Tag technology integration

Learn to Help Students Correct Science Misconceptions by Producing Instructional Videos

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Guest post By Reggie Grant, Twitter @media4literacy

This project was presented at the FSU-Teach STEM Teaching Mini-Conference at Florida State University on June 28, 2023.

“While we teach, we learn.”

These words are attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca and are the inspiration for a classroom project that I recently developed with my former colleague Brian McClain. “In what scientists have dubbed ‘the protégé effect,’ student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who are learning only for their own sake,” according to a 2011 Time article.

As a longtime high school science teacher, Brian has encountered various common science misconceptions that students hold, some of which are directly or indirectly related to photosynthesis. In an article published in the 2015 issue of the European of Teacher Education, researchers say misconceptions like these must be confronted and corrected to prevent them from stunting students’ future understanding.

“Misconceptions operate to distort new learning. …learners’ existing misconceptions will hinder future-related learning,” the article says. “Before new concepts can be understood, misconceptions must be dispelled.”

Brian and I designed this media project to help students use research and credible evidence to correct some of these common science misconceptions. The project guides students in the production of a short instructional video presentation that sets the record straight about a chosen misconception.

This “Set it Straight!” video project is similar to another project I developed a decade ago when I was teaching high schoolers. In that project, students taught others the correct use of a commonly misused set of words. Examples include there / their / they’re, affect / effect, and farther / further.

The process of creating a media product to teach others develops critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – three of the top five skills necessary for today’s workplace, according to the Future of Jobs Report 2020 produced by the World Economic Forum.

Using media this way in the classroom is endorsed by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton University. SERC recommends teachers use media technology to engage students in more meaningful and deeper learning experiences. It should be used for more than delivering PowerPoint presentations and showing videos.

“Media can also be student-generated,” the SERC website said. “This approach asks the student to step into the role of the teacher and create content that will engage learners and help them to master concepts.”

“Involving students in creating media encourages collaboration, accountability, creativity, and mastery of ideas and concepts,” the SERC website said. “Importantly, one does not need a large budget, fancy studio, or advanced degree to create original media that is informative, entertaining and educational.”

The Project

The “Set it Straight!” video project is guided by a series of prompts.

For example: “What is the common misconception you researched?”

“Why do you think this is a common misconception?”

“Identify and list two or three important facts necessary to correct this misconception.”

The questions require students to restate the questions and answer them clearly and briefly. Limiting the number of sentences students can use in their answers is important. Short answers require students to really understand the concept. Clarity and brevity are the keys to effective media production.

After feedback has been provided and final revisions have been made, the questions/prompts are removed and the answers/responses become the script.

Students record themselves reading the script.

Accompanying visuals (photos/charts/graphics) are created and/or identified and downloaded.

Then, the visuals and narration are edited together for the video, which will be no longer than about three minutes.

The steps above are detailed in this document with accompanying links.

“Nutrients in the soil are the primary source of the mass increase in plants during their lives.” This misconception is corrected in this example video that we produced.

Conclusion

Making sense of a complex concept by creating media products is empowering for students. It is an effective way to actively involve students in their own education by teaching others.

And by teaching, they learn.

If you have any suggestions for this project, please send them to mediaforliteracy@gmail.com

Reggie Grant teaches journalism and mass communications at Tallahassee Community College. For 11 years, he taught media production — introduction to mass communication, photography, video production, and graphic design — at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida. He blogs at https://mediaforliteracy.wordpress.com and can be found on Twitter @media4literacy.

Looking for some PD for your school? 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

**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

ISTELIVE 23: Another Great Experience

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

This was my ninth time attending the ISTE conference, the third time it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There were a few years that the in-person event did not happen but ISTE held a virtual conference that enabled educators to connect and learn with other educators from around the world. It is the reason I look forward to the summer and a conference I look forward to because it brings in people from more than 80 countries from around the world. It offers so many different ways to learn through the poster sessions, the playgrounds, the concurrent sessions, panel discussions, workshops and other special events.

But beyond those specific learning spaces, there are lots of opportunities to connect with educators and build your PLN. It’s not just the learning that happens in those session rooms and spaces. It is about the learning that also happens on your walk to the sessions and while in the open spaces. A time when you can walk and talk or sit and have a conversation. And even once the conference day ends, the social events that happen later in the evening, are always great for connecting with friends and making new ones.

The conference was a little bit different for me this year because even though my schedule was busy it didn’t feel as overly busy as in prior years. I had the opportunity to join in some new adventures, present sessions on some of my favorite topics, and had the honor of being involved in the Closing Mainstage.

For me, as soon as I met friends at the airport, the excitement started. Then as soon as I arrived at the convention center to register on Sunday afternoon, it took a good 25 minutes to get there because I kept passing friends along the way, some of whom I had not seen in more than 5 years and a few that had never met in person. And when that happens, you have to stop and enjoy those moments.

Registration can definitely wait. Taking the time to stop, grab a quick picture, a hug, even a quick conversation makes all the difference. It brings those connections to life and reminds you to not miss out on opportunities, no matter how tired you are.

Presenting with friends

There wasn’t much time to waste as I had a workshop with my good friend Melody McAllister on Sunday. While we have done a live show for years, it was the first time presenting together officially. The focus was on podcasting and live streaming. We had a great crowd, our session was sold out and it was a high point in the conference for me. Being able to present with friends, share each other’s perspectives, and learn together, really makes a difference. For a long time, I did sessions by myself and that definitely helps me to build my own comfort level and confidence but I have definitely grown to prefer having friends present with me because we can bring in our different backgrounds and experiences and it’s just fun.

Another highlight was my Immerse Students in Learning session, all about AI, AR, and VR, topics which I have been presenting on for a little over 5 years. It has been amazing to see the increased interest in AI especially over the past 6 months with the entrance of ChatGPT, it has stirred up a lot of conversation and will continue to do so.

It’s a lot of fun to share with educators how I got started in teaching about AI in my classroom, knowing very little but also knowing that I needed to just dive right in. And that’s the advice that I often give. You don’t have to be an expert, you just need to have one idea, one method, one tool to start with and put it in the hands of the students. It’s important to also engage in conversations about these topics and these technologies so that we can be mindful of any concerns but also aware of the potential benefits not just in education but in preparing the students for their future and how these technologies might be used in the world of work.

