Tag technology integration

Empowering Teachers with Conversational AI

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

In collaboration with Kyron Learning, All opinions are my own

As educators, we have access to a wide variety of digital tools to bring into our classrooms. We use these to enhance learning and provide new opportunities for students to build content knowledge, as well as help them to develop essential digital skills. With the right methods and tools, educators are able to achieve the goal of providing the most authentic, meaningful, and personalized learning experiences for all students. Leveraging these resources helps us to do this more efficiently and effectively and enables us to provide timely feedback and support to our students.

Now, with the power of generative AI, there are even more valuable resources available for educators to bring into their classrooms. We can use these tools to enhance the content being taught and also to support students so they learn how to interact with AI responsibly and safely.

Kyron Learning is a revolutionary interactive video learning platform that leverages conversational AI to transform the way educators can support their students. Kyron empowers teachers by saving them time, personalizing instruction, and providing valuable student data. With Kyron, students have access to a personal tutor who works with them as they build their skills in an engaging space. The power of AI helps teachers create interactive lessons that are student-paced and student-focused. As students work through a lesson, it truly feels like a one-on-one tutoring session with a real teacher. Students can ask and respond to questions, engage in further discussions, and receive immediate feedback, all made possible by Kyron’s AI assistant. The “conversational engine” listens to the student’s responses and selects the most appropriate pre-recorded video segment to play next. When you try a Kyron lesson for the first time, you will be amazed at how well it flows!

Using Kyron, teachers can provide additional opportunities for students that give them more individualized learning experiences. It is easy to get started by simply choosing from the many lessons already available for students. Are you teaching math? Explore the lessons available such as “Base Ten,” “Place Value,” or “Comparing Fractions.” You will see the objectives, the number of lessons, and the languages available. You can even choose your tutor! With Kyron, teachers also have access to resources such as blogs and other materials to get them started!

Kyron Studio

Newly available in March, teachers can now create their own lessons for students using Kyron Studio! In addition to what Kyron already provides, with Kyron Studio, teachers can become AI tutors! Educators are also able to share and collaborate on lessons, leveraging the collective expertise of the teaching community. In Kyron Studio, teachers can design multi-modal AI-facilitated tutoring sessions for their students and make them even more personalized.

The sessions can be customized based on each teacher’s curriculum and include videos and visuals. It is a learning experience that engages and helps every learner to understand a concept in an authentic way and at their own pace.

Getting started with Kyron Studio is easy! You simply enter your objectives and provide relevant information about your learners, and a lesson outline with materials and questions will be generated. Once the lesson is generated, teachers can make any changes to the AI-generated content.

Learning with Kyron is fun!

As students work through lessons, they experience those “aha” moments when they finally understand something, and you can see their excitement! It is an engaging learning experience for students and one that also teaches them about purposeful and safe uses of AI. It benefits teachers because they can see students’ progress and support them right when they need it! While we all know technology can’t replicate the relationships between a teacher and a student, Kyron aims to also provide a supportive digital environment where students feel seen and valued.

I worked through several lessons and really enjoyed the experience. It was very different from other interactive lessons and platforms that place students in the lead. To start, I spent time selecting a lesson to dive into and then was surprised that I was able to choose my tutor! I enjoyed testing how my tutor would respond to my answers and questions. I told my tutor that I was confused, entered incorrect answers, and asked for help and more clarification. Each time it responded to me in such a personalized way that helped me to understand. If I got an answer wrong, my tutor provided me with an explanation or another example. It was amazing to see how well it responded to my questions and adjusted similarly to how a teacher would with students in the classroom.

Some of the great features of Kyron are:

Multimodal Learning: Lessons can incorporate videos, images, and text, catering to diverse learning preferences and creating a more engaging experience.

Easy Lesson Creation: Kyron Studio offers an automated and user-friendly interface for educators to build custom AI-powered tutoring sessions.

Educator Choice: Educators control lesson content, can upload their own visuals, and curate the questions and answers, which makes it more authentic for students.

Assessment and Misconception Detection: Kyron identifies student misconceptions during lessons, providing valuable insights for educators to personalize and target instruction.

Focus on Safety and Ethics: Kyron prioritizes student safety by implementing controls and moderation layers to prevent inappropriate interactions.

Commitment to Transparency: User data is anonymized and used ethically to enhance the platform.

Supporting Educators and Students

In an increasingly digital world, especially with the rapid advancements in AI, what I value about Kyron is its approach when it comes to the use of AI and the creation of this platform. The key principles are:

  • Connect, Engage, Encourage: When students complete a lesson, they are supported and receive encouraging feedback during their learning journey.
  • Teach Through Dialogue: The lessons are interactive and fun for students to complete because they are involved in a conversation. Through prompts that promote critical thinking and problem-solving, students can build their skills in ways that meet their pace and specific needs.
  • Work in Concert with Teachers: Kyron provides high-quality, differentiated curriculum and gives teachers access to real-time student progress data. It helps teachers to target instruction and personalize instruction for every student.

There are so many great lessons available to start with, or just dive in and create your own lesson in very little time. I definitely recommend that you try some lessons to experience how unique Kyron is.

Ready to transform your classroom and empower your students? Visit Kyron Learning today at http://app.kyronlearning.com and see how Kyron can help you create a personalized and engaging learning experience for all students!

And if you want to learn more and connect with other educators, Kyron just launched a community for educators called the Visionaries! Educators can join at www.kyronlearning.com/visionaries. Explore the great resources such as tutorials and more!

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is currently finishing her doctorate with a focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or your event! Submit the Contact Form.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter(X) and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

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Digital Badging

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Digital Badges & Micro-credentials: Being an Edtech Librarian in 2024

By Amanda Hunt aka @thenextgenlibrarian

These two concepts, badging, and education, play crucial roles in modern classrooms and libraries, bridging the gap between learning, recognition, and advocacy. In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, educators are not just running to catch up to new technologies; they’re becoming the pioneers and advocates for their integration into the classroom, library, and beyond. As traditional teaching methods intersect with innovative digital tools, educators are seizing the opportunity to become leaders in educational technology (EdTech). One notable trend in this realm is the rise of educators earning digital badges and ambassadorships from EdTech apps, websites, and more.

