ReportWire

Tag: Learning

  • In 2024, education will move to adopt AI—but slowly

    In 2024, education will move to adopt AI—but slowly

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    In education, we tend to move pretty slowly when it comes to adopting new technology, and that pattern won’t change with artificial intelligence (AI). In the coming year, early adopters will continue to play with new AI tools to see how they can be used in education. They will have some amazing successes—and some failures—as they light the way forward and the rest of us endlessly discuss the potential uses and abuses of AI in our classrooms.

    Here is a bit about why we’ll have to wrestle with AI, the barriers we will face in adopting it in the coming year, and a few resources to help educators begin exploring AI.

    Why teachers need to catch up with students

    Students are already introducing themselves to AI tools, so teachers need to help them discover all the ways these tools can benefit their learning in a safe and supportive manner.

    Artificial intelligence tools also have great potential to automate a lot of the grunt work in teaching. I have colleagues who have used AI tools to create rubrics and to offer feedback on rubrics they’d already created. AI can be helpful in creating lesson plans, assessment tools, presentations, seating charts, or letters to your students’ families for back-to-school night. Putting AI to work on administrative tasks will free up their time to focus on supporting students.

    Concerns over privacy and cheating

    Right now, the biggest barrier to adopting AI tools is the fact that many schools simply can’t download or access them because of privacy concerns. In New York, where I work, Education Law 2-D places restrictions on schools’ ability to use software that takes personally identifiable information.

    Here and in other states with similar laws, until AI tools that comply with such laws are more widely available, teachers may have to use their own AI tools on their own computers while they show students what they are doing. Some educational software is beginning to integrate AI tools for student use, like the Canva graphic design suite, and features like that might be another avenue for teachers to safely and legally support student practice with AI.

    While it is important to safeguard personally identifiable student information, some bans on AI in the classroom have nothing to do with that and are more focused on AI as a poor academic source or as a means of cutting corners or outright cheating. These bans are similar to earlier bans on tools like Wikipedia, YouTube, or calculators.

    Wikipedia may be a poor academic source itself because anyone can edit it, but it’s a great place for a student to go learn the basics about a subject, complete with a list of sources for further reading. YouTube may be the largest collection of how-to videos on the planet and, contrary to the insistence of every teacher in the 1980s, you do in fact carry a calculator in your pocket with you everywhere you go these days. Just as with AI, we’re not really afraid of the tools themselves, but what we imagine students will do with them. The answer, then, is not to ban the tools, but to teach students appropriate ways to use them.

    Worries that students will cheat with AI don’t strike me as much different than worries that they would copy from the encyclopedia. Everyone is looking for the AI version of Turnitin, but the best way to prevent students from cheating with a tool is to introduce them to it. As soon as their teacher is using something, it won’t be cool anymore, so you’re already halfway there.

    Give your students a short writing assignment and give ChatGPT the same one, then have your students compare them and talk about the differences. Ask if it really seems like an efficient way to get information, given that you have to read it, vet it, and revise anyway. Then talk about more legitimate ways you might use it. AI tools are great for creating a table of contents or an outline to help get ideas flowing. They can also provide helpful feedback and suggestions for revision. There are many different ways to bring AI tools into the writing process, and as long as students have plenty of discussion about the differences between writing something themselves and having the software do it, they are all potential learning opportunities.

    Getting the conversation started

    The best way for teachers to get started with AI is just to play around with it. I was a little nervous to jump in myself, but you can use it for low-stakes personal stuff at first if it makes you more comfortable. Ask it to give you a trip itinerary for a vacation you’re taking, or to plan a romantic dinner for an upcoming anniversary. If you’re really stumped, just ask an AI tool for a list of fun and useful ways to use AI, then give a couple of your favorites a shot.

    I would give administrators the same advice. Just jump in and start playing on your own time,  then introduce a tool at a faculty meeting and have some fun. We all need to be on the same page and using the same language, so get some experience with AI tools until you know the meaning of phrases like “machine learning” and “generative model” inside and out before you come up with a plan to introduce these tools to students.

    Once teachers do introduce AI tools to the classroom, it’s important to focus on process, not product. AI still gets facts wrong all the time. It hallucinates information that never existed. It can be prone to biases and discrimination, can’t understand emotions, and is incapable of creativity. Students will need digital citizenship skills—along with traditional soft skills like critical thinking—to critique the output of these systems. Rather than focusing on the product AI gives us, assignments related to these tools should focus on the process of vetting them. How do you check facts? How might the output of this tool be affected by the samples it was trained on?

    Just getting a conversation about AI started in a professional learning community can go a long way toward getting good ideas out there. Pretty much any edtech organization these days offers resources to help teachers learn about AI as well. ISTE has several resources, including books, pamphlets, and a whole class. I participate in a podcast called AI Café, hosted by BAM Radio, where we’ve talked about a plethora of topics connected to AI in education. Even looking at your own state’s standards to see how AI is incorporated to them could be eye-opening.

    If you haven’t already, don’t be afraid to get your toes wet in the new year. Artificial intelligence has the potential to change the world and, if we let it, to improve education. We just have to dive in and get ready to support our students.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Julianne Ross-Kleinmann, Instructional Data Analysis & Technology Specialist, Ulster County BOCES

    Source link

  • VHS Learning Earns MSA-CESS Reaccreditation 

    VHS Learning Earns MSA-CESS Reaccreditation 

    [ad_1]

    Boston – VHS Learning has once again received accreditation from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), a worldwide leader in accreditation and school improvement. A peer review team from Middle States member schools recommended VHS Learning for reaccreditation, and Middle States voted on the recommendation at its biannual meeting in Philadelphia. VHS Learning has been accredited by MSA-CESS since 2008.

    For over 130 years, MSA-CESS has been helping school leaders establish and reach their goals, develop strategic plans, promote staff development, and advance student achievement. The institution accredits preK-12 public, private, parochial, and charter schools as well as non-degree granting career and technical post-secondary institutions and learning services providers. Receiving accreditation is a multifaceted evaluation process that schools and school systems voluntarily use to demonstrate they are meeting a defined set of research-based performance standards.

    “This reaccreditation reflects VHS Learning’s commitment to supporting its school community.  Accreditation by MSA-CESS is a validation of the dedication and expertise that our faculty and staff have in teaching and learning best practices,” said Carol DeFuria, President & CEO of VHS Learning. “Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools accreditation is the gold standard for measuring and advancing school improvement, and our reaccreditation shows that VHS Learning is committed to excellence and continuous improvement.” 

    As part of the reaccreditation process, VHS Learning conducted a self-study before the peer review team’s evaluation. That self-study involved input from the nonprofit’s leaders, teachers, parents, and students. “Collaborating with Middle States gives us valuable independent feedback on how well our program is meeting research-based performance standards,” DeFuria continued. “Our work with Middle States helps us evolve and adapt to meet the changing needs of our students and schools.”

    About VHS Learning

    VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization with almost 30 years of experience providing world-class online programs to students and schools everywhere. More than 500 schools around the world take advantage of VHS Learning’s 200+ online high school courses — including 29 AP® courses, credit recovery, and enrichment courses — to expand their programs of study. VHS Learning is accredited by Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information about VHS Learning please visit  https://www.vhslearning.org/ and follow on Twitter at @VHSLearning.

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • To foster young talent, employers need to share their social capital

    To foster young talent, employers need to share their social capital

    [ad_1]

    This article originally appeared on the Christensen Institute’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

    Key points:

    In July 2023, our team published “People-powered pathways: Lessons in how to build students’ social capital through career-connected learning.” In the report, we describe successes and challenges in bringing social capital–building strategies to a variety of educational settings. Our observations draw from an 18-month pilot during which we leveraged our social capital playbook to provide direct support to a group of three intermediary organizations—Education Strategy Group, Generation Schools Network, and Hawai‘i P-20—collectively supporting 20 sites in the K–12 career pathways space. In the course of the pilot, we sought to understand how schools and nonprofits can make social capital-building an explicit, effective, and equitable component of existing career-connected learning models. 

    In career-connected learning, employee volunteers like internship supervisors or guest speakers typically see their role as providing students job-specific knowledge and skills. However, these individuals have an equally important role to play in students’ networks: fostering students’ well-being and economic mobility by creating lasting relationships that involve sharing resources, connections, and opportunities. 