Presenting with students

Another highlight was being able to co-present with Namya Joshi, (#EachOneTeachTen) a young student from India who we had hoped would be able to attend in person but thanks to technology and the power of using Zoom, I was able to bring her in to present with me during that session. Powerful to hear from students and I definitely recommend any time you can involve students in sharing the impact of these tools, and in this case the importance of STEM, then we need to do this. Hearing from her, (at actually 3:00 in the morning because of the time difference), did not diminish her spark for STEM and she was definitely an inspiration.

ISTEVerse

The three-day augmented and virtual reality ISTEVerse experience was a big hit and I tried to direct people to stop there as much as I could because a lot of people don’t realize the benefits of it until they experience it. And without access to the resources or know how to sort through all of the tools that are available, it can be hard to dive in and explore. That space had a variety of opportunities for people to learn about augmented and virtual reality, how to have students create rather than just consume, and that AR/VR is something that can be used in all content areas and grade levels.

Coffee with Kai’s Clan

Social events

And everybody kept busy with social events, which are great spaces for networking. Whether the Edtech karaoke, casual gatherings for coffee or small sit-down dinners, there were opportunities everywhere. Learning still happens in these spaces. What I’ve discovered over the years is that PD does not only mean sitting down in a session and listening to a presentation. PD is so many different things and there are so many ways for people to choose the type of PD that is going to impact them the most.

Those early morning CoffeeEDUs with Alice Keeler, the social events and mixers held by some of the companies that we all know, and quaint gatherings by some other companies that enable you to really engage in conversation and get to know the people behind the products and their passion for what they’re doing. An amazing dinner with the BookWidgets team was a lovely opportunity to relax, enjoy the conversation and spend time with friends.

Dinner with BookWidgets

The Closing Mainstage: AI in Education

And one final highlight as I’m rolling these out in chronological order, was the Closing Mainstage on Wednesday. I was honored to be selected as the person to introduce and then interview the keynote speaker Kevin Roose. He is a New York Times columnist, a bestselling author of three books and he writes about technology, education, finance, and AI. We had the opportunity to sit down and talk for about 20 minutes. I had a lot of questions for him but tried to streamline them to those that are on the minds of many educators that I’ve spoken to, and some questions based on what I had read in his most recent book Futureproof.

Some of the biggest takeaways from that conversation are:

  • As educators, we need to be willing to embrace new ideas, trends, and technologies, even if we don’t fully understand them or we feel like we’re not the expert, we have to keep up with the changes that are coming.
  • We have to prepare our students and understand how these tools can be beneficial to us and to students, but we also have to be cautious as with all things, and question their purpose.
  • Consider any potential concerns or harm that can come from using them whether safety, security, or privacy. Ethics needs to be part of the conversations that we have and continue to have as these tools continue to evolve.
  • If we look at the positives, for teachers, as Kevin stated on his podcast dividing the AI between the “relational and the logistical.” We need teachers, humans, for the relational so that we can work with the students, we can have conversations, and support them as they learn. But we can benefit from the logistical or the clerical tasks that AI can do like helping us with some of the grading or having it be able to see trends in student responses and create a personalized learning path for them in real time. We can use traditional assessments and give students feedback one-on-one, but we can also find a way to balance the use of the technology so that we have more time to work with our students and provide for them with exactly what they need.

It was a great conference and it’s hard to believe that it has come and gone already but before you know it, it will be June 2024 and we will be in Denver for ISTE. The last time it was held there was in 2016 and that was the first time that I got on an airplane in many years and so I’m looking forward to returning to the conference next year. If you have not ever attended but have been giving it some thought, I definitely recommend that you try to go. And if attending in person is not an option, take advantage of the virtual learning that is available. Several of my sessions were recorded and live streamed and many of the other sessions were as well. So you can join in, interact in the chat, build your network, and learn from wherever you are and whenever you want to.

Jenn Womble and Adam Phyall

Wakelet and Capstone friends

The power of these global networks is that there is something for every educator and it’s important to keep pushing ourselves to learn and grow and adapt with the changes that we have seen and will continue to see in education.

See you in Denver next June!

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 serves as the past president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was recently named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021.

She is the author of seven 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, Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for In-Person and Digital Instruction and her newest book Things I WIsh [….] Knew is now available.

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? 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

**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

BLACK FRIDAYS for EDUCATORS: ISTE 2023

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Guest post by Melisa Hayes, 2nd grade teacher, @MrsHayesFam

It’s that time of year again when the biggest tech conference comes together to show off their tech toys; educators & consultants share amazing strategies, resources, and more! For many, it’s another year. For others, it’s the 1st time. In any case, It’s an exciting time! It’s like Black Friday. The anticipation or dread of packing, creating your schedule for the week, & preparing for your presentation gives many goosebumps. The suspense of getting on the plane or in a vehicle and taking off makes your heart race. Arriving in Philly & thinking about all your friends you’ve only spoken to virtually and getting to physically hug for the 1st time or friends you can’t wait to hug again!

The day is finally here and you have arrived, it’s official. Christmas has come early. The love you feel when you see your friends/family is such a rush of emotion. I remember last year at my first ISTE and seeing my family for the first time. It was a HIGH. A drug that I didn’t want to stop using! For me, these educators are my family. The rush of emotions I felt is hard to explain. Most people can’t understand, my husband being one of them (LOL) I have established a relationship with so many. We know each other even if we’ve never met. The impact each has had on not only me but my 2nd-grade family is just astronomical! These amazing educators have zoomed with my kids and some have Zoomed with them for years! I actually plan to use Microsoft Flip to showcase these family members to my kiddos!