Digital badges have emerged as a means to recognize and showcase an individual’s skills and accomplishments in various fields, including education. By showcasing these badges, educators are putting their resumes in their email signatures. They are showing how they are still learning, usually on their own time, how to best take these new apps and bring them into the school buildings. Badges serve as virtual credentials, providing evidence of a teacher’s expertise in utilizing specific EdTech tools or implementing innovative teaching practices. The process of earning digital badges typically involves completing training modules, sharing lessons created using the tools, participating in workshops, or demonstrating proficiency in using a particular technology within an educational context.

Ambassadorships, on the other hand, involve a deeper level of engagement between educators and EdTech companies. Educator/Teacher ambassadors are selected representatives who possess in-depth knowledge of a company’s products or services and are passionate about integrating them effectively into teaching and learning environments. These ambassadors serve as advocates, sharing their experiences, insights, examples, and best practices with fellow educators, thereby fostering a community of learning and collaboration. A lot of times, they will present these tools in webinars, online, and in-person conferences.

What is the draw for educators to get certified in badges and earn ambassadorships? Firstly, in a rapidly digitizing world, staying abreast of the latest technological advancements is crucial for educators to deliver high-quality instruction. Many schools require teachers to use some form of technology in their classrooms. By having the librarian earn micro-credentials and badges through professional development training, they’re able to teach the teachers how to use the tools so they can use them in the classroom with students. By earning digital badges, educators demonstrate their commitment to training, growth, and improvement, as well as their willingness to adapt to new teaching methodologies. These badges also serve as a tangible record of their ongoing learning journey, which can be invaluable for career advancement and professional recognition.

Secondly, ambassadorships offer educators a platform to amplify their voices and influence within the EdTech community. Sometimes there’s even swag involved! As ambassadors, educators have the opportunity to network with industry professionals, participate in exclusive events and conferences, and contribute to the development and improvement of educational technologies. Moreover, serving as an ambassador allows educators to shape the direction of EdTech tools by providing feedback based on their practical experiences in the classroom.

Additionally, both digital badges and ambassadorships contribute to building a culture of collaboration and innovation within the education world. By sharing their knowledge and expertise, educators inspire their peers to explore new technologies and teaching methodologies, ultimately enhancing the learning experience for students. Moreover, the recognition and validation offered by digital badges and ambassadorships motivate educators to continuously seek out opportunities for professional growth and development. Too often these edtech companies don’t think as a teacher, but as a business owner. Asking for teacher input is critical for making their products successful, adaptable and future ready.

The increasing prevalence of educators earning digital badges and ambassadorships reflects a growing recognition of their pivotal role in driving innovation and transformation in education. Teachers and librarians want to be recognized for the work they’re doing and oftentimes, that’s not happening on their campuses. By leveraging these opportunities, educators can not only enhance their own professional development but also contribute to the broader goal of creating more engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environments for students around the world. As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of educational technology, educators will undoubtedly remain at the forefront, shaping the future of teaching and learning. In the dynamic landscape of education, digital badges, and ambassadorships empower both learners and educators. Whether it’s recognizing discrete competencies or championing innovative tools, these concepts shape the future of teaching and learning.

Remember, every badge earned and every ambassadorship created contributes to a deeper, more connected educational ecosystem.

References:

Amanda Hunt, aka TheNextGenLibrarian, is a 6th-8th middle school librarian in New Braunfels ISD and is the Secondary Lead Librarian for NBISD. She’s been a librarian for twelve years at both elementary and secondary campuses. She was the chair for the Mavericks Graphic Novel Reading List Committee for TLA from 2021-2023. She was also the chair for TxASL Talks Editorial Board and presently is the TxASL Councilor through 2025. She also serves on the Conference Planning Committee for the TLA 2024 conference. Hunt is on the Bylaws Committee for TLA and the Operating Procedures Committee member for TxASL. She is on the AASL Committee for rewriting the new AASL Standards. Amanda has served on the Cybil Award YA Speculative Reading List Committee for 2023 and the Margaret Edwards 2025 Award Committee. She was a TLA TxASL Media and Visual Presence (MVP) Honoree for 2021 and 2023, and the TLA Branding Iron Award 2022 Winner for Digital Only Communications in a School Library. Amanda is a certified Apple Teacher and Apple Learning Coach, as well as a Google-certified Trainer and Coach. She has certifications in a variety of #edtech tools and is a voracious reader. Visit her linktree: http://bit.ly/biolinkthenextgenlibrarian and follow her across social media @thenextgenlibrarian

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

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Fun Ideas As We Head Into Spring

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

It’s a busy time of year in our schools with assessments, sports, musicals, and other activities. I have often noticed a decrease in student engagement and often look for ways to create some excitement and get students more engaged and excited about learning. I think that this is the perfect time of year to try some new things and make time to ask students for feedback too. Also, once the school year ends, we have time to explore these new ideas and reflect on them.

Here are a few ideas that I have used in my own classroom. Some of these are great for getting your students up and moving and also for learning about emerging technologies like AR and VR! Active learning is great for students and for us, and it will help boost student engagement and lead to better content retention. Using a variety of strategies and trying different tools helps students develop the skills that they need to be successful now and in the future. Here are three to start with:

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Have you explored augmented or virtual reality in your classroom yet? If not, now is a great time! There are many options available, and the benefits are that students can be immersed in learning; they can hold and manipulate an object in augmented reality for example, and attach more meaning to it. Students can even create using a variety of the options available to bring their learning to life.

Besides having students create, they can explore through a virtual field trip to places they would not otherwise be able to visit, such as the bottom of the ocean or the surface of Mars. The use of VR for simulations for career exploration or science labs is a great way to engage students in more authentic and meaningful ways. Using AR or VR, students could create 3D models of objects, which they can then explore and manipulate. There are many tools available for students to create their own AR and VR experiences, which can be a great way to help them develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.

