AI course for K–12 teachers

Ed Technology Specialists is marketing a short artificial intelligence course to K–12 teachers as schools scramble to turn chatbot use into formal staff training. (edtechnologyspecialists.com) The company lists “Foundations of Artificial Intelligence for K-12 Educators” among its graduate-credit and in-service professional-development offerings for teachers. Its homepage also bills the firm as “the nation’s leader in K–12 AI teacher training” and features the course alongside other artificial-intelligence classes. (edtechnologyspecialists.com) A March 17, 2025 post from the company says the course has six modules and requires no prior experience. The syllabus covers large language models, prompting, tool evaluation, privacy-policy review, student safety, image generation in Canva, and a final project to build an AI-enhanced lesson. (edtechnologyspecialists.com) The pitch lands as school systems move from blocking generative artificial intelligence to writing rules for it. The U.S. Department of Education said in 2024 that federal education funds can be used for artificial-intelligence tools and training if schools follow existing legal and regulatory requirements. (ed.gov) Ed Technology Specialists has tied its own marketing to that policy shift. On its “AI Readiness for the K–12 Classroom” page, the company says it was recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as part of a national initiative tied to the April 2025 executive order on advancing artificial-intelligence education for American youth. (edtechnologyspecialists.com) That same page says districts can buy private cohorts with live Zoom sessions, on-demand content, administrator briefings, and compliance support tied to state professional-development requirements or graduate-credit needs. The company also offers a “Certificate of AI Readiness” to educators who complete any three of its artificial-intelligence courses. (edtechnologyspecialists.com) The market is getting crowded. Pearson launched its own self-paced “Foundations of AI for PK-12 Educators” course on March 10, 2026, saying the program was built for teachers who want classroom-focused guidance rather than technical training. (pearson.com) Pearson cited research showing 54% of school educators were exploring generative artificial intelligence for lesson planning, 57% for learning activities, and 58% viewed artificial intelligence’s role in education positively, even as many worried about misuse and academic integrity. RAND has also reported that district leaders and teachers are still working out policies, guidance, and training for classroom use. (pearson.com) (rand.org) Outside the United States, UNESCO’s guidance has pushed schools to treat generative artificial intelligence as both a teaching tool and a governance problem, with privacy, bias, and human oversight at the center. TeachAI’s school toolkit makes a similar case for local rules before large-scale adoption. (unesco.org) (teachai.org) For teachers, the immediate offer is practical: a short course, a usable lesson plan, and a certificate. For schools, the harder question is whether that training keeps pace with the tools students are already using. (edtechnologyspecialists.com 1) (edtechnologyspecialists.com 2)