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Showing posts from August, 2019

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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#21. A Meeting of Minds - Student-Teacher Conferences

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There are a number of reasons to implement blended learning.  It helps the students develop executive functioning skills, can provide a more "college-like" experience, allows for flexibility in scheduling and can lead to increases in student satisfaction levels.  When I first sought to pilot a blended learning class, my primary goal was to provide my students with more flexibility in their schedules. Many of my students take a rigorous course load and sacrifice study halls and lunch hours to fit in all of their coursework.  This can create a logistical nightmare when the students are absent. When they return, they are n ot only stressed about all of the work that they need to make up; but they don't have time built in their day to see their teachers, makeup quizzes and tests, or even take a deep breath! With this is mind, I designed my flex days to include activities that the students could complete in or out of the classroom.  I utilized videos, online discus...
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#20. Utilizing the Station Rotation Model for the 1st Day of Class

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I cannot wait to welcome my new students to class next week!  The beginning of each year is filled with excitement, promise, and a wee bit of awkwardness.  For me, the first day of school is typically filled with class policies and procedures.  By the end of the first day, I can practically see my students' eyes roll back in their heads the moment they hear the word "syllabus."  Not exactly the most auspicious of starts, right?  This year I am flipping my 1st day lesson on it's head and implementing the Station-Rotation model of blended learning to present my course policies, procedures and student introductions. The practice of stations, as an instructional tool, has been around a long time.  The Station-Rotation model operates on the same general principles; the students rotate between different activities in a set period of time.  The Station-Rotation model differs from traditional stations in that at least one of the stations is an online learnin...
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