The EXPO/North Pole is miles and miles of tech toys and rock stars showing off the latest and greatest resources. For teachers, It’s Christmas. The giveaways you’ll receive are astronomical! For me, It’s all about the PEOPLE. Get that camera ready and take LOTS of pics to capture those memories. You want to savor every moment! Also, make sure to have comfy shoes. Whether flip flops, crocs, tennis shoes, or any comfortable footwear you’ll need since the convention center is approximately 1.3 million square feet. That’s a lot of traveling so be prepared:)

Snacks are essential as well as chargers, camera/device to capture the memories, Advil for sore muscles or a headache, and a HUGE bag for all those giveaways from the expo:) It would be good to have labels with your name and address so you don’t have to fill out SO MANY slips for giveaways:) Have an open mind when hearing all theories, strategies, and resources. These amazing ideas can always be scaffolded or differentiated for our kids.

Last piece of advice, ENJOY EVERY MINUTE of Black FridayS… These days fly by and before you know it, you have to say goodbye to family/friends. Sign up for all the activities and enjoy all the amazing learning and tech toys that you may win:) Lastly, make memories. You never know what life has in store so savor every moment! #ISTELIVE

About the Author

Melisa Hayes

Melisa is a 2nd-grade teacher in Hilliard, Ohio, and has taught for 26 years. Melisa has a Master’s in Education degree and is passionate about inclusion, blending technology into the curriculum and creating experiences in the classroom, such experiences focus on creativity, Stem, coding, and more. She earned the recognition of Global Teacher of the Year in 2020. She is also a Microsoft Flipsider, Wakelet, Whiteboard Chat, Night Zookeeper, Teach Better Ambassador and an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Connect with me on Twitter @MrsHayesFam

Looking for some PD for your school? 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

**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

How Teachers Can Enhance Learning Engagement with an Interactive Video Quiz

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

In Collaboration with Sheryl Place, BookWidgets

In today’s digital era, educators are constantly seeking innovative ways to make learning more interactive and engaging for students. One such tool that has gained popularity among teachers is an interactive Video Quiz. This powerful educational technology combines the use of videos with interactive quizzes, fostering active participation and enhancing comprehension. There are a few tools you can use to create interactive question videos. Think about Edpuzzle or EducaPlay. An alternative to Edpuzzle you might have heard of is the BookWidgets Video Quiz with the possibility to pause a video and ask over 35 different question types!

In this blog post, we will explore the features and benefits of the BookWidgets Video Quiz and how it can revolutionize the learning experience for students.

BookWidgets, a teacher content creation and evaluation tool, simplifies content creation, feedback, and grading processes while enhancing student learning experiences. Its innovative resources empower educators to effortlessly create interactive content and promote personalized learning.

What is a Video Quiz Widget?

BookWidgets has various types of digital exercises template teachers can fill with their own lesson content. They are called “widgets”. The BookWidgets Video Quiz is one of the 40 widget types you can choose. It seamlessly integrates with YouTube and Vimeo platforms. Educators can choose from a wide range of question types including multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks, voice recording, and more, and insert them at specific stopping points or cue points in the video. There are great ideas for getting started with a Video Quiz.

Creating interactive lessons for students is so easy! Check out this Spanish I video quiz on the verb “gustar” and “las frutas. “Adding in a few questions to check for student understanding and giving them an opportunity to learn at their pace and review as needed is why I love using the video quizzes in BookWidgets. Simply choose a video from Vimeo, YouTube,or one of your own created videos for your students that you may show in class. Rather than use these alone, instead, create a video quiz in BookWidgets for them to extend their learning beyond the classroom and for you to be able to understand where they are in the learning process!

Engaging Students with Interactive Learning:

One of the key advantages of the BookWidgets Video Quiz is its ability to captivate students’ attention and keep them actively engaged throughout the learning process. There are more than 35 question types to choose from to add to the quiz which makes it easier to customize the quiz for any grade level or content area.

By embedding questions within videos, students are prompted to think critically, analyze content, and apply their knowledge in real-time. This interactive approach encourages active participation, leading to improved comprehension and retention of the subject matter. Video Quizzes are perfect for Flipped Learning. Learn more about the use of BookWidgets for flipping your classroom learning space!

Customization and Flexibility:

BookWidgets Video Quiz offers educators a high degree of customization and flexibility. Teachers can tailor the quiz to suit their specific instructional goals, selecting the video content and designing the questions accordingly. The interactive elements of the videos help to capture students’ attention and make the learning process more engaging for them.

Teachers also have the option to add hints, explanations, and feedback to guide students’ learning process. I like adding in a note at the beginning or end of the video quiz to remind students to jot down some notes or hints at grammar topics or specific vocabulary to focus on for example. This adaptability empowers teachers to create personalized assessments that cater to the diverse learning needs of their students.

One of the best things about BookWidgets is that it offers more than 40 interactive templates for teachers to use as they design activities to help students build their skills. The many templates and options available to create widgets enables educators to create activities that enable students to work at their own pace ​and experience more active learning which, as a result, becomes more meaningful. When learning is meaningful, it will also boost student engagement and create a more authentic experience for our students.

We have used the bingo cards, crosswords, snowman games, jigsaw puzzles, video quizzes, and word searches in my classes. Each of these offers opportunities to differentiate the instruction and provide more choices for students as they practice the vocabulary and related content. In my own classroom as a language educator, I also want to be able to assess students’ speaking skills and within BookWidgets, having the option for students to record their voices is great​ for designing assessments and guiding students in the feedback process. Here are some additional examples that can be used in language classes!

Real-time Assessment and Feedback:

One of the most significant advantages of the BookWidgets Video Quiz is its ability to provide instant assessment and feedback to students. Teachers are able to view student progress using LIVE mode and immediately see where students may need support and encouragement or enrichment.

What is so great about BookWidgets is being able to have access to real-time data. Within the dashboard, I can quickly see the flashcards that my students have practiced​, how much time ​they spent on them, and even how many times they flipped a specific card. Being able to see their work helps me to better plan my instruction and the activities that I design for them. Understanding our students’ needs is essential so we can provide additional resources and encouragement for them as they engage with and master the content.

As students complete the quiz, their responses are automatically graded, saving teachers valuable time. Immediate feedback allows students to gauge their understanding of the content, identify areas for improvement, and reinforce their learning. Such timely feedback fosters a continuous learning loop and helps students stay motivated. We know the importance of authentic, meaningful,and timely feedback and with BookWidgets, educators can respond to students’ needs right away and have a clear understanding of where students are in the learning process. Saving time with our assessments by using these tools enables us to then spend that time with students and engage in meaningful conversations about their progress.