    To make this kind of role a reality, employers need to understand the goals of social capital-building, what will be expected of them, and how it can benefit both parties. As one nonprofit leader explained, helping employers take on that role may require upfront reflection, encouraging them to consider pre-conceived notions they may have about young people:

     “[If] everybody is committed to working on interrogating all of the thoughts that we as adults have about young people, good and bad, then the effect ends up being social capital. Because you’ve actually taken down the barrier or the silo that says ‘I am this and you are that. I’m here to provide a service and you’re here to get one.’”

    For organizations and schools brokering connections to employers, infusing social capital into the purpose behind those connections influenced how they recruited, vetted, and prepared employer partners who would be interacting with students. One nonprofit leader stated, 

    “We vet our employers that we work with and we have an orientation. They start perhaps from different places and they might not know how [to work with us]. They might have an idea about what an eighth grader is or is not, what ‘risk factors’ youth of color may come with or what their story may be. Part of what is important to us is working with worksite partners so they can see a whole person, an eighth grader who is a complete asset now, and the net value later of working with young people.”

    Acknowledging and tackling the “burden of investment”

    During our pilot, surveys of site staff revealed that 40% found it somewhat difficult to educate employers about how they can help build students’ social capital. Although nonprofits who were heavily involved in internship or apprenticeships often had the time and expertise to design and conduct orientations for employers, other sites with less capacity were wary of asking too much of their employer partners. In these circumstances, additional training for employers specifically focused on building relationships with students was rarely an option.

    While emphasizing return-on-investment (ROI) can help some employers see the long-term benefits of this type of work, one intermediary partner pointed out that for some employers it’s also about avoiding the short-term burden it places on their employees. In addition to ROI, the partner explained, 

    “There’s also BOI, which is ‘burden of investment.’ Making it easier for [employers] to see that the burden of their investment in this is not that burdensome, and that the experience is enjoyable. [Employees] enjoy the experience of the personal relationship with the kids, and that reduces the burden of investment as well. And it grows our partners’ social capital.” 

    When working with employers concerned about upfront burden on their employees, one option is to provide a menu that describes different options for getting involved based on employee volunteers’ capacity and interests. This arrangement not only allows employers to understand what is expected of them and their employees, but also allows them to choose the types of experiences that they feel will be enjoyable and meaningful for them. With this mutual understanding, work-based learning can take shape much more easily.  

    Example in action: 

    Apprentice Learning is a Boston-based nonprofit organization that provides real-world work experiences for eighth graders. Given that Apprentice Learning’s students were already immersed in work settings as part of their apprenticeships, the Boston site planning team felt that these experiences were a natural fit for building social capital.

    While most career-readiness programs ask, “How prepared are young people to build relationships with adults?,” Apprentice Learning equally emphasizes the other side of the equation by asking “How prepared are adults to build relationships with young people?” 

    During the pilot, Apprentice Learning communicated its vision to employer partners in multiple ways. First, it held an orientation for employers in which Apprentice Learning staff used an asset-based frame to gently challenge employers’ beliefs about what young people can do and what it means to have relationships with them. The goal was to help employers realize that they are building meaningful relationships with human beings who are still learning, yet capable of tremendous success. 

    Apprentice Learning also communicated with employers via weekly emails. These emails contained guidance for apprenticeship supervisors about how they could best support students, including conversation starters such as “consider talking with your apprentice about your first job,” or “consider sharing about a time when you encountered a struggle in your job and how you navigated it.” As one program leader stated, 

    “Because of the questions that we put in our weekly letter to our worksite partners, there are more opportunities for them to have conversations about their interests and their trajectory. One of the things that’s resulted in is that at least three, maybe four of our kids have been offered possible summer opportunities. And it is because the worksite partner and the young person took the time to get to know some things about each other a little bit beyond the ‘how to work’ part.”

    Finally, Apprentice Learning staff visited each student’s worksite and engaged in one-on-one conversations with their worksite supervisors. These conversations further reinforced the foundation that Apprentice Learning built during the orientations and maintained with the weekly emails. Describing a recent visit to a worksite where two students were apprenticing, a program leader recalled how the conversations they had with employers about building social capital influenced supervisors’ behaviors. When she walked into the worksite, the students’ supervisor immediately offered to provide references for the students if they needed them. “We didn’t have to ask the guy—it was offered. And [the students] understood that their [supervisors] are a resource that they didn’t necessarily know that they had.”  

    In conclusion, it’s time that employers’ roles in career-connected learning go beyond imparting skills. As decades of research show, it’s skills plus connections that truly move students up the economic distribution ladder. 

    However, accomplishing this goal requires a shift in perspective and intentionality. What we need are systems that incentivize sharing of social capital. Schools and nonprofits like Apprentice Learning are well positioned to start the conversation with their employer partners. But employers participating in these efforts have a responsibility to allocate resources and create policies that foster more student-centered experiences. While it requires upfront investment, focusing on young people now provides a solid foundation for the society of the future. 

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Robert Markle, PhD, Research Manager, Christensen Institute

    Source link

  • Schools and districts that ignore TikTok’s lessons are bound to fail

    Schools and districts that ignore TikTok’s lessons are bound to fail

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    If you talk to 200 teachers around the country today and ask them to describe their challenges in the classroom, you’re likely to get 201 different responses. And that makes sense–as systemic as some issues facing our education system are, every school, class, and student is unique. Yet through all that, there is perhaps one constant, one shared experience that is as universal as the No. 2 pencil. TikTok. Yes, TikTok has become the new American pastime of millions and public enemy number one of many teachers, parents, and some lawmakers across the country.

    Students today are more distracted and disengaged than ever, all while they’re spending an average of 95 minutes every single day on TikTok alone. Meanwhile, 80 percent of teachers across the nation are reporting critically low student engagement, signifying a lack of connection with the material, the methodology, or both. But TikTok, and social media more broadly, continues to capture curiosity and attention, and it’s not all just dance videos–Indiana science teacher @ChemteacherPhil commands an audience of more than 3 million followers on the app. Is there a lesson in that?

    Instead of snuffing out the doom scroll at its source, educators should lean into it, learn, and apply takeaways to their curriculum.

    No one is suggesting we add TikTok to the back-to-school supply list, but modern curriculum developers are watching and learning from TikTok to produce content that is more engaging–and individual teachers should, too.

    In 2021, TikTok proclaimed that “relevance is the new reach.”

    That’s what every social media company understands all too well–the more relevant a piece of content is to a user, the more likely they are to consume and engage with it. By integrating real-world content relevant to their students’ lives, educators can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and its practical application. Students can see and experience the relevance of what they are learning, which can have a profound impact on their motivation and comprehension.

    There’s an entire school of thought on this. Phenomena-based learning involves leveraging real-world scenarios and observations in learning to help students better understand their environment and uncover the steps necessary to solve problems and answer complex questions. It can be as micro as a class observing a bag of popping corn or as macro as tying recent weather events to a discussion on climate change. Or, if you’re Maynard Kereke (Hip Hop M.D.), it’s using a viral Rick Ross video as a teaching moment about camels.

    But the conduit is just as important as the content.

    Variety is the spice of life and its classrooms. If traditional teaching methods reliant on textbooks, lecture, and rote memorization have proven anything, it’s that one size definitely does not fit all. The lesson for educators is clear: to truly connect with our students, we must diversify our teaching methods and keep the learning experience fresh. By embracing a multimedia approach, we not only cater to different learning styles but also tap into the inherent curiosity of our students. We do that by ditching the lectures and embracing experiments, multimedia, discussions, and hands-on activities that resonate with most learners.

    Over time, this dynamic instruction cultivates critical thinking skills that empower students to view problems from multiple angles, discern between reality and fallacy, and evaluate the credibility of information from a variety of sources.

    This leads to a culture of experimentation, creation, and inquiry.

    When these approaches are brought together in the classroom by a teacher, it creates an environment where students feel encouraged to test ideas, make mistakes, and ask questions. Try, fail, learn, repeat. By fostering an atmosphere where trial and error are celebrated as crucial steps on the path to growth, we empower students to become active participants in their own learning journeys. Inquiry-based learning encourages students to ask questions, seek answers, and explore the world around them. It plants the belief that it’s okay to not have all the answers at once, that it’s okay to discover them, to piece them together using fragments of your own understanding and lived experiences. It’s a process of discovery, curiosity, and resilience. That is what it means to learn. 

