Teaching in reality is very different than many of us envision it beforehand. It’s also harder than is depicted in movies and television.

That said, I find that those new to teaching often need a reminder that they are not alone in facing difficulties inspiring students, preparing classes, responding to inappropriate AI use, and much more. I still struggle with all this, and I’ve been teaching for more than a decade.

What I find actually helps is talking with other educators. I make a point of trying to share my struggles honestly and openly with other educators, especially new ones as they, in particular, typically need reminders of this.

So if you will be stepping into a classroom for the first time soon, here are some things I remind myself of and which may be helpful for you as well.

1. Not Every Idea You Have Will Work

Most teachers, especially when starting out, have constant innovative ideas for improving their lessons and classes. These ideas are impassioned and are really and truly great ideas—the problem is that students don’t always recognize their brilliance.! Or at least I’ve found It’s common for well-thought-out lesson plans to fall flat with students due to a variety of factors that are beyond my control.

This realization is a bummer when it happens, but it will happen, and more than many teachers will admit. Just realizing that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this helped me when I started.

2. There’s Such a Thing As Overpreparation

Teachers tend to be people who pride themselves in preparation. This is generally a good thing, but new teachers have a tendency to lean too much into this and can easily burn a lot of time painstakingly crafting lesson plans and overstuffed slides.

At best, this is just more work than necessary, but it can also actually hurt by eliminating the chance of spontaneity. Underpreparing isn’t good, either, but I learned fast that just because I spent my whole weekend preparing a lecture didn’t mean it would be good. In fact, I find that often spending less time on preparation allows me more time to focus on other teaching-related tasks and ultimately be more present for my students.

In other words, follow the old advice: work smarter, not harder.

3. You Will Encounter More AI Than You Think

Everyone knows about AI and has gotten used to spotting computer-generated slop on social media, but there’s still nothing quite like reading student emails or papers for the first time and realizing that these are AI-generated.

As a teacher, you are going to see this more often than you expect and in many cases, in the absence of clear institutional guidelines, you will have to determine how to handle AI misuse on your own. I’ve written about various approaches, but no approach of which I am aware is perfect, so be prepared to be flexible in your response to AI.

You also have to accept that teaching in the age of AI adds a layer of complication that wasn’t present years ago. Of course, there are many educators who find that using it can help save time in class prep and other areas of teaching, so for some, AI takes but also gives.

4. Good Teachers Question If They Are Good Teachers

Every good teacher I’ve ever met has one thing in common: they worry if they are doing a good job. This is because good teachers care, and the more you care, the more you feel like there’s more you can do. So those worries that you blew it or should be doing more are actually a sign that you’re doing the right thing by continuing to strive to do better for your students.

On the other hand, I’ve found that teachers who are overly confident often have blind spots. These folks give feedback that is less helpful than they think it is, and their “fixes” for AI misuse and other problems don’t actually work, but they’re too arrogant to see it.

Ultimately, if you feel some doubts creeping into what you’re doing here and there, that’s a good sign. You can start worrying when you feel like you have all the answers!

Melissa Jacobs, the director of library services for NYC Public Schools, has recently noticed a somewhat unsettling trend in education.

More and more of the professional writing materials she sees from her educator peers seem to be written by AI.

“I think newsletters are more AI-driven. I think evaluations and summaries and narratives and things that used to be the individual creating are now being driven by AI,” she tells me recently.

I’ve noticed the same thing in my communications with students and, in some cases, from peers. I recently wrote about how, at the start of 2026, I started suspecting students were writing me AI-generated emails. Jacobs began noticing this uptick in AI use by educators over the past six months.

We discuss this growing and little-talked-about problem in education, and what can be done about it.

Using AI Doesn’t Always Make Things Easier

One area Jacobs has seen a big uptick in AI-style writing is on grant applications she oversees.

“The answers to the questions for a large majority of them appear to be very AI-driven, rather than, ‘This is my own thought, my own belief, my own answer to this question,’” Jacobs says.

Educators looking for a grant shouldn’t be outsourcing the grant-writing process to AI for many reasons, but one is that it does the opposite of making your grant application stand out.

Additionally, the application process is designed to help grant recipients succeed once they receive a grant. Part of that, Jacobs explains, is to help applicants plan out the program for which they will use the grant.

“If they're not doing the work in the beginning, then they're not going to be successful running the program if they do receive the funding,” Jacobs says. “They're missing out on a big component of it. We're asking questions not as busywork, but as a thought process.”

AI Shouldn’t Replace Thinking

In the AI era, it has become a cliché that AI shouldn’t be used to outsource thinking, but Jacobs believes some educators may need a reminder of that.

“I’m not saying it's not a good tool to use, but I am encouraging original thinking,” Jacobs says. She adds that some educators are using AI in just the way we try and discourage students from using it. “They're not using it as someone that they're editing with, but they're like, ‘Oh, okay, it's done. I'm just going to cut and paste this here.’”

She adds this approach can be seen in the quality of work they submit. “Their voice is not consistent across all of their work, if you're looking at multiple pieces, and I think that they’re not putting the effort into it.”

Like we constantly tell students, it may be okay to use AI in certain instances to help you figure out how to write, but you shouldn't use it to write for you.

We Need AI Work Culture Norms in Education And Beyond

Jacobs says that right now the use of AI by adults who are professionals can create awkward situations. She notes that it’s hard to provide feedback to someone who didn’t create the work that you're critiquing.

These are the kind of discussions and challenges educators have been navigating with their students since the debut of ChatGPT, but now are becoming more common among educators themselves. Jacobs wants to see this issue get more discussion, and for more workplace cultural norms to develop around AI use.

In the meantime, she believes educational leaders can look to the playbooks they developed around AI use and students.

“There has been a lot of focused attention on teaching students how to use AI effectively, but there has not been a lot of focus on how to use it effectively with colleagues,” Jacobs says. She adds that it might be time to change that.

In today’s world, social media gas-lighting and primal cynics deceptively pull power from others, making us wonder how students can wade through the weeds and come out successful on the other end.

This challenge can and should matter to educators and parents. Here’s how to change the dynamic of the people who try to take others down, especially children . . . .

Remember in middle school the looks, the whispers, and the low expectations that hung over you like a fog? As a kid, this makes us feel vulnerable.

One approach we can teach kids enables them to transform those low expectations into a great advantage. The Pygmalion effect study demonstrates evidence that when educators maintain high expectations, students internalize that belief and rise to meet it.

Consider how doubters and shouters play: they link an external locus of control, blaming outside forces. We see this online everywhere–they shout at others and feel empowered by blaming everything, and everyone else.

We can help children exposed to this with time-tested evidence of how to take back control, and more importantly, to thrive. It is a philosophy that when properly taught can shift self-fulfilling prophecy and silence the doubters.

The Power of Proximity

I wrote about this in a post recently when second guessing reminded me of what works for learners:

“When a doubter is in the room, I sit close by. When they make a frown, I smile. And when they try to intimidate me, I sit even closer.”

It is human nature when faced with a critic or bully, our primal instincts are to fight, flight or freeze. We want to put as much distance as possible between us and the person who makes us feel small. This is also the exact opposite way to thrive as a learner.

The message we can teach children must be that when they shy away from a doubter, they validate the doubter's power over us. We signal that their opinion matters enough to influence us. But when you pull up a chair and sit right next to them, you start to disrupt the dynamic. You show them that you are comfortable in your own skin, regardless of what they think, and more importantly what you think.

An example of how I teach children this is like when my own daughters asked me, “In a room with two difficult people, who do you sit next to?” My answer: “Whoever is most difficult.”

This isn’t about confrontation. It’s about presence, and occupying space in which the doubter thinks you don’t belong. When they frown and you smile back, you aren’t just modeling ethical behavior, you are refusing to let their negative energy dictate your right to be present and be you. Students who learn this skill are maintaining their zone of indifference to toxicity while preserving their dignity and well-being.

The Element of Surprise

I was a special educator. When I got to teach children that there is an advantage to being underestimated, I would demonstrate to them how they have a surprising advantage. Doubters think they are better. This is the nexus where the element of surprise thrives: when I outwork them and don’t blame setbacks on something else, I catch them completely off guard. You can imagine how deeply satisfying this is.

When others expect a child to be inferior, they aren’t prepared for the hard-working underdog. What perpetuates this advantage is when they refuse to blame external sources, such as we see so often happens on social media today. Instead, they accept the hand of cards they were dealt, and work hard within their incredible potential–and every child, every underdog has incredible potential.

David vs Goliath

When students learn to develop compensation strategies—such as unconventional problem-solving or sheer persistence—a competitive edge over those with traditional advantages is often overlooked. It offers a wonderful, unseen opportunity for the underdog, and feels tremendously empowering..

Students with learning challenges navigate their gaps, showing how they use specific compensatory supports to succeed. These strategies include meta-cognition, self-advocacy, and individualized planning to overcome low institutional expectations.

Struggles faced by students, such as David against Goliath, provide for resilience and unconventional strengths that serve as a hidden advantage against challenges. So a weakness becomes a strength.

When the doubter assumes they are better, they get complacent. Meanwhile, the student who harnesses internal locus of control is in the trenches, grinding. They are stacking up micro-wins—small, consistent victories that are subtle, until they compound into something undeniable. When students become so good they can’t ignore you, they feel a deep sense of appreciation and the victories keep piling up. This is a perpetual cycle we want children to be situated in, not all the time, but enough to want more.

Students discover that while doubters are busy looking down on them, they are busy outworking them. The student who embraces their internal locus of control isn’t wasting energy complaining about the unfairness of the situation or blaming a lack of resources. They are simply doing the work.

A Message to the Kids

To the students, the kids, and anyone currently feeling the weight of someone else’s doubt: Lean hard into that advantage.

Don’t try to argue them out of their opinion. Don't waste your time (and remember it is YOUR time) defending yourself. Let them doubt. Let them think you’re out of your league. It only makes it easier for you to blindside them with your success later.

While doubters run their race, students who learn this are running their own race based on outworking them. They are looking at you; you are looking at the finish line. Students transform their doubters into the ultimate fuel and prove that the greatest victory comes from turning that negative energy into positive motivation.

Smile at them. Sit close. And get back to work.

Major tech companies are betting quantum computers will be the next big technological breakthrough. Quantum computers take advantage of the famously strange laws of quantum mechanics, which explain the universe at the smallest levels.

If quantum computing is perfected, it could boost current computing capabilities in profound ways. Google, IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia, and other major tech companies are investing heavily in the emerging field, and if the technology proves even partially as powerful as some believe it will be, quantum computers will have profound impacts on AI, medicine, industry, and, of course, education.

For teachers looking to keep themselves and their students up-to-date on the latest and greatest tech news, learning about quantum computing is an engaging idea. Be warned, however: Quantum computers are dizzyingly complex and rely on difficult-to-understand equations and far-out concepts from physics.

I’ve recently become fascinated by quantum computers on a personal level because of what these potentially tells us about the nature of our reality. Here are some resources I’ve found that have helped me better understand the technology, and could also help fellow educators and their students.

1. A Quantum Computer Primer From Tech & Learning

Early this year, I interviewed Lance Key about quantum computers. Key is a technology guru, educator, and support specialist at the Putnam County School System in Cookeville, Tennessee. Key discussed the basics of what educators should know about this exciting new technology. Reading this short article will give you a quick idea on many basic aspects, including the difference between qubits—quantum bits—that quantum computers run on, and the traditional bits that power classical computers.

2. A Chance To Try Quantum Computing For Free

More advanced coding students might be interested in working with existing quantum computers directly. IBM’s quantum platform allows free access to quantum computers through the cloud as well as tutorials in quantum computing programming. Exploring these resources could be a wonderful opportunity for serious computer science students to start learning the basics behind what could be next computer revolution.

3. A Helpful YouTube Series

If the previous option sounded a little too intimidating, IBM also has a helpful series on YouTube that covers everything from the basics of quantum computing to more advanced quantum concepts. Many videos are led by physicist and IBM scientist Olivia Lanes, who has a gift for breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand examples.

For educators in the greater New York area, IBM also sometimes offers class tours of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., which is home to some of IBM’s most advanced quantum computers. I’ve had the opportunity to take a tour of the facility and it’s a fascinating window into what may be the future of computing.

4. A Free Quantum Computing Course

Google is another tech giant going all in on the quantum computing revolution. They also offer many resources for learning more, including Hands-on Quantum Error Correction with Google Quantum AI, a free Coursera course. The one-module course is designed to take about three weeks to complete, at 10 hours per week, and is aimed at an undergraduate student or researcher looking to learn the basics of how some of the challenges in the emerging field of quantum computing are being solved.

5. David Deutsch’s Writing

For educators and students more interested in the scientific theories behind quantum computers than the nuts and bolts of actually running one, there is arguably no better source than David Deutsch’s The Fabric of Reality. Often referred to as "the father of quantum computing," Deutsch is an Oxford physicist who developed one of the founding equations of quantum computing. While the book only focuses briefly on quantum computing, it gives a detailed overview of why he believes the multiverse is real and how it can explain why quantum computing works. While not everyone agrees with Deutsch, his ideas are not dismissed out of hand in the scientific community, and he’s a fascinating and influential figure in both physics and quantum computing

• Teaching Quantum Mechanics In K-12
• 4 Education Tools That Seem Straight Out of Science Fiction

LogicBalls is an AI tool designed to help users with a variety of writing tasks by offering specific templates for different writing needs. These include class-wide emails, newsletters, text messages, blog headlines, and much more.

LogicBalls also comes equipped with a humanizing option, to make the text sound less AI. At the opposite end of the spectrum, it offers an AI detection tool.

Overall, LogicBalls is a platform that recognizes that various situations call for widely different writing styles, and seeks to provide a specific AI solution for each one.

As a journalist writing about AI, I find LogicBalls helpful and a nice change of pace from general-purpose chatbots that can sometimes only do what you want if you’re really good at writing prompts. As an educator, however, I’m concerned about one of the tool's implicit purposes: to better imitate human writing in a variety of settings.

Putting those important concerns aside for the moment, here’s a look at ways in which LogicBalls can help educators cut back on the daily minutiae of their teaching lives and focus on students.

What Is LogicBalls?

LogicBalls is an AI tool designed to provide AI assistance on a wide variety of tasks.

At first glance, LogicBalls operates much like any other chatbot with a text interface in which you write questions or prompts. But what sets it apart are the templates it provides for various writing tasks, and that you can search through specific education tools/templates to generate assistance in class prep and more.

Specific templates for education include an SAT practice test generator, a lesson plan generator, a grade level rephrasing tool, and much more. Administrative-focused tools are also available, from a report card comment generator to a college event proposal generator.

You can also access LogicBalls' AI detection tool, which seemed effective in my tests with it, although as LogicBalls itself notes when you use it, no AI detection tool is perfect.

What Are LogicBalls Best Teaching Features?

LogicBalls AI's most appealing features from a teaching perspective are its library of specifically prompted tools for teaching. These are helpful with various common tasks such as lesson planning, quiz generation, etc., but browsing the education-specific tools can also be helpful in coming up with new ways to use AI to teach.

For instance, I came across a class icebreaker generator and decided to test it out. Initially, I was skeptical that it would actually generate good ideas for ice-breaking exercises, but it exceeded my expectations. One was for students to generate a headline about themselves that summarizes their personality, while another was a fake news detection challenge in which students share three facts about themselves, two true ones and one made-up; the class then tries to guess which “fact” is false.

Neither idea is revolutionary, but both sounded fun, newswriting-related exercises I could engage in with my journalism classes in the future.

How Much Does LogicBalls Cost?

LogicBalls has a free plan that requires a login, and offers access to a chatbot and more than 2,000 AI tools and templates. It also comes with five AI detections per month and access to several different AI models.

LogicBalls also offers several different tiers of subscription, starting with the Pro plan which is $5 per month, a premium plan for $8.25 per month, and the elite plan for $11.65 per month.

Bottom Line: Would I Use LogicBalls To Teach?

I’m torn about LogicBalls, and this type of technology in general. It performs admirably as advertised and can do a number of tasks that teachers could need AI help with really well. In an increasingly crowded AI field, LogicBalls feels unique.

However, as I mentioned at the start of this article, there’s something inherently unsettling about a tool designed, in part, to imitate human writing. It doesn’t take a lot of pessimism to see how a tool doing that can be used by students to cheat.

On a deeper level, I’m also concerned about this kind of technology as a human. Outside of teaching, I’m encountering more social media posts, stories, and even emails that I suspect have been generated in part, or in full, by AI. This makes me worry that we’re heading for an age of inauthenticity and that effective AI tools such as LogicBalls could be used to bolster that.

The old cliche is true, of course, that any AI tool, or any tool for that matter, can be used for good or bad, and it just matters how you use it. This just may feel more true with LogicBalls than with some other tools.

• What is Mistral AI? How To Use It To Teach
• 11 Ways to Detect AI Writing Without Technology

Technology has become so embedded in daily life, including classrooms, that we often forget its purpose: to help us complete tasks more efficiently. Whether it’s solving a math problem with AI, asking a GPS to get us to the nearest coffee shop, or letting an app grade student essays, tools are only as good as the people who use them. And when the tool breaks, glitches, or misdirects us, the underlying task still needs to be completed.

For educators, this reality raises an essential question: Are we teaching students the skills behind the technology, or are we unintentionally outsourcing their thinking to the devices?

The GPS Problem: Tools Aren’t Always Right

Most drivers trust GPS applications to guide them from Point A to Point B. However, many of us have a story about being sent down a dead-end road or into a construction zone. I had an assistant superintendent who was so dependent on her GPS, that she asked the construction crew to let her through, as it was the only way the GPS was telling her to go. The best part: They let her through!

When this happens, the tool fails, but the task of navigating remains. At that moment, the driver must understand maps, directions, and landmarks.

This is more than an inconvenience; it’s a metaphor for technology in schools. When students rely exclusively on AI to solve word problems or write essays, they may miss the deeper learning: how to reason through a math sequence, construct a logical argument, or navigate ambiguity.

Understanding The Task vs. Using The Tool

At its core, education is about critical thinking processes, not the use of tools. Tools change. Thinking endures.

• Task first, tool second. The task of finding the shortest route requires understanding geography, scale, and distance. The GPS is just one method of executing that task.
• Tools may fail. Batteries die, apps crash, or AI gives misleading results. Students need confidence in fallback strategies.
• Tasks are transferable. A student who learns how to set up a proportion in math can use that skill with paper, calculator, or AI app.

When we overemphasize the tool, we risk producing learners who know how to press buttons but not why they are doing so. Nor can they critically review the output of those tools.

AI in the Classroom: A Double-Edged Sword

AI has become the newest “GPS” of education. It is powerful, fast, and sometimes too good to resist. A student faced with a multi-step algebra word problem might paste it into an AI tool and receive a correct solution in seconds. If the student does not understand how the tool arrived at the answer, however, the learning opportunity is lost.

Educators should view AI as a partner, not a replacement. That means framing tasks so students must articulate their reasoning:

• “Explain how you know.” Even if AI provides the answer, can students show the steps?
• “Spot the error.” Provide students with AI-generated mistakes and ask them to make corrections.
• “Choose the strategy.” Let students decide when to use AI, a calculator, or manual reasoning—and defend their choice.

This approach transforms AI from a shortcut into a thinking scaffold.

Lessons from Other Fields

Education isn’t the only area in which task understanding matters more than tool dependency. Consider:

• Aviation: Pilots rely heavily on autopilot systems. However, training emphasizes manual flying skills in case the auto pilot system fails.
• Medicine: Doctors use diagnostic software, though they are trained to recognize symptoms, interpret test results, and override technology when necessary.
• Carpentry: Power tools make jobs faster, but carpenters still learn to measure, cut, and join materials by hand.

Each field demonstrates the same principle: Professionals must master the task itself before leaning on technology to enhance it.

Rethinking Digital Literacy

For decades, schools have emphasized digital literacy, the ability to use devices, apps, and platforms effectively. Today’s students already live in a digital world. What they often lack is task literacy, the reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving skills that exist apart from technology.

A balanced curriculum requires both:

• Digital literacy: How to use spreadsheets, coding platforms, or AI chatbots.
• Task literacy: How to interpret data, test hypotheses, and critique arguments without those tools.

Students who have both can adapt when tools evolve or fail. Students who only have one will struggle.

5 Strategies for Educators To Help Build Task Understanding

So how can educators ensure students understand the tasks behind the tools? Here are some strategies for the classroom:

1. Teach Redundancy - Encourage students to solve problems in more than one way. A math problem can be tackled with AI, a calculator, or pencil and paper. Comparing methods deepens understanding.
2. Make Thinking Visible - Ask students to explain their process, not just their answers. Sentence starters such as, “First, I…” or “I decided to…” help highlight reasoning. Personally, I think this is one of the most effective methods in an AI-rich world.
3. Use Failure as a Teacher - When a tool gives the wrong answer, don’t dismiss it. Use it as an opening: “Why did the GPS misdirect us?” or “What step did the AI skip?” Students learn that failure is a chance to interrogate the task and end up with deeper learning.
4. Scaffold Gradual Release - Start with manual processes before introducing technology. For example, students should balance chemical equations by hand before using software that automates them.
5. Build Resilience - Give assignments in which the tool is intentionally absent. For instance, a “no calculator” test or a “no spell check” essay draft ensures that core skills remain strong.

The Role of Educators in a Tool-Saturated World

It can be tempting for educators to lean into technology as a magic bullet for engagement and efficiency. Our role isn’t just to help students use tools, however, it is to help them understand the intellectual work behind the tools. That means reminding them:

• GPS doesn’t teach geography.
• AI doesn’t teach problem-solving.
• Spell check doesn’t teach grammar.

Only teachers, through thoughtful instruction, can bridge that gap.

The tools our students use today will not be the same tools they use in five years. Navigating, reasoning, analyzing, deciding, and critical thinking will endure. By teaching the tasks behind the technology, we prepare students to survive in a tool-rich world and to thrive when those tools inevitably fail. Let’s ensure the next generation of learners can still read a map when the GPS gets it wrong.

• AI-Powered Behavior Support: Leveraging Generative Tools for Individualized Classroom Interventions
• 8 Core Digital Literacy Skills for 2030

826 Digital is an online resource that's ideal for teachers who want to inspire young writers.

The nonprofit website is a part of 826 National, a writing and tutoring network that was founded by Dave Eggers. This resource launched in 2017, and is now widely used across the 50 U.S. states and throughout the world in more than 60 countries.

The goal here is to make writing instruction inspiring while at the same time being accessible and -- crucially -- a lot of fun for students.

Consequently, there are resources for both students and teachers to make this easier all round, so the focus can be on good quality and highly creative writing.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about 826 Digital as a tool for your class.

What is 826 Digital?

826 Digital is a hub filled with resources for teachers and students that encourage and support creative writing skills and practice.