I started with the Virtual Reality trips available from Nearpod. Easy to get started with, and then you can add your own content and activities to the interactive lessons to engage students in a variety of learning experiences. CoSpaces EDU has been a great choice for my Spanish and STEAM classes. They have a library full of sample projects and lessons to download that make it easy to get started. Students also enjoy MergeVR, a holographic cube that enables them to hold and interact with different 3D objects in their hands. The Merge cube can be used with various apps, including Merge Explorer and Object Viewer, which allow students to create scenes and place objects in the real world.

Scavenger Hunts and Breakouts

There are a lot of benefits to creating a scavenger hunt. One of the most important skills that students can learn is teamwork. To successfully complete all of the tasks, students have to work together, share ideas, problem solve, be creative, and within a certain time limit. These valuable skills can be applied to many different areas of life.

The use of paper is fine, or you can explore different digital options such as Flip, Goose Chase, Padlet, or Wakelet. My friend Laura Steinbrink created a great scavenger hunt and used Wakelet to share it with students.

Digital breakouts are another great option for students and teachers, especially for professional development! Typically, a content-related theme is used for a hook. The purpose is to engage students in learning and help them connect with the content while boosting engagement. The theme also creates excitement for learning! Choosing tools such as Flip or Wakelet also makes great options for these.

Peer teaching

In my own classroom, to do some review at the start of the year, students are paired with a classmate and choose a topic that they feel confident teaching. Students come up with their own ways to teach or explain and then reverse roles. It is a great way for students to also build confidence and comfort in the classroom while building relationships. You can do this as an end-of-the-year review too!

I learned some fun new ideas that I could use in my practice. Students felt more valued because they took the lead and shared their knowledge to help others. They also appreciated the support that they received. Some students made games with Kahoot! or created a Nearpod or Edpuzzle lesson for classmates.

These are just a few ideas to explore that can help to boost student engagement and creativity. With the right methods and tools to facilitate them, we can spark curiosity for learning and all student needs and interests will be better met.

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is currently finishing her doctorate with a focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or your event! Submit the Contact Form.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter(X) and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here

Build Research Skills with Learnics

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Sponsored post in collaboration with Learnics. All opinions are my own

Digital literacy is a critical skill, and with access to so many resources, it is essential that educators work with students in all classrooms to help them develop their research skills. Especially with the rapidly advancing technology available to everyone, such as ChatGPT, we want to provide students with opportunities as crucial as reading and writing. Teachers are constantly seeking innovative tools to enhance their students’ research skills. Learnics offers a digital space for students to conduct their research and track time spent and resources found!

What is Learnics?

Learnics is a free Chrome Extension that helps students to streamline the research process. Through its robust platform, students conduct research, and Learnics will track the websites visited and the amount of time spent on each site, take notes, create tags, and even generate bibliographies automatically. It can assist with the process, but the main focus is on enhancing the quality of work and also helping students to focus on academic integrity as they work. By using Learnics, students are able to organize their research more effectively and also see a detailed overview of their research process. Learnics provides a space for nurturing responsible research practices and critical thinking skills among students.

Standout Features of Learnics

  • Website Capture and Time Tracking: Learnics automatically logs sites visited and the time spent on each, providing invaluable insights into students’ research habits.
  • Notes and Tags: Students are able to keep everything in one space. They can take notes and use tags to help them keep their research organized. Students can also download the record of their research.
  • Auto-generated Bibliography: Students learn how to properly cite resources used with the auto-generated bibliographies created in Learnics. Bibliographies based on students’ research history are created in alignment with APA, MLA, and Chicago formats.
  • Snapshot Report: One of my favorite features of Learnics is the snapshot report. When doing research, it is helpful to see the process, and with Snapshot, students have an overview of their entire research journey. The Snapshot report helps to promote reflection and critical thinking skills among students.

Learnics Classroom Pro

Diving into Classroom Pro, I immediately thought it was a game-changer. For educators, it is important to support students as they develop and refine their research skills. Teaching students how to conduct research and properly cite sources is key. With Learnics Classroom Pro, teachers can create a lesson for students and then review their students’ research process in real time. Teachers can monitor class progress, view sites visited, check search terms used, and assess notes, tags, and annotations made by students. Having access to this information also helps educators to better understand student needs during research and provide additional resources to help them with each task. Classroom Pro is an invaluable tool for ensuring the authenticity of student work and fostering a focused, engaged research environment.

Benefits of Using Learnics

For students, Learnics helps them to streamline the research process. With all of their research in one space, it eliminates the need to use multiple tools or toggle between different tabs. Learnics helps students develop better organization skills through the use of notes and tags, which makes their writing process more efficient.

And when it comes to citations, having assistance to learn from is quite helpful. With the auto-generated bibliography feature, students understand the importance of properly citing their sources and can further develop their skills.

For teachers, gaining insight into student research practices helps to provide better support. Through Classroom Pro, teachers can view each student’s research process and then use this to provide more targeted instruction and authentic and meaningful feedback. Understanding students’ research habits enables teachers to observe how and where students spend their time or if they are struggling to find reliable sources. With this insight, teachers can better provide targeted instruction to address individual and class-wide learning needs.

With the features of Learnics, teachers can check the originality of student work while also tracking the potential use of AI. Learnics also helps students to engage in peer review and collaboration and share resources and feedback, which better prepares them for future success in the workplace.

Get Started with Learnics

It is easy to get started with Learnics. Simply download the Chrome Extension from the Chrome Web Store and begin exploring the resources available. Students choose to enable the Chrome extension on their browser as they engage in research.

For teachers, check out the demo to learn more about Classroom Pro. The ability to conduct effective, efficient, and responsible research is essential. Learnics provides a space for students to enhance their academic skills and become digitally literate.

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator and Community Leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915.

Looking for PD for your school or keynotes for your conference? I provide in-person and virtual training on the following topics. If you want to learn more about and explore AI and ChatGPT, contact me to schedule! Rdene915@gmail.com or use the Book Me form on my website. bit.ly/thriveineduPD

**Interested in writing a guest blog or submitting a sponsored post for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

CoSpaces Edu for Out of This World Learning!

