iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

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

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

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

Dive into a huge list of math books for teachers, administrators, parents, and students to shift beliefs, improve pedagogy, and build content knowledge.

When I reflect back to early versions of iOS and the workarounds that teachers and students used to have to jump through hoops to complete through third-party applications, the iOS operating system…

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

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

"There’s a lot of talk these days about how worthwhile it is to be a connected educator. I’m one of those people doing that talking. I’m trying me best to be out there doing what I can to help people get connected. Odds are, you are, too. I might even be a nuisance to some people about it, but there’s good reason for that. Here’s why—There’s nothing that I’ve done that has had a bigger impact on me as a professional than getting connected online.

It’s not hard to find these crusaders for the professional growth online. The “Why get on Twitter?” message is pretty powerful, but the “How to get on Twitter” conversation is often oversimplified (or nearly neglected). Jump on Twitter, find a few educators, and let the magic happen, right?

Well, sometimes it’s not that simple.

The truth is that I jumped on Twitter in 2009 and proceeded to do nothing with it for 5 years.

Nothing.

5 wasted years."

Technology is rapidly changing the world around us. Nowhere is this more evident than at work where jobs and the skills they require are evolving on a seemingly daily basis. Advancements in analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation promise to help tomorrow’s workers get more done more quickly, freeing them up for more meaningful tasks. The problem: While today’s young workers are ready to embrace Industry 4.0, many don’t feel equipped to do so.

According to the 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey, just 36% of millennials and 29% of Gen Z believe they are fully prepared with the skills and knowledge required to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce. And 10% and 8%, respectively, fear they lack the necessary skills entirely. Many of these skills are, of course, specialized technical ones such as coding and project management. But young workers say they want to brush up on their soft skills as well. These include interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity, and, for Gen Z in particular, aptitude in integrity and ethics.

This focus on soft skills makes sense given where work is headed. As technology takes over and augments basic work tasks, jobs will become more service-oriented. That will put a premium on second-level skills such as adaptability, creativity, and agility, which is why young people are so invested in learning them.

Last year, we had the opportunity to create several great podcasts featuring Minecraft Education Edition. This year, we had a teacher email us asking for additional resources to learn how to bring Minecraft into their classroom.