Tracking Progress and Analytics:

Via the Reporting Dashboard, BookWidgets offers valuable insights into student progress and performance through its analytics feature. Teachers can easily track individual and class-wide progress, identify patterns, and assess the effectiveness of their instructional strategies. These analytics enable educators to make data-driven decisions, modify their teaching methods if necessary, and provide targeted support to students who may require additional assistance.

When we have this data, we can provide more timely responses to student needs in our classrooms. The Dashboard makes it easy to identify areas that we can focus more on with individual students or the class and also provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the activities and strategies we are using.

BookWidgets FREE in Google Classroom We have some exciting news for schools using BookWidgets within Google Classroom! If your school has the Google Workspace Teaching & Learning Upgrade Edition or Google for Education Plus Edition, you can now use the BookWidgets add-on in Google Classroom for free until August 31st.

Every teacher can find the add-on in Google Classroom and start using it immediately. Just follow the steps below (and share them with your fellow teachers):

  • Go to Google Classroom,
  • Select a class and go to “Classwork“,
  • Click on “Create” and choose “Assignment“,
  • Fill in the details of your assignment. Then, click the BookWidgets add-on under the “add-ons” section in your assignment. If BookWidgets is unavailable, ask your Google Workspace administrator to add or allow the BookWidgets add-on;
  • After clicking the add-on, BookWidgets will pop up and you’re ready to go!

Make sure to watch this webinar to get started with the BookWidgets add-on in Google Classroom. New to BookWidgets and still figuring out the added value for your students? This blog post will get you inspired!

Why Video Quizzes Make A Difference

Incorporating the BookWidgets Video Quiz into educational practices opens up a world of interactive and engaging learning experiences. By combining videos with interactive quizzes, teachers can foster active learning, customize assessments, provide instant feedback, and track student progress effectively. This powerful tool not only enhances comprehension but also encourages critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning. With the BookWidgets Video Quiz, educators have a versatile tool at their disposal to create dynamic and impactful learning experiences that prepare students for success in the digital age.

Get started today!

Create an account! It is easy to get started and create your own widgets to use in your classroom. Want 3 months to try it out? Sign up here!

Are you headed to ISTE 23 in Philadelphia? Don’t miss the chance to meet with the BookWidgets Team and join in sessions for opportunities to learn more about BookWidgets! Stop by the Chopped Playground to learn from Lucie Join Kate for “SCAMPERing into Human-Centered Design and Sheryl’s session on Creative Grading and Assessment at the Learning in Disguise Playground. Don’t miss the Lightning Talks and Kate’s session on Reimagine Education – Human-Centered and “Understanding Microsoft Teams The Digital Learning Hub in My Classroom and Yours with Kate, Sheryl, and Jeff Bradbury! Rachelle will be sharing about BookWidgets during her session “Chart A New Course” on Tuesday morning at 10:00 am!

Looking for some PD for your school? 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

**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

Diving into STEM and Fun with Marty!

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

In collaboration with @RoboticalLtd, All opinions expressed are my own.

How can we create opportunities for students to dive into coding and STEM? With Marty the Robot, students will take the lead! Marty the Robot from Robotical is a versatile and engaging tool that can be used to enhance learning in any classroom! Marty is a humanoid robot that can dance, walk, and even wiggle his eyebrows!

What I love about Marty is that it is so easy to get started, even for beginners. Marty has a variety of sensors, including distance sensors, light sensors, and touch sensors, which can be programmed using Scratch or Python, two popular programming languages for beginners. With these options, children as young as seven years old can start learning to program and control the robot with ease. With the screen-free option, remote controller, and even MartyBlocks Jr (based on Scratch Jr), Marty can be used with children as young as four! The screen-free option is perfect for learning about the steps in the process and watching how Marty responds. Using the infrared sensors and color sensors on his feet, he can figure out which direction to move in and even dance and play music when he is placed on the color cards.

And Marty’s keeps on getting better! What’s new in 2023?

The Robotical team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you Marty’s new drag-and-drop sound blocks. This latest addition to the MartyBlocks coding environment (based on Scratch) allows students to expand their creativity, get even more technical, and will add extra personality to every robot.

Marty is customizable. The robot can be assembled and disassembled, allowing users to modify and upgrade its parts to suit their needs. Students can have fun decorating Marty and create a lot of fun ways for Marty to move around and interact! This means that as users’ programming skills and knowledge of robotics and engineering concepts improve, they can modify the robot to make it more complex and challenging.

Marty the Robot is now delivered with pre-installed LED eyes. Programmable in every color under the rainbow, these lights are the perfect addition to the robots and will add a pop of color and sparkle to every lesson. Not to mention, this new addition will also allow teachers to take advantage of Robotical’s disco eye lessons, expanding students’ knowledge of LEDs and lights, testing students to program different colors as reactions, and allowing students to explore different patterns and timing orders.

Marty is suitable for a wide range of age groups, from primary school children to adults. Children can use the robot to learn basic programming concepts, while older students and adults can use the robot to build more complex projects and explore advanced robotics and engineering concepts.

Building essential skills

There are many ways to use Marty to build STEM skills and SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) competencies. For SEL, students can use Marty to practice teamwork and collaboration skills. They can work in groups to build projects and share ideas for improving the robot’s performance. Additionally, students can use the robot to develop problem-solving skills, as they will need to debug code and troubleshoot any issues that arise during the robot’s operation. Students can use the robot to develop perseverance and resilience, as they work to overcome challenges and setbacks during the project-building process.

For STEM skills, students can use the robot to learn programming concepts, including loops, conditionals, and variables. They can also explore robotics concepts such as sensor technology, motor control, and movement algorithms. Additionally, students can use the robot to build projects, such as obstacle courses or mazes, which require them to think creatively and apply their knowledge of programming and robotics.

Here are some reminders for when using Marty the Robot in class:

Have fun! Marty is a fun and engaging robot! Marty can dance, walk, talk, and more.

Teach others. Marty can be used to teach others about coding, robotics, and STEM.