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

In collaboration with CoSpaces EDU

The start of a new school year or calendar year is always a great time to explore some new ideas, especially with all of the amazing tools and technologies available to us. There are many exciting options available to educators and students to choose from, and sometimes, making the choice is a challenge. Personally, one of my favorites is bringing augmented and virtual reality into my classroom through CoSpaces Edu.

Initially, I used CoSpaces in my STEAM emerging technology course for several years, having students work on a variety of projects in my class and for some cross-curricular collaboration. One day, I was challenged by a few of my students in a Spanish II course who had seen the projects being created, and they wondered why they were not able to do something similar. I was speechless, and I didn’t have an answer for them. Honestly, I had not thought about bringing AR/VR into my Spanish classes. Fortunately, I knew about all of the benefits and great features of CoSpaces that foster collaboration, creativity, and many other essential skills. I also loved that students have the ability to create independently or to work together on the same project from wherever they are. So I thought to myself, why not?

If you are not familiar with CoSpaces Edu, it is a truly versatile, user-friendly platform that enables students and teachers to create virtual spaces full of animals, people, objects, and more. It is a great way to focus on developing many skills in schools, from SEL to STEAM and more. It is also a great option for helping students develop an interest in STEM, especially coding, a highly in-demand skill.

From coding and language learning to STEAM and collaboration, CoSpaces Edu offers so many ways for students (and teachers, we need to learn, too!) to create their own AR and VR experiences. An alternative to traditional tools that might be used for digital storytelling, explaining and exploring complex topics, or for creating virtual field trips through a moment in history, for example.

So, with all of the options available, why choose CoSpaces Edu? It has been a game-changer in my classroom. It provides an intuitive, user-friendly platform that educators, students, and families supporting students can easily navigate. It offers a different way to share and show learning as students can create, explore, and interact with 3D virtual worlds, which not only engages students but also provides more for different student interests. It also provides lesson plans and activity ideas for teachers to explore!

Most importantly, CoSpaces Edu encourages creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving — skills that are essential for today’s learners. It also gives students the chance to learn about coding, which is not something just for those studying computer science or teaching a STEM-related course. The best part of CoSpaces Edu is that it introduces students to the basics of coding in a truly engaging and meaningful way. As students explore independently while designing their virtual worlds, they learn how to create by selecting and manipulating different characters and objects and can start coding either with block-based coding or a scripting language like JavaScript.

Over the years, I have seen hesitancy when it comes to coding, and with CoSpaces, students build confidence as they create and enjoy working together with classmates in their virtual space. The variety of options available and with coding helps students understand what can be abstract concepts, develop logical thinking, and hopefully and ideally, lead to the development of an interest in computer science!

5 ideas to try in 2024!

  1. Take a tour!  First, When I get started in my own classroom with my students, I always give them time to explore all of the different projects that are available in the gallery. What types of projects do they see, which ones do they like, and what might they like to create? I think it’s a good way to get them thinking about the different possibilities and also give them time to explore on their own and see what clicks with them. So when I say take a tour, I tell them to just choose a topic, whether it’s STEM or if they see some games to play, and then I ask them to share with their classmates what they found, why they liked it, and any other ideas that they come up with for what they could do that is similar or how they would make it different or improve it. But it’s a fun way to get students talking and brainstorming to help them prepare to make their own projects. 

2) About Me: I love using the templates or giving students the option to create their own to design an About Me space. CoSpaces offers a great template to get students started and comfortable with learning how to navigate, change text, add, and animate characters by using this as a starter. 

It leads to more excitement and creativity and is also a fantastic way to learn about our students and for them to learn about each other.  

3) Interactive Storytelling: My students loved exploring the different projects in the gallery, and one way for students to use CoSpaces is to have them create an interactive experience. They can retell a story with a different ending or summarize something they have learned in class. To demonstrate, they can then include a variety of characters and other props to bring it to life. By diving into coding, they can really make it an interactive experience with animated characters and animals! Students can even create scenarios where they script and act out dialogues, recording their voices directly in the space. Also, give students the option to create on the Merge Cube, which makes interactive storytelling a real hands-on, fun learning experience!

4) Language Learning: A complete game changer for that Spanish class that pushed me to realize that I needed to bring in some new opportunities for them. Through a more immersive and collaborative learning experience with classmates, what a difference it made for language learning, student engagement, and increasing motivation! CoSpaces Edu offered all of that, and it was so much fun for them and for me! I was nervous at first, but it was a risk worth taking and one that paid off for them and their retention of the language.  It also led to building relationships with classmates as students worked together to create their projects. Students had a different and more authentic way to practice vocabulary, build grammar skills, and engage in conversation in the virtual environment. And, they retained the content, which typically is a bit challenging because of the grammar, far beyond prior years!

5) Collaborate: Think about the grade level you teach and the content area. There are many ways to incorporate projects for students to create virtual models, or design prototypes, or bring a story to life! When CoSpaces Edu added the ability for students to work in groups, what a difference that made! Fostering collaboration is so important as we prepare students for the future. The ability to work effectively in teams is one of the most in-demand skills on the Job Skills Outlook from the World Economic Forum. 

With the collaborative features of CoSpaces Edu, multiple students can work on the same project from different devices and from wherever they are!  Not only can they learn about augmented and virtual reality and build essential skills, but it also boosts digital citizenship skills in the process.  For collaborating, we can teach them how to manage a group project, assign roles, and problem-solve. 

One of my other favorites is for a class project where all students are involved in a complex project where each student is responsible for a part of the virtual world. Think of a topic or a theme. Each student can create their space and then design one comprehensive experience that everyone can learn from and reinforce their content area skills through.

As educators, our primary goal is to prepare students for the future. CoSpaces Edu is not just another tech tool; it’s a platform that fosters the essential skills needed in the 21st century. It encourages creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy. By integrating CoSpaces Edu into your curriculum, you’re enhancing your students’ learning experiences and equipping them with the skills to thrive in an increasingly digital world. And, for extra fun, check out the goodies available, such as classroom posters, badges, and more! Use my code: COSRACHELLED or COSPromoRDP24.