    Let’s be clear – there are serious privacy, safety, and potentially even health issues with nearly every major social media product that require contending with. But to ignore the elements that make them so captivating to young students is to fail to keep up. When we create classrooms where students thrive, learning becomes an adventure. As technology continues to evolve, educators have a unique opportunity to create dynamic and effective learning environments. Taking a page from the TikTok playbook and replicating its best parts in the classroom meets learners and teachers in the middle while encouraging student curiosity, engagement, and success.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Amanda Bratten, VP of Curriculum and Learning, Propello

    Source link

  • The academic implications of AI in student writing

    The academic implications of AI in student writing

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    • Education must pivot to include AI literacy in its curricula
    • The question is not whether to use AI tools, but how to use them responsibly
    • See related article: 7 principles for AI in education
    • For more news on AI in education, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, the advent of AI and ChatGPT has ushered in a new era of academic assistance. As a doctoral student and research writer myself, I have witnessed and experienced the profound impact of these technologies on academic writing. The intersection of AI assistance in student writing is not just about the convenience it brings, but also about the fundamental shift it represents in how we perceive and approach academic integrity and skill development.

    A recent survey by Intelligent.com found that nearly one-third of university students have employed AI for coursework, with a significant portion using tools like ChatGPT for over half of their assignments. As Dr. Jörg von Garrel and Professor Jana Mayer reported, a nationwide survey conducted in Germany revealed that almost two-thirds of students use AI tools like ChatGPT in their studies. This widespread usage across disciplines like engineering and natural sciences highlights the versatility of AI in various academic contexts. These statistics alone underscore the pervasiveness of AI in academic environments. However, this trend extends beyond mere usage statistics; it raises deeper questions about the future of writing skills and academic integrity.

    My experience aligns with these findings. Utilizing ChatGPT for my academic work has streamlined the research and writing process and presented new learning curves. The tool’s ability to generate sophisticated content necessitates a nuanced understanding of its capabilities and limitations. However, this reliance on AI also raises concerns. Diane Gayeski, a higher education consultant, cautioned against over-reliance on ChatGPT, emphasizing its role as a supplemental tool rather than a standalone learning source. Gayeski’s perspective is crucial in understanding the balance between AI assistance and traditional learning methods.

    The varied stances of educational institutions further complicate the situation. Jules White, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University, advocates for explicit policies regarding AI use in course syllabi, underscoring the transformative potential of AI across industries. Vanderbilt University’s proactive approach, including training on ‘prompt engineering,’ illustrates the forward-thinking strategies institutions can adopt.

    In my view, the current scenario presents a critical juncture for academia. The increasing use of AI in academic writing signifies a paradigm shift in how students learn and produce scholarly work. This shift necessitates a reevaluation of our educational frameworks, focusing not just on traditional writing skills but also on the adept use of AI tools. The ability to effectively leverage AI and understand its strengths and limitations should become an integral part of modern education.

    The future, it seems, is already here; the integration of AI and ChatGPT in academic writing is not a fleeting trend but a fundamental shift in the educational landscape. With a substantial proportion of students turning to AI for academic assistance, the question is no longer about whether to use these tools but how to use them responsibly and effectively.

    The academic community must pivot to include AI literacy in its curricula, teaching students how to write and critically engage with and assess AI-generated content. The future of education lies in harmonizing the innovative potential of AI with the enduring values of academic integrity and critical thinking.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Dr. John Johnston, Ed.D. Candidate in Educational Leadership, Capella University

    Source link

  • 5 things to know about AI in classrooms

    5 things to know about AI in classrooms

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    By now, we hear the term “artificial intelligence” more than a few times a day. But despite the stereotypical sci-fi depictions of AI, it has a legitimate place in today’s classrooms.

    Innovative educators and students are finding new ways to integrate AI into teaching and learning every day. Teachers can spend more one-on-one time with students when they use AI to quickly complete tedious tasks. Students, on the other hand, learn how to critically evaluate information and learn about biases when they analyze information coming from generative AI sources.

    Here are 5 ways educators are incorporating AI into the classrooms right now:

    1. This English teacher created a project-based scenario: The students were attorneys for a law firm, and the teacher is their client, bringing them this challenge: She is thinking about investing in ChatGPT. Based on their understanding and the research they’d conduct during The Crucible unit, should she? What would be the implications? The upsides and the down? Typically, at the end of a unit on The Crucible, she asks students to put various characters on trial, backing up their ideas with plenty of original evidence. This time around, she wanted them to also put ChatGPT on trial. What are its strengths and opportunities, its weaknesses and threats?

    2. These Florida-based teachers are using AI to prioritize student-centered activities: Every student needs something slightly different to learn well. When we have tools as teachers that allow us to meet those individualized needs and support the whole student, we know that learning improves. We can now use AI to customize activities that support mental health, give students more ownership over their own learning, and even provide more individualized, responsive tutoring. Your students will likely see AI showing up in their classrooms this year in ways that put them in the driving seat and help make learning feel directed precisely at them, their needs, and their interests.

    3. This educator posits that ChatGPT is now a part of learning, and teachers must accept it–with a few conditions: It is time for educators to treat ChatGPT as an unreliable partner in all assignments and to provide a way for students to let us know how much help they received. He specifies an unreliable partner because there is no way to know where ChatGPT got its information for any single response. It uses a mathematical model of likely words, not research. It’s basically auto-complete on steroids. ChatGPT is like a classmate who has read extensively and is really confident about everything they say but can’t remember exactly where they got their information from. It could be an academic publication or it could be a conspiracy website. And that is how we should treat it – a partner who sounds like they know what they are talking about but still needs to be fact-checked.

    4. A higher-ed faculty member offers insights on how to determine if generative AI has been used in assignments: Instructors at all levels should consider certain criteria to help them determine whether text-based submissions were student or AI-generated. Lack of personal experiences or generalized examples are a potential sign of AI-generated writing–for instance, “My family went to the beach in the car” is more likely to be AI-generated than “Mom, Betty, and Rose went to the 3rd Street beach to swim.” Instructors should look for unusual or complete phrases that a student would not normally employ–a high school student speaking of a lacuna in his school records might be a sign the paper was AI-generated.

    5. This school leader uses AI to help students learn history by having life-like conversations with tech-powered versions of Socrates, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King. Students can learn about gravity by chatting with an AI-powered version of Sir Isaac Newton. They can learn about art from Frida Kahlo and about WW2 by chatting with a teenage version of Anne Frank. This level of engagement was unheard of before now.

    Laura Ascione
    Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Laura Ascione

    Source link

  • HSPA named a 5-Star Innovative School 2023 in The Educator report for Mastery Learning

    HSPA named a 5-Star Innovative School 2023 in The Educator report for Mastery Learning

    [ad_1]

    MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA/EINPresswire.com/ —  Edalex, the company powering organisations’ single source of truth for skills and learning data, enthusiastically congratulates the Hunter School of Performing Arts (HSPA) for being named one of the ‘ 5-Star Innovative Schools 2023’ by The Educator for their work around mastery learning, credentialing and Learner Dashboard innovations, which were co-designed with Edalex and Learning Vault using the  Credentialate and openRSD platforms.

    According to Darren Ponman, Principal of HSPA: “We were excited to receive this recognition – particularly as we were nominated by another school! Our parents and students have been thrilled with the dynamic, 24/7 visibility that the Credentialate Learner Dashboard has given them. They can see at any moment the student’s achievements – both pending and achieved, what they need to do to ‘level up’ and where they sit in relation to the wider student cohort. Gamification was a key objective from the beginning of the project and has really worked to motivate the students to strive for mastery.”

    “We are so pleased that HSPA has been recognised for the implementation of its comprehensive Mastery Learning model, and honoured that we were able to provide the tech enablement of Darren’s vision. HSPA has been on a multi-year journey to implement an innovative pedagogy, and this is deserved recognition for the school leaders, teachers, parents and students of their efforts. Collaboration between education providers, education technology companies and others is the key to enabling success in the skills economy.”

    Now in its ninth year, the report recognises the schools at the forefront of change and innovation. Entries were open to all educational professionals who believe their school is pioneering a new direction in education and the report showcases schools reshaping the future of education. By the end of the judging process, the entries were narrowed down to 35 of the country’s most forward-thinking schools, making up the 5-Star Innovative Schools 2023 list.

    Chris Duncan, CEO of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), says, “An innovative school needs to approach innovation less for its own sake but for how it directly benefits students and their development. Real innovation leads to practices that fundamentally change the way we do things.”