Make music. Marty can be used to make music. Marty has a built-in speaker and can play a variety of sounds.

Be creative. Design fun programs to get Marty up and moving, dancing and talking!

Ideas for Marty!

Build an obstacle course: Challenge students to build an obstacle course using cardboard boxes, ramps, and other materials. Then, program Marty to navigate through the course. Students will need to use their engineering and coding skills to ensure that Marty can safely navigate through the obstacles.

Build a robot team: In groups, students can build multiple Marty robots and program them to work together. They can experiment with different algorithms to control the movement and behavior of the robots. This activity develops teamwork, programming, and engineering skills.

Explore sensor technology: Marty the Robot comes with a variety of sensors, including distance sensors, light sensors, and touch sensors. Students can use these sensors to create programs that respond to changes in the robot’s environment. For example, they can program Marty to move away from objects or to stop when it detects a certain color. This activity encourages problem-solving and programming skills.

Have a dance party: Encourage students to create a fun and lively dance routine for Marty. Students can program the robot to dance along to their favorite songs. This activity encourages creativity, problem-solving, and programming skills.

Create a science experiment: Marty the Robot can be used to conduct a variety of science experiments, such as measuring the speed of sound or testing the effects of gravity. Students can program the robot to collect data and perform calculations, helping them to develop their scientific inquiry and data analysis skills.

Marty goes above and beyond to help deliver STEAM subjects (and more) in an accessible, interactive, and engaging way. Get started today! In the Knowledge Base, teachers can find support articles and lots of other information to help them get started. You can sign up for a free trial! Also check out my podcast episode with Hal Speed, Head of North America Robotical.

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 serves as the past president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was recently named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021.

She is the author of seven 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, Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for In-Person and Digital Instruction and her newest book Things I WIsh [….] Knew is now available.

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? 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 

**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

Bringing STEM to All Classrooms

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

With a prediction of a need for 3.5 million jobs related to STEM by 2025, we need to focus on finding ways to bring STEM learning opportunities to all students in every classroom. Doing so can be a challenge, depending on whether we have access to the right resources or if teachers feel that they don’t have enough knowledge or resources available to get started. As I have learned in my own experiences, we just need enough information and a few resources to start with. Once we dive in, we can make a shift to being a facilitator of learning in our classrooms. We need to embrace the opportunities to co-learn with our students so that we can best prepare them and ourselves with the skills needed in the future.

With many unknowns when it comes to jobs that will exist in the future, we need to create a variety of learning experiences such as those made possible through STEM-based activities. The skills that are necessary today may not be needed in a few years. Jobs in demand and skill sets needed are constantly changing. To stay informed, I recommend referring to the Job Skills Outlook created by the World Economic Forum. Some of the top ten in-demand skills are collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and ideation, and resilience. Each of these are areas that we can focus on in our classrooms. Being flexible enough to adapt to a changing landscape of learning and work is key.

When we choose methods or tools, we should focus on how we can make sure our instruction is relevant to the growing demands in the world of work. These in-demand skills can be fostered through STEM activities and learning experiences.

Why STEM skills impact future success

Many skills can be built through STEM such as creativity, critical thinking, innovation, problem-solving, and teamwork which will help students to be successful in the future. Through STEM, students also build social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, especially in the areas of self-awareness and self-management. By focusing on the five SEL competencies, research has shown that it increases student achievement and has a positive impact on student wellbeing. STEM promotes the development of SEL and empowers students with new ways to create, innovate, iterate, and reflect, which are directly related to the skills needed today. Students set goals, make decisions, collaborate, and build relationships that prepare them for the future and foster SEL.

Ideas for any classroom

First, there are many different STEM challenges that we can use in our classrooms that do not require many materials or the investment of a lot of time to get started. With some STEM challenges, asking students to find materials to design with or reaching out to the school and school community to ask for specific items to have on hand for a STEM/STEAM makerspace are helpful for creating more opportunities.

STEM challenges help students to build many skills which are essential in the workplace. A few examples are the Cup Tower Challenge, the Straw Challenge or the Parachute Challenge. There are even some free STEM challenges to do Around the Home to involve families in the learning!

An easy challenge without much prep is giving students a design challenge. Have students choose materials and design a structure representing their name, or a concept from class that meets a certain requirement such as height for example. Each of these can be used in all grade levels.

For all classrooms, connecting students with a guest speaker, whether in person or virtual, who works in one of the STEM fields can be highly beneficial. For students to explore careers and connect with real-world examples, it will spark curiosity and students may learn that they have a deep interest in pursuing a STEM-related career.

Project-based learning (PBL) is a method that can be used to focus on STEM. Connecting with another teacher and engaging students in a cross-curricular collaboration creates an authentic and purposeful way for them to build content knowledge in a relevant and meaningful way.

Resources to explore for STEM

  • Birdbrain Technologies. When I started to teach STEAM, my 8th-grade students learned to code by using the Hummingbird Robots from Birdbrain. We focused on French and Spanish culture and students created projects to represent something they learned. Birdbrain also has the Finch Robot, which can also be used in any content area. With the Finch, students can explore AI and robotics using Google Teachable Machine with the Finch. Teachers can sign up for a trial period with these resources.
  • CODE.org Offers many resources to help students of all ages learn about coding and STEM-related fields like computer science. According to statistics from the site, 67% of new STEM jobs are in computing, and as of today, only 54% of schools offer computer science courses to students.
  • CSFirst from Google: There are many resources to help educators get started with teaching computer science and that are aligned to the CSTA and ISTE Standards. Activities include focus areas of art and storytelling in addition to other free materials. Teachers can participate in distance training and download the lessons and other ready-to-use materials.
  • Defined Learning: They offer a variety of resources for educators to learn about STEM and topics such as PBL and SEL. Explore their blogs to find ideas for your classroom and check out their PBL solution that offers everything that teachers need to get started in the classroom.
  • Elementari: A platform that can be used for storytelling and coding together. Students can create a book and learn about coding by creating interactive stories. There are examples to explore that can be remixed. Teachers can incorporate STEM into any classroom by having students and have students
  • GoldieBlox: Offers materials for girls to become more involved in STEAM and also has activities and materials for use at home. They recently started the “Code Along” initiative with other STEM organizations including Black Girls CODE, with the goal of bridging the opportunity gap for underrepresented communities in STEM fields such as computer science.
  • Ozobot. A one-inch robot that can be used in any classroom and that has lessons and ideas available for subjects including English Language Arts, math, and more. There are also two different ways to code using Ozobots, screen-free by using markers and color codes and with the program on the computer. Some students have written a book summary and programmed the Ozobot to move around and stop at each point in the story timeline. There are many creative ways to use Ozobot in the classroom.
  • Marty the Robot. My students were thrilled when I brought Marty in for class. Marty is a humanoid that offers multiple ways to learn about coding. With infrared sensors on his feet, he responds to color cards, providing screen-free coding. The app has block- and text-based coding and students can quickly create a program to have Marty walk, dance and talk. Teachers can request a trial of Marty in their classroom.
  • Scratch and Scratch Jr. are free resources for students of ages 8 through 16. There are more than 70 languages available which help to promote accessibility and because Scratch is free, it also promotes equity in learning.

