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101. The Transformative Power of AI

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Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a...
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#11. Blended AP Psych Syllabus and Pacing Guide

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Updates to Syllabus: The 4th of July marks the halfway point in the summer for me and it is usually when I start preparing for the next year.   We go back August 13th, so if you are one of the lucky ones who go back after Labor Day I hope you can turn off your brain for a bit longer , bookmark this page and come back to it later.  This year, I have more reflecting, processing and prepping to do than usual as I transform my traditional AP Psychology course into a blended course.  My first step was to develop a course syllabus.  I have detailed some of the major changes that I made to my traditional syllabus below.  There is a link to my syllabus in its  entirety at the end of this post. 1. Pacing Guide:   I made some adjustments to my unit order and pacing calendar for the 2018-2019 school year.  Last year, I switched the order of my units and taught the memory portion of the Cognition unit first.  This was based on feedback...
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#10. it up with my Mix Map!

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Let the planning begin! It is officially summer!! Which means it is time for me to start planning for next year...   If you have been following my blog, you know that I will be teaching 2 sections of traditional AP Psychology and 1 section of blended AP Psychology next year.   It will be my first time teaching a blended course.  I will be evaluating the efficacy of the blended model throughout the year using quantitative and qualitative data to  to determine if it is more effective, less effective or as effective as the traditional model that I have used in previous years. I began my planning process by mapping what my first two units (history and cognition) in AP Psychology will look like using the traditional model.  I made a few adjustments to my lessons from the previous year, but kept the majority of the assignments the same.  My planning went smoothly until I tried to convert my current lessons into a blended format and then I...
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#9. Site Visit: Seeing Blended Learning in Action

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Site Visit Reflection – Community Unit School District 220 (IL) This week our blended learning team had the opportunity to visit a nearby school district that has successfully implemented blended learning.  Barrington High School (CUSD 220 in IL) has offered blended course options for the last three years.  They shared with us a wealth of information on the implementation process regarding course selection, course design, professional development and their personal experiences and recommendations.  I have compiled a brief list of some of the things that I learned during our visit. Takeaways 1. Start Small:   In the beginning, not every unit needs to be blended or include flex days.   Like any course re-design, this is a process and a quality product takes time. 2. Flex Days :   It seems to be good practice to label the days that the students are not required to be in the classroom as “flex days.”   Originally, I referred to these days a...
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#8. Down the Rabbit Hole I Go...

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Resources for Re-Design As part of our district initiative to  implement blended learning, a teacher-on-special assignment (TOSA) has been assigned to lead, coordinate and support the different blended learning courses that are being piloted in each of our district’s four high schools.  I met with our TOSA, Paul Humpa, last month and he provided me with a treasure-trove of resources regarding the development and implementation of a blended course.    The purpose of this post is to share what I have learned regarding the process of redesigning  my AP Psychology curriculum to transform it into a blended (hybrid) model.   Over the next three blog posts, I will provide an overview of three sites that I found to be helpful, as well as some tools that I have added to my toolkit.   Resource #1:   Oregon State University has a number of outstanding resources designed to support the development of a blended or hybrid course. -First, ch...
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#7. Formative and Summative Assessments in a Blended Classroom

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How will a blended classroom model change the way that I assess my students? I currently assess my students once every unit.  Each summative exam typically consists of 45-55 multiple choices questions and a free-response question with five vocabulary terms.  The students are required to define and apply the vocabulary terms to a prompt. My class periods are 45 minutes so I have tried to mimic the length and format of the AP exam to allow for students to become familiar with the test layout before the AP exam in May. I need to decide how and when to assess my students in my blended course next year.  Typically, my students take the exam in class on Friday and complete test corrections in class the following Monday.  However, I'm not sure this is the best use of my class time if I am only guaranteed three class days with my students each week.  Considering I assess approximately twelve times per year, I would be "burning" a lot of days administering assessmen...
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#6. Student Flex Days

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What Are Flex Days? Updated Information:  Flex days are days in which the student may not be required to attend AP Psychology.   They can choose instead to work on their digital assignment or go to approved locations in the school building.  The days are determined based on the curriculum and can vary in number from week to week.  The students are notified as to when they occur at the beginning of the unit.  Reminders are also posted in Canvas.   Student Attendance:  T hey will be required to attend class five days a week if their AP Psychology grade drops below a C- or if they are asked to attend for additional instruction, remediation or extension activities .   However, they are more than welcome to come to our classroom every day day if they wish! Some possible uses for flex days include; 1. Test Corrections - Students are required to complete test corrections.  The AP Psychology exam is cumulative and the st...
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#5. Blended Model Course Format - Pilot Overview

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My pilot for the blended learning class was approved in the fall of 2017.  It will be the first blended learning class at our school.  This provided me with a great deal of flexibility in terms of format and expectations. The AP Psychology, blended-model course will meet three days per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 45 minutes.  During this time period, the students will participate in traditional lessons that  include lecture, discussion and demonstrations.  They will be expected to complete additional assignments outside of the classroom so their experience will be comparable with students in the traditional model.  The out of class assignments could range from watching videos, reading experiments and creating authentic assessments. If a student's grade drops below a C-, he or she will be required to attend class every day until their grade is satisfactory.  My intent for this requirement is two fold; 1) it will provide an opportunity f...
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