    Take a tour of the HSPA Learner Dashboard –  https://huntperfor-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/learning-at-our-school/mastery_learning_learner_dashboard.html

    Find out more about Edalex and their award-winning Credentialate and openRSD platforms at  https://www.edalex.com

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • Schools have struggled to add learning time after COVID–here’s how one district did it

    Schools have struggled to add learning time after COVID–here’s how one district did it

    [ad_1]

    This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

    It was just after 2:30 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, and the school stage hadn’t yet transformed into a reading room.

    Christopher VanderKuyl, an assistant principal in Chicago’s west suburbs, hurriedly dragged brown folding chairs across the wood floor. He made a mental note to figure out who’d rearranged the furniture.

    “They can’t do that,” VanderKuyl lamented to his co-teacher, Megan Endre. “We’re using this as a classroom!”

    A year ago, school would have been over around this time, and the students at Columbus East Elementary would be walking out the door. But this year, a group of fifth graders were instead sitting on the school’s stage, reading aloud about the life of Rosa Parks as they worked on reading fluency and comprehension. Similar activities were taking place in nearly every corner of the school: In another classroom, students rolled dice to practice two-digit multiplication and huddled close to their teacher to review their work. 

    What’s happening at Columbus East is one of the rare efforts nationally to give students more instructional time in an attempt to make up for what they lost during the pandemic. Here in Cicero School District 99, students are getting an extra 30 minutes of reading or math instruction every day, which adds up to around three additional weeks of school. School leaders hope that will be enough time to teach students key skills they missed and boost test scores.

    “We do a lot of good things for our students, we have many, many resources, but our students need more,” said Aldo Calderin, the district’s superintendent. “There are challenges, I’m not going to sit here and say that there’s not. But I know that we’re doing right by our kids.”

    The district is about a month into the extra academic lessons, and staff say they’re still working out the kinks. The initiative has added new instructional challenges for Cicero teachers, who were already busy putting a new reading curriculum in place and helping students cope with the ongoing fallout of the pandemic.

    Still, Cicero stands out for making a longer school day a reality. While many schools used COVID relief funding to beef up summer school or add optional after-school tutoring, far fewer added extra time to the school day or year.

    In Cicero, a new teachers union contract, extra pay for teachers, and school board support helped make the change happen. Elsewhere, efforts to add instructional time have faced pushback from school board members and teachers who thought the added time would be too costly and disruptive.

    Thomas Kane, a Harvard education professor who has studied learning loss during the pandemic, said “it’s great to see” districts like Cicero adding instructional time.

    “It obviously depends, though, on how that time is used, especially if it’s coming at the end of the day, when kids or teachers might be tired,” Kane said. “But honestly at this point, more instructional time is what’s needed to help students catch up.”

    How Cicero students got a longer school day

    Cicero 99, which runs through junior high, serves around 9,200 students in a working-class, mostly Latino suburb of Chicago. About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and more than half of students are learning English.

    School leaders floated the idea to lengthen Cicero 99’s school day before COVID hit, but the proposal took on greater urgency when educators saw how the pandemic set students back in reading and math.

    The year before the pandemic, 22% of students in the district met or exceeded Illinois’ English language arts standards, while 16% cleared that bar in math. By spring 2021, after students spent nearly a year learning remotely, 10% met state standards in English and 5% met them in math. 

    At Columbus East, staff recall students who hid under bed covers or pointed their cameras at ceiling fans during remote learning. Others had trouble hearing over blaring TVs, barking dogs, and whirring blenders.

    Kane’s research into district-level learning loss found that Cicero students in third to eighth grades lost the equivalent of a third of a year in reading from spring 2019 to 2022, and a little less than half a year in math. The losses were similar to those in other high-poverty Illinois districts, Kane said, but still “substantial.”

    “There is a sense of urgency,” said Donata Heppner, the principal at Columbus East, who’s part of the district team that planned for the extended day. “If we don’t grow more than expected, we’re never going to catch up.”

    So last year, Calderin, with the school board’s support, negotiated a new contract with the teachers union that included the longer school day.

    “At the beginning, we were: No, no, no, no, no,” said Marisa Mills, the president of Cicero’s teachers union and a seventh grade English language arts teacher at Unity Junior High. “And then we really started to get down to the nitty gritty, and started to talk about: Well, what if we did do this?”

    Teachers got on board after the district agreed that the extra time would be used only for instruction, Mills said, and that students wouldn’t be tethered to a device during that time. Teachers also got a “very fair” bump in compensation: A 10% raise, and a one-time $5,000 bonus for this school year, paid for with COVID relief dollars. The deal, which runs through 2026, got the support of 70% of teachers.

    It helped, Calderin said, that the extra time was well-received by families. Many students’ parents work multiple jobs and struggle to arrange after-school care for their children — an issue somewhat alleviated by a longer day.

    Here’s how the longer day works: The district gave students pretests and used those to group students with similar abilities. Students spent the first month of the school year practicing walking their routes to their extended-day groups and getting to know their new teachers.

    Now students spend two weeks in a reading group, then two weeks in a math group, or vice versa, and then get reshuffled based on how they’re doing. The district provided lessons and activities for teachers that tie in with the district’s usual curriculum. 

    But there’s no additional staff working the extended day. So it takes everyone, from paraprofessionals to social workers to principals, to make it work.

    On that recent Wednesday at Columbus East, VanderKuyl and Endre circulated among 16 fifth graders as they read. This group spent all of second grade learning remotely and now many struggle to write their letters in a straight line or pay attention when a teacher is talking. 

    VanderKuyl stopped to help one student pronounce “prejudice,” while Endre urged a distracted student poking her pen in the air to follow along.

    “Alright, who would like to share their summary out loud?” Endre asked. 

    She pressed her students to elaborate — “Who’s the man you’re talking about?” — and checked to make sure they got the details right: “It wasn’t a school bus right? It was a public bus.” Her goal this year is to boost students’ confidence and help more students read at a fifth grade level on their own.

    It’s about “building that independence in reading for them,” Endre said. “Maybe not necessarily ‘Oh, I can read a whole fifth-grade level text myself.’ But can I read and understand a paragraph?”

    Longer school day is not without challenges

    While it may seem simple, adding 30 minutes to the school day presents plenty of instructional challenges. 

    Not every adult is a math or reading specialist, so some staff need extra practice and training. The extended-day groups are smaller than students’ usual classes, but are still large enough that it can be challenging for teachers to provide one-on-one attention. Some students are hungry and tired at the end of the day and miss going home earlier.

    “My brain is too over-capacitated!” said one fourth grader with dark hair and white-rimmed glasses at nearby Sherlock Elementary.

    And some students struggle with the frequent regrouping. Columbus East, for example, has a program for students with emotional disabilities who typically learn in the same classroom all day. Some have found it challenging to be in a new environment with different peers and without their usual teacher.

    On that recent Wednesday, a student sitting at the back table in Arlen Villeda’s fifth grade math group sobbed as she struggled with the extended-day lesson. At first, the student loved the extra math lessons, Villeda said later, but as the classes got harder, the student’s frustration started to mount.

    “I hate my life!” she cried. “Everyone is done!”

    Villeda tried to keep moving forward with the four students seated in front of her, as a classroom aide nudged the crying student to take a break. 

    Villeda has tried strategies shared by the student’s usual teacher — like walking the student to the familiar calming corner in her classroom when she gets overwhelmed — but Villeda says it can be challenging to know exactly how to help. For some students, she said, “consistency really makes a big difference.”

    “Like with anything, we know that change is going to become easier as time goes on,” she said. “But I honestly feel like this is still an adjustment period for us — for the teachers and for the students.”

    For now, Heppner, Columbus East’s principal, and others are revisiting how the extended day is going and making changes when needed. Going forward, for example, teachers will have more say over how students are grouped. And teachers can ditch activities that were “a total bomb,” as Heppner put it. 

    Mills, the union president, said she knows some teachers, especially those who don’t specialize in reading and math, are struggling with extra preparation work. But already she’s seeing glimmers of progress. She feels like she can do more with her seventh graders in the smaller extended-day groups, and some have made strides in their reading.

    “It’s going to be a little nuts for the first year, for sure,” Mills said. “But if this is something we really want to do for our students, that’s what it’s going to have to be.”

    Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

    Related: Unfinished learning concerns still plague educators

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat

    Source link

  • Capstone Names Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer

    Capstone Names Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer

    [ad_1]

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Capstone, an innovative learning company merging children’s content with easy-to-use edtech tools for K-5 classrooms, libraries, and homes, has named Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer. Poundstone brings over 20 years of experience in the edtech market in business development, revenue growth, sales strategies, and operations management to this newly created role at Capstone. Poundstone will oversee Capstone’s revenue generating sales including direct to schools, library, distribution, trade, and international business units in executing the publisher’s growth strategy.

