April, 2024

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11 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools to Support Effective Teaching and Leadership

A Principal's Reflections

It goes without saying that AI is a hot topic of conversation in education circles and beyond. In the beginning, I was a skeptic myself, but now I use it to support my professional work, especially when I coach leaders. While there are legitimate concerns and anything generated by AI needs to be fully vetted, the most profound benefit is how it can save educators precious time.

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CoSN2024: Could Poor Relationship Skills Derail School Technology Efforts?

EdTech Magazine

Are you a K–12 technology leader dedicated to districtwide digital transformation? It helps if the superintendent’s got your back. It also helps if your IT team feels appreciated. That was the consensus of two California-based superintendent-technology leader duos at the CoSN2024 conference in Miami this week.

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4 Innovative Ways to Enhance Reading Comprehension with AI Tools

Ask a Tech Teacher

I’m excited about this post from the Ask a Tech Teacher crew–AI Tools for reading comprehension. There are so many directions this could go! 4 Innovative Ways to Enhance Reading Comprehension with AI Tools Struggling to grasp the essence of a dense PDF or wishing students could wrestle more effectively with complex texts? The key may reside in AI-powered reading assistants, a broad category encompassing everything from summarizers to intelligent note-taking platforms.

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Recommendations for Supporting Safe Teacher Exploration of AI and New Technologies

Digital Promise

The post Recommendations for Supporting Safe Teacher Exploration of AI and New Technologies appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Quickly Create Personalized Learning Experiences that Work

How can we actively engage learners 24/7, on their level and according to their interests, while respecting their learning styles? It’s not impossible. In this guide: Explore how to transform traditional, one-way videos into two-way interactive learning experiences Understand different types of artificial intelligence (AI), including - Generative vs.

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The Impact of Student Voices on Instructional Leadership: A Case Study

Education Elements

At Education Elements, Personalized Learning reflects many of our core beliefs about how people and organizations grow. This is why we continuously improve our services in this area to support schools and districts in their efforts to personalize learning for students. We know that in and outside the classroom, learning is rarely one-size-fits-all. Every individual can thrive if their unique needs are met.

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10 powerful ways to use custom chatbots in the classroom

Ditch That Textbook

This post is sponsored by SchoolAIAs teachers, we’re outnumbered.In a traditional classroom, there’s only one of us. But there are dozens of them. It can make you wonder: “How can I really, truly interact personally when I have all of these students? I wish there was a way to scale myself.”Artificial intelligence is making it more […] The post 10 powerful ways to use custom chatbots in the classroom appeared first on Ditch That Textbook.

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CoSN2024: Los Angeles Tech Leaders Reveal How They Turned the Table on Hackers

EdTech Magazine

After making headline news for falling victim to a ransomware attack on Labor Day in 2022, Los Angeles Unified School District technology leaders are speaking out. Because LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the country, with more than 600,000 students, the attack was a wake-up call for all of K–12. The incident made it very clear that when it comes to cyber targets, size isn’t the issue.

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Creative Approaches for Developing Essay Writing Skills

Ask a Tech Teacher

The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘essay’ as” a short piece of writing on a particular subject Most students write their first essay by third grade, probably enjoy the process because of its non-threatening narrative exploration of their thoughts, but by Middle School, the rules and requirements that made essay writing fun change: In a school test, an essay is a written answer that includes information and discussion, usually to test how well the student understands the subject.

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Celebrating Students’ Commitment to Sustainability at Compton Unified School District

Digital Promise

The post Celebrating Students’ Commitment to Sustainability at Compton Unified School District appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Is It Time for a National Conversation About Eliminating Letter Grades?

Edsurge

As Joshua Eyler was researching a book on what brain science tells us about how to improve teaching , one issue kept coming up as an underlying problem: The way schools and colleges grade student work is at odds with effective teaching. The science says kids need to feel free to try things and fail, and that the deepest learning comes when failure happens and the student figures out how to course-correct, Eyler says.

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Can Brain Science Actually Help Make Your Training & Teaching Stick?

Speaker: Andrew Cohen, Founder & CEO of Brainscape

The instructor’s PPT slides are brilliant. You’ve splurged on the expensive interactive courseware. Student engagement is stellar. So… why are half of your students still forgetting everything they learned in just a matter of weeks? It's likely a matter of cognitive science! With so much material to "teach" these days, we often forget to incorporate key proven principles into our curricula — namely active recall, metacognition, spaced repetition, and interleaving practice.

