Erik Ofgang at Tech and Learning discusses how Sal Khan uses generative AI chatbots to explore questions about a topic. Kahn provide an example on how he used Khanmigo to understand why the death of a star would lead to an outward explosion:

“I would think it would collapse if you have all the fusion stopping,” Khan explained to the AI when prompted.

The AI told him he wasn’t wrong but asked several questions encouraging him to think more about that collapse and what collapsing entails. “Have you ever seen anything that falls quickly without bouncing?” The AI asked. Khan responded, “Oh, so are you telling me that it collapses so quickly that it essentially compresses the core and that it rebounds?”

The AI said, “Yes, that’s exactly what’s going on.”

Generative AI chatbots can provide a way for students to have a dialogue to explore their questions and misconceptions about a topic at their own pace. However, it is important for students to use education focused chatbots that allow teachers to monitor the students conversations. Also, students must learn to verify the information they receive from a chatbot against trusted sources.

MisinfoDay was established to educate high school students, educators, and librarians with media literacy skills to critically evaluate online content. Created by the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, the purpose of the annual March event is to help participants make well-informed judgments about the credibility of information found on the web.

The MisinfoDay page contains resources to help educators incorporate these ideas in their classroom. One of the lesson focuses on The Types of Misinformation:

This lesson, developed by CIP scholars and staff, helps students recognize false information when they see it by providing an introduction to mis- and disinformation, the difference between the two, and the seven types they may see on their social media feed.

Providing students and educators with media literacy skills will improve their capacity to assess the credibility of information available on the internet.

Courtney Holden at 5280 talks about the InsideU web app which helps students understand and manage their emotions:

The InsideU Social Emotional Learning App, a collaboration between the Crown Wellness Institute and Pixar Animation Studios, uses scenes from Inside Out to help kids better understand their feelings and recognize they have a choice in how they react to them. “The more we start to layer on these experiences that your emotions—even your big ones—are understandable and acceptable,” Hubley says, “the more we are laying down a foundation for mental health and wellness.”

InsideU is a free web app designed for elementary and middle school students that offers a range of interactive and engaging activities to students navigate their emotions effectively.

Lydia Croupe at TCEA Tech Notes curated resources from the TCEA 2024 Conference. The presenters from Duncanville ISD showcased how to generate content with generative AI tools and use Canva’s Bulk Create to effeciently create designs:

If you’re not familiar, Canva Bulk Create is a powerful tool that allows users to upload a CSV file containing data like text or images to automatically generate multiple design variations at once.

Teachers can use generative AI tools to create different types of content in a CSV format, including instructional content for classroom posters, tier 2 vocabulary from an article, or a list of questions about a topic. Then, teachers can import this content into Canva’s Bulk Create to design variations using the content.

The combination of generative AI tools and Canva’s Bulk Create can significantly boost productivity, enabling teachers to create consistent yet customized content quickly.

Greg Toppo at The 74 Million talks about how students are using artificial intelligence to create projects that showcase their talents and passions. Two of these students are Vinaya Sharma and Krishiv Thakuria. They are working on different AI projects that aim to make a positive impact on society.

One of the apps that Vinaya Sharma developed is an AI-powered chatbot to handle 911 calls:

The 911 app is still in search of customers, she said, but would be valuable especially in cases where multiple people are calling about the same emergency, such as a car crash. The AI would geolocate the calls and determine if callers were using similar words to describe what they saw. To those who balk at talking to a 911 chatbot, Sharma said the current system in Toronto is often backed up. “It’ll be 100% better than being put on hold and no one assisting you at all.”

Krishiv Thakuria founded Aceflow.org which is developing AI-powered learning tools:

The tools let users upload any class materials — study notes, a PDF of a textbook chapter or entire novel or even a teacher’s PowerPoint. From there they can create “an infinite set of practice questions” keyed to the course, Thakuria said. If students get stuck, they can click on an AI tutor customized to the material they uploaded.

One of the great benefits of AI is that it can help people create things faster and easier, even if they don’t know how to code in a specific language. AI can provide people with various tools and resources to turn their ideas into reality, without requiring them to learn complex syntax or logic.

Sarah Perez at Techcrunch talks about Common Sense Media’s evaluation of the opportunities, considerations, and limitations of popular AI tools:

In the mid-tier of Common Sense’s ratings, were AI chatbots like Google’s Bard (which just yesterday officially opened to teens), ChatGPT, and Toddle AI. The organization warned that bias may occur in these bots as well, particularly for users with “diverse backgrounds and dialects.” They could also produce inaccurate information — or AI hallucinations — and reinforce stereotypes. Common Sense warned that the false information AI produces could shape users’ worldviews and make it even more difficult to separate fact from fiction.

The only AI products to receive good reviews were Ello’s AI reading tutor and book delivery service, Khanmingo (from Khan Academy), and Kyron Learning’s AI tutor — all three being AI products designed for educational purposes. They’re less well-known than others. (And, as some kids may argue, less fun). Still, because the companies designed them with kids’ usage in mind, they tended to use responsible AI practices and focused on fairness, diverse representation, and kid-friendly design considerations. They also were more transparent about their data privacy policies.

