Wow, I’ve jumped into BlueSky with both feet, and learned about #EduSky. It’s crazy to be joining yet another social network, but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get away from them. That’s because everyone I know appears on any one of the following:

• Mastodon
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Threads
• Instagram
• WhatsApp

And, now, I’m on BlueSky. My profile is mguhlin.bsky.social

Also, to join EduSky, I added my name to the EduSky spreadsheet via this form.. It certainly appears to be taking off.

Here’s a nice image Naomi Louise shared:

Starter Packs

Be sure to check out the available starter packs for BlueSky. It’s an easy way to get started. Want to see what’s getting posted on BlueSky live? Watch the FireSky page..

ClearSky To See What Lists You are On

As more of us join BlueSky, you can use a tool like ClearSky to find out what lists people are putting you on.

And, no, there’s no hope that I’ll abandon the other platforms for now. Just glad to be somewhere I can connect with EduPeeps again!

The Teaching and Learning with AI Summit took place last week, and I thought I’d share the link to all the videos via YouTube. I am working my way through the videos.

Watch and learn from these amazing folks!

They even offer an evaluation form that produces certificates of attendance.

Did You Know? Upcoming Event

TCEA will be hosting an AI for Educators Conference 2024. More information appears below:

Curious to know how schools and districts successfully implement artificial intelligence (AI) in educational settings? Eager to get real-world examples of how AI is personalizing learning, increasing student engagement, improving processes, increasing productivity, and more?

Discover how AI can benefit you at the AI for Educators Conference (AI for Edu)!

At AI for Edu, expert speakers will share insights, best practices, and success stories on how AI is transforming how we teach, learn, and conduct business.

Classroom teachers, librarians, instructional coaches! Find out how AI can enhance your students’ learning experience and save you time. CTOs, technology directors, administrators! Discover innovative ways to integrate AI safely into your school system. Marketing and communication professionals! Explore how AI can enhance your processes, messaging, and productivity.

Three Reasons to Attend AI for Edu:

Gain Comprehensive Understanding. Leave with knowledge of AI best practices and implementable ideas for harnessing powerful AI to transform education. Learn from Trusted Experts. Hear from experts in the field of educational technology, including classroom educators, technology leaders, and other education professionals. Position Yourself as a Thought Leader. Stay on top of the latest trends and advancements in AI and differentiate yourself from others! Set yourself up as a leader while providing the best education to students

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and expand your knowledge of the latest AI trends and strategies in education at AI for Edu. Register now to secure your spot in this must-attend virtual conference. All sessions will be recorded and available for attendees after the event.

Registration Fee: $149

Included with Registration: Free, one-year auto-renewing membership included 30-day access to all sessions (recorded) after the conference

Google makes announcement about Gemini AI available for purchase…I am curious how many schools have purchased AI via Google for their teachers and older than 18 students?

Announcement

Starting May 23rd, education institutions can add Gemini for Google Workspace to their existing Workspace for Education edition for users 18 years and older by purchasing one of the following add-ons:

Gemini Education is a lower price offering to help education institutions get started with generative AI in Workspace, with a monthly usage limit. Through the Admin console, Admins can learn more about how people in their domain are trending towards their usage limits.

Gemini Education Premium includes everything in Gemini Education, plus additional advanced features like AI-powered note taking and summaries in Meet, AI-enhanced data loss prevention and more coming soon. This add-on provides full access and usage of generative AI tools in Workspace. via Google

Listen to Matt Garcia, MakerMaven.net

At the TCEA Elementary Technology Conference, I had the chance to visit the Exhibit Hall and chat with Matt Garcia from MakerMaven.net. He shared a little about MakerMaven.net. The booth was full of exciting STEM friendly resources.

Lots of great visuals in this report. Be sure to view the PDF linked below.

About the Report

The report from the Walton Family Foundation highlights the results of a survey that explores the perspectives of teachers on the potential of AI to enhance classroom creativity and support learning.

Read the full results via this PDF document link.

Key Findings

• Teacher Familiarity with AI: The survey shows a significant increase in teacher familiarity with AI tools, particularly ChatGPT. In just over a year, the percentage of teachers familiar with ChatGPT rose from 55% to 79%.