    Throughout his career, Poundstone has led top-tier sales teams to drive organizational revenue, performance, and profit. Most recently, he served as the Area Vice President of the East at Renaissance Learning where he led a large team of regional vice presidents, sales leaders, and direct sales professionals to reach aggressive goals.

    After six years away, Poundstone rejoins Capstone where he was one of the founding employees of its business unit myON. Prior to his time at Capstone, Poundstone held a variety of leadership positions at Lightspan and PLATO (now Edmentum).

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Haygood back to Capstone. He is a visionary leader with a commitment to leveraging technology and learning resources to enhance the lives of children. His insights and strategic thinking will be invaluable as we continue to expand our reach and impact at Capstone,” said Randi Economou, Capstone CEO. “Beyond his professional accomplishments, Haygood is known for his people focused leadership style. He believes in fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment, where every team member is valued and empowered. His dedication to nurturing talent and cultivating a culture of excellence will propel Capstone forward.”

    “Inspiring successful and engaging learning experiences is at the heart of Capstone. That resonates strongly with me and reflects both the value Capstone brings to schools and industry partners as well as the motivation and passion of the entire Sales team. I’m looking forward to leading the effort to expand Capstone’s reach as we share the good news about what Capstone can help educators accomplish and learners can achieve,” said Poundstone.

    Poundstone earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at Auburn University at Montgomery where he was an active member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Lambda Chi Alpha.

    Poundstone began his new position on November 13 and reports directly to the Capstone CEO.

    About Capstone

    Capstone is the nation’s leading educational publisher of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at-home reading. Through print books, interactive eBooks, or the curriculum-connected learning tool PebbleGo™, Capstone has a passion for inspiring students to learn and their communities to thrive. As a publisher of content for children, Capstone embraces the responsibility to celebrate and share the diverse voices and perspectives of our readers and communities. Capstone supports great teaching and learning with engaging content that values the work that educators do every day—helping students succeed. CapstonePub.com #LearningIsForEveryone  

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • 3 ways educators leverage gamification strategies

    3 ways educators leverage gamification strategies

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    Students don’t have to be video game fanatics to appreciate a gamified classroom lesson. When teachers turn a lesson or tough-to-teach concept into a motivational gamed or use a fun competition to teach new concepts, students become immersed in their learning and are often more engaged–meaning they’re more likely to retain information.

    Still, there’s an art to gamifying a lesson and ensuring that students are actually learning instead of just playing a game for points.

    Here’s how educators across the country are using tools–from Minecraft: Education Edition to Roblox and easy-to-access online resources–to gamify their lessons and help students engage with learning.

    1. Carrie Rosenberg, a fourth grade teacher at Community Christian School, notes that gamification is one of the biggest education trends right now. According to ISTE, “gamification is about transforming the classroom environment and regular activities into a game.” Many students want more than just good grades from school–they want something physical or immediate. Rosenberg uses Gimkit, Kahoot!, and Prodigy to gamify her instruction and motivate students. Learn more about her instructional strategies.

    2. Games are part of many people’s lives–so why not use them to benefit students when teaching? Abigail Beran, a fifth grade teacher enrolled in a masters program in education technology, knows that her students are more likely to engage in an educational activity when it is gamified–and that they’re even more likely to do so when the activity is gamified with technology. There are a variety of reading and math apps and websites that cater to gamification, and even provide the opportunity for differentiation. Beran uses tools including Raz Kids, Dreamscapes, Prodigy English, and IXL language arts for English/language arts gamification, and uses Prodigy Math, Math Playground, Pet Bingo, Sushi Monster, and IXL math for gamifying math. Discover how she integrates these gamified tools into her classroom.

    3. As an educator for more 27 years and a digital learning specialist (social studies) for the past 7 years in Atlanta Public Schools, Felisa Ford has supported educators across the district and beyond as they purposefully integrate technology in the classroom to promote engagement and 21st century skill development. While there are many tools and resources available to educators to support their efforts to create dynamic digital learning environments, one of the most engaging is Minecraft Education Edition (M:EE). Popular among students (and teachers!), M:EE is a game-based learning platform that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive digital environment. Read about five ways Ford has helped the district’s teachers use M:EE into classroom instruction.

    Laura Ascione
    Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Laura Ascione

    Source link

  • Teacher shortages bring to mind the saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’

    Teacher shortages bring to mind the saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’

    [ad_1]

    This article originally appeared on the Clayton Christensen Institute’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

    Key points:

    “Fueled by teacher shortages,” we’re told in a recent article in The74, “Zoom-in-a-Room” is making a comeback.

    If this is the case, although it’s better than the alternative—no teacher at all—it’s also a missed opportunity for deeper innovation.

    As reporter Linda Jacobson noted in the article, online learning has long been used in schools for subjects they couldn’t otherwise offer. She cited A.P. Calculus and Latin as examples. But even courses we think of as fundamental—physics, for example—have long been glaring areas where schools haven’t had qualified teachers. As I wrote nearly a decade ago, “less than two-thirds of high schools–63%–offer physics. Only about half of high schools offer calculus. Among high schools that serve large percentages of African-American and Latino students, one in four don’t offer Algebra II, and one in three don’t offer chemistry.”

    According to Jacobsen, “as districts struggle to fill teaching vacancies, they are increasingly turning to companies like Proximity to teach core subjects.” The practice is one in which the teacher of record delivers whole-class learning virtually, and an in-person monitor—often a substitute teacher—tracks behavior and ensures students do their work.

    In some ways, this use of online learning could be a classic case of a disruptive innovation, which begins as a primitive innovation. As a result, disruptive innovations typically start by serving areas of nonconsumption—where the alternative is nothing at all. By outperforming this alternative, disruptive innovations can take root and improve over time until they take over.

    Back in 2008 when we published Disrupting Class, we suggested that teacher shortages could represent a significant area of nonconsumption into which online learning could make its mark and begin to transform classrooms from monolithic, one-size-fits-none environments to student-centered ones that customized for the individual needs of each and every learner.

    But for this to occur, the use of online learning shouldn’t just be to pipe in a virtual teacher that delivers more one-size-fits-none, whole-group instruction. It would seem that there’s not a lot of room for improvement in that model.

    Instead, schools ought to be taking these opportunities to do what Heather Staker and I described in Blended—offering a la carte online courses with great digital curriculum mixed with elements of the Flex or Individual Rotation models of blended learning that match the path and pace of each individual’s students’ learning needs.

    Just as Teach to One uses a mix of in-person and online teachers to deliver a personalized-learning pathway for every student in middle-school math, so, too, could schools begin to assemble blended-learning options that leverage virtual teachers but do so in formats that move beyond standardized instruction and incorporate a variety of engaging learning modalities; ranging from direct instruction tailored to a novice learner’s level to rich, real-world projects that allow a student to apply their learning of knowledge and skills in real performances, and from heads-down, solo learning experiences with software, offline work, or virtual tutors to small-group conversations and explorations.

    These sorts of models would take advantage of the online format by delivering a tailored learning experience for each student rather than beaming a remote teacher into classes to do the same old, same old that hasn’t been working—and, as we saw with “Zoom-in-a-room” during COVID, was likely even less effective.

    As Mallory Dwinal wrote in 2015 when she explored the opportunity for innovating where there are teacher shortages, states could also help by allowing these experiences to move away from seat-time requirements to mastery- or competency-based learning and giving districts some resources to evaluate and select the appropriate learning models.

    So here’s my challenge to districts: Next time you see a teacher shortage, don’t just sub in a virtual teacher and fill the seat. Instead, get creative with a clear and smart goal of boosting every child’s learning. Spend a bit of time thinking about how this could be an opportunity, not a threat. And use virtual talent to design a much more robust learning experience for all. That would be something worth talking about.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Michael B. Horn, Co-Founder & Distinguished Fellow, Clayton Christensen Institute

    Source link

  • 5 essential digital learning reads

    5 essential digital learning reads

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    • Digital learning is a key part of students’ school experiences
    • As technology evolves, so, too, do students’ learning opportunities
    • See related article: Is AI the future of education?
    • For more news on edtech trends, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page

    Digital learning is a critical component of what happens in today’s classrooms. Edtech tools, connected learning experiences, and 21st-century skills all play a role in preparing students for the future.