If you’re thinking of using AI tools in your classroom, you might want to think twice. Some of these tools, like Google’s Bard and ChatGPT are not very reliable or fair. They may exhibit bias and produce inaccurate or misleading information, which could harm students’ critical thinking skills and cultural awareness. They may also generate false or inappropriate content, which could influence students’ beliefs and values in negative ways. These chatbots may not be transparent or accountable for their data collection and usage, which could compromise students’ privacy and security.

Jeffrey R. Young at EdSurge spoke with Peter Liljedahl who argues that traditional teaching methods often result in students mimicking what the teacher does without truly understanding the material:

By thinking, [Peter Liljedah] means actively engaging with the course material. The most problematic strategy that many students try instead, he argues, is what he calls “mimicking,” which he has especially found in the math classes he studies. These mimickers dutifully copy the problems presented in classes, but never grok the conceptual underpinnings, so they’re left able only to do problems that are nearly identical to what the teacher showed them.

These are the students who end up hitting a wall when math courses move from easier algebra to more advanced concepts in, say, calculus, he argues.

Liljedahl’s solution is to create a “thinking classroom” where students work in groups on challenging tasks at vertical whiteboards. He claims this approach has been shown to increase student engagement and thinking time by 80%.

Connie Hamilton at Cult of Pedagogy shares some simple changes that teachers can apply to enhance group work.

Create groups for different activities ahead of time, so that the groups are more aligned with the instructional goals of the learning activity.:

Try using Clock Partners to organize multiple pairings. Here’s how it works: Students make “appointments” with different peers at specific times. Then, when the teacher announces they should join their 3:00 partner, the pairings are already predetermined. Only you know that the 12 o’clock partner is a reading buddy, while the 6 o’clock partner considers how introverted or extraverted students are.

How to respond to student questions during a group activity:

During collaborative learning, the goal is for students to learn from and with one another — not you. Students already know you’re the safety net. Ideally, we provide other options — such as appropriate tools, access to a text, sufficient or additional time, and opportunity to collaborate — that help them persevere through productive struggle before asking you for help. So for goodness sake, don’t front load an invitation to seek you out at the first sign of difficulty by announcing, “If you need help, just raise your hand and I’ll come over.” Just think for a moment what this communicates and encourages.

Encourage students to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills to find the answers themselves:

One way to accomplish this is to respond to their question with a question that prompts reflection or metacognition (see examples above). Answering questions with a question bounces the responsibility off of you and back on to them.

Of course, what you say is as important as how you say it. Cynical or sarcastic tones, when posing questions, can break down your relationship with students. Be sure your questions are delivered in a positive and productive way that strives to encourage students to activate their empowerment.

Allow students to collaborate without interruption:

The gradual release of responsibility (GRR) is often referred to by its “I do, We Do, You Do” parts. Every time you approach a group and ask them how it’s going, you effectively jolt them from the “You Do” part into the “We Do” phase of GRR. Unless you have a need to abruptly stop their learning progress and have them repeat what they’ve already done or learned, don’t. Stay invisible by listening from a short distance to hear and observe how students are doing rather than interrupting them.

Group work is a powerful strategy to promote student learning, engagement, and social skills. However, it can also be challenging to implement effectively. These tips will help you make group work more productive and beneficial for you and your students.

Miguel Guhlin at TCEA Tech Notes Blog provides provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the GetMarked MCQ Converter and Text to Quiz Converter to convert quizzes between different platforms, such as Quizlet, Kahoot!, ClassQuiz, and Quizizz. Guhlin’s directions demonstrate how to:

1. Export and Convert from Quizlet
2. Import Quizlet to Kahoot!
3. Import Kahoot to ClassQuiz
4. Import Quizlet/Kahoot! to Quizizz
5. Import to Quizalize
6. Bonus Tool: The GetMarked Digitaliser

This can be a valuable tool for teachers who want to use different quiz platforms without having to recreate their quizzes from scratch.

Your Plan, Your Planet is a free, interactive, online tool that can be used to help students learn about sustainability and the kinds of changes they can make to help ensure a healthy planet today and tomorrow. The tool focuses on how we consume food, water, energy, and stuff.

Here are some ways that teachers can use Your Plan, Your Planet in the classroom:

• Use it as a starting point for a discussion about sustainability. The tool can help students to understand the impact of their everyday choices on the environment. Teachers can then lead a discussion about how students can make changes to their lifestyle to reduce their impact.
• Use it to assign individual or group projects. Students can use the tool to calculate their environmental impact and then develop a plan to reduce it. Teachers can then assign students to work together on projects to implement their plans.
• Use it to create a classroom challenge. Teachers can challenge students to see who can reduce their environmental impact the most. This can be a fun and competitive way to get students engaged in sustainability.
• Use it to connect with local businesses and organizations. Teachers can use the tool to find local businesses and organizations that are working on sustainability projects. Students can then contact these organizations to learn more about their work and how they can get involved.

By using Your Plan, Your Planet, teachers can help students to learn about sustainability and the importance of taking action to protect our planet. The tool can also help students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to make a positive social change.