Why this isn't another thing on your plate
Most AI-for-teachers content adds to your week. This course doesn't. Here's the frame for everything that follows: AI handles the boring 80% so you can do the human 20%.
Your activity
Install Cowork. Create your AI Workspace folder. Run the audit.
paste-ready prompt
Audit your week
Paste this into Cowork after listing what's eating your week. Get a sorted starter list of where AI can actually help.
I'm a [grade level / role, e.g. "4th grade teacher" or "middle school assistant principal"]. Here are 5 things eating my week: 1. [task] — about [X] hours/week 2. [task] — about [X] hours/week 3. [task] — about [X] hours/week 4. [task] — about [X] hours/week 5. [task] — about [X] hours/week For each one, tell me: - Good fit for AI / risky for AI / never for AI (and why) - The student-data caution I'd need to apply - A 1-sentence example of how I'd start Plain language. Skip the disclaimers.
Downloads
go deeper
Resources for this module.
Install Cowork
- claude.com/download ↗ — Mac or Windows. Sign in with your Claude account.
Recommended reading
- What is Claude Cowork? ↗ — Anthropic's overview of what Cowork is.
- Get started with Cowork ↗ — Step-by-step setup walkthrough.
- FERPA for educators (plain English) ↗ — Skim this before Module 3.
questions teachers ask
FAQ for this module.
Do I need a paid Claude subscription for this course?+
Cowork itself is free. You can do most of the course on the free tier. If you end up running 10+ workflows a day you might hit limits, but most teachers don't.
Is Cowork different from Claude.ai or the Claude app on my phone?+
Yes. Cowork is a desktop app that can read files in a folder you point it at. The web/mobile versions can't see your files. For this course you need the desktop app.
What if my school blocks the Cowork download?+
Try at home first. If your district blocks it, do Module 3's district policy email this week and email me before going further. We'll figure it out.
Liked Module 1? The other 7 go deeper.