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Unlocking Literacy for All: How Clear Creek ISD Planned and Executed Instructional Change

Education Elements

Nation-wide, building literacy in our children is a persistent challenge. So much of a challenge that according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, more than 60 percent of American fourth graders are not proficient readers. Other research has shown that 95% of students are cognitively capable of reading proficiently , which indicates that lacking literacy isn’t the result of students’ capabilities; it’s the consequence of instruction failing to access and amplify students’ potent

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Radical Wellness: The Self-Care Nobody Is Talking About

Ditch That Textbook

This post is written by Kim Strobel. She has spent 22 years in education as a former 4th-grade teacher, literacy coordinator, curriculum director, keynote speaker, and educational consultant. Kim is the owner of Strobel Education. She is a highly sought-after consultant, speaker, and happiness coach who works with K-12 teachers and schools throughout the country.

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CoSN2024: Should K-12 Leaders Make AI Education Mandatory in Schools?

EdTech Magazine

While their approaches to artificial intelligence diverged somewhat during the closing session at CoSN2024 in Miami, the keynote speakers agreed that K–12 schools must prepare students for a future with AI. Hadi Partovi, founder of Code.org and Teach AI, and Mike Trucano, a visiting fellow in the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, shared a stage along with CoSN Board Chair Diane Doersch to discuss the power of AI to transform education.

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Creative Fabrica–the Perfect Solution for Teachers, Creators, and Anyone In a Hurry

Ask a Tech Teacher

I–like many teachers–do a lot of prep for my teaching, often requiring digital desktop publishing platforms. Between newsletters for parents, announcements on social media, communications for students and parents, and more, it became a challenge to demonstrate the excitement and engagement of learning through what could be boring tools. Then I got an email from the folks at Creative Fabrica.

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Reimagining Chickering & Gamson's Principles Post-Pandemic: Technology's Central Role in Modern Edu

This white paper examines and proposes revisions to the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" introduced by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson in 1987 for today's technology-driven world.

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How Do Education Leaders Know if an Edtech Tool is Likely to Work?

Digital Promise

The post How Do Education Leaders Know if an Edtech Tool is Likely to Work? appeared first on Digital Promise.

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How VR Can Be an ‘Empathy Machine’ for Education

Edsurge

A VR experience created by students at The New School in New York City is designed to take viewers to an almond farm in California and illustrate the effects of pesticides on bee colonies. At first, participants wearing a VR headset can walk around the virtual stands of trees, and hear the sounds of rustling leaves and buzzing bees. Then, with the push of a button, users can choose a different perspective.

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Critical Race Theory Is About You, and All of Us

The Jose Vilson

Recently, Christina Cross, a Black woman sociologist at Harvard, found her work at the crosshairs of the same person who brought us the bastardization of critical race theory. (Yes, it was.) Many scholars, from her sociology department to the primary investigators of the original study, defended her against his claims of plagiarism, but people jumped regardless.

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National Poetry Month: Elementary Classroom Activities & Picture Books

Waterford

Every April, the literary world comes alive with rhythm and rhyme as we celebrate National Poetry Month. For elementary school teachers, this month is an opportunity to practice early literacy skills and foster a love for poetry and language. Curious how to teach poetry to early elementary students? Use this resource round-up to find engaging books and activities that will make National Poetry Month an enriching experience for your students.

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Behind the Bell: The Underlying Impact of Tardiness in K-12 Schools

Managing a K-12 campus with constant pressure to meet performance metrics is challenging. And tardiness can significantly limit a school from reaching these goals. Learn more about why chronic lateness matters, and key strategies to address the following impacts: Data errors caused by manual processes Low attendance and graduation rates that affect a school’s reputation Classroom disruption, which leads to poor academic performance High staff attrition and “The Teacher Exodus” Unmet LCAP goals t

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CoSN2024: K–12 Technology Leaders Must Commit to Supporting Their Successors

EdTech Magazine

As the path to leadership in K–12 becomes more fluid and less prescriptive, the conversations at CoSN2024 in Miami this week revolve around supporting and advancing those with a penchant for educational technology. The women in technology breakfast and the opening keynote bookended the first day of the annual conference for K–12 technology leaders by distilling how those currently in charge can pave the way for a new and diverse generation of leaders.

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Teacher-Authors: What’s Happening on my Writer’s Blog

Ask a Tech Teacher

A lot of teacher-authors read my WordDreams blog. In this monthly column, I share the most popular post from previous months: I’ve been blogging for about sixteen years, some professionally (for my tech ed career) and others on topics of interest to me (writing, USNA, and science). That first post– The Edit Block (don’t bother to click through.

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Unveiling Edcamp’s Essence: A Deep Dive into the Five Core Tenets

Digital Promise

Edcamps offer educator-designed and -led professional learning that offers educators voice and choice in their own development.

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Researchers Have Identified the Starkest Cases of School District Segregation

Edsurge

Frankenmuth School District has about 1,400 students, nearly 91 percent of whom are white. Its poverty rate is about 5 percent. In contrast, to its west, Saginaw City School District is home to nearly 5,200 students, 81 percent of them students of color. Its poverty rate is 50 percent. This large economic and racial divide between two adjacent districts in Michigan shows that school segregation persists in the 21st century.

