Beyond Integration

If you haven't heard about this new personal assistant, ChatGPT, listen in as Nikki and Amanda talk with Chuck Holland, Director of Instructional Technology, about this new AI website. This episode will highlight what it is, and the potential uses for personal, career, and educational needs.    Resources for you to dig in deeper. ChatGPT  - Try it for yourself.  ChatGPT & Education  Check out this resource to read more about ChatGPT AI, Chatbots & ChatGPT for Teachers  - Free Course for educators to learn more about this ChatGPT, how to use it in your role, and peruse examples in various subjects.

Google Classroom When you have finished teaching a class (either at the end of the semester or the end of the year) it’s time to think about your Google Classroom page. You have two options: Delete the class in Google Classroom or Archive it. *Note: you cannot undo deleting a class!  Today we will focus on the Archive feature. When you archive a class in Google Classroom, those classes will disappear from both the students’ Google Classroom page, and from the teachers’. This helps both students and teachers stay organized!  If you are looking for ways to start of the semester with new or different ideas when it comes to your Google Classroom, reach out to your school's Technology and Learning Coach (TLC)!

What if I told you that within seconds, you could have a well-written speech, have directions on how to fix your leaky sink, or even generate a personalized workout plan? All of these things are just a small part of what can be done with Chat GPT, and it is revolutionizing how we approach everyday tasks and even the type of work we assign to our students as educators. Chat GPT is a new artificial intelligence (AI) phenomenon that emerged on the scene in November 2022. Users can type in a question and the chatbot will generate a personalized, human-like response to your question. It stands in its own category by itself, for now. Though most people utilize AI through technology like Alexa, Siri, website chat box assistants, and even that autocorrect feature that you so frequently enjoy when typing text. However, Chat GPT is a little different from these tools. It is chartering new territory and causing everyone, especially teachers, to pay attention to just what it can do. Since its arr...

  A new year brings new opportunities for growth and change, and can be a launchpad to reflect on ways you want to grow both personally and professionally. MobileMind has several helpful micro-courses to get you started on a new (and quick) learning journey! Here's one example:   Do you have a goal to get more out of your Google Drive?  MobileMind has a few micro-courses for you: “Drive: Head in the Cloud” which will take you less than 10 minutes to complete, and you’ll come out with a brief overview of Google Drive. “Drive: Alive in Drive” where you will learn how to convert any files you upload to the Google editing format “Drive: TeamWork Makes the Dream Work” which helps you take collaboration to the next level! “MM Minute: Search Chips in Drive” wherein you will learn to use Google Drive ‘search chips’ to refine your search when searching for a file in your drive.  Best of all, this course is predicted to take only 3-4 minutes! MobileMind’s library of micro-cour...

 *This is a blog in the series on differentiation in the classroom. See below for the other blogs in the series.      In a recent post, Student Engagement Is a Thing, Isn't It? , engaging students was examined and a number of research-driven methodologies were described. One growing path of research in the early 2000s focused on the idea of reaching students equitably through differentiation within instruction.  What is Differentiated Instruction (DI)?      Differentiated instruction is a framework, not an instructional strategy, where different aspects of the curriculum are adjusted to help the student learn the content and show achievement. Differentiation speaks to the idea of equity for the learner. This framework is often connected to the tenets of universal design for learning (UDL). The UDL framework holds that content should be presented in multiple ways, processed in multiple ways, and presented in multiple ways. Differentiated instructio...

As an educator, you know how important it is to keep your students engaged and motivated in their learning. One way to do this is by incorporating interactive and multimedia resources into your lessons. Discovery Education Studio is a fantastic resource for educators looking to bring more excitement and variety to their classrooms. Studio offers 3 different types of activities to build. However, you can also search for ready-made activities that are available for educators. One way that Discovery Education Studio increases student engagement is by providing a wide range of multimedia resources that can make learning more interactive and engaging. For example, instead of simply reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, students can watch educational videos, interact with simulations and games, or explore images and other visual aids. These resources can help to hold students' attention and make learning more interesting and enjoyable. Another way that Discovery Education Studio ...

For our next episode, we’re continuing the conversation about the “B” word… Bullying. Bullying and Cyberbullying are important topics to talk about with our kids. Listen to what some local teens have to tell Amanda and Nikki about “The B Word.” Resource: Cyberbullying Infographic