When Teachers Build the Tools – Thomas Hummel of Eduaide.Ai

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Oct 31, 2025

Join full-time middle school science teacher and Eduaide.Ai co-founder Thomas Hummel as he dives into the intersection of teaching and technology. He shares insights on how his classroom experience drives product design, fostering trust and effectiveness in educational tools. Discover the innovative 'Model Garden' approach, which avoids reliance on a single AI model. Thomas also discusses the ethical implications of student-facing AI and critiques current chatbot tools, emphasizing the need for transparency and pedagogical integrity in educational technology.

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ANECDOTE

Founder Who Still Teaches

Thomas stays in-classroom and uses Eduaide daily to identify product problems and request fixes from co-founders.
He says being the first teacher in the building gives him time to plan and iterate on lessons with the tool.

ANECDOTE

Turning Reviews Into Games

Thomas turned routine review questions into tic-tac and Battleship-style games using Eduaide to boost engagement.
Students play content-driven games while he takes roll and manages class routines.

ADVICE

Use AI To Supplement, Not Replace

Use AI to supplement vetted curricula by filling gaps and refreshing lessons, not to replace the entire curriculum.
Avoid relying on AI as the sole authority to prevent hallucinations and instructional misalignment.

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In this episode of ChatEDU (When Teachers Build the Tools – Thomas Hummel of Eduaide.Ai), Matt sits down with Thomas Hummel, a full-time middle school science teacher and co-founder of Eduaide.Ai, a generative AI platform that has been used by over a million teachers. They talk about what it means to design AI tools while actively teaching and why staying in the classroom is more than a talking point. From morning planning routines to building curriculum games tied to Battleship, Thomas offers an unfiltered, grounded look at building edtech from the inside out.

Matt and Thomas have a wide ranging conversation that provides an insiders look at edtech and AI + edu. Some (but certainly not all) of what they discussed includes:

Inside Eduaide.Ai’s Classroom-Centered DesignThomas shares how Eduaide.Ai began and why being a practicing teacher gives him, and the platform, a sharp edge. He uses the tool daily and gives direct feedback to his co-founders. Their goal isn’t just speed. It’s trust, alignment, and better instructional choices.

Beyond the Wrapper: A Model Garden ApproachRather than rely on one LLM, Eduaide.Ai routes different tasks through different models based on need. A custom knowledge graph and layered evaluators help ensure content is instructionally sound. The platform emphasizes transparency over automation.

Why They Refuse Student-Facing ChatbotsEduaide.Ai doesn’t allow students to chat with AI. Thomas explains why: from misinformation to ethical ambiguity, the risks are real. “You’re teaching a student based on a lie,” he says, especially when bots impersonate historical figures or return questionable writing feedback.

Built-In Quality Scoring, Powered by CZIWorking with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Eduaide.Ai now includes a built-in evaluator that checks AI-generated content for age appropriateness, vocabulary, readability, and pedagogical quality. Teachers can also use it to vet their own materials, even if they weren’t created on the platform.

Matt and Liz are grateful for the time Thomas was able to share and look forward to more conversations on this shared journey.

Announcements & Sponsors

Check out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at ⁠chatedu@edadvance.org⁠

The Winter Micro-Credential is now open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October - ⁠ ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links and References

Eduaide.Ai

Chan Zuckerberg Education https://chanzuckerberg.com/blog/scaling-proven-learning-practices/