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The Battle of the Authoring Tools: A 10-Point Comparison for Picking the Right One

Speaker: Chris Paxton McMillin, President of D3 Training Solutions

There are plenty of great authoring tools for developing eLearning, but the one you select could directly impact your course's outcomes. Depending upon your learners’ needs and your organization’s performance goals, you could be overlooking considerations that impact the both effectiveness of your courses and how long it takes to finish them. From general capabilities to specific workflow structures, some aspects are critical when it comes to learning objectives and deadlines.

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Introducing AI Chat for Securly Filter

Securly

AI Chat for Securly Filter has arrived and is here to help teach K-12 students the responsible use of AI. Read on to learn more about AI in education and how this new solution thwarts the associated challenges. The State of AI in K-12 Education The use of AI in schools is presenting both opportunities and challenges for K-12 educators. In the opportunity column, innovative AI tools for schools can automate data collection and analysis, personalize student learning, and take on tedious administra

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How to Use Bloom’s Taxonomy AI Prompts for Lesson Design

EdTechTeacher

Post by EdTechTeacher CEO Tom Driscoll Of all the challenges that AI tools can help teachers address, differentiation and lesson design is at (or at least near) the top of the list! During all of my recent AI-themed professional development workshops, teachers are impressed with how simple AI prompts (i.e. the questions / tasks you enter into an AI chatbot) can generative such a wide variety of quality instructional strategies, project ideas and more. “The Bloom’s Prompt” A

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Incorporate Literacy Tools in K–12 STEM Subjects

EdTech Magazine

K–12 students across the U.S. are struggling with literacy skills. “We have secondary students who have third-grade reading levels,” says Sharo Dickerson, director of digital and learning resources at El Paso Independent School District in Texas. Reading levels for 13-year-old students have been declining since 2012, with the sharpest drop between 2020 and 2023, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress’s long-term trend assessment.

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Subscriber Special: 2nd Grade Bundle of Lesson Plans

Ask a Tech Teacher

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching. Not a subscriber? Click the button below. 2nd Grade Bundle of Lesson Plans 4-2-23 through 4-7-23 Price slashed from $7.99 to $3.99 What’s included in the 2nd Grade Lesson Plans Internet bundle: A brief summary of each project, including suggested grade level and prior knowledge, time required, software required Higher-order thinking skills addressed Technology-specific skills taught Five proje

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The Roses and Thorns of an LMS Strategy: How to Flourish with the Right LMS

Speaker: Amanda Davis, Chief Experience Officer and Liam O'Malley, VP of Association Solutions

The "new normal" is now a little less new, a little more normal. Does that mean your current LMS strategy is in need of a refresh? Is your organization or association leaning into the always-evolving eLearning environment to ensure you have the tools and content to remain relevant through all this change? There are many complex decision-making processes within your learning & development strategy and LMS lifecycle management, including: Selection.

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Using Data Visualizations to Boost Student Engagement in Humanities

Digital Promise

The post Using Data Visualizations to Boost Student Engagement in Humanities appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Most Students Think History Is Boring. Here's How We Change That.

Edsurge

Do you recall Mr. Lorensax from “ Ferris Bueller's Day Off ”? Anyone? Bueller? With his monotone voice and lack of enthusiasm, he could convince anyone that history is incredibly boring. Unfortunately, this portrayal isn't unique and reflects a broader issue with how social studies is perceived. As a high school history teacher, whenever I meet new adults and we talk about our professions, I often find myself being met with a familiar reaction: "I disliked the subject in school, but now I find i

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Motivating students using the Self-Determination Theory

eSchool News

Key points: Motivating students requires collective action and systemic change Science-backed scalable tools improve student mental health Student mental health is still suffering–how should we address it? For more news on student well-being, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub In the ever-evolving landscape of education, one prevailing challenge persists: motivating students.

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PROOF POINTS: When schools experimented with $10,000 pay hikes for teachers in hard-to-staff areas, the results were surprising

The Hechinger Report

School leaders nationwide often complain about how hard it is to hire teachers and how teaching job vacancies have mushroomed. Fixing the problem is not easy because those shortages aren’t universal. Wealthy suburbs can have a surplus of qualified applicants for elementary schools at the same time that a remote, rural school cannot find anyone to teach high school physics.

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Building the Foundation for a Modern K-12 Classroom

K-12 looks different these days. But one thing remains the same: you need a reliable learning platform that serves as the foundation for teaching and learning––for all students, in a variety of learning experiences. Discover how the Instructure Learning Platform supports today's K-12 classroom through: A central, consistent, connected hub of the digital learning environment.