    But digital learning trends and technologies change so quickly that sometimes, it’s difficult to know where to focus or where to invest funding, time, and resources.

    Here are 5 must-read stories about digital learning trends and developments to help your school leadership team determine which digital learning resources and edtech tools can best benefit students:

    1. Digital learning requires digital research skills: Right now is the perfect time to start a research project with your students, as it will help them develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. While your students, who have grown up in the Information Age and think they already know everything, any classroom teacher knows that our students need help more than they think. Our students’ belief that everything they need to know is online can, without the right skillset, leave them prey to misinformation. Let’s teach our students to steer through the online ocean of data to be both effective researchers and responsible digital citizens.

    2. Digital escape rooms merge creativity with student engagement and skill development: Escape rooms are engaging for people of all ages–they require durable skills such as creativity, critical thinking, determination, and the ability to work in groups to solve challenges. It makes sense that educators would craft their lessons around the concept of an escape room–and that’s just what high school educator Lynn Thomas has done. In this Q&A with eSchool News, Thomas details how she found inspiration to create escape room learning opportunities and the benefits she sees for her students–and she offers a look at a new ChatGPT challenge she’s created.

    3. Esports can engage even the youngest of students, and these programs help students develop critical skills no matter what paths they pursue: Scholastic esports is rapidly growing, and many schools are starting to incorporate esports programs into their curriculum. The benefits of esports make a compelling case for creating a program: Research shows that students who participate in scholastic esports experience social and emotional benefits, increased academic achievement, and higher graduation rates. These positive learning outcomes make esports popular in secondary grades, with both students and educators advocating for the addition and growth of scholastic esports in their middle and high schools. But esports isn’t just for the older kids, and starting an esports program in early elementary school can be an effective way to lay the groundwork for esports participation as students make their way into higher grade levels.

    4. In an AI-driven world, how can students maintain their own voices? Now, more than ever, students’ future success in an ever-changing world requires that they learn how to think critically and creatively while collaborating with others to solve complex problems. But the unwritten curriculum of most schools—instilling process perfectionism through rewarding flawless performance—is probably doing more harm than good. Against this backdrop, there’s a lurking concern that AI is just going to help students find mindless shortcuts for cheating their way to good grades. But that’s only a risk if schools and teachers hold a low bar for what they expect of their students.

    5. Effective digital learning means educators must know how to leverage digital tools correctly: When properly integrated, AI can amplify the work of teachers, shrink equity and accessibility gaps, and provide unrestricted access to information. But for technology to make a meaningful change in K-12 education, we need to address the true source of the problem: broken instructional models. Even though countless technology tools have been introduced into the market, classroom practice looks eerily similar to how it did a hundred years ago. That’s because educators are still equipped with an antiquated model of teaching that isn’t designed to be responsive to students’ learning styles. By leveraging AI and technology to rethink traditional teaching methodologies, we can level-set our classrooms to more effectively empower educators and personalize student learning.

    Laura Ascione
    Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Laura Ascione

    Source link

  • Role Models Worksheet (PDF)

    Role Models Worksheet (PDF)

    [ad_1]

    Who do you look up to in life? We are a product of our influences. Complete this “Role Models” worksheet to create an endless resource of people you can be motivated and inspired by.


    This content is for Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime members only.
    Join Here Login

    [ad_2]

    Steven Handel

    Source link

  • SMART Technologies Unveils the New Performance SMART Board® RX Series, Empowering Teachers and Students with Advanced Features to Enhance Inclusion

    SMART Technologies Unveils the New Performance SMART Board® RX Series, Empowering Teachers and Students with Advanced Features to Enhance Inclusion

    [ad_1]

    CALGARY, AB – SMART Technologies is proud to announce the launch of the company’s latest innovation for education: the SMART Board® RX series. This revolutionary display is designed with accessibility in mind and provides teachers with the tools they need to make learning more engaging for students, while saving precious time for teachers, too. This performance display comes with optically bonded glass and a multi-color stylus for an effortless inking experience, as well as leading student device integration, putting it in a category of its own.  

    At the heart of the SMART Board RX series are the features and functionality, purposefully designed to help make classroom time higher quality time and engage all students in inclusive and accessible learning experiences. Most notably, the RX series comes with SMART’s exclusive Tool Explorer® technology that enables all students – including those with diverse learning needs – to actively engage with content and easily communicate with their peers and teachers.  

    Tool Explorer digitally recognizes blocks that come in pre-programmed sets with images such as emojis that can help enable social and emotional learning. The blocks are also programmable, giving teachers or students the ability to program any image onto a block.  Tool Explorer provides a unique way for students to communicate and participate – including those students who are non-verbal, those who struggle to hold a pen or to write, and those who require or simply prefer different methods of communication. Tool Explorer is only available with the SMART Board RX series.  

    The SMART Board RX series is Google EDLA certified, giving users native access to the Google Play™ store, Google Classroom, Chrome™ Browser, and other Google services so that teachers can have all their favorite apps at their fingertips. It comes with a completely refreshed embedded experience – iQ 4.0. The new version of iQ is designed to simplify workflows for teachers and make lessons engaging for students. 

    The RX series also includes SMART’s exclusive ability for continuous differentiation of all interaction types, which enables multiple users to intuitively write, erase, and touch at the same time, without interfering in each other’s work for a truly collaborative experience. 

    “The SMART Board RX series represents a major leap forward in classroom technology,” said Nicholas Svensson, CEO of SMART Technologies. “Our goal was not just to create another interactive display but rather an investment that helps to create inclusive, accessible classrooms that will stand the test of time.” 

    The SMART Board RX series offers an array of features, including:  

    • Android 13 for enhanced security and smooth performance, with expandable storage up to 576GB. 
    • Optically bonded glass which provides a smooth, precise inking experience and unmatched viewing clarity. 
    • Simultaneous Tool Differentiation so multiple students can intuitively collaborate at the display together.  
    • An all-new multi-color LED stylus for easier color switching and simple, intuitive inking with color built right into the pen.  
    • NFC and QR code-based sign-in with one-click sign-out for added security and convenience. 
    • Integrated sound bar with two 20W speakers and a 15W subwoofer. 
    • New environmental and air quality sensors including a particulate matter sensor and volatile organic compounds sensor. 
    • All the software educators need, for free. 

    The SMART Board RX is designed to serve districts for years to come. The RX series has an energy-efficient design that is designed to be a sound investment for many years. Automatic over-the-air updates keep customers up to date with new features, patches, and operating system upgrades—keeping pace with market trends and new options and features without spending budget on a new display. Schools and districts can get more out of their technology investment and continue to deliver high-quality learning experiences for years to come. 

    About SMART Technologies ULC  

    SMART isn’t just a leading tech company, but a connections company working tirelessly to create and advance technology that helps teachers, learners, businesses, and teams make meaningful connections every single day. The original SMART Board® launched in 1991, and has continued to innovate through Lumio™, an award-winning cloud-based learning software. With a full range of products, including an impressive selection of easy-to-use interactive displays used by millions of businesses, educators and students around the world, SMART creates connections that matter. To learn more, visit www.smarttech.com. 

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • 5 ways I’ve leveraged AI in my English classroom

    5 ways I’ve leveraged AI in my English classroom

    [ad_1]

    Key points:

    • Students will be immersed in an AI world—they need to learn about it
    • One English teacher brainstormed creative ways to get students talking about, and working with, AI
    • See related article: 5 positive ways students can use AI
    • For more news on AI in education, visit eSN’s Digital Learning page

    Last spring, a few weeks after I started using ChatGPT, I challenged my high school English students: “Artificial intelligence can do any of your class assignments,” I told them flatly. “Now prove me wrong.”

    I wanted to provoke them, to get them to ask questions, and to start using these tools—not to cheat—but to flip their learning on its head. I knew we needed to learn this together. And since that day, we didn’t just shift the paradigms—we sent them into somersaults.

    1. Putting ChatGPT on trial

    I first became aware of ChatGPT last February when I began reading mind-blowing comments of several progressive educators. As a teacher who strives to help students uncover their interests and stretch their imaginations, I wanted to ensure they were participating in this new technology. We were about to begin our unit on The Crucible and I began wondering how we could leverage ChatGPT.

    Typically, at the end of the unit, I ask my students to put various characters on trial, backing up their ideas with plenty of original evidence. This time around, I wanted them to also put ChatGPT on trial. What are its strengths and opportunities, its weaknesses and threats?

