Education 2.0 & 3.0

"In this course, you’ll learn about generative AI, which is a type of AI that creates new content, such as text, images, or other media. You’ll explore how to use generative AI tools to assist your teaching practice by saving time on everyday tasks, personalizing instruction to meet student needs, and enhancing lessons and activities in creative ways. Gemini and ChatGPT are examples of generative AI tools that are used with conversational prompts; in other words, you ask the AI tool for something, and it responds to your request. Throughout this course, you’ll discover proven strategies for working with AI tools and practice using these tools to plan and update lessons, prepare instructional materials, manage behind-the-scenes administrative tasks, and lots more!"

Via John Evans

For 50 years, we’ve supported educators and students – and while it’s Pitsco’s anniversary – these gifts are for you!

Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa)

This is a list of people I have been following on Twitter since 2008. They are not all teachers, but educators in various sectors and countries, curated from online interactions to those whom I have met and have developed professional relationships.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Education is at a tipping point. From the rising cost of a college education and the financial pressures upon local districts and state agencies to fund K-12 s…

Via Elizabeth E Charles

Via Robin Good

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for decades; however, with the introduction of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, there has been a newfound focus on how technology tools can impact the educational landscape. The AI revolution in industry is upon us and is beginning to establish itself as a permanent part of educational practice as evidenced by Lucarillo, Nagel, Hardman, and others. Therefore, it is crucial to equip teachers with the skills to use AI in ways that ensure a high-quality education for the students in classrooms across the globe.

The urgency to upskill teachers is highlighted by the gap in skills that already exists in classrooms today, underscoring the digital divide. Just as in any content area, students come to classrooms with varying readiness levels and educational needs; using AI is no different. For example, there are preschoolers who play games on an iPad with empowered intelligent tutors. My prereading granddaughter uses AI predictive text programs, dictation technology, and iconography to text me from her mother's phone and to locate videos and programs she wants to watch. Some children, like her, have access, while there are many others who have no exposure or use of AI. Educators are encountering students at different AI literacy levels, and this divide will continue to grow. Therefore, teachers need to build the skillsets to increase their AI literacy and integration to develop more digital equity, serving students who are at a low readiness level, as well as those who are using AI as a writing partner.

Via John Evans

At first the closures seemed short-term, maybe a few weeks at most. Many teachers posted up at their kitchen tables or logged on from their couches—a temporary setup to get by until schools reopened and regular classes resumed.

But day after day, it became clearer that there would be no swift return to normal. So teachers settled in—or at least tried—to their newly-virtual classrooms and made their home arrangements more manageable for the longer term.

Via John Evans

Via John Evans, Mark E. Deschaine, PhD, Elizabeth E Charles

Key Takeaways
New digital tools and platforms create opportunities in pedagogy, but they also result in deployment of under-tested digital tools in classroom instruction, which raises questions and challenges for educators.
A collaborative project between a media studies professor and a digital humanities librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sought to address these challenges by developing digital pedagogy practices.
As the two case studies described here show, these practices can foster an environment of interdisciplinary, collaborative student engagement with new tools; openly acknowledge the digital tools' experimental states; and encourage playful student tinkering with the tools, even when they appear simple or familiar.

Via Elizabeth E Charles