Choosing the Right AI Model: Your Toolbox as a Teacher
Reading time: approx. 12 min
You now have a thorough overview of several of the most prominent AI models available today: ChatGPT (with different underlying models), Anthropic's Claude family, Google Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and Meta Llama. Each model has its unique strengths, limitations and optimal use cases. In this module we will summarize the models' strengths and give you a "toolbox" for strategically choosing the right AI for your pedagogical and administrative needs.
What you will learn
- A comparative overview of the covered AI models' core strengths, context lengths and licensing models.
- Practical scenarios where different models excel, with tailored advice on license levels.
- How to match a specific task with the most suitable AI model.
- Important ethical considerations and pitfalls, including EU/GDPR status for each model.
Overview: Models' Core Strengths and Practical Data
Here is a summary overview to help you navigate the AI landscape. Note that prices can vary and are often available via bulk licenses for schools.
NOTE: The table below is optimized for larger screens. On mobile you can scroll horizontally or rotate the device for best readability.
| Model | Primary Strengths | Optimal For | Swedish | Multimodal | Context | Price (approx.) | GDPR/EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (GPT-4o) | Versatility, creative writing, brainstorming | General text generation, idea creation, dialogues | Very high | Text, image, audio, video + DALL-E | 128k tokens | Free (GPT-3.5), Plus $20/mo | US storage, no EU guarantee |
| Microsoft Copilot | Office 365 integration, meeting summaries, M365 connection | Admin efficiency, Word/PPT, Teams protocols | Very high | Text + image (DALL-E) | 128k tokens | €30/mo per user | EU Data Boundary possible |
| Claude (Anthropic) | Large context windows, complex reasoning, safety | Analysis of long documents, research, coding | Very good | Vision capability, no image generation | 1M tokens | Free (limited), Pro $20/mo | US storage |
| Google Gemini 2.5 Pro | Multimodal, Google Workspace, pedagogical focus | Google environment, image generation, data analysis | Very high | Text-image-audio-video | 1M tokens | Free (Flash), Advanced $20/mo | Gemini for Education: higher data protection |
| Grok 4 (xAI) | Real-time knowledge via X, "rebellious" personality | Current events, creative writing | Supports Swedish, uneven tone | Yes (Aurora + image editing) | Limited | Premium+ $40/mo | Not recommended for schools |
| DeepSeek (V2/V3) | Open source, leading coding and mathematics | Programming, STEM teaching materials, local control | Variable, "language panic" | Yes (Janus-Pro) | 128k tokens | Free (own hardware) | Not for sensitive data via cloud |
| Meta Llama 4 | Leading open source, natively multimodal | Custom AI solutions, research, programming | Very good | Yes (native) | 10M tokens (Scout), 1M (Maverick) | Free (own hardware) | License may have EU restrictions |
Practical Scenarios: Which AI Should I Choose?
Choosing the right AI model is about understanding the nature of the task and which AI is best equipped to handle it. Here are practical scenarios with recommendations:
1. Quick help with generating ideas for a lesson or writing a draft message to parents
Choose: ChatGPT (Free GPT-3.5 is often enough, GPT-4o for higher quality), Google Gemini (especially 2.5 Flash for quick answers), or Microsoft Copilot (if you work in Word/Outlook for direct integration).
Pitfalls: Hallucinations, check facts! Data protection, no personal student data may be entered without strict agreements and policies.
2. Analysis of a long research report, a historical novel or a complex policy document
Choose: Claude (especially Sonnet or Opus). The enormous context window is leading for very large amounts of text. Google Gemini 2.5 Pro is also a strong alternative with its 1 million token context window. ChatGPT (GPT-4o) can also handle long texts (128k tokens). For extremely long texts (several million tokens) Meta Llama 4 Scout may be relevant if you have access to and can implement it locally.
Pitfalls: May miss subtle nuances. Data protection, be careful with sensitive information.
3. Create an engaging presentation for a school conference and include relevant images
Choose: Google Gemini (with integration in Google Slides and image generation) or ChatGPT (GPT-4o) (with integrated DALL-E 3). Also DeepSeek Janus-Pro-7B or Meta Llama 4 family offer high-quality image generation (requires implementation).
Pitfalls: Image AI can generate bias or stereotypical images. Ensure images are relevant and not misleading.
4. Programming teaching and help with explaining complex code snippets, debugging student code or generating example code
Choose: DeepSeek-Coder-V2 (236B/21B active). It is very accurate and reliable for these tasks and beats other top models in code and math tests. Also Claude Sonnet/Opus and Meta Llama 3/4 families (especially Maverick) are very strong at coding.
Pitfalls: Open source requires technical competence. Data protection, consider local operation for sensitive code.
5. Quick overview of the latest news or trends being discussed on social media
Choose: Grok 4. The real-time connection to X is unique for current information.
Pitfalls: High risk of disinformation, inadequate moderation, inappropriate content and bias. Not EU-accessible for everyone. Require extremely careful source criticism and warning to students. Not recommended for sensitive student data.
6. Streamline your administrative burden in Microsoft 365
Choose: Microsoft Copilot. The deep integration in the MS 365 ecosystem makes it the most efficient choice for productivity tasks within that platform.
Pitfalls: Data protection, even with EU Data Boundary it is important to follow the school's internal guidelines for student data. Hallucinations can occur.
7. Your school has technical expertise and wants to build a customized AI solution locally for maximum control over data protection
Choose: Meta Llama 4 or DeepSeek. These offer state-of-the-art performance and openness for customization, but require significant technical resources and thorough work with implementation of security and GDPR compliance.
Pitfalls: High requirements for technical competence and hardware. Great responsibility for security, moderation and GDPR compliance lies with the school.
Think Like an Educator, Not Just a User
Choosing an AI model is not just about technical capacity, but also about pedagogical purpose and safety.
- Data protection and privacy: This is a cornerstone. Always ensure that your use follows the school's and authority's guidelines, as well as GDPR. Avoid entering personal data or sensitive student data into general AI services. Understand the difference between "AI for Education" products (like Google Gemini for Education or Microsoft 365 Education with Copilot) that have stricter commitments regarding student data, and public services that lack such guarantees.
- Reliability and ethics: AI models can "hallucinate" or generate biased/inappropriate content. Your pedagogical expertise and source-critical review are always crucial.
- Availability and cost: Free versions may be sufficient for many basic tasks, while more advanced features often require paid subscriptions.
- Purpose of the task: Always ask yourself: Why do I want to use AI here? What learning should it support? AI is a tool, not a goal in itself.
Congratulations, You Have Completed the Course!
You have now learned about the most important AI models available today and how you can strategically choose the right tool for different pedagogical and administrative tasks. You have gained knowledge about:
- Commercial models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot
- Controversial models like Grok and their challenges
- Open source alternatives like DeepSeek and Meta Llama
- Practical guidelines for matching tasks with the right AI model
- Ethical considerations and data protection aspects for school environments
With this knowledge as a foundation, you can now begin to experiment with AI tools in a safe, aware and pedagogically meaningful way. Remember that AI is a tool to support and enrich teaching, not to replace your pedagogical expertise and critical review.