With STEM, we provide opportunities for students to drive their own learning. The knowledge gained and skills developed through STEM experiences will enable students to adapt to a changing world of education and work.

Looking for PD for your school? 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 

**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

Five ways to demonstrate learning

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

As educators, it is important that we provide a variety of options for students to develop their content area knowledge and skills in ways that meet their interests and needs. When choosing methods and tools to use, it is also important to create opportunities for students to develop social-emotional learning (SEL) skills as they are essential for personal and professional growth. 

Our decisions need to focus on helping students by designing assessments and ways for students to show what they have learned while also promoting voice and choice in learning. Depending on the types of methods and tools we use for our assessments, they must help students to identify where they are on their learning journey and provide us with evidence of student learning that we can use to provide feedback and additional resources for our students.  

Some questions to consider when deciding on methods or tools can be:

  • How can we promote more interactive and collaborative experiences for students?
  • Which tools assist us by providing access to real-time feedback?
  • What are some ways to promote more student choice in learning?

As educators had to seek new ways to assess students and provide opportunities for students to share what they were learning, ask questions, interact, and feel connected to a classroom community, many sought digital tools. Technology has provided many options for learning and enables educators to find something that meets each student’s needs and interests and sometimes even their comfort level.

It is important to convey to students why we choose a certain method or digital tool for use in our classroom and doing this helps us to stay clearly focused on our purpose. Consider how the method or tool will enhance learning or provide more benefits for students beyond being a way to practice the content or take an assessment.  The use of digital tools promotes collaboration, communication, creativity, and many more of the essential skills while also boosting student engagement in learning as they have the power of choice in how to share what they have learned.

Here are five ways for students to demonstrate learning. 

  1. Blogging: Blogging has been effective in my Spanish classes for years. With the digital tools available, it makes it easier for students to have a space to build their writing skills as they share ideas with their teacher and possibly their peers. Having students engage in blog writing also helps to promote the development of digital citizenship skills, especially if they have the opportunity to respond to classmates and provide feedback. One option that has been great to try with my students is Spaces. Using Spaces promotes communication and collaboration between teacher and student or it can be between students and include audio as well. 
  2. Data visualization: Being able to process information and create a representation of what has been learned helps students to better retain what they have learned. For visual learners, using tools to create a concept map or an infographic can help with processing a lot of information. With tools like Canva or Piktochart, students can choose from templates available to help them get started with designing an infographic. These tools and others like them to promote critical thinking skills and creativity as students decide how to best illustrate what they have learned. There are also options for students who prefer to not use technology such as drawing a concept map or creating a sketchnote to capture what has been learned. 
  3. Digital Storytelling: Whether at the beginning of a new unit or at the end, having students create something using one of the many digital tools available will help them to share their learning in authentic and meaningful ways. use of digital storytelling or making a video. My students enjoy using tools that offer multimedia options and libraries full of choices in characters, backgrounds, animations, and more to tell their story. Some of our favorites include Buncee,  Book Creator,  Genially, and Story Jumper.  With several of these, students can even work together to create a presentation or a book to share with classmates. 
  1. Game-based assessments: Encourage practice and be able to provide feedback and more targeted lessons by using some of the digital tools available to do a pulse-check for where students are in the learning process. We can implement some hands-on games through flashcards, gestures, and conversations or leverage some of the game-based learning tools, such as Blooket, Gimkit, Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Quizlet Live!  Each of these offers a variety of question types or modes of play that will connect students with the content and provide us with real-time data to help plan our next steps and give meaningful feedback to our students.
  2. Interactive Lessons: Using tools that promote student engagement through the variety of content and activities that can be added to the lesson helps educators to better understand student progress and enables students to build self-awareness in learning. With tools like Edpuzzle, Formative, Nearpod, and Pear Deck, educators have many options for adding content and activities to help students to build their skills. What I really appreciate about tools like these is that we can provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning through open-ended responses, polls, multiple-choice questions, quizzes, and more, depending on the tool. Formative was a game changer in our classroom last year because I could use it to create lessons with videos and audio instructions that students could work through at their own pace. I could also use it in class for assessments which enabled me to provide timely feedback directly to students and adjust my lessons as needed. These options enable us to differentiate our instruction while promoting student choice in voice and learning. 

These are just some of the many ways that we can have our students demonstrate what they are learning. Whether through technology and the many tools available that facilitate communication, collaboration, and creativity, or using traditional methods, it is important to offer choices to our students. When we can provide options that promote agency in learning, it leads to more meaningful experiences that promote the development of essential skills for the future and empower students through self-driven learning.

Author

Rachelle Dené is a Spanish and STEAM Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview Junior Senior 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 serves as the past president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network.  She is the author of sevens 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,” “Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for In-person and Digital Instruction” and “Things I Wish [..] Knew.” All books are available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. 

I am available for PD sessions in-person and virtually on a variety of topics. Key focus areas are AI, ChatGPT, AR and VR, SEL, and STEM.

