Use AI before your live sessions. Never during—you’d lose connection with students. After is useful only for administrative wrap-up, not for next-class prep.
The Coaching Analogy
Think of live teaching like a coaching session. You wouldn’t check your playbook during the game—you’d study it before practice starts. That’s when AI belongs in your teaching cycle. Before your Zoom class, you use Claude to draft talking points, outline key examples, or generate questions to ask your students. During class, you’re fully present. After class, you might use AI to draft follow-up emails, but your main focus is being with your students while they’re with you.
The reason this matters: your students can feel when your attention is split. If you’re generating content while teaching live, your pacing suffers, your responsiveness drops, and students sense that. AI is a prep tool, not a live tool.
Before, During, and After: The Right Time for Each
Before your Zoom class: Use ChatGPT or Claude 30 minutes before you go live. Generate discussion questions, real-world examples, or quiz prompts. Write opening remarks. Create a simple outline. You go live with notes, not a script. During your Zoom class: Teach. No AI. No checking prompts. You’re present with your 20 or 200 students. After your class: Use AI for admin tasks (drafting email responses, summarizing forum threads, generating next week’s prep ideas). Don’t use it to create content for your next session when students are waiting for feedback.
One consultant I know uses this timing: 45 minutes before her group coaching call, she spends 20 minutes with Claude generating five possible real-world examples based on her students’ work. Then she teaches for two hours without touching AI. Then she spends 10 minutes asking Claude to draft three follow-up email templates she’ll personalize for each student. Clean, simple, separated.
What This Means for Educators
You’re already managing attention during live teaching. Adding AI into that moment splits your focus and hurts your students’ experience. As a teacher or coach, your presence is your biggest asset. Use AI to prepare better and respond faster, but not while you’re teaching. This is how you get the benefit of AI without the cost of distraction.
The Simple Rule
AI is a preparation tool, not a teaching tool. Use it 30 minutes before you go live, then put it away. Your students don’t need an AI-generated moment—they need you, fully present and ready.