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Showing posts from April, 2018

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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#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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