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter(X) and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here

More Ideas to Try in 2024: Reflection

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Part II: Getting students to think about their learning journey

Throughout the year, engaging students in ongoing reflection on what they are learning is essential. One of the five core competencies of social-emotional learning (SEL) is for students to develop self-awareness. It’s also vital for them to build self-management skills to work through challenges that can come with learning, reflect on their growth, and set new goals.

Whether students engage in discussions with classmates or use digital tools to share ideas in a comfortable virtual space, there are many options. We need to get our students to share what they are thinking and take time to reflect on their learning. We also need to model this reflective practice for them. This is essential for academic, personal, and future professional growth. To best prepare students for the future, ongoing reflection is vital.

With an opportunity to reflect, students are able to better understand their thought processes and interests. It helps them to identify areas where they can improve and recognize areas that they are strong in. Creating opportunities for students to share their learning with classmates and with us promotes collaboration, fostering a stronger sense of community in our classrooms. Together, we can create a supportive learning community.

Through the five competencies of SEL, we can help students focus on developing skills of social awareness and building relationships. Students will better understand their own thought processes and deepen their understanding of the content they are learning. However, getting students to share their thoughts and reflect on their learning can be challenging. Here are five ideas for encouraging students to reflect on their learning and share their thoughts.

1.Think-Pair-Share is an activity that doesn’t require much time at all to use and can be very effective. It encourages students to share their ideas, learning experiences, and thoughts with one another. The teacher can provide a short prompt or topic for discussion and then give students time to think individually before pairing up with a partner. Those one-on-one conversations can help students become more comfortable expressing themselves in class. After a certain period of time, each pair can share their thoughts with the class. This strategy will work well without digital tools; however, there are some options to explore.

2. Peer-pairing: To randomly place students in pairs, use a random name generator so students build relationships with their classmates. It is fun to have the names on the big wheel and place students into groups. I have used this also as a way to select the order of presentations. It helps to reduce a bit of the stress with wondering when you have to present and makes it a fun experience.

3. Class sharing: To help students build confidence, use a tool such as Padlet or Flip to have students post ideas on a collaborative board or create audio or video responses. Whatever way we have students “share,” it encourages them to engage in conversation and more active listening. Students learn about different perspectives on a given topic, which promotes the development of social awareness skills.

4. Snorkl is a new AI-powered tool that I found, and I really love the possibilities. Teachers assign an activity and it enables students to record their screen and speak about the work they have done. For example, how they solved a math problem, writing and reading in the language they are learning, describe an image, and so much more. It can be set to provide AI feedback with or without teacher approval. It was fun to try for the first time in my class. Look for more information in an upcoming post.

With the tools that offer audio or video options, it is a more authentic way to learn about the student. Teachers see and hear their students’ thought processes and can then offer more personalized and meaningful feedback to each student.

One extra is for teacher and student reflection. Learning about students’ thoughts about our methods, their comfort in the classroom, and more is important. Last year, I started exploring LessonLoop, which provides anonymous surveys that teachers can issue to students. It provides a rating with explanations based on student engagement, SEL, and comfort in the learning space and provides additional insights. Teachers can then take the information and use it to reflect on their practice and involve students by showing their input is valued through the use of these surveys. LessonLoop also has educators who will prepare some tips for teachers to try!

Whatever method or tools we choose to bring into our classrooms, the goal is still the same: Prepare students for the future with skills that enable them to be flexible and adapt to the changing look of education and work. Reflective practice is a key component of this future preparation!

Author

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or your event! Submit the Contact Form.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter(X) and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here

Six Resources To Try in 2024

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Image by Rawpixel.

This will be the first post where I will share some different tools or resources to explore!

Each year, I like to take time and think about the digital tools we use in our classroom, the benefits, and how I might find new ways to use them. When I look to use technology in my classroom, I always start with the “purpose”Why” behind it. What will it help me to do better as a teacher? How can it help students to learn in more personalized or authentic ways? And what skills will students build as a result that traditional non-technology methods might not afford?

There are tools that I continue to use each year because they have added new features or they have integrated with other tools that we are using in our classroom. Here are six tools to check out as we start 2024! And one that is highly recommended to dive into AI in your classroom!

  • CoSpaces EDU is a virtual reality platform that became a favorite for some of my 8th-grade students this year. Whether creating a space in 360, designing a game, an interactive story, or an experiment, students will enjoy creating in VR and developing coding skills too. Another benefit is the Merge Cube add-on, which enables students to hold the space they have created in their hands! Students can even collaborate by working in teams to create a space together. With MergeEDU, educators can use the cube as an interactive tool to further engage students in learning about the earth, dissecting a frog, exploring a volcano, and more.
  • Gimkit, a game-based learning tool, has continued to be a favorite with my students because of the potential for increased content retention through repetitive questions and because of the different ways it can be played in the classroom. It enables students to develop strategies and have fun while learning. There are multiple ways to look at the student data and provide authentic and timely feedback. And there are always new modes to play, which helps to boost student engagement and gives us some laughter, too! Check out Blastball!
  • ISTE’s AI and STEM Explorations Network has created four free hands-on AI projects for the classroom guides, which are available for download from ISTE and GM. For elementary, secondary, electives, computer science courses, and a new guide on ethics, these guides offer various topics relevant to all content areas. The guides are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
  • Nearpod is a multimedia, interactive presentation tool that enables teachers to create engaging lessons that can include virtual trips and 3D objects. It offers lessons on topics such as digital citizenship, social-emotional learning, career exploration, English learner lessons, and professional development resources for teachers. Educators can create lessons with many options, including quizzes, polls, drawings, matching pairs, audio, video, and content from PhET Simulations, Desmos, BBC, YouTube, and more. Nearpod lessons can be done live in class or student-paced, and there is also the option for use as sub plans.
  • Wakelet is a content curation tool and so much more. I use it to curate blogs, videos, and other resources I want to access quickly to be a powerful tool for student learning. With Wakelet, teachers can provide blended learning experiences, use it for station rotations, have students create a digital portfolio, share class projects, create a scavenger hunt, and many other possibilities. It even offers the ability to record a Flip short video within the Wakelet collection. Educators and students can collaborate in a Wakelet collection and so much more!

