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What's new in educational technology - September 2024
Another summer has passed! Students are back and your teaching routine has returned. My process involved re-writing the lesson plans so that everything came from a fresh look at the materials. This may be easier for a technology teacher as the world seems to change every 9 months! Doing this also made my presentations fresh to hold student focus. This month we celebrate back to school (though many districts begin in August), along with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, National Honey Month, National Guide Dog Month, and starting on September 15th National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The articles in this newsletter range from the problem of underperforming readers to professional development ideas for teachers. AI prompts to save teachers time, free quick start guides for Microsoft products, and NASA's view of AI in the classroom. Plus: resources for teachers.
1. Want some insight into why so many districts are underperforming in reading? ??How did you learn to read? You didn?t guess the word, you sounded it out. At least that is how I learned to read. It turns out most reading curricula make little use of phonics. And that includes many of the largest suppliers of reading materials. Sold A Story is a podcast by Emily Hanford and is an investigation about why so many districts in the USA are underperforming. Here is a link to the podcast: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong | Podcast (apmreports.org)
Here is an interview with the reporter of Sold a Story. It is an overview of the podcast's message. How a Podcast Toppled the Reading Instruction Canon | Edutopia
2. Let's change how we think about AI David Salvagnini, NASA's new chief AI officer, thinks it is better thought of as Augmented Intelligence. He feels those who use AI need to take on the accountability for how they use it. (Students also need to be accountable for the tools being used.) NASA has used AI since the 1990s, this is not new ground for them. Here is a link to the article in IT Brew: How NASA?s new officer is helping to launch generative AI (itbrew.com)Education
3. Quick Start Guides for Microsoft Education Products Microsoft Innovative Educator Heather Aird (a teacher) has created many guides. These are designed for teachers to use. They are user-friendly, colorful, instructive, and designed to make it easier for teachers to integrate useful technology into their classes. And, they are free (my favorite price). Take a look here: Comprehensive quick start guides for Microsoft Education tools | Microsoft Education Blog
4. Arduino vs Raspberry Pi ? Which is right for teaching? ?Well, it depends. Both are useful so it depends on the direction you are going in. For example, if you are teaching about creating programs that collect data from sensors and other electronic components, then the Arduino is the better choice. Why? Arduinos have both analog and digital inputs and outputs. So, sensing temperature changes or measuring distances can be done without extra boards (shields). A 9-volt battery can power it making it easier for use outside the school. The Arduino is also less expensive and smaller than the Pi.
However, if you are coding for "general purpose" computing, i.e. making a small desktop computer or a mini server, then the Raspberry Pi is more powerful and has a variety of "conventional" inputs and outputs (there are USB and Ethernet ports and video outputs). Newer versions include WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI (video out) ports. The Pi also uses a microSD card for the operating system and onboard storage. An Arduino board has limited memory and large data collections should be stored on a shield or transmitted to a more substantial computer (using a shield or hat). Here are 5 points to consider: When To Use Arduino Over Raspberry Pi (slashgear.com)
5. Using Zoom or Teams for your virtual participants? Now improve the experience with Class? Perhaps best used with Project Based Learning, Class enhances the classroom experience for virtual participants. It will also integrate with Canvas, Blackboard, Open LMS, and D2L Brightspace. There is a one-time fee per user (I think it means for the teacher's installation) and it requires that the school be licensed for Microsoft Teams or Zoom for all users. Class: The Next Generation Virtual Classroom | Class
6. New Excel feature: Add Python code to Microsoft Excel worksheets. This new feature is slowly rolling out to personal, business, and education users (but won?t appear unless the Excell or Office apps are updated). Most Excel users can create formulas and use the built-in Excel functions. Now "insert Python" has been added to the Formulas tab. Having Python available within Excel allows for a new level of object-oriented programming and data gathering. Output can either be Python objects or Excel values. Here is an introduction to using Python within an Excel sheet. Note that many related articles are linked to the following page: Get started with Python in Excel - Microsoft Support
Here is an introduction to Python? If you teach coding (or are interested in coding), then familiarity with Python is a must. This introduction to Python, from Microsoft, takes less than 20 minutes to read. Introduction to Python - Training | Microsoft Learn
More Python Tutorials: From W3Schools.com Python Tutorial (w3schools.com) Coding for Kids offers a chapter of Python coding for free: Learn Python - Free Interactive Python Tutorial