    So I created a project-based scenario: The students were attorneys for a law firm, and I was their client, bringing them this challenge: I was thinking about investing in ChatGPT. Based on their understanding and the research they’d conduct during The Crucible unit, should I? What would be the implications? The upsides and the down?

    So the students began, first reading The Crucible, relying only on their human intelligence. Then, after a week, they opened up their understanding of the classic play through ChatGPT. And it was astonishing: ChatGPT helped students discover subtle nuances and character traits they’d missed initially, created authentic-sounding trial documents that outlined their arguments, provided historical information about the Salem witch trials, and prompted students to explore the play’s themes and messages. It also generated hypothetical conversations between characters, providing fresh insights into how characters evolved throughout the play.

    At the unit’s completion, the students had glimpsed AI’s potential—and its potential problems. Many students were concerned about cheating, about bias, about invented “facts,” and about privacy. But, ultimately, the majority of students advised that I, as their client, should invest in AI, finding that it increased efficiencies, helped with workload, sped up research, improved grammar, relieved deadline stress, and more.

    2. Using ChatGPT as a creative partner

    When they returned from spring break, students found that I’d taken their advice to heart: I’d invested $20 on a premium version of ChatGPT and had created an AI workspace in our classroom. Now I invited them to use ChatGPT during our final inquiry unit, during which they’d ask questions, come up with a plan, leverage their research, and then go public with their findings. Soon they found they could use ChatGPT as a creative, brainstorming, spit-balling partner—with great results: generating open-ended questions, discovering and exploring their interests, creating a day-by-day calendar to reach goals, ideating original art pieces, and augmenting lyrics for songs and scripts. To say they were wowed by ChatGPT’s ability to take their own thinking and creativity further would be an understatement.

    3. Considering what’s next

    During that inquiry unit, I wanted to better understand—and for my students to better understand—what might be ahead of us in terms of AI. So I invited our school librarians to visit our class, presenting glimmers of what’s ahead: the good, from conducting medical research to solving complex global problems; the bad, from impersonating someone’s speech to waging war with AI; and the surprising, from saving bees to predicting earthquakes.

    Impressively, the librarians also fielded questions, addressing ethical considerations of AI, detailing the importance of vocabulary when it comes to writing powerful prompts, and reminding students that they need to be thinkers themselves and not just settle for what ChatGPT generates.  

    4. Going from zero to hero

    Just days before our fall semester started, I learned that I’d been assigned mythology—a subject I’d not taught before and one without a syllabus. But, like my students during their inquiry unit, I knew I could turn to ChatGPT as my creative partner. To begin, I wrote a thorough prompt, telling it: “You’re a high school English teacher who wants to teach an inquiry-based mythology class with self-directed learning. You have questions and you’re looking for answers. (That’s so the hero’s journey à la Joseph Campbell.) Now create a syllabus, complete with readings.” Less than a minute later, there it was, in all its mind-boggling near perfection. Next, I asked ChatGPT to create a hero’s journey chart with student checkpoints along the way. Once again, in 20 seconds, there it was. In class, I’ve stuck with these materials mostly and, so far, so good.

    5. Clubbing—AI style

    Most recently, I’ve teamed up with a school librarian to create an extracurricular AI club. We’re not totally clear on our mission or our goals—we’re in the early days. But we do want students to understand what’s happening with AI and to be, if not prepared, at least thinking about AI and how it may impact not only their careers but their lives.

    As for that first challenge I presented—the one about AI being able to do any schoolwork—unfortunately, it proved true: AI can do pretty much any class assignment. And that made us all squirm. In fact, that feels scary. But that’s all the more reason to delve into AI. As Bill Gates said last spring, “You definitely want the good guys to have strong AI.” You don’t want only the “bad guys” to be using it, manipulating it to deceive or to swindle or to gain power or to wage war. That’s why we must keep talking about AI with our students. We can’t run away.

    Soon AI will be a common tool in myriad fields. That’s why we as educators need to help our students use it, become familiar with it, and think for themselves about its implications. Yes, it’s threatening. It’s also exciting. And it’s going to be their world.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Mary Martin, Ed.D., English Language Arts Teacher, Platte County High School

    Source link

  • Real Talk about AI

    Real Talk about AI

    [ad_1]

    As the hoopla surrounding emerging AI technologies and their impact on education endures, we need to get past whether or not to use ChatGPT—Pandora’s box is officially open—and focus instead on how best to use it. Despite OpenAI recently releasing a guide for ChatGPT in the classroom that demonstrates how teachers can use the large language model software to enhance learning, Zarek Dozda, director of UChicago’s Data Science 4 Everyone, does not think it goes as far as it should to address educators’ concerns about the growth of this emerging tech in classrooms.

    In this insightful conversation, Zarek breaks down several particulars he feels need to be addressed, including:

    • More research – OpenAI’s guidance focuses on anecdotal evidence of ChatGPT in classrooms but has little to say about best practices when using ChatGPT as an educational tool.
    • Focus on mechanics – Instead of highlighting education tactics that utilize ChatGPT, OpenAI should provide a more thorough explanation of large language models and how they work.
    • Training for teachers – The specific teachers mentioned in OpenAI’s guidance should be applauded for embracing emerging tech, but there needs to be greater resources for teachers just trying to keep up with AI.

    Data Science for Everyone is a coalition advancing data science education so that every K-12 student has the data literacy skills needed to succeed in our modern world. Equitable access to data science education is an opportunity to open doors to higher education, high-paying careers, and an engaged community. Created by the University of Chicago Center for RISC and organized in partnership with The Learning Agency and the Concord Consortium, the group supports a growing community that knows that the data revolution has transformed modern life and we need to prepare our students. 

    Other highlights from the conversation include:

    Responsibility in AI Usage: Zarek emphasizes the importance of instilling responsible and efficient AI usage in students, preparing them for a future where digital skills are integral to various careers.

    Changing Perceptions: The discussion challenges preconceived notions about AI, acknowledging shifts in attitudes among educators and students toward embracing technology as a valuable supplement to traditional teaching methods.

    Educator Empowerment: Teachers are encouraged to view AI as an opportunity for professional development, using tools like ChatGPT 4 to create lesson plans and assessments, fostering a collaborative approach to interdisciplinary solutions.

    Foundational Skills Remain Crucial: While AI tools advance, Zarek emphasizes the continued significance of foundational skills, asserting that students should still learn mathematics, coding, and critical thinking to understand and address AI-generated errors.

    Balanced Implementation: Zarek advocates for a measured approach to AI integration, steering clear of extremes such as outright bans or complete reliance on AI for educational planning. Instead, a gradual introduction with teacher guidance is recommended.

    Global Talent Race: The conversation concludes with a call for policymakers to recognize the urgency of upskilling educators, framing education as critical for future economic and international success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

    Kevin Hogan
    Latest posts by Kevin Hogan (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Kevin Hogan

    Source link

  • EdTech Leader Swivl Expands Its Toolset, Launching the Mirror

    EdTech Leader Swivl Expands Its Toolset, Launching the Mirror

    [ad_1]

    MENLO PARK, Calif. (Newswire.com) –  Swivl, a future-ready edtech company with a suite of reflective tools, announced today the addition of its newest tool, Mirror, an AI-enabled hardware and software platform that automates reflection and brings valuable metacognitive insights for educators. The Mirror aims to partner with teachers and help them develop the metacognition and even higher-order skills students need to thrive with AI.

    Reflection holds untapped potential to revolutionize education and prepare students for life in an AI-driven world. Automated reflection can help solve the intrinsic motivation challenge by fostering goal alignment on both individual and communal levels, expediting learning processes, and establishing fresh assessment benchmarks. The time of exclusively grading based on results is behind us; assessing reflection is now crucial for advancing education.

    In today’s classroom, there’s not enough time for students to accurately reflect and for teachers to obtain this data. According to a  study conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on average, American teachers only have three minutes per hour of instructional time to devote to activities that allow students to reflect on their learning. The Mirror makes it easier to apply reflection to more learning scenarios and will enable teachers to gather reflection insights quickly. 

    “After observing classrooms for more than a decade, we believe the implementation of AI into student learning must be done intentionally, and one of the biggest opportunities is in helping them reflect,” said Brian Lamb, CEO and co-founder of Swivl. “Reflection is incredibly powerful, but it has been left behind other edtech advances. Fortunately, the Mirror allows educators and students to easily and regularly reflect throughout the learning experience and develop skills, creating short-term and long-term benefits.”