As the site itself says, this about the ability to "spark the power, brilliance, and joy of writing." And with more than 1,000 writing prompts available immediately, it's clear this is a good place for any budding writer to get started or find inspiration.

The resource library can be accessed online, so it's easy to navigate to from most internet-connected devices with a browser.

This offers teachers ready-to-go lesson plans. For both teachers and students there are quick prompts, extended projects, student work samples, and video resources.

How does 826 Digital work?

826 Digital has all its resources readily available on its website that you can access immediately without the need to sign-up or provide any details.

Select the Resource Library and you're met with a host of options organized into helpful categories to navigate and narrow down what's needed.

Materials are also searchable by grade levels, genre, writing skill, or resource type. This is designed to help make it easy to fit with curriculum-focused teaching.

Everything is also designed to be modular. Teachers can use five-minute warm-up prompts, one-session lessons, or multi-week projects to fit into their teaching plans as required.

It's also possible to sign up for emails to get the latest updates sent to you as well as select time-sensitive resources.

What are the best 826 Digital features?

826 Digital breaks the learning prompts into helpful sections that can be navigated to best suit what's needed. These are:

• Sparks: Short and adaptable writing prompts that take just a few minutes.
• Lessons: As the name suggests, this is for one- or two-session units and target specific skills.
• Projects: These cover multiple sessions and help dive deeper into topics or themes.
• Student Writing: This shows example pieces as a way to help mentor with text.
• Educator Tools: Guides and strategies for planning and teaching writing.
• Videos: These Watch and Write sessions offer featured authors and creators giving guidance over video.

Teachers can use a combination of these many resources to fit into current teaching plans. Equally, these can be great for teachers new to this area, or trying to integrate writing skills into other subjects.

Indeed, this can be a great place for students to get into creative writing on their own time, too.

How much does 826 Digital cost?

826 Digital is a not-for-profit organization meaning everything is available for free to access and use. It runs thanks to philanthropy and grants as well as donations and campaigns.

You don't have to provide any details to access the site, although you can sign-up with email to access features such as downloading, bookmarking, sharing, and uploading.

The organization makes it clear that there is no tracking and it does not engage in third-party tracking or targeted advertising.

826 Digital best tips and tricks

Start small
Use the Sparks to give simple writing prompts so students get a taste and can enjoy, while building stamina without pressure.

Mentor up
Use the student writing resource as a way to help your class feel mentored by the work of others, showing anything is possible.

Use videos
Using the videos within lessons can make otherwise abstract writing skills more graspable for students, ideal as a lesson starter.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Looking back over three decades in education, I recognize a more complicated and politicized landscape for educators. We face challenges that have evolved, yet there are smart ways to navigate this and protect your wellness.

Consider the analogy of the oxygen mask with children: We have to put the mask on ourselves so that we have the strength to put it on our children. The same applies to educators. We have to be mentally ready to help our students or we are no help at all.

These numerous demands and challenges for teachers often lead to increased stress and the potential for burnout. Being aware of this risk, let’s consider key strategies for prioritizing teacher well-being in the upcoming year, for both us and children.

For this, I’ll draw on time-tested strategies and anecdotal experience from well-established resources to provide a reliable and accessible guide.

Why Teacher Wellbeing Is Indispensable

Teachers are on the front lines, spending more time with students than any other adults outside the home, including counselors and therapists. They often encounter children displaying wide-ranging symptoms of trauma, which can be emotionally draining. Most teachers were uncomfortable addressing students' anxiety, grief, and trauma resulting from events such as Covid-19.

Equipping educators with the tools to manage their own wellbeing while creating a safe and supportive learning environment is critical, since their ability to care for students are directly linked. So how do we get there?

The Role of Professional Development in Teacher Wellness

Professional development (PD) is crucial for equipping teachers with the skills to support traumatized students, and it must also address their own wellness.

Effective PD should be:

1. Problem-based and tailored to local needs, rather than broad and generalized.
2. Adaptable and flexible, allowing for teacher input.
3. Practical and timely, providing tools that educators can use immediately.
4. Engaging and collaborative, fostering a sense of ownership among faculty

Formats such as Edcamps (teacher-driven conferences) and Pop-up PD (short, need-specific sessions) are effective models for this. These approaches help adjust teachers' mindset from how students "should be" to an open "this is what we're confronted with" perspective, enabling fluidity in learning support.

7 Practical Strategies for Teacher Self-Care

Let’s provide a roadmap of self-care and wellness protocols for educators, incorporating quick, easy-to-use tools and techniques that, when "stacked" together, can compound their positive effects].

Here are seven actionable strategies for teachers and school communities:

1. The Weekend Challenge: Encourage teachers to disconnect from digital devices for one day each weekend. This simple act can lead to a tremendous sense of liberation, fostering reconnection with family members and promoting greater contentment compared to screen-related activities. This models healthy boundaries and detachment from constant digital bombardment, and when teachers return, they share not missing time offline, in fact appreciating and valuing this time for individual and family fulfillment.

2. Managing Social Media and AI Misinformation: Social media can be a significant source of stress and misinformation for educators. Avoiding engaging directly with online falsehoods sounds simple enough but haven’t we all been hoodwinked at one time or another? (Like the beautiful view of an Italian vista I pointed out to my daughters that they laughed, “That’s AI-generated!”) Instead, empower trusted parents or community members to share simple, factual statements to counter misinformation, hallucinations, and bias on AI. This builds trust, calms anxieties, and shifts the narrative positively, while saving valuable time and energy.

3. Music Therapy: This may seem obvious but remember to integrate music. Music can profoundly impact one's mindset and physiological state. Calming, slower-paced melodies, often referred to as "spa music" or classical, can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. A notable example is "Weightless," a song designed by sound specialists that has been proven to reduce overall anxiety by nearly two-thirds after five undisturbed minutes of listening. Five minutes is something we can all get our arms around, on a quick break to reorient when needed. Teachers can use earbuds to access these calming sounds privately at a moment's notice.

4. Seek The Satisfaction of Deep Work: Engaging in deep, focused, and uninterrupted work is the opposite of distracting, shallow tasks, and it generates a powerful sense of contentment and productivity. This type of work fosters creativity and can lead to lasting positive residual effects on well-being].

To achieve deep work, educators can:

• Schedule dedicated time for deep work, especially during morning hours when the brain's prefrontal cortex is most active.
• Incorporate movement: Physical activity, such as a five-minute walk, increases blood flow to the brain, enhancing cognitive function and helping to "move the mind.’ Teachers can take short walks during breaks or encourage "walk and talk" discussions with colleagues.

5. Eliminate Comparison: Social media often fuels comparison, leading to feelings of inadequacy. As Theodore Roosevelt once famously stated, "Comparison is the thief of joy.” Limiting toxic social media use and consciously reframing perspective with guiding questions ("What have I learned today?" "What am I grateful for?") can help overcome a "have-not" mentality, and foster appreciation for one's own gifts and progress.

6. Breathing Exercises: In moments of acute stress, controlled breathing techniques such as the 4-7-8 method can quickly and effectively reset the body's physiological response. This simple, self-managed practice slows heart rate, stabilizes blood pressure, and acts as a "natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.

7. Striving for a Flow State: A flow state is an optimal state of consciousness where one feels and performs at their best, characterized by deep focus and absorption in a task, where other aspects of life seem to fade away. It's a state of complete attentional absorption, where a person becomes so involved in an activity that they lose self-consciousness and time perception seems to warp.

Using the strategies above, this state can be accessed by adopting a proactive, multi-pronged approach to teacher wellness. Schools can not only support their dedicated staff but also foster an environment in which both educators and students can truly flourish and achieve their full potential, moving beyond the impact of trauma. The benefits? Not just for the individuals. When a school is provided the conditions for peak wellness, everyone wins, and the entire community excels.

• Optimizing Teacher PD with AI
• Lifelong Learning: Modeling for Students and Faculty

Teaching at any level is not easy. Most educators learn this quickly when they step into the classroom.

When I have graduate students who go on to teach, I can usually see early on that things are not going exactly the way they expected. I’ve often shared with them some insights I’ve gleaned over the years, which I think can help smooth some of those early rough patches.

These tips are not, unfortunately, profound or sage-like, but are just practical reminders that I wish I'd been told before stepping into the classroom the first time myself.

1. It Gets Easier As The Semester/Year Progresses

During the first few weeks of the school year, I get a familiar feeling: dread. The work starts to feel overwhelming; everything is happening at once, student papers are piling up, new submissions are coming in, and it's not uncommon for me to declare around mid-September that I’m overextended and to quote Joan Didion, “The center will not hold.”

Over time, however, I’ve realized that the school year ebbs and flows, and there’s more and less work at different points, and my classes tend to get easier while going along.

The same can be said for teaching in general: the first time you teach a given class is always the hardest. Realizing this helps offset the panic when it starts to set in.

2. It Won’t Be Like The Movies

If your view of teaching comes from Hollywood, you may have chosen the wrong profession. There won’t be any moments when the whole classroom starts slow clapping before bursting into wild applause, and students won’t gasp in amazement, not even as you share the magic of Shakespeare. Your thoughtful, entertaining, and arguably, award-worthy class lecture/activity/or discussion will be met with some complaints, general disinterest, and sometimes, open hostility.

If you’re a good teacher, you’ll keep attempting different strategies to connect with the students who are resistant, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get through to all of them, no matter how hard you try.

The good news, however, is that you will receive a slow clap of appreciation by the end of each class. The bad news is it will just be you applauding yourself while looking in the mirror.

3. Educators Talk About Work Like People Post on Social Media

While connecting with peers and having honest conversations can be an important part of learning the ropes as a teacher, don’t forget that sometimes conversations with fellow educators can be a little like scrolling through social media: Everyone else seems to be having a better summer and doing more than you.

That’s because on social media, we only share the positives, so you see the cute pictures of my kids smiling at the beach, not the nuclear-level meltdown that occurred when we tried to eat out afterward. A similar thing often occurs with educators and their reflections on teaching. The best teachers talk at conferences and share the finest moments from their teaching year, or even career. So, comparing your day-to-day experience in the classroom to what you hear and read about from others isn’t any healthier than comparing your life to the curated images you see on social media.

I’ve seen this firsthand when I’ve had the opportunity to observe many different instructors teaching the same English class—many of us struggled with the same aspects of the class, but these problems were rarely spoken about in meetings. Failure, and learning how to overcome it, is often a part of the teaching gig, and even though that’s acknowledged, it’s not always discussed as much as it could be.

4. The Easiest Time To Answer An Email Is Right Now

On a more granular level, if you teach in a setting where answering emails is part of the gig, it's time to develop an email answering system now.

I find that I’m most efficient when I answer emails as each one arrives. Even if it’s just to say, “I will check into this tomorrow and get back to you." But having some work-life balance is also important, so I try to cut off responding to emails by 6 or 7 p.m. each night, and then make sure to check my inbox and respond as my first task when I return to my desk the next day.

However you choose to handle emails, responding promptly and having some type of regular routine in place for handling communications is key, I’ve found.

5. You Will Have An Impact On Students

I had many influential teachers in my education, but I still find it difficult to admit or comprehend that I can be that influential teacher for others. But having taught for many years now, the evidence is hard to ignore. Students have talked years later about a piece of advice I gave them or gone on to use techniques they credit with having learned in my class.

To stay humble, I’m sure there are many other students who remember their class with me in a negative manner, and a great many more who have forgotten all about me and what I tried to teach them.

That all said, every single time a student has reached out after a few years, it has reminded me that the hard and sometimes frustrating work of teaching is worth it. As a new teacher, you won’t necessarily see or feel that in the first few weeks of teaching or even the first year, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be true.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• First Day of Class: 5 Edtech Tools That Can Make it More Engaging

In education, we often talk about listening to our students, our communities, and our staff. Sometimes, the clearest signals don’t come from top-down directives, but from what teachers need.

That was the case in Corpus Christi Independent School District, where thousands of teachers continued using a communication platform even after we transitioned to our district learning management system’s communication tool.

When I stepped into my current role, I saw that this tool wasn’t just lingering—it was thriving, especially in K–5 classrooms. It had been organically adopted and was clearly gaining traction. That prompted a closer look at whether we should formally support, secure, and more intentionally integrate it into our district’s technology ecosystem.

A Conversation That Sparked a Shift

At the time, I was managing several major initiatives and had to evaluate every new option through the lens of feasibility, impact, and budget. During a quick lunch at the TCEA conference, I learned just how many of our teachers were still actively using the platform. That conversation sparked a closer look at what was working, what teachers needed, and whether this tool could support our long-term goals.

What I discovered surprised me. This wasn’t just about communication—teachers were using it to manage classrooms, recognize positive behavior, and build classroom culture, all in ways families could see and contribute to in real time.

Evaluating Through a District Lens

With 56 campuses, more than 4,000 teachers, and over 35,000 students, our district needs solutions that are thoughtful, scalable, and a good return on investment. Especially in a year marked by statewide budget pressure, any new adoption had to clear a high bar. In this case, the pricing model immediately removed one of the biggest hurdles: the platform came at no cost to the district. Still, we evaluated it as we would any enterprise tool, accounting for training, rollout, ongoing support, ticket volume, and maintenance. The difference? Adoption was seamless. The support was strong. And the long-term operational cost was effectively zero.

Of course, cost wasn’t our only concern. Our district takes cybersecurity and data privacy seriously; we’re one of a small number nationally recognized for our standards. In fact, several years ago, we couldn’t even sign a data addendum with this vendor. This time, we ran the platform through our full vetting process, including checks on data residency, FERPA compliance, third-party risk, and incident response planning. The vendor had met all the certifications and endorsements we require to integrate safely into our learning ecosystem, with the confidence and clarity our standards demand.

Amplifying What Was Already Working

The most compelling reason to adopt the tool was already in front of us: strong teacher usage and positive feedback from families. Without formal support or training, teachers had kept it going. Now we had an opportunity to give that grassroots success a foundation through training, clear guidelines, and shared expectations.

We’re currently rolling out the tool across all K–5 campuses, with plans to explore secondary implementation next year. Principals are supportive, many even applauded when we announced the plan, because they’d seen firsthand how it led to more positive school climates and strong family engagement.

To guide the rollout, we created grade-band expectations. In pre-K, we ask teachers to share daily photos and updates to help families feel connected and reinforce learning at home. In K–5, teachers share updates, student celebrations, and classroom highlights that help tell the story of what’s happening at school.

Building Stronger Family Partnerships

This initiative isn’t about compliance—it’s about connection. We want families to feel like part of the school community. That includes consistent communication, tools that work in any language, and ways for school leaders to shape a positive culture across classrooms.

While formal implementation is still underway, our long-term goal is to make family engagement seamless across grade levels. We’re already exploring tools that can support that, like an AI-powered messaging assistant to help teachers send timely, personalized updates.

What Mattered Most

If I had to sum up what we were looking for in a tool, it would be this: something that helps us build stronger connections. In a district as large and diverse as ours, that’s no small task. But by listening to teachers and taking a closer look at what was already working, we’ve been able to turn a grassroots effort into a districtwide strategy built on partnership, not prescription.

The platform we adopted was ClassDojo for Districts, but the bigger takeaway is how we used teacher-driven insights to make a system-level technology decision. When grassroots usage aligns with strategic outcomes and meets our bar for scalability, security, and support, it’s worth leaning in.

OpenAI recently unveiled the next-generation large language model, GPT-5, which now powers ChatGPT and other AI tools from the AI maker. This is huge news for educators and their students because ChatGPT is the most used AI tool and now is claiming to have the most powerful public-facing AI model.

The launch of GPT-5 has met with some criticism, however, with the consensus seeming to be that it is more of a routine upgrade type of improvement than the seminal moment in AI development that was promised—and that’s been my personal experience as well.

Here’s a closer look at everything teachers need to know about GPT-5.

What Is GPT-5?

The first version of ChatGPT, which launched on November 30, 2022, was powered by GPT-3.5. The capabilities of GPT-3.5 may seem quaint by today’s standards but were impressive enough to launch the age of AI in education. OpenAI followed that release with GPT-4 in March 2023, and later rolled out models such as GPT-4o in May 2024 and GPT-4.5 in February of this year.

OpenAI suggested that GPT-5’s long-delayed release would mark a new era in AI capabilities. “It’s a significant step along the path of AGI,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a press briefing about GPT-5. He added that it was like having access to a PhD-level expert on any topic in your pocket.

Many find these statements to be hyperbolic, however.

How Are People Reacting To GPT-5?

Many people seem disappointed with the tool’s capabilities at launch. A story in Axios declared that GPT-5 “landed with a thud,” while an article in The Conversation wondered if AI has plateaued. Some users were upset that they no longer had access to previous models, and that GPT-5 seemed to lack the personality of some previous models.

In my use, I haven't noticed lag time or a shift in tone, but I haven’t seen any major improvements, either. In fact, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that if no one had told me the model had been updated, there’s almost zero chance I would have noticed.

That said, the tool does have some specific improvements. It’s supposed to hallucinate less, be less of a sycophant, and is designed to choose the best type of model for your query, so more complex questions will be routed to a reasoning model that might take longer to answer, but should provide a better answer. Finally, GPT-5 is designed to be better at coding.

The disappointment with GPT-5 was not universal. Tom’s Guide found that GPT-5 easily outperformed Google’s top model, Gemini 2.5, and offered a clear improvement when GPT-5 went head-to-head with GPT-4.

How Does GPT-5 Handle Class Writing Assignments?

For an idea of what GPT-5 looks like in action, here’s a prompt I shared with it.

My prompt: Write a one- to two-paragraph response paper about a piece of writing that inspired you. This can be a newspaper or magazine article, a poem or work of fiction, or any writing you have been drawn to.

ChatGPT said:

One piece of writing that has deeply inspired me is James Baldwin’s essay “Notes of a Native Son.” Baldwin’s ability to weave personal narrative with broader social commentary creates a work that is both intimate and universal. He writes with unflinching honesty about his father’s death, the racial tensions of 1940s America, and his own experiences navigating a hostile world. What struck me most is Baldwin’s mastery of balance—his prose is lyrical yet precise, emotional yet clear-eyed, and his anger is tempered by an underlying search for understanding. Reading this essay feels like being invited into a deeply personal conversation that still resonates with urgent relevance today.

What inspired me most was Baldwin’s refusal to simplify the truth. He does not shy away from contradictions—he acknowledges love for his father alongside bitterness, pride in his identity alongside frustration with injustice. This complexity encouraged me to think about my own writing differently, to embrace nuance rather than force neat resolutions. Baldwin’s essay showed me that the most powerful writing often leaves the reader unsettled, still turning over questions long after the final sentence. It’s a reminder that great writing doesn’t just reflect the world—it challenges us to see it, and ourselves, more clearly.

To those who regularly encounter AI writing, GPT-5 has a familiar writing style. This passage is technically proficient writing to be sure, but suffers from that same old AI lifelessness with phrases such as “his prose is lyrical yet precise, emotional yet clear-eyed.” These phrases sound nice but convey little meaning and are more generic than most human writers could muster in a lifetime of writing.

What Does This All Mean For Teachers?

For those of us who don’t teach code, GPT-5’s capabilities probably won’t change much, but it’s still something to keep an eye on. It might be marginally better at helping a teacher who uses it for lesson planning, or a student exercise involving AI might be better put together.

On the other hand, students who use AI to cheat might get slightly better papers that, in theory, could be more difficult for educators to spot. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference.

Of course new uses cases are likely to emerge, but right now I don’t see GPT-5 disrupting the education space in any kind of major way, positive or negative. For me personally, this is both a relief--and also a little disappointing.

• How AI Has Changed Your Teaching
• AI Vs. The English Department

Teachers may recognize the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) brand as one bearing a strong reputation for trustworthy news and information on wide-ranging global topics, including many relevant to the American audience. So when I learned (in Edtech Show & Tell August 2025) that the BBC had launched new preK-12 teaching resource, I took a close look at its offerings.

The BBC Learning Hub website is easy to navigate and features plenty of colorful previews that are sure to engage students. While the number of resources (~1,700) is relatively modest at this time, it’s likely that many more will continue to be added. Given the BBC’s trustworthiness as an information provider, and the fact that the site’s resources are fully free, educators are well advised to check it out.

How does BBC Learning Hub work?

To access all resources, users can quickly create a free account with email, or log in with an active Google account. To locate resources, simply click on the Classroom Resources in the top menu and enter a keyword in the search box, or click on the convenient list of resource types: Videos, Collections, Lesson Plans, Blog Posts, Student Articles, Printables, and News Clips. Clicking a resource type leads to a filtered search page, where users search by type, grade range, subject, and topic.

Teachers can save resources to their account, assign via Google classroom, print, or share as a link or pdf.

The Learning Hub’s strongest subject is clearly science, with more than 1,000 resources, and social studies, with more than 300. Math, English language arts, and social-emotional learning are sparsely represented at this point, but I would guess more will be added in the coming months.

What are the best BBC Learning Hub features?

Science and Nature Videos
It’s no surprise that the science and nature videos on BBC Learning Hub are top notch. Many are excerpted from the BBC’s vast library of high-quality nature and educational series, and include segments narrated by the best in the nature video business: Sir David Attenborough.

Explore the world of polar bears, penguins, turtles, sea otters, reptiles, strange predators of the deep, and many more fascinating animals and ecosystems. Even better, the Learning Hub has turned each video into a lesson plan, which includes questions, activities, vocabulary, writing prompts, and printable worksheets.

To find related videos grouped in a single sharable link, filter your search by "Playlist." Teachers can also create their own playlists of related resources.

Student Articles
"Student Articles" aren't written by students, but rather for them. Nearly 150 leveled reading passages cover diverse topics from the life of children in the Middle Ages to microplastics. Each passage is available in two to three versions suitable for students reading at Lexile levels from 400L-1400L, or grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

While the brief articles aren't a complete lesson plan, these can serve as a source for homework assignments or as a supplement to relevant curriculum.

News Clips
Comprising high-interest topics such as Minecraft, esports, and teen wrestling, the Learning Hub's news clips are brief, engaging videos that examine important, interesting and occasionally obscure news stories. With the accompanying printable worksheets, news clips can become the core of a complete lesson plan.

How much does BBC Learning Hub cost?

The BBC Learning Hub is fully free for students, teachers and all other users. A free account is required to access resources.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

The principles of mathematics underlie all physical properties of our world. Math is the language of the universe, and as such, everything in both nature and modern life depends on it.

But math is a tough subject for many students, who may find it remote, unintuitive, and unrelated to their daily life. Yet it doesn't have to be that way. The GeoGebra platform allows student to learn math concepts through visual and interactive tools that encourage exploration—and even play.

What is GeoGebra?

