Building Practical AI for Teachers
A first note on AI, EdTech, Smoothboard, Deck.Toys, and building classroom products from Singapore.
I have been building classroom tools for many years.
First Smoothboard. Now Deck.Toys.
Across these products, the work has reached more than 100,000 teachers worldwide. That number matters to me because it is not abstract software usage. It represents teachers preparing lessons, managing classrooms, and trying to make learning more active for students.
My current focus is practical AI for education.
Not AI as a replacement for teachers. Not AI as another dashboard that adds work. I am interested in AI that reduces lesson preparation, helps teachers turn existing material into useful classroom activities, and still keeps the teacher in control.
That is the direction I want this site to document.
I will write about:
- AI workflows that are actually useful for teachers
- Lessons from building Deck.Toys and Smoothboard
- EdTech from the perspective of Singapore and Southeast Asia
- What it is like to build a global classroom product as a solo founder
- Product decisions, mistakes, experiments, and launches
The best AI features in education will probably not look magical. They will feel practical. They will save a teacher ten minutes here, reduce friction there, and make it easier to create something students can participate in.
That is the work I want to keep exploring.