Think about some of the tasks that might be taking up a lot of your time, or consider some issues or challenges you might be having. A few years ago, I noticed a decrease in student engagement and looked for ways to open up more choices for students to share their learning. Any of these tools can be suitable for addressing those concerns.

My Advice? Start thinking about your own personal goals and start with one thing. Try it and see how it goes, ask students or colleagues for feedback, and then make adjustments as needed.

About Rachelle

Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915.

Looking for PD for your school or keynotes for your conference? I provide in-person and virtual training on the following topics. If you want to learn more about and explore AI and ChatGPT, contact me to schedule! Rdene915@gmail.com or use the Book Me form on my website. bit.ly/thriveineduPD

**Interested in writing a guest blog or submitting a sponsored post for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

Saving Time and Learning About AI

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

*AI is one of my favorite areas to work in and I love sharing ideas!

As a classroom teacher with almost six years of experience integrating AI into my teaching practice and training other educators, I have enjoyed exploring the possibilities through AI and engaging in conversations with students and teachers. Every educator needs to learn about AI and how we can leverage this technology to benefit our students and enhance our work. To best provide for our students, we need to understand how this technology will impact them and us.

Especially as we see such as increase in technology in education, it is essential that we embrace and understand emerging technologies, especially AI and how it can impact not only our work but the benefits it can offer for student learning. In my work as a classroom teacher and consultant, I enjoy helping other educators get started with AI.

Why Educators Need to Understand the AI Tools Available

Our roles as educators have continued to change over the years. Not only do we teach the content, but we serve as mentors, facilitators of learning, and co-learners with our students, especially as we embrace these emerging technologies. It is important that we explore the benefits and how it can help us to “work smarter, not harder” so that we have more time to work with students, build relationships and support them in their learning journey.

AI, ChatGPT, and other forms of generative AI have become some of the most talked about topics in education this past year. But with all technology comes some hesitancy, especially with something as powerful as AI. Schools need to provide opportunities for students to learn about this changing technology because of its impact on their future. Not only can AI tools enhance creativity and productivity, they can also provide educators with valuable insights into student learning and assist with some of the time-consuming tasks that educators have.

How to leverage some tools with benefits

I like to think of three key areas where AI can make an impact for educators and for students.

1. Personalized Learning: Through AI, educators can provide tailored learning experiences based on AI-driven analytics that provide valuable insights into student performance and learning trends. It can adapt to each student’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning pace.

2.Efficiency and Productivity: Another benefit of AI is greater efficiency. Educators may spend more time on clerical tasks that takes time away from working directly with students. The right AI tools can help to automate or streamline tasks uch as grading assignments or providing feedback, giving teachers more time with their students.

3. Creating and supplementing the content: Through AI-powered platforms, teachers can curate various educational resources for their students and their own professional learning. With generative AI in particular, quickly being able to create lessons, activities, assessments, prompts for discussion, and presentations by providing a short prompt with keywords, educators can create engaging lessons for students in far less time.

But how do we know where to begin?

Tools to Explore

With so many different tools becoming available or integrating AI into them, it can be hard to keep up. My recommendation is to select one or two to start with. Explore how they work and the content that is created. Take time to evaluate the accuracy of the information and even involve students in discussions about the benefits for their learning.

Here are five AI-powered tools that will help teachers with personalized learning, efficiency, and saving time. I have created and experimented with so many tools, and my students’ responses have always been positive. Embracing these tools also sparks curiosity for learning. Creating and sharing these resources with our students leads to rich conversations about AI’s benefits and the proper use of this technology for creating and learning. See below for an additional article link and my contact form to bring me to your school or provide coaching.

  • Curipod: Enables teachers to create interactive lessons in minutes using AI. Teachers simply type in a topic, and a ready-to-run lesson is generated with text, images, and activities such as polls, open-ended responses, word clouds, and more. There are even activities to build in that focus on SEL check-ins. Use my code CURIRACHELLE
  • Eduaide.Ai: An AI-assisted lesson development tool that provides educators with more than 100 resource types to choose from. It offers the ability to translate the generated content into more than 15 languages instantly. Educators can generate a syllabus and discussion prompts, use the Teaching Assistant to help with creating IEP plans, write emails, or even create a list of accommodations for students in addition to many other options. I enjoy using Eduaide for a variety of tasks, especially creating lesson and project outlines and testing out the feedback bot! Try some and then tag @eduaideAI and @Rdene915 in a tweet and win a book!
  • Quizizz: With Quizizz, teachers can design quizzes that create a personalized learning path in response to each student’s responses and based on their needs. Teachers can also create lessons with Quizizz, which now has AI enhancements that can adjust question difficulty, check grammar, redesign questions to reflect real-world scenarios, create a quiz from a URL or PDF, and more features on the way.
  • Slidesgo: Provides access to free templates via Google Slides and now has the AI Presentation Maker. With this new functionality, presentations can be created within minutes. Start by choosing a topic, selecting a tone such as casual, creative, or professional, making changes, and downloading your presentation. A time saver, for sure! I really enjoyed testing it out and creating some amazing presentations! Want to learn more? Be sure to check out their recent survey, which has great insights into AI and tools for education! Dive into exploring more today!

Also, head to my additional post via Edutopia for more AI tools to try here: 7 Tools

Do you want to learn more about AI and how to bring it into your classroom? I have six years of experience working with students and teachers and would love to work with your school, at your conference or individual coaching: bit.ly/thriveineduPD

About Rachelle

Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU, available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915.

Looking for PD for your school or keynotes for your conference? I provide in-person and virtual training on the following topics. If you want to learn more about and explore AI and ChatGPT, contact me to schedule! Rdene915@gmail.com or use the Book Me form on my website.

**Interested in writing a guest blog or submitting a sponsored post for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

7 AI Tools That Help Teachers Work More Efficiently

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

These apps and websites can help teachers boost their productivity, personalize learning, and create lesson content.