    The Mirror requires minimal teacher setup and can serve as a self-service kiosk, enabling students to engage in reflection at their convenience. Teachers have the flexibility to define recording goals and arrange activities for both individuals and small groups. These simple or multi-step activities encompass a wide range of tools for recording skills, discussions, visual thinking, and even mindful breaks. The device, designed for versatility, is rugged and portable to accommodate various usage scenarios.

    “With the Mirror, teachers can spend less time setting up and gathering reflections and more time focusing on applying their insights,” continued Lamb. “This brings the benefit of a more goal-aligned classroom and develops stronger metacognitive skills than ever — an essential skill for thriving in an AI-driven world.”

    The Mirror is available today with expected delivery within 30 days. Swivl is kicking off the launch with The Innovator’s Program, a limited-time campaign for schools to partner with them on the software features that will be seamlessly delivered over the air with each month of use. As part of this partnership, participants can acquire the Mirror at a reduced cost and, in exchange, contribute a second Mirror to a school of their preference.

    For more information on Swivl and Mirror, visit  swivl.com/mirrorcampaign and view this video:  https://vimeo.com/880856866/21e3d80e2b.

    ABOUT SWIVL 

    Swivl is a future-ready edtech company with a suite of reflective tools. The company built its foundation in education with tools to support the development of classroom management skills. With over a decade of operation, Swivl has expanded to cover a full range of reflection applications for students and teachers.

    Source: Swivl

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • Evidence-Based Phonemic Awareness Program for Young Learners Unveiled by 95 Percent Group

    Evidence-Based Phonemic Awareness Program for Young Learners Unveiled by 95 Percent Group

    [ad_1]

    Lincolnshire, IL– 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for proven literacy solutions, unveiled 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite™, a comprehensive program for developing awareness of speech sounds for students grades K-1. Aligned with the latest research on phonemic awareness and part of the One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™, the new suite includes core and intervention lessons, intervention tools, assessments and teacher professional learning. 

    Building phonemic awareness means developing the understanding that spoken words are made up of specific sounds, called phonemes. The focus of phonemic awareness is on those sounds, but recent research reports that good phonemic awareness instruction makes the critical connection to the grapheme—letters or groups of letters—that represents the sound. The 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is a prime example of this research brought to life in the classroom.

    “Building a foundation in the ways that written words connect to spoken words begins with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness is essential for developing literacy skills and a strong predictor of reading success,” said Laura Stewart, Chief Academic Officer, 95 Percent Group. “Our new 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is grounded in the current research on phonemic awareness, providing teachers with an evidence-based, comprehensive program that will help young learners develop a foundation for becoming proficient readers.”

    95 Phonemic Awareness Suite gives teachers the full array of tools they need to help K-1 students master critical skills. At the core of the suite is 95 Pocket PA™, which provides teachers with lessons to develop students’ phonemic awareness in just 10 minutes per day. 95 Pocket PA includes 50 weeks of lessons for Tier 1 students, including digital presentation files and articulation videos. 

    Providing additional support for students in need of intervention (Tier 2), 95 Phonemic Awareness Intervention Resource™ (PAIR) is aligned with Pocket PA, supporting a seamless transition to intervention that is based in familiar routines and instructional dialogue. Intervention resources include a teacher’s guide, Kid Lips Cards, Sound Spelling Cards and a Student Manipulatives Kit.

    Teachers can pinpoint student skill gaps and differentiate instruction with 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite’s easy-to-administer assessment, 95 Phonemic Awareness Screener for Intervention™. Digital assessments are delivered over the new One95 Literacy Platform.

    In addition, the suite provides professional learning for teachers, equipping them with knowledge and best practices grounded in the latest research on phonological processing, phonology and phonetics; training on implementing the suite in the classroom; and a practice-informed, follow-up session on acting on assessment data. 

    “This is the phonemic awareness suite every school needs to help young learners grow into readers,” said Jennifer Harris, Chief Product Officer, 95 Percent Group. “It is intentionally designed to be easy-to-use, fun and engaging, comprehensive, and effective for all students including those with language variations.”

    For additional information on the new 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite, read this Q&A.

    About 95 Percent Group

    95 Percent Group is an education company whose mission is to build on science to empower teachers—supplying the knowledge, resources and support they need—to develop strong readers. Using an approach that is based in structured literacy, the company’s One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™ integrates professional learning and evidence-based literacy products into one cohesive system that supports consistent instructional routines across tiers and is proven and trusted to help students close skill gaps and read fluently. 95 Percent Group is also committed to advancing research, best practices, and thought leadership on the science of reading more broadly.

    For additional information on 95 Percent Group, visit: https://www.95percentgroup.com.

    eSchool News Staff
    Latest posts by eSchool News Staff (see all)

    [ad_2]

    ESchool News Staff

    Source link

  • Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs

    Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs

    [ad_1]


    How effectively can you explain yourself to others? Learn to embrace the healthy challenge of describing your beliefs to sharpen your thinking and worldview.


    This content is for Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime members only.
    Join Here

    The post Explain Yourself: The Healthy Challenge of Describing Your Beliefs appeared first on The Emotion Machine.

    [ad_2]

    Steven Handel

    Source link

  • Behind This Week’s Launch of TeacherIn

    Behind This Week’s Launch of TeacherIn

    [ad_1]

    Big news this week from ClassIn, a leader in blended, hybrid, and remote learning solutions, who announced what they describe as a first-of-its-kind platform—bringing curriculum and content discovery, management, editing, and distribution into its planning and instructional platform. Since TeacherIn’s beta went live at the beginning of the year, it has gained over 110,000 users globally, and more than 25,000 courses have been created. 

    The platform’s new content discovery marketplace will also manage and distribute licenses and offer copyright protection for publishers by using in-house developed audio-visual encoders to prevent infringement. I had the chance to chat with Ted Mo Chen, Vice President of globalization at ClassIn, before the announcement about the particulars. Click below to listen and scroll down for more details about the service from the company along with a few other takeaways from the conversation:

    Highlights from the conversation: 

    • Collaboration and Efficiency: “Teacher” encourages educators to collaborate, share, and modify course materials, fostering a sense of community among teachers to improve content quality and customization.
    • The Death of the Textbook—This time it’s for real!: Ted discussed the evolving landscape of education, emphasizing the shift away from traditional textbooks in favor of more dynamic, multimedia, and interactive teaching materials.
    • AI in Education: While the platform is not AI-focused at launch, the company plans to incorporate artificial intelligence in the future to help teachers recommend pedagogical strategies and enhance the delivery of educational content.
    • Adapting to the Educational Ecosystem: The company’s platform is designed to cater to the specific needs of teachers and educators, aiming to address the limitations of generic video conferencing and note-taking platforms in the education sector.

    More details from the release: 

    Built with collaborative curriculum and open publishing in mind, TeacherIn helps courseware creators collaborate to create high-quality materials by building upon each other’s curriculum in the cloud. While traditional document editors function on standalone files, courseware creators can now build an entire curriculum in ClassIn. 

    Over the past several years, educators and content providers have emphasized the benefits of digital curriculum over traditional instruction – citing flexibility, instruction personalization, better integration into LMS, the ability to measure curriculum usage, and cost savings. Yet, educators lack a platform to discover and manage their digital curriculum effectively. None of the many tools and platforms available to educators allowed them to complete simple functions, such as tracking versions, collaborating on edits, and clear visibility into updates.

    “ClassIn’s powerful platform manages so many elements of the teaching and learning process – from course planning to lesson planning to the delivery of engaging instruction to student assessment and class analytics, it made sense to add a platform for curriculum discovery and management,” said Sara Gu, Co-Founder, and COO at ClassIn. “Now educators, publishers, and instructional designers have a platform to create and manage all their digital curriculum that integrates seamlessly with the rest of ClassIn’s comprehensive suite of capabilities.”

    In an increasingly resource-constrained system, TeacherIn: 

    • Provides a consolidated curriculum and content discovery platform for educators 
    • Allows for easy course creation by district leaders and teachers 
    • Makes managing digital curriculum seamless—from licenses to edits to pushing the most updated versions to teachers—TeacherIn provides curriculum management that is cloud-based, collaborative, and easy for educators 
    • Provides publishers with valuable usage analytics and makes it easy to manage access licenses – ensuring no copyright issue
    • Provides monetization opportunities for educators and content creators who make their materials available for discovery and purchase 
    Kevin Hogan
    Latest posts by Kevin Hogan (see all)

    [ad_2]

    Kevin Hogan

    Source link