**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!

SEL, self-care, and self-love

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

In collaboration with PebbleGo

Especially at this time of the year when school schedules can become challenging with spring activities, testing, and daily routines, focusing on SEL, self-care, and self-love is essential. More importantly, we need to help students develop habits that enable them to focus on their well-being and develop the skills needed to work through challenges and deal with emotions. We need to foster the development of practices and behaviors that will promote emotional, mental, and physical health.

By creating opportunities for students to develop SEL skills and a positive self-image, it will enable them to manage their emotions, develop supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Self-care is crucial for students’ well-being and academic success. Students who practice self-care are more likely to have better mental health, reduced stress levels, improved academic performance, and higher levels of overall happiness. This, in turn, enables them to focus better on academic work and set and achieve their learning goals. One idea to try is to have students design vision boards. The boards can include each student’s goals in each of these areas and can be a great activity for students to use for personal reflection.

Self-love, which involves developing a positive self-image and nurturing oneself with kindness and compassion, can boost self-esteem, self-confidence, and resilience. These directly relate to the SEL skills that are essential for personal success. Developing these skills will enable students to navigate their social and emotional worlds and build meaningful relationships with others. Students will be better able to manage emotions, communicate effectively, develop empathy and understanding for others, and work through challenges they may face.

Ideas for focusing on self-love and SEL

Buncee: Teachers can use Buncee, a multimedia and creativity tool, to help students create multimedia projects that promote self-care, self-love, and SEL. For example, students can create digital posters that showcase self-love affirmations, gratitude journals, or mindfulness exercises. They can also create projects to share that teach SEL skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making. Buncee and using PebbleGo Create foster creativity and when students have writing or art assignments, they can express their emotions and thoughts in a safe and supportive environment.

Here are some examples to try!

  • Healthy Habits: Use PebbleGo to research healthy habits. A focus on self-love involves practicing healthy habits such as exercise, nutrition, and getting adequate sleep. With PebbleGo, students can research healthy habits in areas such as health, physical education, or science. Students will learn about the benefits of exercise on the brain and mood, the importance of sleep for mental and physical health, or the role of nutrition in energy and well-being. By learning about healthy habits, students can develop SEL skills of self-management and promote their physical and emotional well-being. Students can then create a visual to share what they have learned and encourage others to focus on their habits too!
  • Gratitude Jars and Journals: Showing gratitude is a great way to promote self-love and positive emotions. Students can think about what they are grateful for, whether it is something they learned, a story they read, a historical figure that developed something that impacted the world. Students can then use PebbleGo Create to design a digital gratitude journal or a gratitude jar and can add pictures or audio recordings to personalize their journals. By doing this, it will help students develop positive emotions and SEL skills of social awareness.
  • Learning About Others and Building Awareness There are many wonderful non-fiction articles available with PebbleGo that cover a range of SEL topics that will help students develop self-awareness and social awareness. Students can find articles about emotions such as anger, fear, or sadness, and learn about strategies that will help them to better manage their emotions. Through the resources, they can learn about empathy, perspective-taking, and even conflict resolution, which are essential relationship skills. To share their learning, students can create a PSA to share in the classroom or the school!
  • Create Digital Affirmation Cards: Making affirmation cards is a powerful tool to better promote self-love and positive self-image. It can be a great way to help students connect with how they are feeling and set some goals. Students can explore the topics about health and wellness, and then create digital affirmation cards to refer to when they need a confidence boost or a reminder of their self-worth. The multimedia options available with stickers, animations and more boost creativity and help students to create visually appealing affirmation cards. Students can also create cards that highlight their strengths and accomplishments, such as “I am a good friend,” or “I am a talented artist.” These activities help students develop their self-awareness skills and boost their self-esteem.

PebbleGo can be used to explore feelings and emotions across content areas, such as science, social studies, or language arts. For example, students can research different animals and their emotions, such as how dogs show affection or how dolphins communicate with each other. Students can also explore emotions in literature by researching characters’ feelings and motivations in stories.

Researching inspirational figures, exploring feelings and emotions, creating positive affirmations, researching mindfulness practices, and researching healthy habits with Pebble Go, students can develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills are crucial for academic success and personal well-being. As teachers, we can use PebbleGo to provide students with access to a variety of non-fiction resources that promote self-reflection, positive self-talk, and healthy habits, which can help them develop a positive self-image and promote their emotional well-being.

**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 weekly show on Fridays at 6pm ET THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here

New AI detection feature via Turnitin

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

Over the last couple of months, it’s unbelievable how much has changed in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). For the last couple of years, I have spent time researching, writing about, presenting on, and teaching about AI in my classroom and continuing to learn as much as I possibly can each year. When ChatGPT became available to the public in December, I didn’t hesitate to dive in and explore exactly what it was capable of doing. I even co-wrote an article about its potential impact on not just education but other areas of work.

After about 3 hours, I was pretty impressed with what I was seeing. I was also a little bit concerned about what it could be used for, whether by educators, students, or anybody for that matter. ChatGPT and the evolving AI technologies are not something that will impact educators and students, it is something that will impact many areas of the workforce and jobs that are out there. A big concern that has come up during this ChatGPT exploration is plagiarism. How will educators be able to tell when students may be using ChatGPT to complete their assignments especially with something evolving as fast as this technology? Will students begin to rely on this technology and as a result, lose the opportunity to develop essential skills on their own? What policies may need to be in place? Is it plagiarism if it is not citing a specific source? These are some of the many questions on the minds of educators and parents.

Plagiarism detection

There have been plagiarism checkers available for years and many educators and educational institutions use them. In my own experience as a doctoral student now, and when I worked on my Master’s degree five years ago, assignment submissions go through a plagiarism checker instantly. Turnitin is one that has been used. Honestly, there have been times when I’ve been shocked to see the percentage that comes back stating the likelihood of plagiarism, knowing that I did not plagiarize. I work hard to cite my sources but apparently, something that I did was not completely accurate and I used it as a way to evaluate my writing and improve my citations. Now enter ChatGPT.

Three years ago, I helped to do some research for a blog post about GPT-3 and I was impressed with what it was capable of back in 2020. Fast forward to early December 2022, working with and exploring ChatGPT, I was amazed at how much it had evolved since 2020 and the number of ways that you could use it. It didn’t take long for educators and lots of people to express concern about what the impact of this type of powerful technology would have on student learning.