GeoGebra is an award-winning suite of math apps and interactives that integrates and visualizes the teaching of algebra and geometry. Founded in 2001 by Markus Hohenwarter, a talented master’s student, the platform is free for teachers and students, and is available for desktop computers and mobile devices.

In partnership with Illustrative Math, GeoGebra also provides a digital math curriculum easily integrated with Google Classroom.

How is GeoGebra Pronounced?

The word GeoGebra, a portmanteau of algebra and geometry, is pronounced with two soft gs, as follows: Jee-OH-je-bra.

How does GeoGebra Work?

Although an account is not required for teachers or students, it’s best for both to create a free account. For teachers, it's essential in order to make the most of the platform. By doing so, they will be able to easily access their favorite tools, lessons, and applets.

Users can create an account with email or sign in with their existing Google, Office 365, Microsoft, Facebook, or Clever accounts. Teachers who find it simpler not to have to deal with login issues during precious class time may choose not to require student accounts.

GeoGebra’s free apps support all devices and operating systems (Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS), allowing students to use GeoGebra on phones or other mobile devices.

GeoGebra’s interface is clean and uncluttered, fairly intuitive, and a pleasure to browse. Nonetheless, due to the extensive offerings, teachers should be prepared to spend some time exploring the site, trying out the interactives and lessons, and bookmarking resources, before teaching with it.

Finding Resources
Teachers can search for math resources using the search bar or the Math Topic Map, which includes eight topics ranging from Arithmetic to Statistics.

What are the Best GeoGebra Features?

Resource Library
GeoGebra hosts an extensive resource library of more than one million math learning resources, including lessons, exercises, digital books, and interactives, available in several languages. Resources are contributed by GeoGebra’s global community, many of whom are expert users and educators. The GeoGebra Content Team, an international group of professionals, is the "official" platform content author, working under strict guidelines and standards. Yet many other authors also provide top-quality resources, and users can follow authors in order to easily track their latest contributions.

Real-Time Monitoring of Student Work
Once an activity has been assigned to students, teachers can view their work in real time. A thumbnail image updates automatically as students work.

Powerful Calculator Suite
GeoGebra's calculator suite offers six calculators for math and science:

• Graphing
• 3D Calculator
• Geometry
• CAS (computer algebra system)
• Probability
• Scientific

Calculators provides extensive tools for drawing lines, angles, polygons, and circles, as well as the ability to insert images, text, tables, and spreadsheets.

Users can quickly graph an equation by entering it freehand or using the scientific keyboard.

Help Links/Learn GeoGebra
Although many of the tools and operations within the GeoGebra platform can be understood intuitively or through trial and error, some may not be obvious. For example, I confess that I thought that the parallel line tool wasn't functional, because every time I tried to use it, it failed. Finally, I clicked the little "Help" link and quickly realized my error and was able to create the parallel line. Throughout the platform, there are many such Help links associated with tools.

For those who would prefer to review the FAQS and tool overviews first, the Learn GeoGebra page is a great place to start.

How Can Teachers Use GeoGebra in the Classroom?

Demonstration
Teachers can use GeoGebra to demonstrate math and science concepts dynamically, dragging lines, points, sliders, and shapes in order to visualize the effects of changing parameters.

Exploration
By assigning ready-made or customized activities in class, teachers can give students time to explore and practice in a low-pressure environment.

Formative Assessment
GeoGebra's practice modules provide hints and instant feedback, allowing students to learn from their mistakes, while teachers can view student progress in real-time thumbnails.

Is GeoGebra Safe for Kids?

GeoGebra complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and does not share personal information with third parties. No personal information beyond an email address is required to create an account, although users may choose to include additional information after the account is created.

How Much Does GeoGebra Cost?

The GeoGebra License states that users are free to copy, distribute and transmit GeoGebra for non-commercial purposes. That means it’s 100% free for students and teachers who use GeoGebra for the purposes of academic study and teaching.

Commercial users pay a fee, which helps to support the non-commercial academic use and allows the platform to update and improve.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Pivot Interactives by Discovery Education is a science resource designed to help teachers and students use real experiences to learn in an active and engaging way.

While physical world experiments are always an option, imagine having a wide variety of these already done and available in video format. This can save time and money, and allow for a far wider reach than might be possible with traditional in-room experiments.

Unlike some of the competition in this area, these STEM-friendly videos are highly interactive -- so you can make lessons in which students learn actively as part of the experience.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Pivot Interactives in your class.

What is Pivot Interactives?

Pivot Interactives is a web-based experiment center that uses interactive videos as a way to engage and teach students about science.

The selection of videos are interactive, so teachers can add questions and ways for students to interact with the experiment videos, to work out new outcomes.

A wide selection of STEM-friendly videos are available on the site itself -- more than 500 original, plus 9,000 third-party options at time of publishing -- with more being uploaded all the time.

Teachers can work with standards alignment while students can access this content from most digital devices. This means there should be a very easy uptake for all involved with minimal training and learning required to get going.

The end result should be a wealth of experiments that span the spectrum to help teachers introduce new STEM topics, expand on these with experience, and to assess student understanding -- all with active engagement at its core.

How does Pivot Interactives work?

Pivot Interactives is a web-based platform that offers a wide selection of videos and interactive questions for use by students and teachers.

Teachers are able to select videos of experiments that are relevant to what's being taught. They can then use the overlay tools -- including rulers, protractors, grids, light and color monitors, and more -- to allow students to take measurements from the videos.

This interactivity allows teachers to make the experiments live in the room so students can interact in a way that requires further investigation.

Many options for follow-up questions are available, including graphs, tables, teacher-graded short and long answers, plus auto-graded multiple-choice questions.

Teachers have a class key that they can share with students, allowing them to easily log in via the website when needed.

What are the best Pivot Interactives features?

Pivot Interactives lets students take measurements from videos in a unique way, which makes these as interactive as a video can be. It also sets this apart from the competition in a way that makes for a far more immersive and engaging experience for students.

Teachers are able to record and upload their own videos that can work with the various tools. This can be done thanks to a selection of supporting tools, including guides, walkthroughs, and blogs. As such, there is a large and growing selection of videos available to use, already uploaded for public use.

Teachers can organize the selection of videos by certain categories, including the subjects and topics, but also via specific standards. You can also search by states, data sets, sensors, simulations, science practices, and more.

How much does Pivot Interactives cost?

Pivot Interactives offers a free trial as well as a selection of priced options for school and district scales.

The Classroom license offers more than 500 activities for a year, the ability to customize activities, hands-on sensor integration, student collaboration, LMS integration and on-demand professional development. Pricing varies on class size, but for a class of 30 the cost per seat is $5.50 for a total of $165 per year.

The District plan offers everything above plus a reporting dashboard with metrics, advanced restoring and SSO, advanced LMS integration, on-demand professional development, content alignment with state or custom standards, plus dedicated wider support. Pricing for this on a quote basis.

Pivot Interactives best tips and tricks

Experiment live
Lead an experiment on the big screen so the class can learn how the platform works as you learn together.

Follow-up
Create a selection of questions for use during the experiment as a way to direct action and learning.

Get creative
Build your own experiments and make this fun as its recorded in class by the group working together to make the videos.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

The hardest transition from the classroom to the main office isn’t what you think.

In my years in the classroom, it never occurred to me to question a request from my boss. “Sure, no problem…” was my refrain.

Teachers work in silos and we don’t often get to see the behaviors of our most challenging colleagues; we only hear their narrative as they share how terribly they were treated. I tried to stay away from this group in the corner of the faculty lounge because I didn’t receive the same harsh treatment they were describing, and I feared being called out as a favorite. It never occurred to me that they were the problem, exasperating and complaining at every turn.

My first weeks as a school leader were the end of my innocence–I couldn’t believe the things some teachers did! One teacher left her classroom unsupervised for 20 minutes to make a personal phone call. When I highlighted the legal duty of care and negligence, she stared me down and said, “I’ve been teaching longer than you’ve been alive….”

The masters of victim mindset are difficult to manage. You know who they are. They sit in the loser support group in the lounge recruiting others. As toxic as they are, their real danger is how they skillfully flip blame back on you, leaving you wondering how their problem became yours.

I can think of countless stories of victim mindset. I’ll highlight one, since they all exhibit the patterns of behavior. Then I’ll share how to manage these, which may not be the way you think….

Years ago, a teacher marched a student over to the classroom phone to call her parents to let them know she forgot her homework. The parent called me, irate that the teacher had done this in front of the entire class. As difficult as this parent was, it was indefensible. I notified the teacher of this parent’s displeasure and she agreed to call the parent on her way home that afternoon.

The next morning, the parent called me again, even more angry because the teacher never called. I notified the teacher in lieu of her duty for the next period, to call. She ignored my directive and immediately called from the classroom. Contemptuous in her tone, the parent pushed back with profanities.

Later I was in a meeting with a colleague and was summoned to the hall where this teacher was being transported by ambulance, having experienced a panic attack. I felt terrible, and told her, “You’re in good hands, they’ll take care of you.”

I’ll never forget her reply: “You did this to me.”

Fortunately, there were faculty in the building who had come to know me. They remember the human in you and how you treat others. They look at someone like the victim and say something just doesn’t sit right.

‘You Can’t Negotiate With Crazy’

Todd Whitaker wrote an entire book about not getting sucked in by perpetual victims. Shifting the Monkey cleverly illustrates how to navigate the difficult person, the negative Nelly, and most importantly, the victim mindset. It seems sensible to lean back against a victim's strong stance as if to repel their insanity. Remember: You can’t negotiate with crazy.

Also, everyone is watching the leader. If you get sucked in, the monkey is on your back, just where the victim wants it. They point and exclaim, ‘See!’

So how do you approach the victim? Go against your instinct to fight…

Stay Objective

Many people will say to you, “I wouldn’t let them leave early in an emergency, or give them the same allowances as others.”

Don’t listen. That’s emotion. You feel that way, and that’s okay, but don’t act on it. Be even-handed, fair, and balanced. When they try to trounce you at Human Resources or to the superintendent (and believe me, they will try), everyone will note your objectivity and patience, and see them for the problem they are.

In another instance, I was tasked with addressing attendance concerns for those staff with too many days absent. I received an antagonistic response from one staff member who submitted a detailed and notably challenging email. Rather than approaching the concerns collaboratively, their tone was defensive and questioned administrative intent, raising concerns about her professional responsiveness.

This all sounds so strange to effective educators who are driven by a conscience. And that’s the tricky part–victims have so cleverly shifted blame in their own minds that it’s easy to dismiss legitimate concerns as being picked on or some other absurd claim. They have hijacked perception to suit their narrative, fictional as it is. Don’t feed into the negativity!

Never Argue

Arguing with these kinds of folks is like mud wrestling a pig in that you both get dirty but only the pig enjoys it. A victim has so much more practice at arguing, their goal is to pull you into their conflict. Your objectivity keeps you from letting them win. The moment you argue, the victim is victorious.

As leaders, we are tasked with giving directives. Always remember that this is entirely different than being lulled into an argument. Your directives are fair, balanced, even-handed. Stay the course, stay objective, and you will always be able to take the higher ground when a union representative shows up or your boss calls. Don’t get dirty, and you can sustain your goals with the rest of your staff.

Kill Them With Kindness

Victims are experts at breaking down other people, so we turn on our own instincts. That level of deception is uncanny. You have to give them credit.

Yet, understanding this psychology is pivotal in redirecting with sincere goodwill. Difficult people are so good at shifting the gears of others into exasperated frustration and reaction that they have no idea how to handle the tenderness that comes from persistent kindness.

What makes this more significant is that you are modeling your expectation of their behavior, and can safely provide a benchmark with authority. That’s power shifting!

Ultimately, this approach can help ensure that students will not be overpowered by negative, victim mindsets, and instead will be encouraged by your fair and balanced–and positive–approach.

• A Tale of Two Struggles: Instilling Resilience In At-Risk Students
• Rebuilding Trust In School Leadership In An Untrusting World

Kira Learning was originally a computer science education platform but has now re-aligned as a broader AI education support tool.

The current version of Kira offers AI tools that are built to support teachers and students across educational scenarios and subjects. The company says this gives teachers more time to focus on students and classroom impact.

Built by a team of educators, engineers, designers, and operators, Kira is a multi-faceted system that offers a finished and complete AI solution for teachers' needs, and is free for educators and students.

The company claims, "Kira is the first AI platform that delivers personalized education at scale."

This guide lays out all you need to know about Kira in your class.

What is Kira Learning?

Kira Learning is an AI platform that works to make the job of teachers more simple while also supporting students in their learning.

This is actually described by its creators as an AI toolkit consisting of more than 20 different AI tools, so it can cover a wide variety of teacher and student needs.

This can be used to prepare, with lesson plans and rubrics; to assess with quiz design and differentiated instructions; and to grade with feedback generation, progress tracking, and more.

A course library for teaching computer science is also available -- listed below -- since this does still offer the original Kira content, only now with a way more AI-focused approach.

How does Kira Learning work?

Kira Learning offers a rich course catalog that you can get into for computer science teaching. But now there is all that AI power as well, it's possible to use it in a way that is focused on more general teaching.

Sign up with a Google or school account initially and as a teacher you can begin using the services. You build activities using AI, create a course using instructional sequences, use interactive video to teach, or align content to educational standards as needed.

The point is this is very broad in its offerings, so how you use it as a teacher is up to you. You may wish to dive into the AI Tutor, which allows you to offer students real-time feedback on multimodal learning. Teachers can program this in a way that allows them to save time on individual support, while students still get that level of assistance while learning.

What are the best Kira Learning features?

Kira Learning is a powerful and rich offering so it can deliver an AI tool to work with most needs for teachers. For example, that means saving on time while still offering students personalized guidance and feedback, that can be monitored and analyzed by teachers to track progress.

Usefully, the Kira AI can adapt to student needs, so it will suggest targeted practice, offer useful insights to educators, and adapt explanations to help students as required.

This being education-specific, you can enjoy all the benefits of AI without any of the worries since this is compliant with COPPA and FERPA, uses AWS servers in the U.S., and is Common Sense privacy-verified.

The adaptive nature of Kira is really helpful. If a student keeps making the same or a similar mistake, for example, Kira will spot that and then adjust guidance accordingly. This should allow a new approach through which students find a way to understand and progress.

How much does Kira Learning cost?

Kira Learning is free for teachers and students, however, districts are charged at a bespoke rate for analytics.

Kira Learning best tips and tricks

Discuss first
Initially explain how this AI works so students are aware of its limitations and abilities -- and that they can ask you directly if needed.

Check in
The more you use AI, the more you can and should check-in to make sure it's working effectively and helping students as expected.

Teach CS
This is built from a computer science teaching platform so using it for that specifically is a great way to maximize what you're getting out of Kira.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

The future of learning should look, feel, and be different for students and educators, says Christine Anne Royce. Royce makes this case in a chapter she wrote in the new book Futuristic Insights on Education Components: How education can meet the demands of an ever-changing world, published online by The Regional Centre For Educational Planning, an organization formed by a partnership between the United Arab Emirates and The United Nation Educational and Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In her chapter in the book, which is composed by chapters written by various education experts, Royce argues that “the future educator will be less a conveyor of information and more a facilitator of learning experiences that foster critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability.”

However, this transformation requires rethinking how we train teachers and prepare them to implement these forward-thinking processes, says Royce, co-director of MAT in STEM Education at Shippensburg University and a past president of the National Science Teaching Association.

Recently, Royce shared highlights from Futuristic Insights on Education, which is free and available online, and other advice on making modern classrooms more friendly, inviting, effective, and future-ready. For Royce, that starts with how we educate teachers and facilitate these types of practices at a cultural level.

1. Truly Be A Guide On The Side

“We, as a society and field, need to redefine the teacher's role,” Royce says. “Teachers must transition from being content deliverers to facilitators who guide students in developing critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability for a future that doesn’t yet exist.”

Many educators don’t argue with this premise. Even so, many of these strategies are not implemented, or only implemented on occasion.

“We may say that we do this with terms like 'guide on the side,' etc., [but] we need to restructure how we teach to fully embrace this idea,” Royce says. “This means that we need to help students apply the knowledge and skills they have learned.”

Often, doing this involves incorporating teaching philosophies such as flipped and active learning, place-based learning, and problem-based learning into teacher education programs.

2. Forget Memorization

Memorizing for quizzes and tests is an aspect of teaching that Royce would like to see deemphasized in the future.

“Traditional memorization must give way to developing problem-solving, inquiry-based, and project-based learning approaches that engage students in real-world challenges,” she says. “When students are asked to engage with content using these types of skills, it also prioritizes the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.”

She adds, “If we truly structure the learning process in this way, it will help students to also become lifelong learners, which is needed due to continuous technological and societal changes.”

3. Break The Status Quo

Many educators are familiar with these types of strategies but are often unable to implement any because they have to cover specific content or prepare students for standardized tests, Royce says. Another barrier can be that teachers worry that if they fully adopt the “guide on the side” approach, their classes will be misinterpreted by their higher-ups or parents. Royce herself has experienced this.

“I ​​had one former principal tell me that my classroom does not look like learning is happening because students were not in their seats taking notes, with my quizzing them throughout,” she says.

She adds that the field should move away from this type of thinking. “Teacher preparation programs need to focus on teaching strategies that break the cycle of ‘the status quo’ or the ‘teach the way we were taught’ approach,” she says.

Royce has many strategies in mind for doing this, including reimagining clinical or field-based experiences to include mentorship in innovative classrooms where facilitation is modeled and having new educators learn about exciting teaching techniques from across the globe.

4. Make Traditional Lessons More Innovative

To see this type of thinking in action, Royce shares an example of an intermediate lesson on weather, geared to middle grades.

“In the traditional approach where information is conveyed, the teacher might present a slideshow on types of clouds, define weather terms, explain the four seasons, and show a video about weather patterns,” Royce says. “Students take notes and complete a worksheet matching cloud names to images.”

Meanwhile, the same type of assignment will look totally different in a classroom that utilizes both place-based and three-dimensional instruction in science, Royce says. In this type of classroom, the teacher will pose questions to students such as:

• Why are there more clouds in the morning some days?
• How does our local landscape (mountains, rivers, urban areas) affect the weather?
• Can we predict tomorrow’s weather using what we see today?

“With these questions, the students are asked to keep track of their own understandings as they record local sky conditions, temperatures, cloud types, using observations or photos, and any precipitation. Students then compare their data, identifying patterns and differences,” Royce says.

This and activities related to the exercise allow “students to construct understanding through direct engagement, critical thinking, and collaboration, guided by the teacher, not directed by a lecture, outline, or notes," she says. "This method empowers students as investigators, with the teacher facilitating discovery and making the content relevant and memorable.”

• AI Won’t Revolutionize Education. Here’s What Will
• Reimagining Learning Spaces To Empower Students

For a while, I struggled to find the type of consistent work I was looking for as an adjunct professor. I also work as a freelance journalist, and in that field I did better but still felt like I was not getting as strong a response from editors when I cold-pitched them ideas.

As I continued my job search, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with my application materials. Did my cover letter violate the basic rules of grammar in a way I’d missed? Did my CV reference interviews with a celebrity who had done something horrible? I had some friends who work in academia look at my materials, and they said it all was professional and an accurate depiction of my skills and background.

At first, I thought that was all I could ask for: application materials that accurately and professionally shared my experience. But over time, I realized that isn’t enough.

While not AI-generated, my application materials may as well have been for all the humanity they displayed. I realized that I was missing an opportunity to share not just where I had worked but actually tell my story through my application materials to reveal what kind of writer and educator I am. This was a subtle mindset shift that led to major changes in my approach that has really increased my success rate.

Here’s a closer look at what I did.

Telling My Story As A Writer

The concept of doing a better job telling my story would ultimately influence the way I talked about my teaching qualifications, but I started doing it for writing first.

I used to include in my cover letter that I had written for outlets such as Tech & Learning, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and Washington Post. This tells editors--and those of you reading this article--that I’m well published, but it doesn’t make anyone interested in my work or say anything about the kind of writer I am.

So I started rewriting that as: "I’ve written about how AI is helping recover long-lost lines from the Epic of Gilgamesh for The New York Times, about my obsessive quest to track down the sideshow magician who inspired Ray Bradbury’s writing career, and about how learning styles are a myth that refuses to be debunked for Tech & learning."

That level of detail and specificity helped get editors more interested in the kind of work I can do.

Telling My Story As An Educator

After seeing better results by making that shift when describing my qualifications as a freelance writer, I realized I could also translate it to education.

Once again, my cover letter initially just listed my teaching credentials without telling my story as an educator. Initially, I would write something such as: "I have taught undergraduate courses at Mercy University, Quinnipiac University, and Post University, and I have taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Western Connecticut State University."

Now I better tailor how I describe my credentials based on the job for which I am applying. If it’s an online teaching opportunity, for instance, I’ll write something such as: "Since 2019, I have taught an online multi-genre writing workshop, working directly with writers in genres including journalism, screenwriting, fiction, poetry, and more."

Or something along the lines of: "One reason I love asynchronous online teaching is that it allows me to focus on providing individualized feedback, which is my favorite part of teaching writing."

Again, this level of detail distinguishes me from other applicants and help prospective employers get a better sense of my skills and experience.

Recognizing How To Tell Your Story

When I share this advice with graduate students who will soon get their degrees and enter the job market, I find that many of them struggle with this in one of two ways: Either they don’t like to talk about themselves at all, or they get slightly thrown by the “telling their story” advice, and give detailed genealogies and artist statements about their hopes and dreams.

For what it's worth, there’s nothing wrong with tracing your lineage or having big aspirations for your career, but that, in my experience, is not what employers want to see. The trick is finding how your unique experience qualifies you in specific and direct ways for this teaching opportunity.

Questions You Can Ask?

If the job is seeking online teaching experience, think about your experiences with online learning not just as a teacher but as a student. What were instances that worked really well? Where would you improve things?

Or maybe the job requires you to work with students who are expected to struggle in the subject matter you teach. What struggles did you have with this subject? How did you overcome these? If you have teaching experience, how did you successfully reach a student who needed extra help?

These questions don’t always result in answers that are helpful for application materials, but the process of finding new ways to talk about your qualifications is one I think is worth it.

A Final Benefit of Telling Your Story

I used to worry that by revealing too much about myself as a writer or teacher, I’d end up offending someone. What if I railed against traditional lecture to a department chair that did nothing but traditional lecture? Or would highlighting my preference for teaching practical writing over a more traditional scholarly approach cause someone to ignore my email seeking opportunities or applications?

In reality, I’ve found the opposite to be true: the less generic I am, the better, which sounds obvious but wasn’t to me for a long time.

Sometimes, as educators, it’s easy to forget the advice we frequently give to students: be original, be specific, and never be afraid to be 100% you.