Over the past five years, I’ve explored ways to integrate AI into my teaching practice—even before ChatGPT and other generative AI became some of the most talked-about topics in education. Every educator needs to learn about AI and how we can leverage this technology to benefit our students and enhance our own work. To best provide for our students, we need to understand how this technology will impact them and us. What better way than to explore new tools via AI in our teaching practice?

Continue reading this post on Edutopia here.

About the Author:

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader and served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was named one of 30 12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021 and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of eight books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” and her newest book “Things I Wish […] Knew” is now available at bit.ly/thingsiwishedu.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions for your school about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more! Contact Form

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here

B

Data-driven decision-making in Classrooms and Schools is Easier Than Ever Before with GPT-4 Code Interpreter

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth 2 Comments

Guest post by Matthew Rhoads, Ed.D.

Time and the capacity to use data and understand it are at the essence of making data-driven decisions in classrooms and schools (Rhoads, 2019; Mandinach 2012, U.S Department of Education, 2010). In my research focusing on data literacy for educators, time has always been the number one issue for educators to use data to make decisions as well as learn and practice data literacy skills. Yet, with what we are going to talk about today, I believe that this can change by leaps and bounds.

Ultimately, as the world of education becomes increasingly data-driven, teachers and school leaders face the daunting task of learning how to effectively analyze and apply this data. The role of technology software in gathering, transforming, and visualizing data is no longer optional—it’s a necessity as our classrooms and schools are collecting immense amounts of data that can be utilized to support student learning. But how can we bridge the gap between the data we have and the insights we need in a quick and efficient manner? Enter Code Interpreter, a revolutionary tool that’s changing the way we approach data in education. Let’s discuss how it can be utilized to support data-driven decision-making as I believe it can solve many of the time and capacity issues facing teachers and school leaders in using data to make important decisions for students and school systems.

Note: For information related to my research into data literacy, please check out my study and its summary found here.

Data is Everywhere in Classrooms and Schools

Data for teachers and school leaders can be drawn from various avenues such as the school’s Student Information System, Learning Management System, and EdTech tools. Many of these tools provide opportunities within themselves to review the data they collect in the form of visualizations and dashboards. Yet, these tools do not provide in-depth analysis that can help teachers and school leaders make data and evidence-informed decisions to the best of their abilities. As a result, the data will need to be extracted, and cleaned, and further analysis will need to take place to see deeper insights as to what the data is telling us as well as how it may relate to other strands of data we’ve collected. For example, take test scores, student SEL surveys, and attendance data from a period of time. What we can now do is easily place those data points onto a single Excel file to be analyzed by Code Interpreter to see if any relationships may exist. With this said the goal of this blog is to demonstrate how this can be done by teachers and school leaders as they begin harnessing this tool to support them in their data-driven decision-making.

Step-by-Step Process of Using Code Interpreter

Now, we will discuss its major features in supporting educators in making data-driven decisions. First, we will discuss the process of how it can be used. Secondly, we will outline how it can conduct important data preparation and analysis steps for us in order for the results to be computed in a way that is understandable during analysis as well as to stakeholders. Third, we will go into further applications of Code Interpreter that can be utilized by teachers and school leaders. Let’s get started!

Important Facets Code Interpreter Can Do Essential to the Data-Driven Process

Before discussing how to use Code Interpreter in a step-by-step process, we want to cover some important facets it can do in the data-driven process: Clean Data, Statistical Analysis, Visualizations, and Articulate Data Findings to Stakeholders. All of these facets are critical when utilizing Code Interpreter and conducting any form of data analysis.

Cleans Data

One of the major hurdles in data analysis is data cleaning, a time-consuming but critical process to ensure accurate results. Code Interpreter can automate this process, identifying errors, inconsistencies, and outliers in raw data. With its robust data cleansing capabilities, Code Interpreter can streamline this often laborious task, leaving more time for interpretation and decision-making.

Note: This video illustrates how Code Interpreter cleans data. Cleaning data is super important in order to have valid results from a data set you are working with.

Conducts Detailed Statistical Analysis with a High Degree of Accuracy

Beyond cleaning data, Code Interpreter shines in its ability to conduct detailed statistical analysis. It can handle a wide variety of statistical techniques and tests, delivering a high degree of accuracy. Even complex data practices, often daunting for non-expert users, become more accessible and understandable with GPT-4’s intelligent interpretation and simplification of statistical outputs.

Visualizes the Data Based On the Statistical Outputs You Desire

Visualizing data is a key element in understanding and communicating complex information. GPT-4 Code Interpreter can assist in creating visually engaging and informative graphs, charts, and dashboards based on the statistical outputs you need. This automated visual representation of data can support data-driven decision-making by making the findings more tangible and accessible.

Note: Below is an example of a visualization of data produced by Code Interpreter

Articulates the Data to be Presented to Stakeholders

Another challenge that Code Interpreter addresses is the communication of data insights. Often, complex statistical analyses can be difficult to convey to stakeholders in a clear, understandable manner. Code Interpreter can summarize complex findings, generate reports, and even make predictions based on the data, making it easier for stakeholders to understand and apply these insights in decision-making.

Example in Action – Using Code Interpreter for Educational Data Analysis

Let’s focus on the example we provided at the beginning of this blog post. It focuses on reviewing test scores, student SEL surveys, and attendance data. We will now walk you through the steps of how to use Code Interpreter to dive into this data and analyze it. This will be a four-step process, which can take between five and ten minutes to complete.

Step 1: Gathering the Data

Your first task involves gathering your data from various sources – this could be test scores, student Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) surveys, and attendance data. Let’s say for this example that the test scores, the SEL survey, and attendance data are for the entire 2022-2023 school year. The assessment scores for an elementary school are from the most recent state-wide summative assessment given. Data can be collected from the student information system, the state’s assessment database, and the survey provided to students on a local Google Form. This may be the most time-consuming step of the process as sometimes data extraction features are hard to find and selecting data to extract may also take time as well.

Note: Below is a video example demonstrating how to export data from I-Ready Onto an Excel File.