Information about Python syntax and features from Python.org: The Python Tutorial- Python 3.12.4 documentation
7. Free Learning Platform for Computing Teachers and High School Students Just in time for the new school year is a platform from the University of Cambridge (in England) with free computer science resources for ages 14 and up. The teaching tools cover AI and machine learning and go through software projects. No specific coding language is covered, this is more about the ideas behind creating code, like algorithms, and engineering principles. A source of resources to supplement the actual teaching of coding. Start here and look at the resources offered. Ada Computer Science
8. AI Prompts to Save Teachers' Time and to Simplify Tasks.? This is a podcast that you can download and listen to. The purpose is to provide the "prompts" you would need to have your AI package create classroom lists, layouts, and a list of student materials to use in organizing your school year. There are downloadable cheat sheets too. AI Prompts to Save Teachers Time and Simplify Tasks | Shake Up Learning
9. A Learning Library for Teachers and Parents?? Education.com is an online resource useful for teachers and parents, including homeschooling parents. Note that while some resources are free, monthly and annual plans open all the resources. There is also school district pricing. So, what will you find? First are lesson plans. Next are lots of worksheets aligned to state standards. Finally, many games and other activities reinforce the lessons and worksheets for all subject areas, ranging from Fine Arts and History to Reading, Geography, and Science. Take a look at Education.com | #1 Educational Site for Pre-K to 8th Grade
10. A resource of Science and Math Lessons for the K-8th grades? A source for worksheets, reading material with vocabulary words, videos, Kahoot games, and more. Generation Genius has teamed up with the National Science Teachers Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to create these materials. There is a free trial available. However, any teacher who subscribes will be reimbursed should their school or school district become a subscriber. Students can sign up for practice materials. Look here: Generation Genius | The Next Generation in Science Videos
11. Free Professional Development Resources from Google, Adobe, and Microsoft Most states require that school faculty continue their trail of lifelong learning. And, within every subject area, there are always changes and new ideas that either need to be embraced or, at a minimum, reviewed as to whether they are practical for the subject being taught. The three companies listed in the title focus on software applications that can enhance and bring focus to a student's learning. All provide learning experiences for their foundational programs and many, if not every teacher spends professional development time with the main products that they use. So, why not broaden the experience?
A simple example: Google Workplace for Education (or Google Classroom) is frequently the main provider of word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation programs. If your teaching environment also includes having Microsoft Word available, why not add professional development hours for it? Many school environments have both Microsoft Edge and Adobe Reader available to them. Both can read and comment PDF files. Which one is better? My point is that more tools are available, and PD hours can be spent expanding the knowledge of the faculty (and through them, the students) using a broader set of tools. Here are links to the educator centers for those companies.
Microsoft Educator Center: Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center | Microsoft Learn
Fundamentals of Google Workspace for Education: Basic use of Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals: Google (exceedlms.com)
The Adobe Creative Educator: Adobe Education Exchange
12. Beware of the Gauth App AI Homework Helper Take a picture of a math problem, upload it to the website or, if using a smartphone, open the Gauthmath app and take a picture and the math problem is solved. Actually, you may get a B on it, but with more development time, that grade will rise to an A. Most AI applications are based on a Large Language Model (LLM). And, most LLMs are weak at math. Gauth is focused on helping with all homework including math. Depending on whether you need help with Mathlab or an Excel spreadsheet, there is a collection of specialized AI apps. There are also conventional chatbots for other AI actions like writing and coding. So, if your A-level student has fallen to a B or B+, have them put their smartphone down and do the work conventionally. Check it out here: Gauth Math AI
For most of us, the school year has begun, and we are off and running. Please share these links and ideas with colleagues who may benefit from them.
October brings with it the balance of Hispanic Heritage Month and starts National Book Month, ADHD Awareness Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and many more. Two events worth remembering: 1. October is Socktober. Homeless shelters and other similar domains report a significant need for socks for their residents. This is something that students can easily relate to and support.
2. One important event: October 5th is the thirtieth anniversary of World Teachers Day! Do you know any teachers?
Mitch Ravitz
mitch@tcclass.com
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