• How to Help Students Overcome AI Hiring Algorithms
• Cracking the 'Chicken and Egg' Dilemma: How Equitable Internships Can Propel Recent Graduates into Successful Careers

Less than three months into 2025 and the year is already a major one for AI in general, and AI in education, in particular.

Since December 2024, it seems like a dizzying amount of new and newly powerful AI tools have emerged from a variety of tech companies that can do things previous models simply couldn't. As Andrew Maynard, a professor at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, told me recently, “We've seen another step change in capabilities.”

Here are just a few of the ones I’ve had a chance to play around with or have noticed a great deal of chatter about from fellow educators. While these are not the only new AI models making waves in education, each of these is certainly making a splash and are worth being aware of as an educator.

DeepSeek

DeepSeekR1 was developed in China and launched in January, and has made no shortage of headlines. The tool is important because it is an open-source reasoning model that is free to use. This is significant for a few reasons.

First, reasoning models represent the cutting edge of AI technology, providing more detailed and better responses that can help with a wider range of tasks. Second, DeepSeek is an open-source platform, so developers can use the reasoning model to create their own specific uses with the technology, which can have big implications for education and other fields. Finally, because DeepSeek is free, it has made reasoning models more accessible overall and has seemingly prompted big tech companies to make their reasoning models available for free or at reduced rates.

DeepResearch

Announced at the beginning of February, DeepResearch is built upon OpenAI’s reasoning models. It can search the web and summarize and compile data into a research summary or paper. Some who have used it say it can create research papers as good as a graduate student in certain topics; others insist it’s not quite there yet.

I haven’t had the chance to experiment with DeepResearch, but my impression from reading the work of others is that it’s shockingly good at summarizing existing research but is not yet at the point where it is going to forge new ground in a field, which the best research papers do, of course. Either way, the fact that there is an AI tool that even arguably produces graduate-level research in some fields is both disturbing and important.

Perplexity and Google have also released similar research tools, so odds are your students will have access to these types of tools soon if they don’t already. Learning how to harness these virtual research assistants is something educators may want to start thinking about, particularly those working with more advanced students.

LearnLM

This new AI tool from Google specifically designed for learning hasn’t gotten the same level of mainstream attention as some other AI tools that were released or upgraded in 2025, but I find it one of the best AI teaching tools available.

As I recently wrote, LearnLM is built upon Google’s Gemini 1.5 but trained with learning science's best practices in mind. It’s been tested and fine-tuned after being deployed with real students and hundreds of education experts. I not only think it can help students learn subjects I teach, such as journalism and writing, but I've also used it to learn more about topics I’m exploring, including hard-to-visualize concepts from physics and game theory.

Sora AI

When it’s working well, this video-generation platform from OpenAI operates like a tool from science fiction. You put in a few lines of text, and a few minutes later a short video is produced from that.

While I didn’t really enjoy the user experience when I recently reviewed Sora AI, I was still impressed by its capabilities. Yes, prompting for Sora is still a little too complicated, and beyond sharing its wow factor with students, there’s not a huge number of direct teaching applications right now. But this is technology to watch and potentially explore with students going forward. The technology is only going to get better, and I’ve got a feeling people will come up with ways to use this I haven’t even imagined.

Like the other tools mentioned here it has the potential to change things in the classroom and beyond.

• 4 Ways I Improved My AI Prompt Writing
• AI In Education: 4 Ways To Avoid Falling Behind The Curve

The ubiquitous nature of technology means that it’s always around us. In our work as educators, we use technology to support efficiency with rudimentary tasks, for organizing our calendars and agendas, and to store our lessons, textbooks, and student information.

A key idea in Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model is being purposeful in how technology is used within teaching and learning. With so much edtech available, it is sometimes challenging to choose when, where, why, and what should be used to advance learning outcomes.

One strategy is to break down the purpose of technology use, honing in on using it to complete specific teaching and learning activities.

As part of a three-article series, in this first one I will discuss using technology to support lesson creation and instruction. Subsequent articles will focus on using technology to support engaging students in learning and assessing learning.

Technology for Lesson Creation

Many components have to be put together before any lesson can be facilitated. Even if your school district requires you to use a certain curriculum with associated content, how you approach your plans for teaching those lessons may vary.

First, decide where you will house all of your learning materials. Google Drive is a good option and has apps included for word processing-type documents (Google Docs), Surveys and Questionnaires (Google Forms), and Slideshows (Google Slides), among additional add-ons and extensions such as Slido. Other robust options for curating content are also available, such as Wakelet or Padlet.

While storyboarding is popular when creating movies, it can be a helpful instructional design tool in planning lessons, particularly when including technology. These elearning storyboard templates may be useful.

As you gather content to either build or supplement your lesson, the use of open educational resources (OER) will ensure that you appropriately use copyrighted materials and provide attribution to the author. These are digital citizen skills that can be modeled for students as well. The Open Educational Resources Commons offers free and open resources across all subjects and discipline areas that you can pull from and add to your lessons. Similarly, Creative Commons may be a helpful resource as you plan your lessons.

Technology for Lesson Instruction

Once you have used technology tools to plan, organize, and curate your lesson materials, you can try additional digital platforms to facilitate instruction.

Animation is an exciting option to use to present concepts and content, especially new content that may be difficult to understand. Using animation tools that can break down your instruction in easily understandable chucks may keep students’ interest. Powtoon and Animaker have free options with which you can tinker. Animated videos could be used to open the lesson, as icebreakers, and/or embedded into a larger instructional presentation. Students even may be impressed to see that their teacher has created a multimedia animated video!

You can also present content within a learning instruction platform such as Nearpod or Seesaw, or create interactive slides to show in-class or virtual. Many multimedia slide options are available, such as Google Slides or Canva, that are easy to use, have free options, and templates to get started. To make the presentation of the content attractive and interesting, include a variety of images, videos, and text. These presentation slideshows can be used in live lessons and/or in recorded full or mini-lessons.

Intentional use of technology is important to ensure that we do not get lost in the options and lose focus on why we are incorporating it in the first place in our classrooms. As you use technology to plan, create, and facilitate amazing lessons, consider how it functions and how using those tools can contribute to you meeting your instructional goals and students meeting learning outcomes.

• 3 Tips for Veteran Teachers To Get Comfortable with Classroom Technology
• 5 Ways for New Teachers to Mentally Prepare for Teaching

Every year at about the midway point of the semester, I feel a little overwhelmed as an instructor. Student questions pile up and no matter how many items I check off my to-do list, it seems to grow longer like some task-based hydra. Then imposter syndrome starts to rear its ugly head.

As I’ve grown more experienced, I haven’t fully grown out of these feelings, but I have developed some strategies for dealing that I think will be helpful for new professors, and I suspect new K-12 teachers as well, even though the ebb and flow of the school year is different from that of a college semester.

Of course, what works for the tangled set of neurons that make up my brain might not work for your own ball of neurons. Adapt accordingly!

1. Recognize That The School Year Has Highs and Lows

The biggest single realization that helps me at this time of year is to constantly remind myself that the semester has busy points and bottlenecks. The bad news is these seem inevitable. The good news is as frequently as it happens, it passes, and there are also calmer moments during the year.

So as ungraded midterm papers and emails start to pile up, I just remember that things will be calm again before I know it. It may not feel like it when I’m in the thick of it, but it will happen.

2. Give Yourself A Fair Grade

It’s a good time of year to give yourself a midterm. But make sure not to grade yourself too harshly. So you haven’t responded with two-pages worth of feedback to every single student paper, and occasionally when you get a student email as you’re having dinner with your family, you wait until after you finish to respond. That’s all okay!

I try to think of a teacher I respect and ask myself if they did what I did, how I would feel. If I’d be disappointed, it’s time to step it up on my end; if I’d approve, I think it’s okay to stop feeling guilty about not doing more.

We can always do more as educators, but we need to remember that we don’t want to burn out and let "great" be the enemy of "good." If there are things in our teaching that do legitimately need work, let's recognize that and address it with new strategies and approaches. But let's also stop beating up ourselves over little things.

3. Readjust Assignments

Just like war plans rarely survive contact with the enemy, assignment plans don’t always survive contact with students. Sometimes the plan you have for a course in August just no longer makes sense by October.

Consequently, it’s okay to switch gears, provided you give your students plenty of notice — and, of course, don’t do something such as turn your writing into a Mets playoff viewing party. (I've never actually done this but the Mets make the playoffs so infrequently, could you blame me if I did?)

Seriously though, making small changes to the course based on your own observations and student feedback tends to feel almost amateurish but I’ve grown to see it as a mark of a professional. Certain assignments don't work with certain students, and there's nothing wrong with changing up things.

4. Contact The Ghosts In Your Class

Different institutions have different policies around absentee students. But if you’re teaching classes with 20 to 30 students, it’s a good idea to reach out to those who have stopped attending. Or reach out again if you already sent an email after the first few classes they missed.

I find that most of these students do eventually appear, but by the time they do, it’s too late to do anything about their failing grade. I like to send these “ghosts” a friendly email telling them that their grade has already been hurt while also reminding them there’s still time to pass the class if they turn things around now. It also can save some conversations at the end of the semester, which is another busy time of the school year.

For some reason, I get stressed out by students who have stopped contributing to class and sending these emails helps alleviate that as well.

5. Remind Yourself of The Good Parts of Teaching

So far in this piece I’ve focused on negative things to overcome. However, it’s just as important to take some time at the midpoint of the semester to focus on all the really good things you’ve done and how you’ve helped students.

For me, I take a lot of pride in the time I devote to responding to each student’s writing submission. It doesn’t always pay dividends but I can rest assured that I’ve provided them the best advice I have for improving their writing, and that always feels like time well spent. I try to remind myself of this, particularly at the busiest times of the school year.

I also enjoy meeting one-on-one with students, and try to encourage them to meet me -- even, and especially, when I’m busy. Sitting down with a student for a half hour can make such a difference for them, and it often helps recharge my educator batteries by reminding me of why, as teachers, we do what we do. After all, there is something special about helping a fellow human learn something new, but we can all use reminders of that from time to time.

• I Have AI Fatigue. Here's What I'm Doing to Overcome It
• 5 Ways Science Informs My Teaching

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’m tired of reading AI papers.

I’m an adjunct college writing professor and teach online, and the prevalence of AI papers I suspect are AI-generated has grown to such an extent over the past year that it has changed my relationship with teaching. Although I’ve learned many great methods for detecting AI papers, searching work for signs of artificial intelligence is different than reading a student’s paper and connecting with it.

Teaching writing to inexperienced writers has always been difficult and, at times, frustrating. But there’s something deeply rewarding about taking the time to respond to a fellow human’s work, something worthwhile about trying to help them develop tools to better express their thoughts and feelings to grow as living, breathing, thinking, human beings. AI chatbots change this equation.

Now, instead of spending time trying to help students communicate, I’m looking for marks of the machine. When I see suspected AI use, I believe it is important to talk to students, but this is not only time-consuming it creates a situation in which I’m frequently conducting mini inquiries into student ethics rather than, you know, teaching.

Because of all this, for the first time in the 10 years that I’ve been teaching writing, I seriously debated taking off this semester from working with undergraduate students. Ultimately, I have decided not to do that.

Instead, I’m trying to change my mindset around AI work to regain a little bit of the fun and passion that I think the robots have stolen from teaching. Here’s how.

Overcoming AI Fatigue: Focusing On Quality Rather Than Authorship

One of the tells of AI writing is just a weird lack of quality. For a recent article I wrote on detecting AI, I was reminded that sometimes it doesn’t really matter if the paper is AI-generated or not. Poor-quality writing is poor quality.

As a writing instructor, my job is to point out how that can be improved. I don’t love the idea of critiquing robot work but there’s still a human at the wheel of one of these submissions.

So this semester I am embracing the idea that the human pilot of AI-generated work can still benefit from seeing the flaws in that effort. To do this, I’m letting students know that I’m grading AI-style writing harsher, so this will hopefully de-incentivize AI use overall.

Also, I will be able to spend less time assessing whether work is truly AI-generated or not -- if it is AI-style writing it's getting a lower grade. Overall, although it pains me to say it, if students are going to use AI in place of writing themselves going forward, there is value in helping them learn to get better results from their AI prompts.

Accepting That There Will Be AI Papers Submitted That Will Get Past Me

I think I’ve spent too much time focused on AI papers this past year. I’m still on the lookout, of course, but I’m also accepting the fact that I’m going to miss some AI work.

One of the schools that I teach at doesn’t allow use of AI detectors because of the well-documented accuracy problems, and without using one, there’s only so much I can do.

At the risk of sounding cliché, my new motto is, “Give me the strength to detect the AI papers I can and accept the AI papers I can’t detect.” Because of my new focus on the quality of the work rather than how it was created, it should matter less if an AI-generated paper or two slips by, as the students most likely won’t be rewarded for that.

Obviously, this feels like a surrender in some ways, but I’m reminding myself that despite my best efforts there were always students who I didn’t reach. That didn’t bother me if I was confident that I had done all I could reasonably do to help them succeed. I’m trying to get over my bias against AI work and extend that mindset to AI writing as well.

Reframing The Purpose of Writing

For a long time, I think English/writing educators have been selling the wrong message when it comes to writing.

A professor I worked for as a teaching assistant used to tell students that they needed to pay attention in their composition class because they’d need to write emails as part of their jobs. That rationale never made sense to me and makes even less sense now. First, most students in that class could already write coherent emails. Second, that type of work-a-day minutiae writing can now be adequately, and some would argue more than adequately, handled by ChatGPT or other writing AI tools.

That thinking was never compelling enough for students to cancel weekend plans to wrestle with the written word. Consequently, my new message to students is: You shouldn’t learn to write so your resume will look better or your cover letter will shine. You should learn to write because writing is one of the fundamental ways in which humans are able to express their thoughts, hopes, dreams, and more. Writing is linked to cognition and has changed the way humans have thought since ancient times. When we learn to write, the blank page can be a friend that we bounce ideas off of or a mirror of the deepest portions of our soul. Feel free to let AI write your cover letter, another AI tool is probably reading it anyway, but don’t let AI steal the fundamental human endeavor of writing from you.

I know that all students won't respond to this message but I'm dedicated to sharing it in the hopes that some will.

• 6 Ways Teachers Can Tell Students Are Using AI
• The NEA Has Adopted A New Statement On AI in Education. Here’s What Educators Think

Crafting full curriculums and lesson plans can be a time-consuming process for many teachers, especially those who teach multiple classes with different subjects. Educators at Dickinson ISD in Texas have come up with an elegant solution to this challenge by creating “bundles,” or self-contained online teaching templates that can be altered to fit any lesson plan, curriculum, or educational environment as a teacher sees fit.

“The bundles will give the teachers everything they need through days one to five,” says Deanna Williams, Coordinator of Digital Learning & Instructional Material for the district. “They can use the course as is or that can select pieces of what is available a la carte.”

To start the bundle process, teachers first upload and assign their documents into Schoology, through which these are turned into digital materials so then can be assigned. The now-bundled curriculum is divided over days that a teacher can use to map what they want to teach in a manner that best suits their classroom environment.

“I’ve been working mainly with the reading ELA curriculum specialist. She would give me the materials that go into a planning document,” says Williams. “Now it’s streamlined to where she can submit a Google Doc and I basically know what she needs. I will take her information and create a slide deck from it.”

Bundles are customizable. “When teachers use the templates I create, they can alter the text, the colors, the wording, to better suit the lesson plan they have in mind,” says Williams.

Making Teaching More Straightforward 

The bundles show how a curriculum can be condensed and simplified for teachers. While this has obvious benefits for teachers well into their tenures, it can also be beneficial for those who are just starting out to make the teaching experience more palatable.

“One teacher went from her original slide deck, which I think was 41 slides that she assigned to over 100 students, to just 14 slides,” says Williams. “And so it made it a lot easier for her. She was so excited to have [her curriculum] honed down.”

While it may appear that these bundles take away some of the agency teachers enjoy when creating lesson plans, Williams explains that after adjusting to the system, many teachers find that the support they have and the time they save are invaluable.

“Teachers were apprehensive at first,” recalls Williams. “We presented [the system] as ‘Enjoy your Christmas break, and when you come back, here’s your bundle.’ So when they came back, everything was done for them. They assign it and during a curriculum preview day, we gave them the material and let them dig into it. I also provide support and tell them that if they are leery about technology or if they are not comfortable with it, I will come and support you.”

How Bundles Get Students Excited to Learn 

Bundles help teachers organize their lessons how they see fit, but what about the benefit for students? So far, bundles have kept students engaged in what they are learning, says Williams.

“The students were so excited,” she says. “Teachers and coaches tell me that their kids come in and ask what tomorrow will be like. They get so excited.”

Having the same curriculums and lesson plans repeated over and over can become monotonous for both teachers and students. These bundles allow teachers to add more personality to their lessons, giving students more to look forward to every day.

 Some of the Tools Williams Uses: 

• Schoology
• Canva
• Quizizz
• Google Suite
• Edgenuity
• iReady

Related articles:

• Best Practices for Launching a Digital Curriculum at Scale
• Defining A Digital Curriculum

Teachers often don’t pay enough attention to the science of teaching. I know this because I used to be one of these teachers.

As a journalist, I frequently write about science and health, and am fascinated by the cutting edge of human knowledge. However, for the first half-decade or so of my teaching career as an adjunct professor, that interest did not extend to the science of teaching. I wasn’t against using evidence-based strategies in the classroom, those approaches just weren’t on my radar.

That all changed when I started writing for Tech & Learning and regularly interviewing educational scientists. Before this, I taught primarily by intuition and through a grab bag of ideas learned during my own time as a student or gleaned from colleagues and supervisors. The good news is much of what I did already matched with strong educational science — my intuition, like that of most teachers, has been generally pretty sound. But not everything I or my colleagues did made sense, according to the latest science.

Over my years of teaching, I’ve come across department-mandated practices that have been debunked as ineffective, and have seen things I did in my own teaching that were unlikely to be helpful for my students. Today, I do my very best to avoid these mistakes and try to keep up with the latest teaching research. I’m certainly not perfect in this regard, but I’m hopefully always improving.

Here are some of the main ways in which science now informs my work in the classroom.

1. Avoiding Learning Styles

When I was in college, one of my professors had every student in class complete a learning style questionnaire. According to the questionnaire, I was a "visual learner.” Later, as a teacher, I thought about how I needed to make sure my lectures appealed to visual, audio, and other types of learners. These efforts were at best a waste of time since learning styles are a myth.

The idea of learning styles was popularized by an Australian educator in the 1990s based on his anecdotal observations. Subsequent research has repeatedly failed to find any evidence that learning styles are real. So, needless to say, I no longer take these into consideration when preparing for a class, and instead prioritize my time around teaching strategies that actually work, such as providing individualized feedback.

Unfortunately, I do still find myself interacting with students and colleagues who bring up learning styles, and I am trying to devise better strategies for informing them about the research. Right now I worry that when I contradict people who believe in learning styles, I come off like a jerk.

2. Better Utilization of Video

Sending a student a link to a video explanation of a concept, say comma usage, can feel like a cop out. My thinking used to run like this: “The student is paying the university and, therefore, me, for my expertise, and won’t I do a better job explaining the concept than a YouTube link?”

The answer is actually, “No.” Students will probably learn better from a high-quality YouTube lesson than from me. That’s according to a 2021 study that found students learn better from video lectures than in-person lectures. With this study in mind, I don’t shy away from assigning and sharing vetted videos with students based upon specific knowledge gaps I notice in their work

Dr. Michael Noetel, lead author of this research and professor of psychology at The University of Queensland, told me last year that I wasn’t the only one who worried I was taking a shortcut with video. “For a while, I think educators saw videos as the lazy way to teach, or they thought students only liked videos because they found reading hard,” Noetel says. “That’s starting to change.”

3. More Pretesting

As a student, I hated the stress caused by high-stakes tests. So as a teacher, I’ve mostly avoided these in favor of projects — this is easy to do since I teach writing, which naturally lends itself to projects (papers) better than tests.

These days, however, I’m exploring a new type of testing: pre-testing. This counterintuitive strategy has professors giving ungraded tests to students before they have a chance to learn the material. This may feel weird and counterintuitive, except pretesting has been shown to boost learning.

Being tested in an unfamiliar subject with can be frustrating for students, but when you explain the cognitive benefits, they tend to understand the theory behind it and come around.

4. Less Lecture

I’ve become a big fan of active learning, which research suggests can be more effective than traditional lectures. But again, I used to feel bad about not lecturing as that was what felt the most "school-like” to me.

Now, with active learning in mind, I’m dedicated to devoting more class time to in-class writing and other writing-related projects. I used to worry about not lecturing enough, but now I worry about lecturing too much.

Of course, I have not abandoned direct instruction, as that has strong evidence to support it as well. I have, however, gone away from the idea that true teaching means standing in front of the classroom and imparting wisdom to students. I’ve learned to trust my instincts that the best way to teach students to write is to have them spend as much time as possible — including during class — actually writing.

5. Fighting AI-Generated Papers

I’ve always been against work for work’s sake. Unlike some teachers, I encouraged my students to use automated citation tools, as I didn’t buy any of the arguments against using these, especially for undergrads. So I like the idea that generative AI tools can save students time and believe these are great for helping with spelling and grammar.

That being said, I’m firmly against AI writing replacing student writing even if AI writing gets good enough that students won’t need to write in the future. That’s because of the positive ways in which the writing process is linked to cognition, thinking, and learning. This is well-documented and something most of us have experienced. For example, it’s why you remember a high school history paper or other written projects. And while writing this article I learned more about my relationship to research in the classroom because sitting down to do it forced me to really think about it and remember how I've grown and evolved as a teacher.

Consequently, the research is clear: Students will be robbed of these types of critical thinking experiences if they outsource writing to AI.

• The Research-Practice Divide is Real. Here's How To Overcome It.
• Teaching Writing With AI Without Replacing Thinking: 4 Tips

When I started teaching, like most new teachers, I was determined to do a good job. And again, like most new teachers, I was convinced that time + effort = quality.

Over time I've learned that attempting to solve every problem with the “I will work harder” approach isn’t good for anyone, least of all my students. This is particularly true when it comes to prepping.

For example, early on, after thinking a class activity would take longer than it did, I was determined never to be caught flat-footed again and so I filled my slides with more numbers and added more slides, and between slides, I planned specific activities and backups for those activities. Not only was most of this is a waste of time, some of it was counterproductive, confusing students and making the class less fun and more rigid.

Fortunately, I've overcome those bad over-prepping habits and now focus on what really matters when it comes to class preparation. Here's my advice for young teachers looking to avoid making the same mistakes I did.

1. Remember Less is More

This is true in many instances in life but nowhere more so than in the classroom. As teachers, we’re experts in our subject matter and have a lot to say, except no one benefits when we drown our students in words.