Step 2: Organizing the Data in an Excel File

Once collected, arrange all these data points on a single Excel spreadsheet. You might have columns for the grade levels, test scores, survey responses, and attendance records. Make sure your data is clean, accurate, and organized coherently for the best results. What an educator can do is copy and paste the columns from each of the extracted data sources onto a single spreadsheet. Then, they can prompt after uploading the data to Code Interpreter to clean the data (more on that later).

Note: This video demonstrates how to combine data from multiple data sets in four ways using Excel.

Step 3: Importing Your Data into Code Interpreter

Now it’s time to engage with the Code Interpreter. To do this, you’ll need to import your Excel file into the platform. In most cases, this is as simple as clicking the “Upload” button and selecting your file.

Step 4: Prompting the Code Interpreter to Conduct Descriptive Statistics

Start with some basic analysis. For descriptive statistics, you might instruct the Code Interpreter to compute measures such as the mean, median, or standard deviation for your various data columns.

Note: Before moving into statistical prompts to ask Code Interpreter, be sure to prompt Code Interpreter to Clean the Data. For example, prompt Code Interpreter to clean the data and organize it for analysis, which it will then conduct for you.

To do this, you could input something like:

“Compute the mean, median, and standard deviation for the ‘Test Scores’ column.”

The Code Interpreter will then return the requested statistical measures.

What’s great is that it can provide easy-to-understand results. You can further review and question the results as well. Additionally, in this same instance, prompting it to visualize these results into graphs is another important feature, which can help in the data articulation piece for when it’s presented formally to other educators and stakeholders.

Step 5: Conducting Multivariate Analysis

For a more in-depth understanding, you can instruct the Code Interpreter to conduct multivariate statistical analyses. For example, you might want to find out if there’s a correlation between attendance and test scores.

To do this, you could input something like:

“Calculate the correlation between ‘Attendance’ and ‘Test Scores’ columns.”

The Code Interpreter will return the correlation coefficient, providing insight into the relationship between these variables.

Step 6: Interpreting the Results

Code Interpreter not only conducts the analysis but also provides a simplified interpretation of the results. This is a vital step to help you understand and apply the insights from the data to your decision-making process. As with descriptive statistics, you can further prompt it to dive deeper into the analysis or ask it to provide graphs to visualize the data.

Note: Below is a video demoing Code Interpreter a wide variety of ways that follow this protocol.

Further Applications

Code Interpreter isn’t limited to basic data analysis—it’s a versatile tool with a multitude of applications that can revolutionize the way we engage with data in education. Let’s explore some of the ways in which this advanced tool can assist teachers and school leaders beyond basic statistical analysis:

  1. Facilitating Data Dialogues: The Code Interpreter can serve as a valuable assistant in data dialogues, aiding in both data cleaning and providing alternate perspectives in analysis. It can efficiently present various statistical outputs, offering multiple ways to interpret the data and stimulate insightful conversations among educators.
  2. Developing Action Plans: With its ability to produce comprehensive reports and detailed analyses, the Code Interpreter can facilitate the development of data-driven action plans. By linking analyzed data to practical steps, it can help formulate action plans tailored to improve student outcomes.
  3. Improving Instruction: The Interpreter’s analysis can uncover patterns and trends that are invaluable for informing instructional strategies. By linking data findings with recommendations for instruction, it allows educators to make data-informed decisions that directly impact classroom practices.
  4. Enhancing Processes: Beyond the classroom, the Code Interpreter can also support the optimization of broader school processes. For instance, patterns in attendance data can inform changes in scheduling or student support services.
  5. Predictive Analysis: The Code Interpreter’s predictive analysis capabilities can help forecast future trends, enabling proactive planning. For instance, it could predict future test scores based on current student performance and engagement metrics.
  6. Personalized Learning: The Code Interpreter can help tailor educational experiences to individual student needs. By analyzing data at the student level, it can inform personalized learning plans to cater to each student’s unique strengths and areas for improvement.

Conclusion and Data Literacy Skills Needed to Be Effective Using Code Interpreter

We’ve embarked on a journey today, exploring the potential of the Code Interpreter in transforming educational practices through effective data analysis within classrooms and schools. By harnessing the power of this tool, we can redefine how we approach data, decision-making, and action in our educational spaces to improve our instruction and school systems for our students, faculty, and community.

However, as we navigate this digital landscape, it’s important to remember that tools like the Code Interpreter are most effective when coupled with our own data literacy skills. As teachers and school leaders, enhancing our understanding of data management and analysis will be instrumental in maximizing the benefits of these technological advancements.

This includes the ability to merge and transform data on spreadsheets, and the knowledge of single and multivariate statistical analysis. A strong foundation in these areas not only amplifies our ability to use tools like the Code Interpreter but also empowers us to question, interpret, and apply data insights in meaningful and impactful ways.

While this may seem like a daunting task, take heart in the knowledge that the digital age brings with it a wealth of resources to help build these skills. Online courses, webinars, workshops, and even integrated tutorials within tools like the Code Interpreter are at your fingertips, ready to help you embark on this exciting learning journey. For those who want to practice, Kaggle provides datasets from many different industries. It’s a great way to practice as the datasets come pre-packaged and are easy to work with as you get started with using Code Interpreter.

So, let’s take this as a hopeful invitation to embrace the future of data in education. The road ahead is full of opportunities for growth, innovation, and enhanced understanding, all aimed at one noble goal – the betterment of our educational environments. Together, equipped with our growing data literacy skills and the powerful Code Interpreter, let’s step forward into this exciting future.

References

Rhoads, M. (2019). Educational Leadership Efficacy: The relationship between data use, data use confidence, leadership efficacy, and student achievement. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing, 2308259304.

Mandinach, E. B. (2012). A perfect time for data use: Using data-driven decision-making to
inform practice. Educational psychologist, 47(2), 71-85.

U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Use of education data at the local level: From
accountability to instructional improvement. Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy
Development. Washington, DC: U.S. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/use-of-education-data/use-of-education-data.pdf

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions for your school about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more!

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @Rdene915

**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

************ Also check out my THRIVEinEDU Podcast Here!

Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here