Consider signing teachers up for TCEA’s inexpensive (<$45) course on ChatGPT for Educators or Artificial Intelligence Educator.

• Weekly Use of ChatGPT: Approximately half of U.S. teachers and K-12 students use ChatGPT on a weekly basis, indicating a rapid adoption of AI in education.

• Positive Views on AI: The majority of teachers (59%) and students (70%) hold positive views on AI, with many seeing its potential to boost creativity and support learning.

• Uses of AI in Education: Teachers are using AI for various purposes, including generating ideas for classes, lesson plans, student worksheets, and creating quizzes or tests. AI is also being used to help with literacy and math achievement, which are at their lowest levels in two decades.

• Training and Support: Despite the growing adoption, only 25% of teachers reported receiving training on AI chatbots, and a significant number (32%) cited lack of training as a major reason for not using AI.

• Equity and Access: The survey suggests that AI adoption is more prevalent among minority groups, with Black and Hispanic parents expressing greater support for AI use in schools.

• Concerns and Challenges: While AI is seen as a valuable tool, concerns about its impact on cheating and the need for careful consideration of its implementation remain.

Overall, the report indicates that AI is gaining popularity in education, with teachers and students embracing its potential to enhance learning and creativity. However, it also underscores the need for proper training and support to ensure effective integration of AI in the classroom.

Reflection Question: Should schools be striving to integrate AI into the classroom or not? Share your thoughts via email and see them reposted here with a response. Email me at mguhlin@gmail.com.

Tools Available

via Amanda Bickerstaff

🚀 Is your district ready for AI? Discover how TCEA can help with AI implementation and ensure your staff and students harness its full potential.

Learn more:

This has some intriguing ideas and visuals worth exploring regarding AI:

…a framework, “Stop Grading Essays, Start Grading Chats” © includes preparation activities to kickstart student thinking before AI use, mechanisms for developing AI Literacy, evaluation windows for assessing content-specific understandings within the context of AI usage, and a reflective assessment that stresses the importance of critically reviewing AI-generated content.

via Mike Kentz

A Diagram

This diagram was me playing around with an outline (see below) of Kentz' work. It’s NOT the infographics or diagrams he put together, which you will want to see on his website. No, this diagram was me playing around with Mermaid code. Too much fun!

AI Summary

Here is an outline summarizing the content from the provided source:

A New Assessment Design Framework

1. Introduction

   • Overview of the need for a new assessment design framework.
   • Contextual background on current assessment practices.

2. Core Principles

   • Validity: Ensuring assessments measure what they are intended to.
   • Reliability: Consistency of assessment results over time.
   • Fairness: Equal opportunity for all test-takers.
   • Practicality: Feasibility of implementation in various educational settings.

3. Framework Components

   • Learning Objectives: Clear, measurable goals for student learning.
   • Assessment Methods: Diverse approaches to evaluate student performance.
     • Formative Assessments
     • Summative Assessments
     • Performance-Based Assessments
   • Scoring and Feedback: Strategies for providing meaningful feedback.
   • Data Use: Utilizing assessment data to inform instruction and improve learning outcomes.

4. Implementation Strategies

   • Professional Development: Training educators on effective assessment design.
   • Collaboration: Encouraging teamwork among educators to develop and refine assessments.
   • Technology Integration: Leveraging digital tools to enhance assessment practices.

5. Challenges and Solutions

   • Resource Constraints: Addressing limitations in time, funding, and materials.
   • Resistance to Change: Overcoming reluctance to adopt new methods.
   • Equity Issues: Ensuring assessments are accessible to all students.

6. Conclusion

   • Recap of the importance of a robust assessment design framework.
   • Call to action for educators and policymakers to embrace and implement the new framework.

Sources [1] https://mikekentz.substack.com/p/a-new-assessment-design-framework

ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT built for universities to responsibly deploy AI to students, faculty, researchers, and campus operations. Powered by GPT-4o, ChatGPT Edu can reason across text and vision and use advanced tools such as data analysis. This new offering includes enterprise-level security and controls and is affordable for educational institutions.

via OpenAI

📚 What is Blended Learning? It’s a mix of online and in-person activities, giving students control over their learning. Become a Blended Learning expert with our course and accelerate your teaching!