To overcome this over-prepping tendency, I focus more thoroughly on the key elements of the topic and anything from my experience or observations that might build on the material students have access to in readings. I make a rough outline of key terms and points I want to make but intentionally don't get too specific.

2. Have A Roadmap But Plan For Detours

The key ideas referenced above give me a roadmap for where I want to start and about where I want to end up during a class session. But I’ve learned to be much less rigid in the itinerary and this allows me to go where students want to go and better respond to their questions.

As new teachers, we’re worried about losing control of a class, and although that’s a valid fear, the best way to lose control and interest is to have a rigid class setup that doesn’t accommodate spontaneity.

3. There Are Other Tools Beyond PowerPoint

Linked to my over-prepping early days was my overreliance on PowerPoint and other similar slideshow tools. Even though there are many teachers who make engaging slideshows and can have spontaneous moments between slides. I’m not one of them.

Over the years, I’ve found that my slideshows cause my students to tune out and make me more rigid and less engaging as an instructor. I still like to have the outline of a written path to follow so I don’t end up looking dazed and confused. But now instead of a slideshow, I use good old-fashioned handouts that I let students access through QR codes. For me, this has the benefits of a slideshow as it helps me outline a lesson and gives students something they can go over later to access material, but it is quicker to put together and easier to improvise with during class.

4. Embrace Technology 

Even though I’ve gone away from PowerPoint, I incorporate more technology into my classes and presentations than ever before. However, it’s not all about the technology I use these days.

Instead, I have students use their cell phones for various exercises and encourage them to try out various apps I use in my research, including the transcription tool Otter.AI and historical newspaper database Newspapers.com.

I teach in higher ed so I don’t have the same concerns about too much screen time as K-12 teachers might, however, the key here isn’t so much the specific tech, it’s providing time for students to be active. This can be done by having students use their phones for classroom activities, but it doesn't have to involve a phone. I find that when students are active I have the best classes, even if -- and often especially when -- they don't go exactly according to plan.

• I Used To Create Long Slideshows. Here's 4 Things I Do Instead
• 5 Tips For Getting Online and In-Person Adjunct Teaching Positions

Online teaching and learning provide a flexibility and variety that brick-and-mortar classrooms just can’t match. Both students and teachers can work from home, or from anyplace they have a computer or mobile device. Additionally, online learning is generally much less expensive than in-person tutoring. And with a vast array of course offerings—everything from calculus to languages to social science—there is a subject for nearly every learning requirement or ambition.

Whether you’re a teacher seeking a chance to share your knowledge while earning extra income, or a student who wants to master new topics, the following sites extend the best opportunities for teaching and learning anything online.

Best Sites for Online Tutoring and Teaching

Khan Academy
An amazing, fully free, not-for-profit site that’s dedicated to promoting learning and teaching through online coursework, Khan Academy is now a leader in the ethical use of GPT-4 AI-powered tools for both teachers and students. Khanmigo tools for teachers include “chunk text,” which breaks up text into manageable passages, quiz and lesson plan generators, and many others. For students, the academic essay feedback tool provides guidance to help them revise and hone their writing. A stellar site.

Course Hero
The popular homework help site featuring expert tutors teaching students with step-by-step instructions now includes an AI-powered homework help option. Teachers can sign up to earn extra income by becoming a site expert in topics ranging from accounting to zoology.

eTutorworld
A tutoring and test prep site that starts by evaluating each student's current subject knowledge, then designs an individualized learning program. Try the first class for free! Test prep includes SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP and many others.

Udemy
A comprehensive platform for teaching and learning almost any topic, whether academic, business or personal development. Plans include personal, starting at $20 monthly as well as team and enterprise. Users can also adopt a pay-as-you-go approach for any course. Free seven-day trial for personal and team plans.

Sophia
Sophia offers online college-level courses with transferable credits that allow flexible learning anytime, anywhere. The easy-to-navigate website provides transparent pricing and the free trial (no credit card required) allows users to try courses up to the point of the first challenge.

Tutor.com
An award-winning site that partners with K-12 and higher education institutions, school districts, and libraries to provide personalized online learning at no cost to the participant. Bonus: Tutor.com offers free online tutoring and homework help for members of the U.S. military and their families.

Superprof
A UK-based community where students can easily find an online tutor for a wide range of topics, from algebra to zoology. Tutors set their own rates which are clearly displayed, along with a description of their services and reviews from clients. Teachers can create profiles as tutors for free or upgrade to Premium for £99 annually (about $125). Top quality tutors earn the “ambassador” designation.

Tutor Hunt
This UK-based site is easy to navigate for students seeking in-person or online tutors. Technical features include online whiteboards that allow two-way video, screen sharing, and document upload, while all tutors are fully vetted by the site.

Wyzant
A popular site offering tutoring help for more than 250 subjects, Wyzant provides clear guidance on finding the perfect tutor—or applying to be the perfect tutor. Its money-back guarantee for the first lesson with a new tutor makes it easy for students to try it out, while its FAQs give potential users everything they need to know before signing up.

• Best Online Summer Jobs for Teachers
• 5 Tips for Online Tutoring Based on New Research
• Best Sites for Educator Professional Development

AI is becoming increasingly impossible to avoid. In Google’s latest bid to catch up with OpenAI and Microsoft, the tech giant launched AI overviews, which provide AI-generated summaries of Google search terms

Meanwhile, it seems as if almost every edtech company is tacking on the letters “A” and “I” to the end of their name, and I’ve recently joked about rebranding myself as ErikOfgangAI.

But with all the platforms available and all the considerable hype, I only find myself actually using a few AI tools in my day-to-day work as a writer and educator. Here are the tools and why I find these so valuable.

1. Grammarly 

This AI-powered spelling and grammar check can be integrated with your browser to automatically check your writing. Even its free version is more effective than most other spellcheck tools I’ve used.

I find that like a helmet or seatbelt, I’ve become so used to using Grammarly that I get actual anxiety when I stop. I also encourage students to use it and find that doing so can decrease errors on a paper by at least 20-40 percent, improving their writing and their grades.

Grammarly also has generative AI-powered writing tutor that you can send 100 prompts to for free. I’ve experimented much less with this, but from my minimal tests it seems to be — like most generative AI tools I’ve come across — more flash than function. When I asked it to improve the previous paragraph, it made changes that made the writing sound more mechanical and AI-generated. For example, it changed the sentence, “I find that like a helmet or seatbelt, I’ve become so used to using it that I get actual anxiety when I stop,” to “Personally, I've become so accustomed to using it that it has become as essential to me as a helmet or seatbelt, and I experience genuine anxiety when I have to stop using it.”

The first sentence, though not exactly Shakespeare, at least sounds like me, while the second sentence sounds like a robot imitating an English butler from an old TCM movie.

2. Otter.AI  

Otter.AI is a transcription tool that allows you to record meetings and interviews. It then provides an automatic AI-generated summary of these sessions and text that you can search through to find the parts of a lecture, meeting, or interview you want to revisit.

As a journalist, this has saved me near immeasurable time transcribing interviews. I can’t believe that as recently as 2020, I used to transcribe my interviews myself like a freaking medieval monk!

Otter.AI. can also be helpful for taking notes in meetings, and I recommend it to students who are recording lectures, conducting interviews, and even looking to quote from podcasts -- it can make that process so much easier as well.

3. GPS

This technology is so widespread that including it here almost feels silly, but yes without the help of the AI-powered GPS app in my phone I wouldn’t even make it to half my classes because I’d be lost.

Few students will remember the dark days of yore when getting to a new location meant going to MapQuest, printing out the directions, and bravely venturing into the unknown with the sure knowledge that if you strayed from the designated path you would never find your way. Or the time before that when you had to use something called a "map."

But seriously, talking about GPS use can be a good exercise in examining both the strengths and weaknesses of AI. GPS tools can help you avoid traffic and get almost anywhere, however, can often be wrong. When you use it in areas you’re familiar with, the routes recommended can seem illogical and result in more turns and confusion than necessary. The same is true with every AI tool I’ve used: They’re great, until they’re not.

4. AI Search Summaries 

Microsoft’s GPT-powered Copilot has provided search summaries for a while now, and Google recently launched its own version of an AI search assistant, the aforementioned Google overview feature now showing up on select searches.

I don’t like that Google automatically turns this on, and have shared my concerns about the accuracy of these tools. Like someone who confidently gives you backseat driving advice, an AI summary of your search can be hard to ignore even when you want to.

That said, so much of the modern internet has become a joyless scavenger hunt for random factoids that I’m happy when AI can speed that up. I’m probably in the minority here, but so far I actually like Google’s controversial AI summary. I find it quicker and more seamless than Microsoft Bing’s copilot feature.

I also find this function makes it pretty easy to track the source of information used in the summary, which makes it a wonderful tool to teach fact-checking. It’s not always obvious to students that if an AI says something it may not be true, so critically examining Google's AI summaries could be a good lesson on how to track sources to their core. This skill is valuable for students when dealing with AI but also other sources of questionable accuracy.

Plus, by teaching your students critical reading and fact-checking, they'll never be tempted to make pizza with glue, or eat a rock day as Google’s AI summary has reportedly advised users. (Hopefully!) They'll also learn a valuable skill for a world increasingly populated by questionable sources, both human and AI-generated.

• Google Gemini: How Google’s New AI Can Change Teaching
• 5 Things About Using AI for Writing That I Wish Enthusiasts Would Remember

As the years go by with teaching, we become well-versed with new pedagogical techniques, but we also sometimes rely on what has always worked. In fact, many of our classes from year to year follow the same or very similar structure with the same assignments. This includes how we teach content, how we engage our students with content, and how we assess their learning -- think Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The only difference in our teaching may be different students.  

The thing is, as the students change year to year, so do their lived experiences and their access to technology. Even as veteran teachers, there are times when we should apply new tools to our existing curriculum. 

In the spirit of UDL, good and effective teaching relies on multiple ways of representing content, multiple ways of engagement, and multiple ways of action and expression. To that end, and with the proliferation of edtech tools that emerge daily in our field that can support transformational learning, here are a few ways that veteran teachers can leverage learning technologies and switch up teaching and learning. 

1. New Instruction Trick: TikTok Influencer? 

The days of spending 30 minutes standing in front of the class explaining concepts to students are gone. Students enjoy social networking sites and often receive and retain information better in smaller chunks. 

To do that, try creating short instruction videos through the social media platform TikTok in lieu of a traditional lecture as part of your instruction. Students will be very excited that their teacher not only knows what TikTok is and how to navigate it, but will be more likely to view the video more than one time, adding to their understanding. 

You can use multiple videos for the lesson as students are used to watching shorter videos and swiping to the next one. You could also embed the TikTok videos into a longer lesson, adding questions through an edtech tool such as Slido to ensure that students are keeping up with the content as you move forward to the next topic. 

2. New Engagement Trick: Embrace AI  

AI is all the rage. And while there are inherent flaws that should be addressed, there are opportunities to use AI to peak students’ interest. 

Now, we know that when we went through our teacher education programs, AI was not talked about in education, if at all, so we may not know where to start. Approach AI in similar ways that you did with mobile devices in the classroom that went from being banned in many schools to a requirement for BYOD classrooms. Students will be excited to have the chance to use AI in the classroom as opposed to being given a statement about how they are not to use it. 

Using AI as an engagement tool can also provide a way to introduce students to responsible and ethical practices with it. Check out this sample ChatGPT lesson plan as you develop AI pedagogical practices around trying it in your class. 

3. New Assessment Trick: Try Podcasting  

What if students shared their learning through podcasting? Many of the athletes and movie stars who students follow on social networking sites have podcasts. One great thing about podcasts is that information is provided on a topic, and in many cases, in detail. 

Instead of the traditional assessment for learning such as a paper or test, have students develop a podcast in which they can demonstrate their learning in a creative format. You as the teacher could be the host and have students on as your guests, or students can develop their own podcast and have one another as a guest. VoiceThread may be a neat tool to try to record the podcast to get started. 

Having a routine is great and consistency is key to an organized classroom. At the same time, it is good to change things around sometimes and introduce students to new ways of learning. As veteran teachers, we are often committed to lifelong learning for ourselves too, so as we elevate our own teaching, we can learn as well with students using edtech tools to support the process.

• Top Edtech Lesson Plans
• 4 Ways to Nurture Innovation in the Classroom

TeachMateAi is a selection of teaching tools that are AI-powered with the idea to make teaching life easier by freeing up time, specifically from administrative tasks.

The company says that its goal is to help teachers focus on the part of the job they love -- teaching -- rather than be bogged down in the admin side of the work. It's like having a personal digital assistant to help with lesson planning and more.

It's claimed that using this suite of tools has allowed some teachers to save more than 10 hours per week. Even if it can do half that for you, it could be a valuable resource, for sure.

A free trial is available so you can give it a go before you decide, but for now read on to find out all you need to know about TeachMateAi.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

What is TeachMateAi?

TeachMateAi is another tool in the new wave of AI-powered teaching assistant systems that aims to help make the life of an educator more streamlined.

At its core the TeachMateAi system is powered by OpenAi with refined tuning to get the best results from the artificial intelligence. Teachers can input very few details on what they need yet will still get a comprehensive output that is -- more often than not -- ready to share with students.

Plenty of free tools are available, as well as some more premium features for teachers, both for admin tasks and in-class duties -- although the latter are what you need to upgrade to premium for access to.

Everything is web-based and, although there is a small delay as the AI generates your results, everything moves quickly and is laid out minimally for ease of use.

How does TeachMateAi work?

TeachMateAi is free to use as long as you sign up using your email address. You're then able to begin exploring the free tools available to use right away via the website.

Navigate to the Free Tools section and you'll be met with nine different options that you can use immediately. The first is Report Writer, which allows you to input a student name, subject title, positive and negative points before hitting output. The AI will then go to work resulting in a report as if you'd taken the time to write it fully. This can be shared directly, using copy and paste, or output to a Word document to share that way.

You are also able to save favorite tools for quicker access, and there is a My Content section on the website that allows you to save, edit, and copy content you've created previously.

What are the best TeachMateAi features?

TeachMateAi offers some very compelling free tools that are genuinely useful and help to save time in the long run. The fact everything is so self-explanatory to use is also a big draw here.

Here are all the other free tools available, with a short explanation of how each works.

• Concept Explainer, as you'd imagine, creates explanations of concepts targeted to pupils of specified ages.
• SPAG Example Generator creates examples for SPAG features.
• Math Starter Questions will quickly come up with math questions targeted at students you need. 
• This Period in History gives students an exploration of a period in history you pick (shown in the above image).
• Activity Ideas Generator is more about creating inspiration to help teach a certain topic.
• Intent Implementation Impact Generator will create an example statement that can be adapted and used throughout school.
• Flip The Genre is a tool to help you retell a familiar story in a different genre.
• Mini Saga helps you write in 50 words exactly.

Lots, lots more tools are available when you pay, and you can also expect even more to come as the website has a suggestions section to help the company create more tools as needed. Read on to find out more about those premium features.

How much does TeachMateAi cost?

TeachMateAi, as mentioned, has nine really helpful tools available for free that you simply need to sign up with your email address to use. You can also enjoy the website, ad free.

Go for the Pro package at $8.68 per month, or $7.45 per month when paid annually, and you get access to save content you create, access to all future tools, plus the classroom tools of which there are more than 60 live or on the way, plus 40 more in the teaching tools section.

TeachMateAi best tips and tricks

Do more reports
Since reports are so easily automated, go digital and offer more feedback to students without taking up as much of your time.

Go back in time
Use the history tool to take classes back in time to give an overview early on, before diving into more detail during the lesson.

Build with students
Have students use the Mini Saga tool to create stories of no more than 50 words. Then have them add 50 words of their own as a follow up.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

To share your feedback and ideas on this article, consider joining our Tech & Learning online community here

As a young teacher, Krista Herrera realized lesson planning wasn’t her strong suit. So instead of spending nights and weekends agonizing over that task and causing her students to suffer through her learning curve with her, she did something that is rarely done in education but might just be more effective than the latest intervention or any AI technology: She got help from a colleague. 

“I was super good at building relationships with my kids and running my classroom and making content fun,” Herrera says. But she noticed that a teacher down the hall was fantastic at creating lesson plans. She asked him to share and then came up with ways to enhance those lesson plans with class activities, strengthening the experience for students in both classrooms. “Together we could kind of create this super teacher,” she says. 

Herrera is now Administrator of Professional Learning and Student Support at Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Recently, she was honored with an Innovative Leader Award for the Best Implementation of Digital Curriculum at a Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit in California. She received the award in recognition of her efforts to scale up the kind of collaboration she enjoyed early in her career with that teacher down the hall through the High Quality Instructional Materials Initiative of the California Department of Education.

Thanks to Herrera and her colleague's efforts, the California Educators Together website offers vetted, high-quality and relevant professional learning, and lesson plans. Though these resources are designed for Californian educators and built with the state’s education standards in mind, all are available for free to educators everywhere. 

How California Educators Together Came Together  

Like many recent education innovations, the online resources and lesson plans of California Educators Together were inspired by the pandemic. When the lockdowns began in early 2020, teachers in California, like much of the rest of the country and world, were in need of high-quality online teaching resources. “Our county superintendent called and she was like, ‘I think we need to provide teachers with a ready-to-go curriculum,'” Herrera says. She recruited more than 100 educators to help build turnkey lessons that other teachers could turn to in the hectic early days of the pandemic. 

From this experience, Herrera began to see the potential for these types of teaching resources even beyond the pandemic. She started working with other educators to create high-quality lessons that took into account learning variability and are designed to serve all learners. 

“For me, it was really interesting in terms of the equity piece,” Herrera says. “It wouldn't matter what zip code you were in, specifically in our county, you would have access to this high-quality curriculum.” 

How Teachers Can Utilize California Educators Together

California Educators Together has many resources currently available, although the goal is to keep expanding to ultimately include one model unit for every subject at every grade level. This would serve as an example for educators who can then base other units on it.  

“We will eventually travel the state and get videotapes of teachers actually demonstrating these lessons in our classrooms to help people have a better picture,” Herrera says. This initiative was conceived after they realized that new teachers might need to see “teacher moves” in action to understand why a certain lesson worked. 

The initiative is also offering Lesson Design Institutes in which Californian educators can participate. Once they’ve been trained in this type of lesson design, they can earn money by providing their own lessons to California Educators Together. 

The resources featured on the site are available to educators anywhere and Herrera hopes to scale the model beyond the state. 

“Right now we're focused on California but the goal will be that eventually it feeds itself with educators across the nation, and everyone's kind of speaking the same language and we're working together to build this beautiful repository,” she says. “But we're just in the infant stages of making that all happen.” 

• Tech & Learning Launches New Online Community
• 6 Tools & Apps to Foster Student Creativity

To share your feedback and ideas on this article, consider joining our Tech & Learning online community here

It’s that time of year when Spring fever is spreading through classrooms and hallways. For students (and let’s be honest, teachers too) it can be a difficult season to concentrate and stay motivated. In some parts of the country, the weather is finally warming, which makes staying inside less appealing, but Spring fever can be a distraction even in warmer climates. 

In the college classes I teach, this is always the time of year during which I grow tired of my own advice and feel like I’m repeating myself. And if I feel that way, I can’t imagine what my students think. 

That’s why I think it’s the perfect time in the semester (or school year) to pause and reflect, and try to use what we’ve learned about our students so far to focus on what’s really important for them to learn. Here are my strategies for doing just that, and getting through to the end of the school year.

Work Smarter Not Harder  

In George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm, Boxer is a literal and figurative workhorse whose motto is “I will work harder!” All too often teachers suffer from what I call “Boxer syndrome.”

Early on in my career as a writing professor, working harder was my solution to everything. There was no obstacle that canceling my weekend plans wouldn’t overcome, or so I thought. If a student didn’t improve after my feedback on their initial assignment, I’d offer twice as detailed feedback on the next. If a class lesson didn’t go as I had hoped, I’d spend three times longer planning the next session. The result was overwhelming my students (a.k.a. death by a thousand teacher comments) and overplanned class sessions with no room for spontaneity (death by PowerPoint). 

I think about this at this time of year, particularly when I’m noticing certain students who are not moving forward with their writing. Rather than spending time making the same comments and pointing out the same mistakes, I’ll try to find out why the message isn’t getting through. Maybe there’s a cultural or generational barrier. Or the student doesn’t care to improve and is happy with the grade they received last time. Or their busy work schedule doesn’t permit them to put in the time they know they need to in order to improve. 

Adjusting my approach based on knowledge about my students helps me do my job better in less time and my new motto is “I will work smarter.” 

Reassess, Reassess, Reassess 

With most college semesters more than halfway through, it’s a good time to pause and take stock of what is working well in your classes and should be amplified and what could potentially be cut. 

We all have ideas that sound good on paper but don’t pan out in practice, and it’s okay to admit that by updating the requirements of your syllabus. In an online writing class I taught previously, I had a requirement that each student post something related to the craft of writing once per week. However, as the semester wore on, the posts became less substantive and it was taking me more time than I anticipated to moderate. I also heard from several students that they found it to be an unproductive time drain. I cut the requirement from the course so both the students and I would have more time to focus on the content in the course that was working well. 

Being open to change at this time of the semester can really pay dividends. 

Listen, Listen, Listen  

There’s nothing worse than sitting at the end of the semester reading course evaluations and learning what you thought was working well about a class was exactly what students hated most. 

To avoid this, several instructional designers I’ve spoken with told me they do course surveys during the semester to get feedback on the student experience in real-time. I’ll admit I was nervous about doing this. What if the students hated everything, or complained solely about non-negotiable elements of the workload of the course? 

Despite these misgivings, I've started using a Google Form at the mid point in many of my classes. I pride myself in spending a great deal of time engaging and responding to student work, and the student response showed me that time was well spent. On the flip side, my students were frustrated by some of the group discussion limitations of the online platform we use. And, while I don’t quite have a solution yet, I’m exploring using Slack or some other communication tool to facilitate faster and more meaningful peer-to-peer communications.

Double Down on One-to-One Communications 

Whether you’re teaching in-person or online, there’s nothing quite as effective as a one-to-one session with a student. While these definitely take time and can be difficult to foster in large classes, I find that they’re one of my favorite parts about teaching and help remind me of why I do it in the first place. 

These connections also offer a good return on time investment. A single one-on-one session of 20 minutes or so is worth 50 emails back and forth. At this time of year especially, one-on-one meetings help reinvigorate and reinspire me, and are another way to focus the work we do for the remainder of the semester around what will really help students achieve their writing goals and meet the requirements for my classes. 

I find that these meetings can be equally effective whether held in-person, via video call, or through an old-fashioned phone call. The important thing is fostering that individual relationship with students and getting to know about their goals, their struggles, and their passions, both related to class and beyond. 

Take Care of Yourself 

Taking care of yourself is important, even as work intensifies as we move toward the end of the school year. 

