use of AI tools by educators, aiming to enhance teaching and learning while safeguarding student privacy and promoting AI fluency for future job readiness.
Canva offers a self-paced 60-minute course called "AI in the Classroom" that focuses on building confidence in Canva's AI-powered tools for teaching. Code Academy provides a similar 60-minute course called "Intro to Generative AI," offering introductory content on generative AI with no prerequisite skills required.
Microsoft's "AI for Educators" is a four-hour, four-module training offering content on the history of AI and preparing educators to use AI-powered tools such as Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Edge browser, Minecraft, PowerPoint, and others. The training is aligned with the ISTE Standards for Educators and the UNESCO Standards for Educators.
Code.org, ETS, ISTE, and Khan Academy offer a comprehensive online learning called "AI 101 for Teachers" that focuses on teaching with and about AI. Google's "Generative AI for Educators" training focuses on preparing educators to use generative AI for conversational prompting with tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT. The training should take approximately two hours.
Adobe offers a course called "Generative AI for Creativity and Innovation" that focuses on using AI-powered tools in classrooms. The "Essential Guide to AI for Educators" course, provided by a source not specified, offers training on using ChatGPT in approximately two hours. Curipod offers the "AI-certified Curipod Educator" training, designed for teachers, instructional technologists, curriculum content creators, and PD coaches. Upon completion, a digital badge is awarded.
Lastly, the "AI for Everyone" course on Coursera is a six-hour beginner's level course with four modules, including "What is AI?", "Building AI Projects", "Building AI in Your Company", and "AI in Society". A shareable certificate is provided upon completion.
With so many options available, educators have ample opportunities to grow their knowledge and skills related to AI, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate the future of education.
- The National Academy for AI Instruction, a significant free AI training option, aims to train over 400,000 K-12 educators nationwide by 2030.
- Canva's "AI in the Classroom" course focuses on building confidence in using Canva's AI-powered tools for teaching.
- Microsoft's "AI for Educators" training offers content on the history of AI and preparing educators to use AI-powered tools such as Microsoft Copilot.
- Code.org, ETS, ISTE, and Khan Academy offer a comprehensive online learning called "AI 101 for Teachers" that focuses on teaching with and about AI.
- Adobe offers a course called "Generative AI for Creativity and Innovation" that focuses on using AI-powered tools in classrooms.
- Teachers can earn a digital badge upon completing the "AI-certified Curipod Educator" training, designed for various educational professionals.