👉 tcea.org/courses/blended-learning/

🎉 Boost engagement with our Bitmoji Educator course! Learn to create a Bitmoji classroom that enhances student learning and builds community. Perfect for virtual and face-to-face teaching!

👉 tcea.org/courses/bitmoji-educator/

🔧 Enhance your feedback skills with our ‘Assessment-Based Feedback Tools’ course! Discover digital tools and strategies that improve feedback, retrieval practice, and more. Maximize your impact with high-effect size techniques!

👉 tcea.org/courses/assessment-based/

🚀 Embark on a 12-hour journey with the ‘AI Educator’ course! Tailored for K-16 educators, learn to integrate AI into classrooms and enhance teaching practices. Join us in revolutionizing education with AI!

👉 tcea.org/courses/artificial-intelligence-educator/

🎥 Elevate your virtual teaching skills! Join our course to learn how to deliver engaging, high-quality content just like top streamers. 🌟 Enhance your students' digital experience.

👉 Register now

Thanks to a colleague for introducing me to Dave Birss' StoryDice. Check it out at https://davebirss.com/storydice/

Now the classic story ideas generator is available for free in your browser. In this version there’s over 50 options for each dice – with more options being added as I get around to drawing them.

As well as being a fun diversion for parents and kids, this is also a handy tool for writers looking for inspiration to create their own story ideas. As a creative exercise, it’s a brilliant way of giving your imagination a workout. And because your imagination is where your ideas come from, that’s a great mental muscle to flex. The more practice you put into turning the prompts into stories, the better you will get at storytelling and articulating your own ideas.

The tool below is fully functional but if you want a stand-alone version, just click on the button at the bottom of the page. (It may look a bit crushed on a smartphone screen. If that’s the case, scroll down and click that button when you’re ready.)

Are you sitting comfortably? Let’s begin…

Read the TCEA blog entry by Diana Benner, Spark Creativity in the Classroom with StoryDice

🚀 Stay updated with the latest in engineering, tech, and science! Subscribe to Six STEM Tweets for top insights delivered to your inbox. Curated by Harshal Chhaya.

👉 sixstemtweets.beehiiv.com

A brief overview of Microsoft and Khanmigo announcements, “Enhancing the future of education with Khan Academy” on the Microsoft Education Blog appears below.

Get Free Access U.S. Teachers

AI Summary of Article

• Microsoft and Khan Academy have announced a new partnership to enhance the role of AI in education.
• Microsoft is enabling Khan Academy to provide free access to Khanmigo for Teachers to all US educators.
• The partnership includes efforts to improve AI-powered math tutoring with a new open-source small language model.
• The collaboration aims to bring high-quality education experiences to more learners by integrating more Khan Academy content into Microsoft products like Copilot and Microsoft Teams for Education.
• The partnership aims to address challenges such as accuracy, overreliance, cost, connectivity, efficacy, and support for educators.
• Khan Academy’s content library covers a wide range of subjects from PreK-12 through early college.
• Khan Academy has added a new “Share to Teams” feature in its platform to enable easy sharing and application of Khan Academy content in student assignments.
• Khanmigo for Teachers is powered by Azure OpenAI Service and is currently available in the US.

Not sure how I missed this OpenAI Teaching with AI Guide:

…a guide for teachers using ChatGPT in their classroom—including suggested prompts, an explanation of how ChatGPT works and its limitations, the efficacy of AI detectors, and bias.

You can find additional resources here.

This post has been updated and moved. Find it online at

https://mglinks.org/ai/

Thanks for visiting!

How interesting to discover this resource for Image Accessibility tool from Arizona State University. It appears to be an AI-powered tool to generating alt text, etc.

