Posts

101. The Transformative Power of AI

-
Image
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

#79 Student Well-Being: UDL & Blended Learning

-
Image
This is PART 9 in a series on student well-being. Throughout this series, I will explore what recent research has revealed about ways to create an environment in which all students can thrive. In my last post , I provided an overview of the Universal Design in Learning (UDL) framework. The goal of UDL is to design “barrier-free, instructionally rich learning environments and lessons that provide access to all students” (Nelson, 2). The UDL framework helps educators think about and design learning experiences that allow ALL STUDENTS to be successful through the utilization of representation, action & expression, and engagement. It is based in the following beliefs: All students can reach the high expectations we set. Barriers to success exist in the system, not the student. Continual self-reflection leads to lifelong, expert learners. Learner variability is the norm, not the exception  (Schwartz, 2022) UDL Meets Blended Learning Teachers often feel a tension between the amount ...
Post a Comment
Read more

#78 Student Well-Being: Universal Design for Learning

-
Image
This is PART 8 in a series on student well-being. Throughout this series, I will explore what recent research has revealed about ways to create an environment in which all students can thrive. I began my blended learning journey during the 2018-2019 school year. Since then my journey has carried me down many different paths and to many different places. During my journey, I have learned about more than just blended learning. I have learned about student motivation and self-paced instruction. I have learned about culturally responsive teaching and SEL. Most recently, I have learned about how the principles of universal design can help me build an accessible learning environment for all students. I am excited to share what I learned about accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity through the lens of universal design and blended learning. This 2 part miniseries is designed to answer the following questions: 1. What is Universal Design (UD)? 2. How can the principles of UD be applied to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

#77: Summer Edition: The Enduring Myth of Learning Styles

-
Image
In my last post , I shared what should be a shocking statistic. According to my completely un-scientific TikTok poll, 75% of users believe that students have a specific learning style. My results were consistent with a peer-reviewed study conducted in 2012 in which 94% of educators expressed their belief that students learn best when the instructional modality matches their "learning style." Let me be blunt. There is currently no evidence that teaching to a student's learning style will increase his or her performance. If you are an educator, this might come as quite a surprise. I bet you even received training on learning styles at some point in your career. Currently, 29 states  even have questions about learning styles on their teacher-certification exams (Furey, 2022). I want to be clear, this is not a criticism of educators. Not only have many teachers received training on learning styles as part of their teacher preparation programs and professional development t...
Post a Comment
Read more

#76: Summer Edition: Teachers on TikTok

-
Image
This summer I focused on stepping up my social media game. I created Blended Learning Journey pages for Facebook and Instagram , utilized social media stories to promote content, launched a website , and even started a TikTok . My target audience differed by platform. Adults tend to use Facebook and Instagram so I geared my posts on these platforms towards other teachers. Students are flocking to TikTok so I made these posts more student-friendly. In this post, I will share with you what I learned this summer! One of the platforms most commonly used by my students is TikTok. Unfortunately, it was also the platform that I had the least experience with and, therefore, was the most intimidated by. In spite of my doubts, I committed to posting one TikTok per day for the entire summer. Go big or go home, right? I began my TikTok adventure by exploring the platform itself. I started out by watching a ton of different videos. Once I familiarized myself with the content, I asked myself the...
Post a Comment
Read more

#75: Student Well-Being: Power Up Your Teaching

-
Image
This is PART 7 in a series on student well-being. Throughout this series, I will explore what recent research has revealed about ways to create an environment in which all students can thrive. In my last post , I outlined some of what we know about how people learn. In this post, I will identify concrete ways students and teachers can leverage what we know about how we learn to make learning more effective and efficient. In the book Powerful Teaching , cognitive psychologist Pooja Agarwal and classroom teacher Patrice Bain team up to translate learning theory into classroom practice. They distill the educational research into four evidence-based recommendations that will increase student learning: (1) retrieval practice, (2) spaced practice, (3) interleaving, and (4) feedback-driven metacognition. 1. Retrieval Practice: This strategy focuses on pulling information OUT of students' heads rather than focusing on putting information INTO their heads . I teach AP Psychology and when...
Post a Comment
Read more