Two years ago, after my wife and I fenced in our lawn, I made the mistake of skipping my half-hour morning walks with my dog in the name of efficiency. Ultimately, I got less done, was less healthy, and fell way behind in my podcast and audiobook listening. 

It was a good reminder that what makes us happier and more efficient isn’t always intuitive.  I'm reminded of something Dr. Laurie Santos, a cognitive scientist who teaches the popular Yale University “happiness” class, told me a few years ago when I interviewed her.

“We think happiness is all about self-care and being selfish, and kind of treating yourself, but actually happy people tend to be more focused on others,” she said. “They do random acts of kindness, they give more to charities, they volunteer more of their time.” 

Teachers are always doing things for other people, but sometimes it’s nice to do something outside the scope of our work. As I like to say, be selfish and help someone else. 

Here are a few of Tech & Learning’s recent articles to help you get through to the end of the school year:

• Teacher Burnout: Recognizing and Reducing It
• 5 Mindfulness Apps and Websites for K-12
• 4 Ways to Create Virtual Healing Spaces in Education
• How to Show Appreciation for Teachers

Wonderopolis is a magically designed space in the wider internet dedicated to exploring questions, answers, and how we can learn. As such, this is a useful tool for education as well as a nice place to spark ideas for teaching.

This web-based platform is growing daily, with questions added by the many users that visit this site. With 45 million visitors since the launch, there are now more than 2,000 wonders on the page and growing. 

A wonder is, essentially, a question posed by a user that has been explored by the editorial team to provide an answer. It's fun and uses clearly stated sources as well as teaching-focused details that make it a useful tool.

So is Wonderopolis for you and your classroom?

• Best Tools for Teachers

What is Wonderopolis?

Wonderopolis is a website that allows users to submit questions that may be answered in detail -- as an article -- by the editorial team.

Wonderopolis posts a 'wonder' each day, meaning one of the questions is answered in article format with words, images, and videos as part of the explanation. Usefully, the sources are also provided, in Wikipedia-style, to allow readers to explore the topic more, or check accuracy of the answer.

The site is sponsored by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) so it has a vested interest in providing genuinely valuable learning resources to kids. A number of other philanthropic partners are involved, which allow this to be a free offering.

How does Wonderopolis work?

Wonderopolis is free to use so right from the outset you land on a homepage populated with fun and thought-provoking questions. For example, recently the question was "What is Pi?" and below are links to "Find out more" or "Test your knowledge?" which takes you to a multiple choice question and answer pop-up.

Questions vary massively, from science-based, such as "Why is a flamingo pink?", to music and history, such as "Who is the queen of soul?" There is also a chart system that shows highly rated questions, useful for finding inspiration that's thought-provoking.

Another way to navigate is to use the map to select where you are and join in with discussions going on in your area. Or go to the collection section to find areas being covered, from Black history to Earth Day.

If you go to the "What are you wondering?" section you can type directly into a search-style bar to add your question to the collection already on the site. Or go right below to select the highest-rated, most recent, or non-voted listed underneath to see what else has been asked.

What are the best Wonderopolis features?

Wonderopolis does have a lot going on so can take a little getting used to before you're able to explore the sections you like most with ease. But, usefully, it does offer daily additions that can be explored almost right after landing on the homepage -- ideal for teaching inspiration.

Wonderopolis also lists popular questions that can be great as a way to come up with musings, or as a jump off point to think about topics you may want to cover in class.

The ability to upvote questions posted by other users is nice as this allows the best ones rise to the top so you can easily find the pick of the bunch. There is also a short video series, Wonders with Charlie, in which a man explores all sorts of creations, from the latex glove bagpipe to answering questions such as "What is K-Pop?"

Right at the top of any wonder article you have the helpful options to listen with audio, to comment or read the comments of others, or to print out the article to distribute in class. 

Then when you get to the bottom you'll see all the standards that are covered by this piece, allowing you to match this against goals for class or individual students as needed.

How much does Wonderopolis cost?

Wonderopolis is free to use. Thanks to philanthropic funding, plus that partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) you can use as much of the site's many resources as you need without having to pay a penny or sit through a single ad. You don't even have to sign up, allowing you to remain anonymous too.

Wonderopolis best tips and tricks

Follow up
Use the "Try It Out" section at the end of articles to find follow-up exercises that students can do at home, or in a flipped class, back in the room with you.

Create
Have students come up with a question each to add to the site and after a week see which is upvoted the most before covering it in class.

Use sources
Teach students to check sources so they know what they are reading is accurate and learn how to question what they read and find proper sources for knowledge.

• Best Tools for Teachers

Answer: JeopardyLabs is an exciting online and educational take on the popular TV game Jeopardy. It is formatted similarly to the TV version, with the main focus being answering questions that are organized by categories, and earning different levels of points depending on the difficulty level of the question. 

Question: What is JeopardyLabs and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? 

JeopardyLabs is extremely versatile, and teachers of all subject matter can use the platform to enhance their lesson and engage students. For this sample lesson plan, the focus is on middle school social studies, covering a wide range of related topics. 

Subject: Social Studies   

Topic: Civics, Economics, History, Government, and Citizenship  

Grade Band: Middle School  

Learning Objective: 

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand content related to civics, economics, history, government, and citizenship
• Develop questions related to civics, economics, history, government, and citizenship at different levels of difficulty
• Accurately respond to questions related to civics, economics, history, government, and citizenship

Social Studies Content Review 

Using any type of creative presentation tool, such as Canva or Slido, provide an overview of the different content and topics that have been covered throughout the unit or academic term that relates to social studies topics of civics, economics, history, government, and citizenship. If the class is asynchronous online or you would like the content available online for future review, consider using VoiceThread to create the review. 

Since social studies is quite robust, and because you will have multiple columns in each Jeopardy Lab game, consider covering content from all of the social studies domains (civics, economics, history, government, and citizenship). 

If your unit or class only focused just on one of those, for example, a history course, you could have five areas focused on different decades, wars, events, etc. Or, if your class is focused solely on government, you could have five areas focused on governmental branches, laws and legislations, important governmental figures, etc.

Team JeopardyLabs Creation 

After the social studies content has been reviewed and students are re-familiarized with it, they can use their learning to create questions for the JeopardyLabs game. ​​Since each JeopardyLabs board will require at least 25 questions (five questions per column, with one column per each of the five domains of social studies being covered in this lesson), creating the Jeopardy board in teams would be ideal. 

By having students engage in creating questions for the JeopardyLabs board, they will have additional opportunities to learn and master the content. In addition, soft skills related to strong communication and collaboration skills can also be fostered. 

You can decide if you split students in teams by topic area or have each team cover all topics and create a full JeopardyLabs board. The goal is to have multiple Jeopardy Lab boards to use for the JeopardyLabs Tournament.

JeopardyLabs Tournament 

After spending time in teams creating the questions for the JeopardyLabs games, it is time to experience answering the questions. 

As opposed to a traditional test or question-and-answer session, the JeopardyLabs games from each student team can be used to set up a JeopardyLabs Tournament. Each team can have one member represent their team each round, and then at the end, a tournament of champions (previous winners) can further compete with one another.

How Can JeopardyLabs be Used with Families? 

Many ways to engage families with JeopardyLabs are available. Teachers can share the links to the student team-made Jeopardy boards with families, and practice answering the questions at home. 

The JeopardyLabs tournament created by the students can also be a fun family engagement experience, in which families can join in either virtually or in person for a family game night and play as teams with their children.

The ways to use JeopardyLabs to engage students in lessons are numerous. For this sample lesson, you were provided with an idea to include team learning into the lesson, as well as gamifying learning. 

Since JeopardyLabs is so versatile with the ability to be used in a wide range of grade levels and subject areas, give it a try for your next lesson. Not only will students be able to better retain the content by putting together the questions, they will also improve their collaboration and communication skills working with teams, and enjoy learning through positive and supportive competition. 

• Top Edtech Lesson Plans
• What is Jeopardy Labs and How Can It Be Used for Teaching?

Mike Lang and Heidi Carr want teachers to embrace change and look for cutting-edge and tech-savvy ways to connect with and facilitate student learning. 

Lang is the chief innovation program officer ed.Xtraordinary, a program powered by Teach for America that aims to accelerate the pace of innovation among Las Vegas educators. Heidi Carr is an Instructional facilitator at Clark County School District in Nevada. Together they won Best Overall Implementation of Technology at a recent Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit in California for their innovative and forward-thinking work in Nevada schools. 

They offer strategies for tech-savvy teaching. 

1. Tech-Savvy Teaching: Be Open to Change  

“Great teachers evolve their practice to reflect the tools at their disposal,” Lang says. “That's true of anyone who's ever been a pedagogical solid individual who has the desire to ensure that students are going to be set up so that they can be successful in whatever futures they might choose.” 

This is something that has always been true even before new tech tools were as widely available. “Great teachers have been doing this since the beginning of time," Lang says. In short, remember that tech will never be a substitute for a great teacher.

2. Prioritize Student Voice

“The teachers who are forward-thinking continue to adapt and listen to their students,” Carr says. She adds modern tech tools make running a student-centered classroom easier than ever before. “Our tech allows us to adapt instruction to meet our learner's needs a lot easier than in the past.” 

Lang agrees. “Technology provides a lot more authentic way to allow students to narrate their own journey, and not only narrate their own journey but to present that story to others for feedback and improvement,” he says.

3. Don’t Be Afraid of Technology But Don’t Blindly Embrace it Either

ChatGPT and other AI-powered technologies have dominated recent headlines and much of the conversation around education. Lang says educators should stop worrying about it replacing jobs. 

“When we get brand new things, people are like, ‘Oh, my God, this is going to replace this...’ We get that coal miner mentality,” he says. Instead, he thinks there’s an opportunity for learning by looking at what the technology can’t do, exploring the mistakes it makes, and understanding its limits. 

Carr agrees. “We need to embrace it and use it as a learning tool within our classrooms,” she says. 

4.  Develop An "Operating System"  

In order for educators to develop effective tech-savvy and general strategies for education they need an opportunity to test these practices, and to do that requires more standardization of practices, Lang says. Or the development of what he likes to call an operating system. 

“Your iPhone does not allow you to customize your OS, everyone's OS is the same. However, the apps that you can choose are different, even if the operating system is the same,” Lang says. 

He compares this concept to the scientific method -- no matter how innovative a scientist's hypothesis is, they're still going to use the standard scientific method to conduct their experiment. “That standard operating system would allow people to design for variation,” Lang says. “But what happens in schools generally, it's just variation. And it's a situation where every teacher is doing their own thing in their classroom with their door closed.” 

One area in which Carr would like to see this type of standardization-with-room-for-variation approach implemented is in lesson development. 

“I would love for every lesson to go through the design-thinking process for every standard,” she says. “I think if teachers did that, then we would get a lot of bang for our buck.” 

• Onboarding and Orientation for Teachers
• What is Ubermix? The School-Centric Operating System Explained by Its Developer
• How to Encourage Literacy with Digital Books & Resources

Now more than ever, there is a tremendous amount of pressure placed on educators and school leaders. It's no wonder teachers are leaving the field in droves, without the usual cycle of new recruits replenishing them. There are a half-million fewer educators in public schools than pre-pandemic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

Social media misinformation and the villainization of teachers has reinforced this exodus and, as I often say in writing, on podcasts, and everywhere to critics: teachers didn't get into education because they wanted to get rich, they chose education because they love helping children. That remains true for most in the profession. An attack on teachers perpetuates the "Why should I bother?” mantra for many who had thought of joining the profession 

How can we provide teachers with the tools to manage daily stressors? Below are three simple solutions to complicated problems.

1. Shed Those Monkeys 

When a teacher feels attacked by that small percentage of critics who carry the loudest megaphones, I emphasize that, almost all the time, most of the claims are way off base. I refer to Rudyard Kipling’s poem If's first stanza. When inaccurate or unfair blame is placed on us, we have to shed the monkey on our back that tests our conscience.

By shedding those monkeys, it also liberates us from feeling like we should second guess our intentions, almost all of which rest on helping children. As a school leader, I have faced this challenge regularly and most teachers have not. They are good at what they do so criticism is rare, so when it hits, it hits hard. Primal defenses rush in and we want to defend. That is almost always the wrong response.

The angry email: We have all encountered this from someone who feels compelled to put in writing their version of a concern. Unfortunately, email is only 7% as effective as talking through an issue. Body language, intonation, and human nature are absent from email and we fight back and forth in email wars, further escalating the issue. Additionally, we worry that when someone puts a claim in writing, it memorializes the inaccuracy and misdirects the truth. 

2. Finding the Proper Response 

Responding to exaggerated, or absurd accusations in a public forum with a customer-friendly approach can be effective. By shifting the conversation offline, most accusers are satisfied with your elaboration and the personal touch of speaking directly. 

Using a method such as Reply Only Twice is a tenant in keeping perspective and the monkey off our back:

1. Respond with an offer to help.
2. Get a second challenging response, offer to help offline.
3. Cease the correspondence – this is always defensible because you were on display being rational and they were not.

In much less common circumstances, a person may continue to villainize the good-intentioned educator, often invoking false legal scenarios.

Fortunately, there are wonderful legitimate resources that spell out the legal realities that are often distorted through online misinformation echo chambers.

A few quick examples:

-This students’ rights handbook from the New Jersey State Bar Association is wonderful, because the language is in laymen's terms and interprets relevant, tangible case law. Understanding that case law often sets precedent for future legal issues, a tool like this can disarm the most litigious when discussing legal issues. I often share this with students who misunderstand how their rights may be limited in some circumstances, as well as with parents to reinforce and support their efforts to manage children developing through natural phases of rebellion.

-Respecting a person's position or religious view has become an increasingly complicated yet an ethically righteous responsibility for educators. Even one's personal views may cloud our understanding of how this applies in schools. It is important to remain neutral in these matters and this resource from LambdaLegal.org does a superb job of laying out why and how educators are to permit peaceful protests, such as the National Day of Silence. Regardless of opinions on the sensitive topic of gender and sexual orientation, the publication lays out the reason's school leaders and teachers cannot inhibit students from expressing their view in a civil manner. Often shifting the monkey off our back means pointing back to law and legal precedent as with this heated topic.

-Finally, resources such as the Legal One Podcast is another example of a tool educators can binge, and in which education lawyers lay out in plain terms what to be tuned into and how to respond to legal and/or hostile circumstances. One of my favorite episodes remains an interview with a judge, who discusses the traps educators fall into and how to prevent these from occurring, in non-legalize explanations.

3. Staying Monkey-Free 

Shedding monkeys is a vital part of how to manage the increasing hostility and other challenges educators face. Understanding the leverage we have in shifting communication to practical, offline methods is one important tool. Reinforcing your ethics with reminders of principled goals in helping children is another. Finally, understanding that true school law remains coherent and responsible, even in the face of misinformation often pulled out of context by internet lawyers.

School leaders are responsible to help teachers feel empowered, and protecting them against unrealistic or irrational actors or ideas is both the leaders responsibility and the teachers.

Keeping these in perspective helps the many great teachers and school leaders who are dedicated to helping all children shed their monkeys. 

Put simply, we must always ask:

•  Where is the monkey? 
•  Where should the monkey be? 
•  How do I shift the monkey to its proper place? 

 Use these methods and you will surely have shed the monkey! 

• How to Lead Through Digital Communication
• How to Quiet the Hyperactive Hive Mind in Schools

The best-flipped learning or flipped classroom educators utilize a variety of learning sites, apps, and hardware that help them make the most of the time they have with their students in the classroom. 

We asked successful flipped learning educators to share their favorite tools as well as tips for using these. They provided recommendations ranging from apps that allow teachers to embed quiz questions within a video lesson and track student progress to external microphones and monitors that can help improve the quality of teacher-made videos. 

However, as important and fun as using these tech tools for flipped learning can be, flipped classrooms are not about the technology, say enthusiasts. Instead, It’s all about how you as an educator prioritize your time with students. Flipped learning prioritizes one-on-one and small-group individualized help over lecture-type activities. It’s important to keep that in mind as you explore these tools. 

When done correctly, flipped learning can be highly effective. One review of flipped learning studies in a college setting found that flipped learning students learned more than those in traditional lecture settings, but teachers who employed a partial flipped model got the best results. 

These flipped learning sites, apps, and hardware recommendations will help you enhance your flipped learning technique and/or decide if flipped learning is right for your classroom. 

 Video Tools  

EdPuzzle 

A popular tool in flipped classrooms, with EdPuzzle educators can crop videos, add voiceovers, and embed questions within the video. “Edpuzzle is a tried-but-true favorite for flippers because it requires students to be active viewers,” says Andrew Swan, a middle school social studies teacher in Massachusetts. “They can even let the video play in the background while they browse different tabs. The teacher's ability to add questions, voiceovers, and notes can be highly valuable.” 

Playposit 

This program also allows educators to embed questions and notes within videos, making each more interactive. Dan Jones, an 8th-grade social studies teacher at Richland School of Academic Arts in Mansfield, Ohio, recommends either Playposit or EdPuzzle. “Both of these platforms allow teachers to post their videos, embed questions, and get data back immediately,” he says. “When students watch the videos and take notes at home, teachers are able to see how well the students understood the lesson, how long it took students to watch the lesson, and even how engaged the students were with the lessons.”

mmhmm.app

“mmhmm.app is a pretty cool video-production program that I discovered last year when it was in the beta phase,” Swan says. “Now many of the premium tools require a subscription, but you get one free hour per day. I enjoyed the abilities of shrinking and enlarging my head on the screen, and adjusting the transparency. Now it works quite well with a greenscreen to let your head ‘float’ within the window.” 

Screencast-O-Matic

“Screencast-O-Matic is my go-to website for video recording,” says Carolina Buitrago, an EFL expert currently teaching and conducting research at Universidad de La Sabana in Colombia. “Its studio is easy to manage, and even if I use the basic version I still have a lot of features. I love that it is accessible for me money-wise and that I can upload my recorded videos directly to YouTube.” 

Screencastify

“Screencastify is my go-to screen recorder,” Jones says. “I can screen-capture and include either just the audio in the open tab, voiceover what is occurring on the open tab, or I can just record my webcam. The recording populates in my Google drive, thus making it easily shared.” 

Final Cut Pro 

For more advanced video development, Jones recommends investing in Final Cut Pro, but warns educators should expect a significant learning curve. “I also have a 4K Video Camera that I use as well as a lapel mic and sound cables that get plugged directly into the camera,” Jones says. “When making these sorts of videos, I use a forward-facing light board that allows me to face the camera the entire time I am giving notes. I write on the glass and then flip the image so that the writing appears correctly for the audience. Like I said, though, this is a more advanced way of creating instructional videos. Most folks will do just fine with Screencastify or Screencast-O-Matic.” 

Content Sharing and Slides  

Google Slides

Matthew Moore, a high school and community college math teacher in Illinois, recommends flipped educators build a framework on which all of the other activities, apps, projects, assessments, and other materials live, so students have a one-stop shopping spot for all the technology in the course. Moore uses Google Slides as that framework for all his classes. “The basic Idea is a visually engaging graphically organized single resource,” he says. 

Canvas 

A well-known learning management system, Canvas offers a free version for educators and students on which teachers can create entire courses filled with text, embedded videos, assessments, and other content. “I have used this with my students and it is a great way of building content that can be accessed asynchronously,” Jones says. 

Genially 

“Genially is a content-making tool that has thousands of templates from presentations to games and even escape rooms,” Buitrago says. “It is easy to use and the results are amazing. Students love all the content I make with it.”

Perusall

“Perusall was developed by Eric Mazur at Harvard University,” Jones says. “This free program -- there is a paid version as well -- allows students to engage both synchronously as well as asynchronously with a piece of reading. Students are able to comment right on the document and ask questions.” 

Desmos

“Desmos is something I use a lot in math,” says Peter Santoro, a recently retired high school math teacher in Long Island. “Graphing calculator allows students to graph multiple functions and see them all in different colors on a large graph. There are also many activities that teachers have posted and shared on Desmos for just about every math topic. It is easy for teachers to use and very easy for students to learn.” 

Hardware  

Samson GoMic

Swan recommends this portable mic that sells for $50. “Audio quality is really important, especially as many students listen on earbuds or headphones, so ambient noise in your videos can be really distracting,” Swan says. “The GoMic just clips on top of a laptop screen and connects via USB.” 

Headphones

“The most important learning tool in my classroom for students outside their chromebook is a set of headphones -- cheap or expensive makes no difference,” Moore says. “The headphones allow students to be in a busy or loud classroom of activity, but pop in the headphones and focus on either an instructional video, play white noise or music, and do math practice, or meet with me or a peer digitally. Headphones are critical to in-person and remote learning.” 

An External Webcam

For teachers, Moore recommends an inexpensive external webcam. “Even a $50 external webcam allows the teacher to flexibly focus on a face, a group, a presenter, or a demonstration easily. Additionally, the external webcam will likely have a better microphone than the laptop and being heard is No. 1 on the important list, while being seen is a distant second or third place.” 

Green Screen 

“For a more non-essential piece of kit, a back of chair or pull-down green screen can allow a teacher to minimize distractions for remote learners and in meetings,” Moore says. “It also allows you to record your face while screencasting or creating instructions, and again minimizes distraction. Necessary? No. Nice to have? Yes.” 

• How to Launch a Flipped Classroom
• Flipping Virtual Classrooms for More Impact
• Research: Video Learning May be More Effective Than In-person Lectures

While we are more than two years removed from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching and learning are forever changed. And, that is OK. 

Yes, the pandemic caused a rush to remote and online teaching that many of us were not prepared for. However, at the same time, it necessitated that we be flexible, creative, and explore pedagogical techniques that we would not previously engaged with or prioritized. 

Now that we’re moving into post-pandemic teaching, educators need to remember certain things for their instructional approach.

1. Post-Pandemic Teaching: Be Flexible

One thing that the pandemic has taught us that we must always remember is flexibility. The lesson may not always go as intended, students may not connect with learning activities as you had hoped, and assessment scores may not indicate the level of growth you know your students are capable of. However, we must always remember to be flexible, patient, and allow mistakes. When students know that their teacher is flexible, they can work without pressure and the risk of stifling their creativity is minimized. 

2. Be Ready to Pivot

Related to but different from being flexible is being able to pivot at any time. Similar 

to how we had to pivot to remote and online learning during the pandemic, we must be prepared and ready to pivot again. 

For example, your school may need to pivot from remote to virtual learning, or pivot from traditional instruction to teaching to support learning loss. For some, we may need to pivot back to in-person instruction and/or dual audience learning, from fully online learning. Whatever your transition is, remember to be ready to pivot with the same goal of supporting student learning.  

3. Humanize Learning 

As educators, we know that learning should be student-centered and personalized to meet the individual needs of each student. At the same time, we cannot ignore the persistent trauma many of our students have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted them in many ways. 