Would it lead students to lose learning opportunities?

Would they rely on everything that they found by using this, and lack skills that they need to be prepared for the future?

What should educators do when it comes to teaching about these technologies in the classroom?

How can you tell whether or not a student has used ChatGPT to complete an assignment or project and how do you handle it?

Learning opportunities

AI writing and the use of ChatGPT and other AI writing tools are increasingly common not only in business. Students are using it and know about it. There are high schools banning its use. Educators are worried it will erode writing skills. But is banning it the solution? Detecting the presence of artificial intelligence in a student’s writing is helpful, but I hope that it is focused not on catching them doing something wrong but rather to use it to improve writing. We should use it to start conversations with students.

Turnitin has been developing writing and feedback tools for educators for 25 years and has continued to refine the ways that teachers give feedback to students. Turnitin commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 1,011 parents and/or guardians of high school students in the United States to understand their perceptions of AI writing tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard. Interestingly, 81% of respondents believe that teachers should use technology tools to detect when something has been written by AI to check homework or test answers to cut down on cheating.

On Tuesday, Turnitin released a new AI detection feature that has the ability to detect AI with 98% accuracy. They are also continuing to monitor the detection settings to watch for false positives. The new AI detection feature works like similarity checking. If something is noted, then teachers can look at the writing and provide feedback to students. It becomes a conversation and a learning opportunity for teachers and students about how to evaluate information and also for properly citing sources that have been used. The software should not be viewed as something that is set to accuse students of plagiarizing.

[image via Turnitin]

Also helpful is the sidebar with resources for educators to explore.

[Similarity report via the AI writing feature]

As educators, we have a responsibility to help our students to develop skills to navigate all of these changes that are happening in the world of education, and that may impact them in their future line of work.

Lessons to learn

I see this new feature as a way to provide information for teachers so they have data for analyzing student writing and providing further instruction and feedback, not as a tool for accusing students of misconduct. We want students to understand the importance of academic integrity while also learning about the tools available, including ChatGPT and other AI technologies. It is a way to also build literacy skills and stress the importance of evaluating our sources and checking information for accuracy.

Now what?

I recommend following the conversation about ChatGPT in the variety of educator spaces and communities. As for tools that detect plagiarism, explore the resources available to assist educators in integrating this new technology into their classrooms. The Turnitin page features a glossary of AI terms, which provides a useful reference guide for educators who are not yet familiar with the technical vocabulary associated with this technology. Additionally, there is a guide on updating an academic integrity policy in the age of AI, which is essential for ensuring that educators have a clear understanding of the ethical considerations surrounding AI-generated text.

And the best advice I can offer is to dive into trying out ChatGPT. Think about questions that you ask your students, projects that you have assigned, assessments that you’ve created, and lesson plans that you’ve written, and put all of those in as prompts. See what it generates and then regenerate the response a few times and look for commonalities. I test this out to see how similar the answers are and also check it for accuracy. I have explored this with my students as well because we know that not everything that we find on the Internet is accurate, which is why we have to embrace this and help students to learn to be digitally literate and model this practice for them.

This post was in collaboration with Pando PR. Opinions expressed are my own.

**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

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5 Ways to Bring Augmented and Virtual Reality into the Classroom

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth Leave a comment

My prior post for Getting Smart

We have thousands of resources to choose from, and ideas we can gather from the different learning communities that we belong to, however, it can be overwhelming and time-consuming to sort through all of our options. It is always important when we consider our options to think about the purpose for using them. I try to find tools that have benefits beyond their educational use and that are applicable to the real world and will help students to prepare for the future. 

As we look for activities and new ideas to keep students engaged, I think it is the perfect opportunity to explore some of the emerging technologies like augmented and virtual reality. While traveling around the world or exploring objects up close is limited during this time, we can use some of the AR and VR tools available to explore and also to have students create their own. Giving students the chance to engage in a more meaningful way with the content they are studying and move from consumers to creators using these tools helps to increase student engagement and leads to higher student achievement.  

Using tools for exploring and immersing more in learning through AR and VR enables students to connect more closely with what they are studying. Having choices for creating with these tools, also enables us to meet specific student needs and interests. As a bonus, these tools are also fantastic options for anyone interested in learning about these emerging technologies. 

 Here are eight options to get started with: 

  1. Big Bang AR.  Download the Big Bang AR app to learn about the big bang theory and engage in an interactive journey in mixed reality. Travel back 13.8 billion years and see the formation of the universe happen right in your real-world space. Imagine seeing the stars as they form right in front of your eyes.
  2. Devar: Choose from one of the lively characters to bring into your classroom or home. Devar is easy to get started with and is a fun way for students or anyone to learn more about what augmented reality is and how it can be used for storytelling. Start by selecting a character and add music or your own narration to it and record. Share the video with students or have students create their own to tell a story. Check out the other resources available from Devar such as games and books related to different content areas and grade levels. 
  3. DisruptED. Provides augmented and virtual reality tools for students in pre-K through third grade. I recently learned about this one from Jaime Donally and had a chance to see the possibilities for engaging students through AR books. The new starter kit includes activity books, gamified activities, a headset and more. The newest AR book “Bee Safe” is available for a free download. 
  4. Google AR/VR. A website full of resources for learning about augmented and virtual reality through Google. Check out the experiences which include opportunities to learn about math, science, the human body, and more in AR. Bring prehistoric creatures or other animals into your environment. You can even create your own AR experience by downloading the software development kit (SDK) to create with Google ARCore. With the SDK, you can create new AR experiences or enhance existing apps with AR features.
  5. Nearpod: Offers many options for promoting student engagement through its interactive multimedia platform. My first VR experiences were with Nearpod and there are thousands of lessons to choose from which include 3D objects and VR field trips. Lessons through Nearpod are great options for immersing students in different learning experiences and traveling around the world or exploring places and objects more closely.

It is important to offer multiple options to students that lead to more meaningful experiences that promote the development of essential skills for the future and empower them through self-driven learning. We have an opportunity to innovate and reimagine learning as we embrace the new school year. We can use these immersive tools to create new learning experiences for our students and empower them to create their own!

**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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