Enhance the accessibility of your course images with our intuitive tool. Designed to effortlessly generate alt text and detailed descriptions, as well as extract text from slides and images that are not accessible, our tool simplifies the creation of inclusive content. Just upload your image and hit ‘Create Image Details.’ Within seconds, you’ll see the generated content appear on the right side of the screen. Need to tailor the descriptions further? Easily add more specifics with the ‘Add Details’ option and generate updated descriptions to perfectly meet your needs.

This tool currently utilizes the GPT-4 vision model provided by OpenAI. We are using their API platform, which ensures the data sent is not retained or stored to improve their training or models.

Learn more

I hadn’t seen this copyright and creativity website. It offers free curriculum for elementary, middle, high school students, as well as professional development resources for teachers. Nice!

More from their about page:

These materials aim to provide accessible and practical information about copyright – its protections, its limitations, and its role in encouraging creativity. Rather than just emphasizing what copyright prohibits, the goal here is to offer useful and positive information about what copyright allows and how students can successfully navigate and rely on copyright in their own roles as creators. It is important to note that these materials focus on copyright in the United States.

Read more

PERPLEXITY FOR EDUCATORS

Educators save hours with AI Search How will AI change education? Start our free AI Search for Educators course: seven bite-sized lessons delivered over email and designed for busy teachers like you.

Read more

A New South Wales AI app NSWEduChat, adapted from ChatGPT, is being deployed:

NSWEduChat, designed by the state’s Department of Education, is modelled on ChatGPT but built specifically for the state’s curriculum. Students have access to one interface, while teachers have their own version of the tool which they can use to direct classroom content.

Unlike ChatGPT, the app has been designed to only respond to questions that relate to schooling and education, via content-filtering and topic restriction.

Read more via Caitlin Cassady’s The Guardian article

The source of the content below is an email received on 05/01/2024 at approximately 10:12 AM (CST):

Anthropic makes an announcement:

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of the Claude iOS app, bringing the power of Claude to your iPhone—and the launch of our Team plan, making it easier to use Claude as part of a team.

Claude iOS app

With the launch of the Claude iOS app, you can access Claude from anywhere, any time.

The Claude iOS app features:

• Seamless syncing with web chats: Pick up where you left off on a new device.
• Vision capabilities: Use photos from your library, take new photos, or upload files to get real time image analysis.
• Open access: Users on any plan can download the Claude app free of charge.

Whether you’re brainstorming ideas on the go, need a quick answer on a pressing question, or want to analyze scenes and images from the real world, our new iOS app puts the power of frontier intelligence in your back pocket.

To download the iOS app, find us on the Apple App Store.

Claude for your team

Our new Team plan is designed for ambitious teams that want to collaborate with Claude on deep work, expert research, and tasks of every size.

The Team plan includes:

• Increased usage: More usage per user than the Pro plan, so every teammate can get what they need from Claude
• Access to the Claude 3 model family: Use Opus, Sonnet, or Haiku. There’s a model for every business need.
• 200K context window: Room to process long documents, discuss complex topics, and maintain multi-step conversations.
• Admin tools and billing management: Manage access and billing in a centralized place.
• Everything in Pro: Priority access during high-traffic periods, early access to new features, greater usage rates, and more.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing collaboration features, which include citations from reliable sources to verify AI generated claims, integrations with data repositories like codebases or CRMs, and iterating with colleagues on AI-generated documents or projects—all while maintaining the highest standards of security and safety.

The Team plan is $30 per user per month, with a minimum of 5 seats. To get started with the Team plan, sign up on claude.ai.

Warmly, The Anthropic team

Check out Michigan Virtual’s K-12 AI Literacy: Forging Ahead video. Their goal is to get more folks aware of AI technology in schools and AI’s impact.

This webinar provides an overview of the impact that AI technologies are having in K-12 education, highlighting the critical need to build AI literacy skills with educators and students across the state of Michigan. Presenters will also provide an in-depth look at how a number of schools and organizations are implementing curricula, programs, and training initiatives to cultivate AI literacy among students and educators in partnership with Michigan Virtual, a statewide nonprofit supporting innovation in K-12 education.

Check it out!