As you go about planning lessons and teaching, be sure to humanize instruction and make time for reflection and mindfulness, creating space for students to bring their whole selves to the classroom. Connect students to other resources and educators such as school counselors and social workers who can also support healing and restoration post-pandemic. 

4. Integrate Culturally Responsive Practices 

Culturally responsive teaching connects with the dimensions of digital equity that we could also continue to keep at the forefront. Racial trauma has still impacted many students, and teachers are starting spend more time integrating anti-racist teaching practice into their work. 

Start with a culturally responsive mindset, and remember to continue to acknowledge and reflect on your own implicit biases that you may be bringing into your work as a teacher. Evaluate your lessons and make sure that students’ cultural and linguistic heritages are represented in content and learning activities. 

5. Leverage Edtech Tools 

Edtech tools were already being used widely before the pandemic. What changed was how we used edtech, who uses it, and the availability of many options. 

Edtech tools are interesting on their own, however, when used to carry out learning objectives within a lesson plan, these become pedagogically useful, can help teachers save time with grading, and can engage and excite students in the learning process. 

Use these lesson plans to get started with a wide variety of edtech tools such as Flip, Padlet, and Storybird. Do not be nervous to use gaming-based edtech tools such as Minecraft and Roblox for your lessons too! If you feel like you are learning on the job using edtech tools, consider training to become a Google Certified Educator. 

By being flexible and ready to pivot instruction while also humanizing learning experiences, integrating culturally responsiveness, and leveraging edtech tools, teachers will be able to help students continue to learn, develop, and grow in a post-pandemic world that supports them academically, socially, and personally. 

• Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Teaching
• 5 Mindfulness Apps and Websites for K-12

The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II is a milestone for U.S.-Anglo relations. But it’s also a unique period for American students to learn more about our constitutional republicanism and the British monarchy. 

As modern Americans, we often try to understand the United Kingdom’s royals. Some of us are mesmerized by their regality and legacy while others are disenchanted by their wealth and scandals. Still, their monarchical succession process and coronation will be a rare moment to witness as King Charles III takes the throne. 

For American educators, we need to recognize that the British monarchy acts as head of state, but the British government operates as a constitutional monarchy with a national parliament making the political decisions. 

While Queen Elizabeth II’s reign was the longest in British history, her power was lessened because of nineteenth-century reforms to the crown. The parliament received more power and the monarchy is not nearly as powerful as it was several centuries ago.  

The British Monarchy in Early U.S.-U.K. Political History 

Early American history demonstrates that states, and ultimately, our nation, were founded to avoid strong monarchical power. 

When I teach U.S. Government and Constitutional Law classes, I emphasize the Declaration of Independence as a lasting reminder of early U.S.-Anglo relations and the establishment of our constitutional republic. Our Declaration was a diatribe against King George III. Many of us tend to forget that our nation’s founders chose to forge a representative national government and not a monarchy. 

No surprise then, I have to explain the American Revolution as well as the English Civil War in my classes. There were clear and lasting divisions between royal loyalists and parliament sympathizers during the seventeenth century.  

Many English settlers in America disavowed such Old World divisional politics and many of our nation’s early leaders stressed social contract theory that protected individual rights. New England, for example, was unique to institute Enlightenment Era ideals from English philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Their classical liberal approaches are apparent in Connecticut’s Fundamental Orders, which emphasized governmental power was derived by the people and not by a monarch. Generations later then, America’s founders instituted similar ideals into our U.S. Constitution.  

 U.S.-Anglo Political History Themes 

• Political philosophy, such as Enlightenment Era’s social contract theory 
• Early American History including New England’s founding and Fundamental Orders 
• Twentieth-century U.S.-Anglo History such as World Wars I and II 
• Modern U.S. presidential and British prime minister relations, Brexit, and commonwealths 

Discussing Modern U.S.-U.K. Relations 

Twentieth-century American-Anglo diplomacy has several transformative periods, especially during World War I and World War II. With the U.S. entry into World War II, for example, relations between the superpowers improved significantly. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill brokered European allies to defeat fascism across Germany, Spain and Italy but their partnership also caused uneasy relations with Russia. 

More recently, the alliance between President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is another case study in the political relations between the nations. During the 1980s, both leaders worked increasingly well together in addressing economic crises and the Cold War. Similarly, the recent presidential and prime minister relationship was a populist turning point for Donald Trump’s protectionism approaches and Boris Johnson’s withdrawal from the European Union through Brexit.

With the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, the world is also learning more about the royal family and commonwealth relations. Several countries, including Jamaica, are seeking to end their commonwealth status. This will be a revealing but critical learning moment to witness the United Kingdom’s divisions and alliance building. 

U.S. and U.K. relations have been an ongoing struggle and alliance for generations. With Queen Elizabeth’s death and King Charles’ impending coronation, American students need to understand the fascinating but also intricate political and economic history between both nations. 

• How to Teach Local Elections
• Understanding – and Teaching – Critical Race Theory

Quiet quitting is a viral term with a meaning that’s open to interpretation. Some say it entails mentally checking out from your job and doing just the bare minimum to avoid getting fired. Others claim that despite the negative-sounding connotations, quiet quitting actually refers to establishing healthy work-life boundaries and not working outside the hours you are paid for or engaging in activities beyond the scope of your position. 

No matter how you define it, quiet quitting has important implications for educators. 

“It is detrimental for us to have quiet quitters who are disengaged from the work, but it's also very important that we're helping to build some work-life balance to retain the amazing teachers that we have,” says Dr. Andi Fourlis, Superintendent of Mesa Public Schools, the largest district in Arizona. “Teachers are known for not having a very good work-life balance, they become dedicated to their children. And so they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year.” 

Fourlis and three other superintendents discuss how they guard against burnout in their districts by encouraging positive work-life balance. 

Quiet Quitting and Culture of Overwork In Education  

About a decade ago, Dr. Brian Creasman was the opposite of a quiet quitter. In fact, he succumbed to the dark side of overwork as a principal. “I was working 80 hours a week,” says Creasman, now superintendent at Fleming County Schools in Kentucky. “I would get to school at 4:30 a.m., I would leave at 10 p.m.” 

The intensity and stress of this work schedule twice landed him in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. Creasman, 2020’s Kentucky Superintendent of Year, realized that not only did he have to change but that the culture of education needed an update as well. “We are trained from teacher to principal to superintendent to focus on the health and wellbeing of students – ours comes last,” he says. 

Creasman is now dedicated to updating that mindset and improving the lifestyles of educators. His book addressing that, Prioritizing Health and Well-Being: Self-Care As a Leadership Strategy for School Leaders, will be published in October.

A healthy work-life balance might look different in different schools and districts but a key is creating a culture that recognizes that educators are not truly helping their kids when they don’t take care of themselves. “We can't do our work if folks aren’t okay. We can't be our best if people aren’t well,” says Dr. Curtis Cain, superintendent of the Rockwood School District in Missouri and AASA’s 2022 superintendent of the year. 

Promoting Work-Life Balance in Your District 

Dr. Andrew R. Dolloff, superintendent of the Yarmouth School Department in Maine, is the author of The Trust Imperative: Practical Approaches to Effective School Leadership. His advice for promoting a culture of work-life balance: “You need to focus on what's important, and a lot of the minutia may not be.” 

With this thinking in mind, Dolloff frequently lets staff at his district’s central office leave an hour early on Fridays in the summer and cuts meetings short if the agenda items have all been met. This naturally helps guard against the wrong type of quiet quitting. 

“You get so much more mileage with your staff when you say to them, ‘Hey, the rest of the afternoon is yours,’” he says. “In education, we don't have a lot of additional financial resources to provide people with other incentives, and studies show that those aren't all that effective anyway. What we can do is try to give people back a little bit of their time.” 

Providing a diverse network of support is also key. In Fourlis’ district, they are creating teacher teams so educators can help one another and are not isolated. Each school has a counselor who is available to teachers in addition to students. The district is also providing instructional coaches who Fourlis says can help teachers realize it’s okay to work less. “Many, many of our teachers, are working around the clock, and they need to be given permission that ‘What you're doing is enough, it is okay to take good care of yourself.’” 

Addressing Negative Quiet Quitting  

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the education field, like others, has those who have checked out from their work. Individuals who appear to be truly quiet quitting in the negative sense of the term should be met with to discuss the issue, school leaders say. 

Dolloff holds these meetings in private and tries to approach each one with curiosity and compassion. For instance, one employee of his was suddenly constantly late. Rather than tell her if she wasn’t on time her pay would be docked or it would go on her evaluation, Dolloff met with her and said, “Hey, we noticed that you're not getting here on time. It's been pretty consistent. This is a new pattern for you. What's going on?” 

As it turned out her partner was having significant health challenges and she was struggling to handle everything. “By showing empathy, we were able to help her figure that out, and yet also get her to work on time,” Dolloff says.

Cain agrees that the best way to deal with a negative form of quiet quitting is with compassion. 

“If you see someone who is struggling, or someone operating in a manner that is atypical for how they typically operate, I think it's important that we have a conversation. What can we do? What support can we provide? How can we be of assistance?” he says. 

Promoting wellness in schools needs to be a teamwide effort. “It's not just about the administrator supporting the teacher,” Cain says. “It’s the teacher supporting the instructional assistant in the classroom. It’s supporting a fellow teacher. It's the teacher checking on the administrator.” 

He adds that all educators need to look at colleagues and ask, “What can we do to help make sure that you're okay so that you are then okay to be working with kids?” 

• Teacher Burnout: Recognizing and Reducing It
• SEL For Educators: 4 Best Practices

Watch any toddler trying to recite the alphabet or count their numbers while jumping up and down, and you cannot help but notice the pure joy in learning letters and numbers. 

Every teacher aspires to see the ecstasy of acquiring new knowledge in their students, and now more than ever, teachers should strive to make the classroom a place of happiness. The emphasis on social and emotional learning through the curriculum is undoubtedly focused on raising awareness to have a more cohesive and engaged classroom. Still, it takes more than SEL to have joy in a classroom. 

As recently as 2018, psychologists were still debating the concept of joy, and the body of work related to joy in psychology remains relatively small. Still, a group of psychologists, philosophers, and theologians are working to connect the research on joy into a more unified collection of work as part of an interdisciplinary project called the Theology of Joy and the Good Life at Yale University. 

Harvard Graduate School of Education is also pondering the topic of joy in teaching. In the recent article, the author quotes Decoteau Irby, who describes an erosion of joy in our schools and notes that although learning isn’t always a joyous experience, the confidence gained by academic struggle does produce joy. Gholdy Muhammad’s equity framework, as shared through her book Cultivating Genius, includes joy as one of its five pillars.  

Instilling Joy in Learning

How can a teacher move from SEL to JOY? Consider the definition of joy, and work backward from there. Keeping in mind that within the definition, we learn joy takes two forms: passive and active. Passive is connected to feeling contentment, and active involves a desire to share feelings with others and involves engagement. With this in mind, we think of ways to engage the learner in more positive, less overwhelming, and intrinsic ways. 

To get started infusing more joy in your classroom, consider these ideas:

• Offer students an opportunity to experience some form of success throughout the day because small achievements serve as catalysts toward meeting greater learning goals. 
• Incorporate play! All grade levels and all subject areas can incorporate elements of play. 
• Offer choices. A student who has options can be inquisitive and creative. 
• Be patient and allow student’s enough time to enjoy the activity. This is similar to wait time in questioning but feels much longer when trying to apply to practice. Yet, it can make a difference in your student's level of engagement. 
• Allow students to choose activities that align with their interests and abilities. 
• Encourage collaboration and creativity. 
• Be flexible. The learning environment greatly influences whether a student wants to learn or shut down. Try to create a flexible classroom that accommodates a variety of interests and skill levels. 

Students naturally want to learn (remember our toddler), and allowing the opportunity for them to have positive experiences through learning ultimately leads to joy. Our schools are full of emotions, and joy should be the leading one. 

• Innovation in Education
• What Is SEL?

The Biden-Harris Administration recently called on schools to implement high-quality tutoring to help students overcome learning disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic. 

The administration has urged schools to utilize the $122 billion in funding through the American Rescue Plan to launch high-quality tutoring, summer learning and enrichment, and afterschool programs. The administration has also launched the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS), which aims to provide students with an additional 250,000 tutors and mentors over the next three years.

Tutoring researchers were pleased by the attention the administration is giving to tutoring but advised school leaders to make sure to implement evidence-based tutoring interventions. 

What This Means for Tutoring  

Matthew Kraft, an associate professor of Education & Economics at Brown University who has studied tutoring extensively, says the administration’s public support of tutoring is a step in the right direction. “The federal government has a really important role to play in convening all the actors that are involved in this effort, in helping to support research that identifies best practices, and helping to fund these efforts,” he says. 

The Biden-Harris Administration announcement noted that, “Research has consistently shown that high-quality tutoring programs of a range of durations can produce about five months of additional learning,” and that the best programs “provide tutoring three times per week, for 30 minutes each day, and use teachers and well-trained volunteers.” 

Among the research cited for this initiative is a 2020 review of 100 studies conducted by Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab North America at MIT, which found that tutoring programs yield consistent and substantial positive impacts on learning outcomes. 

Vincent Quan, co-executive director of J-PAL North America and a co-author of the 2020 review, is pleased that the administration is giving tutoring this attention. “We conducted this review paper a couple of years ago, and really came to the conclusion after looking at all of these rigorous studies, that tutoring, when implemented effectively, has been shown to be a consistently successful strategy to help students catch up,” he says.

Potential Road Bumps  

Despite his overall support for the initiative, Kraft is concerned that developing a pool of up to 250,000 tutors is too focused on recruiting volunteers. “I think volunteers have a role to play, but I'm skeptical of efforts to scale tutoring that exclusively rely on volunteers,” he says. 

How tutoring will be funded long-term is also a concern. “One thing to note is that it's not new or additional funding on top of the existing ARP funding, it's support and direction for how to best leverage that existing funding,” Kraft says. “I think having a sustained program really will require substantial financial investments in a workforce that you pay competitive wages for that you compliment with other sources, like community volunteers, college work-study, and AmeriCorps members.” 

The J-PAL North American Review found that professional- or teacher-led tutoring programs tend to be more effective than volunteer- or parent-led tutoring programs, however, volunteer- and parent-led tutoring is still effective. “We suspect that [tutors in] professional-led tutoring programs have more robust training,” Quan says. 

Whether it utilizes volunteers or professionals, a successful tutoring program requires support and resources. “There are considerations related to recruitment of tutors, training of tutors, how do you structure a school day to actually have a tutoring session built-in,” Quan says. “If those types of more nitty-gritty operational details are not being considered, there's a high probability that these programs are not going to be implemented well, and they're not going to live up to their promise.” 

Other Questions and Challenges with Tutoring Implementation  

While there is a great deal of research supporting the efficacy of in-person, high-frequency tutoring, there is less research on the potential technology can play in tutoring. Artificial intelligence programs that can respond to students’ learning needs as well as virtual tutoring and on-demand tutoring may work but are not as well-studied as in-person tutoring, Quan says. “We would really encourage people to continue to experiment and evaluate these types of programs, so we know later on if these types of initiatives have been making a difference,” he says. 

In addition to tutoring, the Biden-Harris Administration’s initiative focuses on afterschool and summer programs, which historically have been more difficult to implement. “There's no doubt that those can be impactful and meaningful for kids, but I think that is a harder thing to do well, and the research really shows quite mixed results,” Kraft says. “Our mental framework about what we want to spend our time doing after school or during the summer changes, and I think it's really a more of an uphill battle to do core academic work in those settings. So I would hope that most of the emphasis here lands on integrating tutoring and mentoring into the school day.” 

• High-Dosage Tutoring: Can Technology Help Curb Learning Loss?
• 5 Tips for Online Tutoring Based on New Research

When the end of the school year is approaching, some teachers dream of languid summer days on the beach or extended family vacations. But many prepare instead to spend their summers supplementing their modest salaries. If educators can earn summer income without the time, cost, and hassle of a commute, even better.

The following online summer jobs for teachers promise not only extra summer cash, but also outstanding flexibility, support, and opportunities for advancement and/or year-round work.

Best Online Summer Jobs for Teachers 

Reading for Dollars
Reading is typically one of the pleasures of summer. So why not get paid for reviewing the books you read? Various online platforms pay qualified reviewers (qualifications may vary) to provide an honest review of books they’ve read. Perhaps the best known name is Kirkus Reviews, which pays experienced book reviewers of English and Spanish-language titles to review for Kirkus Indie, the book review magazine's section dedicated to self-published authors. Booklist is another top-flight organization with fairly high standards for its reviewers. OnlineBookClub.org may not be well known, but it pays from $5-60 per review. The catch? You must follow their review guideless scrupulously in order to be paid. The U.S. Review of Books lays out its guidelines clearly and even offers helpful examples, while the aptly-named BookBrowse, an online book review magazine, offers an online reviewer application clearly detailing their review criteria.

Upwork Freelance Platform
Browse thousands of freelance jobs that can be performed online, on your terms. Simply create a profile with your skills and credentials and hourly rate required. Categories include development and IT, design and creative, writing and translation, and much more. There’s no charge to sign up, but the platform will retain 10% of your earnings.

VIP Teacher
VIPTeachers is the companion platform for the online English teaching platform VIPKid. Perfect for ESL-certified teachers who want flexible hours, no commute, and no need to be conversant in any other language. A six-month contract is required, but no minimum hours, so teachers can set their own as they see fit.

Training Large Language Models (LLMs)
While awaiting the inevitable takeover by our robot overlords, we might as well make some money, right? Multiple platforms pay qualified individuals to assess LLMs’ language, logic, and computing outputs, or to test its ethical boundaries. No AI experience is required, but for most, you will need to demonstrate a solid foundation in your skill area. Top sites include Outlier, DataAnnotation, Alignerr, Mercor, and Mindrift.

Best Sites for Online Tutoring and Teaching
Tech & Learning’s comprehensive online tutoring article is a great place to start your summer job search. Choose your preferred subjects, create your schedule, and start teaching and earning.

Pear Deck Tutor
Pear Deck makes it easy to apply to join its community of qualified tutors, who teach according to their own subject expertise and schedules. Its remote platform includes live audio/video chat, virtual whiteboards, screen sharing, and other tools to support high-quality interactions with students. Additionally, Pear Deck handles all billing and pays weekly, so tutors can focus on teaching.

ETS Online Scoring
One of the oldest educational testing companies in existence, ETS (Educational Testing Service) is known for creating and administering several widely used standard tests, including the SAT, GRE, TOEFL, and others. The company employs online test scorers (“raters”) to evaluate and certify various test results. FAQs, guidance, and the online scoring opportunity database allows teachers to explore options before signing up.

Preply tutoring
The Preply tutoring platform allows approved tutors to teach exactly as many hours as they’d like to, with no minimum schedule required. With its global membership, Preply provides numerous diverse opportunities for tutoring, while the well-designed website supplies potential tutors (and students) with everything they need to know before signing up. Preply’s business model relies on commissions, so it’s free to create an account and make use of all site features.

Varsity Tutors Virtual Summer Camps
Lovers of science, tech, art, or finance (Monopoly's Money Matters Camp, anyone?) can find a great summer job with Varsity Tutors, which offers an impressive lineup of virtual summer camps ranging from introductory coding to chess masters to outer space adventures. In addition to the many STEM virtual camps, Varsity Tutors also provides drawing and animation classes.

Teach Online Reading Classes This Summer
Do you love reading? Would you like to share your passion for reading with young learners? Since 1970, the Institute for Reading Development has taught and promoted literacy and a love of reading to students aged 4-18. Its online summer reading program needs dedicated teachers of all levels of experience. Professional training and supervision makes it easy for educators to adapt to the platform.

Skillshare
Skillshare’s online program allows experts in the arts, business, technology, and lifestyle to share their knowledge while reaping financial gains. Create a class, upload video lessons, promote your class, and even engage with students via the website. A robust teacher help center guides each step of the process.

Rev Freelance Transcriptionist or Captioner
If you have top-notch language, listening, or transcribing skills, convert your expertise to cash with Rev freelance work. Select only the jobs that interest you and work as much or as little as you like, all from your home computer. Know a foreign language? Earn the highest rate per minute adding English subtitles to international audio/video.

Teach English Online to Adults
You may love your students, but kids can be a handful. If you’re worn out at the end of the school year, consider teaching adults English online this summer. This article explores the requirements, structure, pay, and features of 11 sites for teaching English to adults.

The Princeton Review
For decades, The Princeton Review (a private company not associated with Princeton University) has provided tutoring and test preparation for students in grades 6-20. The company offers test prep for the SAT, ACT, and AP, as well as tutoring for academic subjects. A rich source of teaching and tutoring opportunities for those who prefer to work from home.

Sell Stock Photos: Comparison of Major Services
Talented shutterbugs who wish to earn income from their hobby should consider selling their digital photos to stock image sites. This detailed article explores the pros and cons of selling to Getty Images, Shutterstock, iStock, and Adobe Stock.

Tutoring Jobs at StudyPoint
If you have two years of teaching under your belt, a bachelor’s degree, and good ACT/SAT scores, consider becoming a personal online tutor for StudyPoint. You’ll help students study for standardized testing or a variety of academic subjects. StudyPoint offers plenty of training, coaching, and support so teachers can transition to online tutoring with confidence.

Editor’s note: As a teacher, it is never a bad idea to “use the force” in the classroom. 

We don’t mean that in the literal sense of moving things with the power of your will, but instead we’re talking about drawing inspiration for yourself and students from a Star Wars film and TV franchise that has shaped pop culture since 1977. 

Our recent May the 4th Be With You: Best Free Star Wars Teaching Ideas continues to be popular, and with the launch of the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” miniseries on Disney+, we’re sensing this might be the content you’re looking for. 

Educator Adam Schoenbart originally shared these teaching lessons from a galaxy far, far away. 

1. About Mentorship, Star Wars Is 

I wanted to look at Star Wars through the lens of the teacher. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it’s the mentors who define the saga more than the heroes. The mentor archetype teaches, guides, and trains the hero to prepare them for their journey. While the hero grows and develops throughout their trials and tribulations, it’s the lessons of the mentors that shape that growth. Think Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan, and of course, Yoda.

2. Student and Teacher Success, One and The Same They Are 

When the mentor succeeds, the hero succeeds. Sometimes the hero needs to outgrow the mentor and take control of their own journey. And sometimes the mentor fails and isn’t able to prepare their hero for the world ahead. Often, the hero grows to become the mentor and the mentor needs to once again become the hero.

