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Showing posts from August, 2020

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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#34. Building Connections One Moment at a Time

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Image Link This is the second post in a series about building connections with students in a remote learning environment. The focus of this post is how to easily embed moments of connection in your daily lesson. The relationships that are formed through these connections will be essential this year. Relationships motivate the students and teachers to keep going when the going gets tough. And this year, the going is very, very tough.  I am going to share with you a simple and effective strategy developed by Dave Stuart, Jr. called "Moments of Genuine Connection" or "MGC's." If you are not currently following his work, I highly recommend that you sign up for his blog and check out his professional development resources . I first learned of his work on The Cult of Pedagogy Episode 152. A MGC is an intentionally planned time to connect with each student. Stuart offers the following advice when creating these moments: 1. Keep them short and sweet.
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#33. Building Connections using Positive Psychology

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I love the first day of school.  There is a palpable energy when the students arrive at the building.  The halls echo with laughter as students rush to class. Former students pop their heads into classrooms to greet last year's teachers. It is a time of optimism, excitement and hope. This year the first time I met my students was on Zoom.  I am so grateful that I got to see their faces - but, I'll be honest, it was pretty lonely.  I was sad to not be able to greet them in person. I was heartbroken to see them disconnected from their friends.  I found myself grieving what should have been, but wasn't.   And as I looked at their faces on my screen, I realized that they are grieving, too.   Over the summer I did a lot of research about how to teach online.  Almost every article that I read stressed the importance of establishing a sense of community. I thought "duh, of course, that is the backbone of any classroom."  What I didn't realize was that it was goi
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#32. A Road Map to Online Lesson Design

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There has been a lot of change in my neck of the woods!  After preparing for a hybrid model, our school ended up starting fully online.  As part of this change, we also moved from a 45-minute daily class period to a 75-minute alternating day block schedule.  I had already started moving my content online using a flipped classroom model in preparation for the hybrid schedule. I simply assumed it would be easy to translate these lessons into a fully online, block format. I was so wrong. When I started redesigning my lessons I realized that it was not as simple as combining two 45-minute lessons. The flow and pacing of my block lesson was very different.  I needed some help.  Enter Jennifer Gonzalez of The Cult of Pedagogy and Catlin Tucker of Balance with Blended Learning .  Both are my "go-to" educators when I am confronted with a new challenge.   I began my research with The Cult of Pedagogy's podcast "Making the Most of a 90-Minute Block" .  Gonzalez s
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#31.The First Days - Social Distancing Style

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Our first day of school is August, 17th 2020. Normally by this point in the summer I have my lessons planned, my copies made and my classroom set up.  Obviously, this year is a little different.  My district is currently providing our students with options in order to return to learn:  1) a hybrid schedule in which students alternate attending in-person and remote modalities or  2) a full remote learning experience.   This presents me with quite a challenge!  How will I teach two groups of students, in different locations, at the same time? Does anyone else remember reading the book, "The First Days of School" when you started teaching?  Recently an "updated" meme of the book has been circulating and it certainly rings true!  This year is in many ways our "first year" all over again.  You are likely being asked to teach your students using platforms you have never used, to recreate your curriculum in a way that is accessible online, and d
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