Since it’s brand new and you may be unaware, TCEA has launched a Technology Applications:TEKS for K-2 teachers course that may meet your needs. This course provides a safe space for teachers in K-2 to explore the new TA:TEKS. In time, TCEA will set up additional courses for other grade levels.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Since I know you’re curious, courses are $39^ each for less than 10 participants. With 10 or more participants, the course cost drops to $34 per participant per course. Participants earn a

• digital badge,
• digital certificate (emailed upon completion), and
• 12 hours of CPE credit.

^Note: Pricing will go up August 1 from $39 to $44 for individual course purchases where there are less than 10 courses purchased simultaneously. Be sure to purchase any courses before August 1, 2024 to get in on the $39 pricing.

What’s more, they get access to the course for one year from the date of enrollment. And, if they aren’t already TCEA members, the cost of membership is included so they can join the TCEA Community, access free webinars/livestreams TCEA offers.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

Be sure to check the TCEA Courses website at https://tcea.org/courses for more information.

Smartphone apps that can help you track appear in this blog entry…Be sure to check out these resources to prepare yourself and your students for upcoming solar eclipses.

Prepare some lessons and activities to build up the excitement, take safety precautions, and use apps to keep you oriented to the right location for the event near you.

via TCEA blog

Today, I had the chance to sit in on Learning.com’s TA:TEKS webinar through TCEA. The speaker was Susan Thillen.

Some of my takeaways:

• TechApps for Texas resources (tons of them!) organized by grade, learning standard, and category
• Some of the topics include Online Safety and Digital Citizenship, among many others
• Resources include presentation resources for teachers, standards, and sample lessons by grade level
• Gamified student interface with engaging content is available (very colorful)
• Students have options for reflecting
• Lessons and Resources in Spanish are available

Wow, this is a pretty comprehensive resource.

Learn more

An announcement from Wakelet may be of interest:

From June 3rd - June 8th, we’re bringing the educator community together for an online conference like no other. We will be inviting the brightest, most creative educators on the planet on a week-long journey to uncover the future of education. Sessions, keynotes, giveaways, and networking are just a few of the incredible things headed your way.

As a special treat for our early birds, the first 500 registrants will receive some exclusive Wakelet Community Week swag to get you geared up and ready for a breathtaking voyage through time and space.

Register for Wakelet Community Week 2024

Watch the teaser video

Editing your images with DALL·E You can now edit images you create with DALL·E The DALL·E editor interface enables you to edit images by selecting an area of the image to edit and describing your changes in chat. You can also provide a prompt with your desired edit in the conversation panel, without using the selection tool.

Read more

Yikes!

Recent research conducted by Internet Safety Labs, a nonprofit that advocates for software safety, concluded that 78% of required or recommended school apps were “very high risk” in terms of privacy, and 79% of the apps collected student location data. The research looked at 663 U.S. schools and analyzed 1,357 commonly required or recommended school apps.

Read more

Upcoming event via Ontario Tech some may be interested in paying for. Pricing is $30 if you pay before April 21st.

About the event

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shape future classrooms. This fully online conference is for K-12 educators and administrators who want to lead the way. We will focus 5 key areas areas: AI Literacy, AI Tools, Ethical Issues, Key Subject Areas, and Teaching and Learning. Start your journey in becoming an leader in AI in Education.

Dates

• Mon Apr 29th to Thurs May Ist
• Three time slots: 6 p,m, 7p.m and 8 p.m (EST)

Cost

• Students: $25
• Before April 21st: $30
• April 21st on: $50

Benefits

• Over 25 online workshops
• Certificate of participation (after attending 4 or more sessions)
• Conference e-book full of practical suggestions and insight from each workshop

Key Areas of Focus (K-12)

Our workshop guides will provide diverse insight into a wide range of topics including

• AI Literacy: Starting out *** AI & Key Subject Areas:** ECE. English, Mathematics and Visual Arts
• AI & Ethical Issues: Cheating, Culture, Deepfakes, Privacy, Influence on Women,
• AI Tools: Canva AI, Chatbots, ChatGTP, MagicSchool
• AI & Learning: Engagement, Neurodiversity, Personalized Feedback, UDL