3. Value Education, A Jedi Does 

The Jedi realize the value of the teacher and place careful thought, purpose, and time into developing the young heroes – like we teachers do with our students. Still, no matter how hard we try, we’re not always ready or able to reach them all. Both Jedi and high school students have flaws. Sometimes they are symbolized through looks and actions – such as Anakin’s switch to the red lightsaber of Vader – and other times these are more complex. Some of our teachers are unprepared, such as Obi-Wan was with Anakin, and sometimes they leave our lives too soon, like Qui-Gon Jinn.

4. Always Pass on What You Have Learned 

With experience, though, comes success. Obi-Wan failed with Anakin and succeeded with Luke, teaching us to become more powerful than we ever imagined. Yoda, a leader and warrior in the prequels, fulfilled the trope of the reluctant mentor and reclusive hermit both before he taught Luke to master the force. When Obi-Wan falls, it’s Yoda who guides Luke on his way from Padawan to Master and Jedi Knight.

5. Take All of Yoda’s Advice, You Must Not  

Contrary to Yoda and his grammar, we need to try, grow, and sometimes fail. But the mindset shift matters: when we push ourselves to do and strive for more, the only failure is not to try at all.

6. Additional Resources, These Are  

I highly recommend Was Yoda a Good Teacher by John Spencer; his graphic was featured above. You can also check out Was Yoda’s Advice Any Good Psychologically? by Kyle Hill, Yoda’s Top 3 Words of Wisdom by Henrick Edberg, or What Makes Yoda So Good? How to Be an Effective Mentor by Ray Smilor.

This story was originally cross posted at aschoenbart.com.

• May The 4th Be With You: Best Star Wars Teaching Ideas

There are six secrets that Gallup and Purdue University identify that, if offered to students in combination, boost their confidence in school and yield greater happiness and success throughout their adult lives. “It is a simple formula, but once it is in action, students' engagement, confidence, and outlook for the future all improve,” says Jason Alleman, principal at Laguna Beach High School (LBHS) in California.

LBHS found that the Big Six Combination for college undergraduates resonates with their high school students as well. High school students already can receive an undergraduate-level academic program through Advanced Placement, and now they can experience the best factors of an undergraduate social and emotional support experience as well.

The Big Six are divided into two categories:

Support

1. A teacher who inspires 
2. A teacher who cares
3. A mentor

Experiential 

1. Works on a project for a semester or more 
2. Has an experience that allows direct application of learning 
3. Participates in extracurricular activities 

Of the adults who reported that they engaged in none of these opportunities in school, only 5% indicated that they were prepared well for success and happiness in their jobs and lives.  But in the group of adults who said they engaged in all six opportunities while in school, 82% reported that they were well-prepared to achieve happiness and success.

The challenge is how can districts offer these opportunities in a cohesive way. LBHS chose to design a class called Authentic Exploratory Research (AER), inspired by Palo Alto USD's Advanced Authentic Research project. 

AER allows students to choose a year-long area of study in which they are interested. Here are three recent student examples:

-  Izzy S. completed a project about youth fashion branding and marketing. She worked with a local fashion designer and business owner to research how effectively various boutique fashion brands used social media to market to teenagers. According to Izzy, “AER is not another class. When you do it, it doesn’t feel like homework because it is something you’re actually interested in.” 

-  Nathan S. chose a project about the achievement gaps between different socio-economic school districts. Throughout the year, his research and investigation led him deeper and deeper into the nuances of school funding and resource allocation, to the point that the end product far exceeded his expectations. When reflecting upon AER, Nathan says: “I genuinely did not think that I could create a quality piece of literature without me even going to college yet. So looking back, it was one of my greatest accomplishments during my time at LBHS.” 

-  Soren T. compared and contrasted entrepreneurship between Chinese and American entrepreneurs for his AER project. Through his mentor, Soren was able to survey small business owners in China and the U.S. to examine the business culture in both countries. According to Soren, his AER experience was “not just a research project; it’s not just Googling stuff; it was a personal, hands-on, learning growth experience. It is such an empowering project that it gives you a sense of accomplishment and great appreciation for all the work you did.” 

 In addition to the Big Six (Ingredients of Success) AER offers: 

• A real-world application 
• Scientific process design
• Publication 

Potential Timeframe of an AER class

The workflow of the year is designed to work with students' schedules. Each meets with the instructor weekly to discuss progress and remove roadblocks to success. Students are expected to spend 60 hours per semester on coursework, roughly half of which is on the project itself while the other half is on instruction, reflection, organization, and other weekly tasks.  

To celebrate the success and provide an opportunity for an authentic audience, a symposium is offered to the community. During the symposium, staff, mentors, and community members listen to the students describe their experiences and findings. 

Superintendent Jason Viloria has witnessed the students light up during their presentations. “This is not project-based learning, this is reality-based learning,” he says. “The real-life twists and turns of these challenging learning adventures fuel the student's mastery and their research.” 

Laguna Beach has adopted a very powerful definition of authentic learning, which is changing the hearts and minds of students. Our hearts are about 18 inches from our brains on a physical level, and AER is closing that gap between our passions/interests (our hearts) and our academic/thinking (our minds).

Tips & Advice for School Districts Looking to Implement AER 

• Find an instructor who is passionate about this to lead it 
• Empower the instructor to build relationships with each individual student 
• Mentors can be found through parent surveys (work with PTA and community partners) 
• If you can’t find a mentor locally, try Nepris which offers connection to 58,000 industry professionals 
• You can still have great authentic learning experience by adopting some of these components 
• Help students design projects that aren’t excessively dependent on the mentors 
• Mentors should help to point out student blind spots as well as provide guidance, resources, and expertise 
• Partner with other existing school programs, such as Model UN, Student Leadership, or CTE programs 
• AER can be the capstone of a pathway 

For more information, visit LBUSD.org/AER

High dosage online tutoring is an increasingly popular intervention at schools across the U.S. Proponents hope it can increase student access to tutoring and help overcome pandemic disruptions to learning. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said recently that students who have fallen behind during the pandemic should receive 90 minutes of high-quality tutoring each week and a recent analysis from Burbio showed that approximately one-third of districts plan to spend relief funds on tutoring. 

While in-person high-dosage tutoring has been shown to improve student learning in multiple studies, the extent that this translates to online tutoring is not as well researched. However, a recent pilot study of online tutoring in which college students volunteered as tutors and were paired with middle school students in Illinois found consistently positive effects of online tutoring on student achievement, though these effects were smaller than had been seen for in-person tutoring. 

Matthew Kraft, a co-author of the study and associate professor of Education & Economics at Brown University, shared the following five tips for school leaders on how best to implement online tutoring in accordance with the best evidence currently available. However, he stressed more research is necessary and there is no one-size-fits-all “magic formula.”

1 - Have Consistent Tutors and Frequent Sessions Over A Long Period in Online Tutoring 

“It's advantageous to have tutoring be a sustained relationship between the same tutor and the same student,” Kraft says. “You want them to meet regularly, a couple of times a week, over a long period of time.

Part of what seems to make in-person tutoring so effective is the tutor-to-student relationship that forms in successful tutoring situations, so online tutoring programs should try and replicate that as much as possible. Some online tutoring providers have been criticized for not doing so and instead pairing students with different tutors each session. 

In addition to fostering a sustained relationship between the same student and tutor, the duration and frequency of tutoring sessions appear to be significant. “We hypothesize that the length of tutoring, the duration matters a lot, as well as the kind of weekly dosage,” Kraft says. 

2 - Have Online Tutoring Take Place During the School Day  

While some third-party online tutoring programs tout the 24/7 availability of tutors, Kraft advises focusing tutoring on the school day, which helps ensure equitable access to tutoring. “There's good reason to suspect that the types of tutoring programs that are on-demand and available for students to take advantage of [anytime] might benefit those students who are already doing fairly well in school because they may be more able and more confident in their ability to call someone up and say, ‘I've got a specific question. I know I'm confused,’” Kraft says. “That might be beneficial. It likely is, but it would potentially have inequitable consequences for student outcomes with the students who most need individualized instruction and support and are least willing and able to take advantage of those additional services.” 

3 - Give Online Tutors Ongoing Training  

“You want to find an opportunity to support tutors through professional development, and ongoing on-the-job learning,” Kraft says. “You want to scaffold or work with high-quality instructional materials that, ideally, are aligned with the instruction that students are receiving during their traditional classes.”

While in a perfect world professional tutors might be the best option, they may not always be necessary. Part of what is so encouraging about Kraft and his colleagues’ recent research is that it was a low-cost model utilizing college student volunteers as tutors. 

4- Make Sure Terminology Around Online Tutoring Is Defined  

Many companies offer online tutoring to districts but since the terminology around tutoring is not universally agreed upon misunderstandings can occur. 

“I would be wary of an online tutoring program that says, 'We offer high-dosage tutoring,'  without explaining exactly what they think that means and how they're delivering it,” Kraft says. “High-dosage tutoring has become a buzzword that I think is often used to describe very different models of tutoring.” 

Kraft’s says high-quality, high-dosage tutoring programs tend to include the following characteristics:

• high-dosage delivery (i.e., three or more sessions per week of required tutoring);
• a stated focus on cultivating tutor-student relationships;
• use of formative assessments to monitor student learning;
• alignment with the school curriculum; 
• formalized tutor training and support.

5 - Be Realistic About Online Tutoring’s Potential  

Kraft says school leaders and other education stakeholders should be clear-eyed about online tutoring’s potential and the results of the study he and his colleagues conducted. 

“It's encouraging because, despite the fact that this was a pilot program, during the height of some of the most challenging times of this pandemic, we found positive and meaningful estimates,” he says. But there’s also the reason for caution because these improvements, “were not as large as many of the effects we saw in prior studies of in-person tutoring before the pandemic.” 

There are also challenges to implementing online tutoring at the scale that is likely necessary, especially given the labor shortage that already exists within education. “We learned there's a lot of potential for online tutoring,” Kraft says. “But at the same time, we also see that we can't expect the moon and the stars and there are challenges that exist to implementing high-quality, high-dosage tutoring.” 

• High-Dosage Tutoring: Can Technology Help Curb Learning Loss?
• How Downtime and Free Play Help Students Learn

Educators should get their booster COVID shots, says Howard Forman, MD, MBA, from The Yale School of Public Health. 

“If there is a medical reason to not get a booster at this time, I would encourage them to wear an N95 mask to protect themselves and the people around them,” he says. “Even with a booster, wearing the N95 mask is helpful.” 

The CDC now advises everyone 12 and older who received two doses of Pfizer vaccine to get a booster after at least 5 months and everyone 18 and older who received two doses of the Moderna vaccine to get a booster after at least 5 months as well. Adults who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine are advised to get a Pfizer or Moderna booster after at least two months. 

Increasing Evidence for Booster Efficacy

In November, only adults over 65 were advised by the CDC to get boosted while those under 65 who worked in occupations that put them at higher risks for contracting the virus, a group that includes educators, were given the option of getting a booster shot. At that time, Forman told Tech & Learning that younger and healthy educators could reasonably hold off on getting a booster, but the rise of Omicron and new data around boosters has emerged. 

“The boosters have performed very well,” Forman says. “If you are older or have a comorbid condition, you are putting yourself at high unnecessary risk by delaying boosters.” 

Forman cites recent research from the CDC showing the efficacy of boosters and preventing severe disease. “They reduce risk of hospitalization, of ED visits, and urgent care encounters,” he says. 

A Particular Need for Boosters for Educators & No Reason to Wait 

Diego R. Hijano, MD, MSc, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, told Tech & Learning in November that older teachers and those with underlying conditions should get their boosters, as well as younger teachers with good health. “As a teacher you're exposed to a lot of kids who may or may not be vaccinated, depending on what grade you teach, and even if you teach high school, depending on where you work in the U.S., anywhere from 30 percent to 80 percent of your kids won't be vaccinated.” 

“Everyone should be getting a booster shot,” Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD, an immunologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Tech & Learning in November. 

Some people have theorized that delaying the vaccine might actually increase the efficacy of a third dose. Gronvall said that holding off does not make sense. “I don’t know why you would wait,” she says. “You are hoping to forestall serious infections now. If it turns out we need to be boosted every six months, so be it, but people should take advantage of the ability to get the booster now.”

• School Ventilation & Cognition: Air Quality Is About More Than Covid
• Saliva COVID Tests: What Educators Need to Know

President-elect Joe Biden initially pledged to reopen a majority of schools during his first 100 days in office but recently refocused the goal for K-8 schools. He has said teachers should be eligible for vaccinations as soon as possible after those who are at highest risk, according to the Associated Press.

Educators in New York began receiving their first doses of coronavirus vaccine earlier this week, and other states are expected to begin vaccinating faculty and staff at schools and colleges in the coming weeks and months. 

The CDC has classified those who work in education, including teachers, support staff, and daycare staff, as essential workers, but where they fall in line to receive the vaccine still varies by state.  

When Will The Vaccine be Available for Most Teachers? 

Dr. Robert Hecht, a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and the president of the nonprofit Pharos Global Health Advisors, says that most states are falling within three categories with their teacher vaccination plan. Some states, such as Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, and Michigan, have prioritized teachers for vaccination right after the elderly and health care workers, with hopes to start vaccinating by the end of January and into February. In-between states, such as Colorado, want to do teacher vaccinations among a large array of essential workers but are not sure it will happen until March. And then there are states such as Florida and Texas that have not even announced where teachers fit into the priority list or when they might be vaccinated. 

To find out where teachers are in vaccine-priority, check the Vaccine Allocation Planner for COVID-19 developed by Ariadne Labs — a collaboration between Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, or The New York Times’ fill-in-the-blanks form. 

When Should Educators be Vaccinated? 

Although there is widespread agreement to offer initial vaccine doses to the elderly and health care workers, there is less consensus on who should be included in the next group. 

Hecht and his wife and colleague, Dr. Shan Soe-Lin, a lecturer in global health at Yale, recently argued in a New York Times op-ed that the next phase of vaccine distribution should target hot spots rather than be distributed based on profession. However, if you go by profession, they say putting educators closer to the top of the list makes sense. “Education is crucial and getting teachers vaccinated is tremendously important,” Hecht says. 

Soe-Lin adds that K-12 schools do not seem to be large drivers of spread, in part because younger children seem less susceptible to the virus. “Yet there's a lot of teachers across all age groups who are vulnerable,” Soe-Lin says. “So it's more about protecting teachers, or at least giving them the peace of mind to want to keep schools open.” 

What Will Change After Educators are Vaccinated? 

Vaccinating teachers will hopefully reduce transmission among school and staff members but it won’t eliminate the need for other safety measures such as masking and distancing in the short term.

Kelsie Snow, an assistant professor at Husson University’s School of Pharmacy, says the vast majority of K-12 students won’t be vaccinated since Pfizer’s vaccine is only authorized for those 16 and older and Moderna’s for those 18 and up. “While fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, youngsters can be infected with the virus that causes the illness,” says Snow. “Since there tends to be more students in an educational setting than educators and staff, this will complicate our efforts to return to  normal.”

“When prevalences come way down and vaccination coverage rates are high, we can eventually start to unmask,” says Soe-Lin. “Up till then, and especially if you're between shots, it's really, really important that everyone maintains the masks and social distance for themselves and for others.”

What About the Vaccine Rollout in General? 

The current vaccine rollout has been going too slow observers say. The Kaiser Family Foundation released an analysis recently saying that the varying timelines between states has resulted in “a vaccine roll-out labyrinth across the country.”

“One of the major challenges has been the inconsistency in the frequency of shipments,” says Snow. “This has caused a number of headaches in the planning process. In addition, we need to continue improving the dissemination of the vaccines. We currently have a number of available pharmacies that are willing to help administer the inoculations. Unfortunately, they have yet to be utilized to their full potential.” 

She adds, “There is also some confusion among members of the public about who qualifies for the vaccine and when they should get vaccinated.” 

Snow is holding a six-hour course, and a more advanced 20-hour course, for pharmacists looking to learn how to administer the vaccine. (Anyone interested in registering for either course should contact snowke@husson.edu). 

In addition to better education around the vaccine across the board, Snow believes holding mass-vaccination events could be a more efficient way to distribute the vaccine. “Under this plan, there would be a small number of vaccination locations in every state where patients could receive their shots,” she says. “This could help to reduce the challenges posed by the rigorous storage requirements for the vaccines and serve to reduce confusion about where, when, and how patients can be vaccinated.” 

Ultimately, educators shouldn’t get too caught up in who gets the vaccine and when. “I don't think we should let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We've got to get this vaccine out there,” says Hecht. “I, and other modelers, could do all kinds of detailed calculations and tell you that the perfect rollout is this group today and this group tomorrow in this group the next day because of the relative risk they face. But it's not going to work that way. In practice, it's going to be messier, and that's okay as long as the thrust is on trying to reach the right sorts of groups.”

• 4 Takeaways From New Study on Impact of In-Person School on Covid Hospitalizations
• New COVID Stimulus Package Offers Schools More Funding to Innovate

Art is hard. It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s that sometimes I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s modern art that causes me trouble. Maybe I’m just too literal. The piece to the left hanging in Seattle’s art museum? I got nothing.

But with the help of an older sister and a daughter, both strong with the art force, I’ve gotten better at making sense of color, shape, perspective, of context and hidden messages. And with the help of a lot of bright people at places like the Smithsonian and Library of Congress, I’m also getting better at looking at art as a form of primary source information, as another way to understand place and time,

For the last few months, I’ve been highlighting the very cool way that teachers are using Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms to help students think about the Bill of Rights and contemporary issues. I love using interpretations of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere and Alonzo Chappel to talk about historical accuracy and encourage historical thinking. The National Portrait Gallery has been huge in showing me ways that we can use portraits such as the Lansdowne image of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart and John Brown in his US Army blanket by Ole Peter Hansen Balling. And who hasn’t used images such as John Gast’s American Progress to lead conversations about Manifest Destiny and the interactions between settlers and American Indians?

But I’m starting to believe even more in the power of artwork as story and primary source. So it’s always great to find another site and set of tools that help integrate art into instruction and learning. I recently ran across SmartHistory and am loving it.

Smarthistory believes that:

art has the power to transform lives and build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background.

Art connects us to the world; it allows us to imagine, to create, to build and to inspire, and it shouldn’t be locked up in a textbook. Smarthistory takes you inside museums and outside to ancient temples and brings you into conversations about how to interpret and understand the images you’re seeing.

Now more than ever we need understanding, rigorous analysis, and nuance, and art teaches the critical thinking needed to better comprehend current events and their cultural and historical context.

Smarthistory is the window through which to learn about today’s biggest clash points: we interrogate faith, class, race, gender, and power through a study of art and objects from ancient times until the present. We help learners navigate their world by teaching the skills of interpretation and judgement to help them make meaning of the world around them.

If that doesn’t define our job as social studies teachers, I’m not sure what does.

There are tons of things to explore at Smarthistory. Jump right into in-depth explorations of different time periods found on the home page or hover over the Guides tab to jump straight into serious art history.

But be sure to save some time for exploring their Seeing America section, what Smarthistory calls a “portal to American history and art that examines the long history of the United States, from before European settlers to the modern era.” They do this by making “key works of art accessible for the U.S. history and social studies student.”

You’ll find lessons and suggested activities organized by broad themes, historical periods, or by common classroom topics such as Civil War or the American West. You can also view all the Seeing America content in one place.

Scroll down to get access to their Teaching Guides. I especially love their Guide on Rosie the Riveter. And it’s not just paintings. Their lessons and videos also highlight objects and artifacts. The The Triangle Trade and the Colonial Table, Sugar, Tea, and Slavery activity and video uses a hand-made silver sugar bowl to help kids understand how the connections between the European demand for sugar and the enslavement of Africans.

If you’re like me and struggle with getting it, Smarthistory can help. No matter what you teach, you’re going to be able to find resources and artifacts aligned to your content.

cross posted at glennwiebe.org

Glenn Wiebe is an education and technology consultant with 15 years' experience teaching history and social studies. He is a curriculum consultant for ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas, blogs frequently at History Tech and maintains Social Studies Central, a repository of resources targeted at K-12 educators. Visit glennwiebe.org to learn more about his speaking and presentation on education technology, innovative instruction and social studies.

Parent-teacher conferences provide a way for staff and families to better to connect to support students. They can also be stressful for all parties involved. Parents and teachers may be nervous about what the other will say to them about the child. To make conferences more pleasant and strengthen relationships remember the importance of promoting good will. Your job as a teacher will be easier if parents are your partners and look forward to your conversations with them about their child.

While academic performance and test scores have their place, this information is easily accessed by parents. When you meet face-to-face parents want to know that you genuinely know and care about their child.

Here is how to do that.

Ask students what parents want to know

Middle school English teacher and Y.A. author SJ Donovan explained that to prepare for parent-teacher night, she asked her students what they thought their parents wanted to hear from her about their class. Students shared that parents would want to know about her methodologies, teaching style, and how she integrates technology into learning. She shares their ideas in this post. Adding to Donovan’s idea, I would also ask each class member to share their response so that you have a personalized message for each parent. This also gives those less inclined to speak in public a chance to have their voice heard. You might want to consider using FlipGrid for this. (Not sure what FlipGrid is? Read this overview from Sean Arnold’s, “Brave in the Attempt” blog.

When parent-teacher night begins, the teacher can kick it off to a parent group a discussion sharing with them what their children want them to know about how they spend their day. In some schools there can be limited time for one-to-one conversations. This strategy gives all parents a general sense of what they can expect for their child.

[#BacktoSchool List No No #1 - Graphing Calculators]

Ask parents what they want you to know about their child

If there is time for one-on-one conversations, the teacher can start by sharing that one idea their child wanted their parent to know. Next, the teacher can ask the parent what they want their teacher to know about their child and the teacher can record that in the child’s file or it can be left as a reply on FlipGrid.

Discuss how the child thrives

The teacher can review key pieces of the student’s learning profile with parent. Thrively is a tool that allows you to collect a free report of how every child thrives and ideas to support that at school and home. If possible, give the parent a printed report to take home. If you not able to print it, let them know how to access the report. This article shares more on Thrively and how students can begin their free strength assessment.

Classroom learning stations

In some schools teachers have a line of parents waiting out the door. Make use of that time. Have stations set up around the room for parents to learn more about what happens in the class. If possible each station would have a student at the helm sharing with parents. Stations can also be independently accessed. The stations could contain student work that is physical. It could contain a slideshow on a laptop with useful ideas for learning at home. There might be a station with recorded student presentations. Maybe there is a bulletin board where parents can scan QR codes to learn and see more about students and their work.

Parent Agenda & Notes

Have an agenda that fits on one page so parents know what to expect and have a place to record notes. This helps you to frame and focus the conversation and provides follow up notes for the parent. Here’s a sample you can customize and use for your own class.

Your Turn

What do you think? Are there ideas here that could work in your school or classroom? Have you tried any of these ideas? What has worked well? What challenges have you encountered?

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several books and her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.