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Benefits of Artificial Intelligence + How to apply it in the 9-12 Social Studies Classroom (Blog Post - Week 1)

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Benefits of Artificial Intelligence + How to apply it in the 9-12 Social Studies Classroom (Blog Post - Week 1)

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Artificial Intelligence can be extremely useful in both daily life and in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom. In daily life, AI has made life much more efficient. For example, the fact that my Apple iPhone recognizes my face in order to unlock itself and uses facial recognition to input saved usernames and passwords or quickly pay for goods and services has made once mundane actions much more tolerable. The fact that it also offers me suggestions such as bringing up the Frontline app on weekday mornings at 7:45 for me to clock into work or bringing up the Zipgrade app during my planning period helps my day go much smoother and quicker. Another example are smart home devices such as my Arlo video doorbell security system that has given me peace of mind in home security both while I'm at home and away. Even web resources such as Google Search have made obtaining knowledge quickly much easier. Of course, all of these daily conveniences come with their own set of worries as well.

In my AP US Government and US History classroom, AI has the potential to deeply impact student learning and engagement. For example, being able to offer students virtual reality experiences that mimic real life can be a game changer. Allowing my US History students an opportunity to travel back in time to visit a historical event can offer so much more context, understanding, and engagement than anything I can provide them. Giving my AP US Government students a chance to sit in on a Congressional hearing, visit the Oval Office, or listen in on Supreme Court proceedings all from the comfort of our South Georgia classroom will also be an experience of a lifetime and offer them real world knowledge they miss in lectures. Using automatic feedback writing tools to provide suggestions, corrections, and feedback will tremendously help my freshman understand how to write in a way that will benefit them on our AP exams. If College Board could develop an AI Writing Tool specifically for writing AP style FRQ responses, that would not only benefit my students, but open up so much more time for me to devote to deeper learning of course content rather than writing skills. In the area of learning analytics, my US History PLC is data driven from data we collect ourselves from scores on assessments. Having AI collect data for us from some sort of testing application would be revolutionary and free up more time for us as teachers to digest the data rather than collect and organize it. Having some sort of AI tool that could offer students increased rigor or extra support based on their performance would also be revolutionary for the 9-12 social studies classroom. However, as a school, even though we are one-to-one with a focus on technology, that seems years off for us. It would also require massive teacher buy-in, which seems difficult to come by these days.

Overall, AI has made daily life much easier and we often don't even recognize the changes that have occurred over time. AI also has the potential to make teaching and learning not only more effective, but more enjoyable, long lasting, and far more impactful. Of course, like with anything good, we also have to be aware of the negative side effects and do our best to mitigate them.

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This resources discusses 6 Benefits of AI:
Diagnosing diseases, preserving environmental resources, predicting natural disasters, improving education, preventing acts of violence, & reducing job hazzards.

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Artificial intelligence still sounds like the stuff of a far-off future in a science fiction show. To many people, AI's what leads to the apocalyptic network of murderous robots found in the Terminator movies-it just doesn't register as a concept that could actually have tangible effects.

While the robot death squads haven't appeared- yet -early applications of artificial intelligence are already part of our daily lives. There's good news beyond avoiding worst case sci-fi scenarios-in fact, AI is making strides toward creating a better world for everyone.

There are many unseen benefits of artificial intelligence that you might not be aware of. We spoke with experts in the know to bring you these six benefits of AI that are changing the world for the better.

6 Benefits of AI that might surprise you

Like with any new or emerging technology, it's easy for us to get collectively caught up in the potential downsides. That's a perfectly understandable and maybe even instinctual response-most creatures don't make it far if they're not a least a little cautious, after all. But humans have come a long way by embracing innovations and adapting. So what has early adaptation of AI and machine learning techniques helped with? Take a closer look at six potential benefits.

1. Accurately diagnosing diseases

Artificial intelligence has the potential to advance the healthcare field by leaps and bounds, but perhaps the most beneficial advancement within reach is the ability to better diagnose diseases. "Through deep learning, artificial intelligence can potentially reduce cost and improve the accuracy of diagnosing critical disease on radiographic imaging," says Dr. Kelenne Tuitt, a family medicine physician.

This benefit is especially pronounced for cancer patients, when early detection of the disease can be the difference between life and death. "Recently there have been studies that showed AI was able to pick up on subtle changes that could diagnose certain cancers sooner than a typical radiologist," Tuitt says.

AI systems have proven more effective than humans at detecting lung cancer, and a new AI deep learning program uses breast cancer screening methods that appear to be more accurate at detection than digital mammography.

2. Preserving environmental resources

AI has the potential to be a huge benefit for conservation and environmental efforts, from combatting the effects of climate change to improving recycling systems. Dr. Tuitt shares that AI, combined with robotics, can "transform the recycling industry," allowing for better sorting of recyclable materials. "This will reduce cost for this industry as well as improve the environment."

Improving the recycling industry isn't the only way machine learning is making the earth healthier. Columbia University has identified several ways AI is making a positive impact on climate change, including managing renewable energy for maximum efficiency, forecasting energy demand in large cities and making agricultural practices more efficient and environmentally friendly.

AI is also protecting habitats and animals around the globe. A Google®-founded platform called Global Fishing Watch uses machine learning technology and Google Earth® to identify fishing vessels and protect endangered marine habitats, and a report from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that AI can be used to detect and locate poachers.

3. Predicting natural disasters

Natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and more can strike suddenly, leaving citizens with little time to prepare. Disasters like these have a huge impact, affecting more than millions worldwide with at times prolonged recovery periods.

Artificial intelligence doesn't have the power to prevent natural disasters, but it can help experts predict when and where disasters may strike with more accuracy, allowing people more time to keep themselves and their homes safe.

Google teamed up with Harvard to develop a deep learning network that was "significantly more accurate" than the current model at predicting the location of earthquake aftershocks, and the tech giant has also created an AI system that offers flood forecasting to vulnerable locations in India.

4. Improving education

Every child learns in their own way at their own pace, and teachers aren't always able to meet every student's needs in the way that's best for them. That's where AI comes in.

"AI is able to teach efficiently 24 hours per day, and it has the potential to provide one-on-one tutoring to all students," says Ray Walsh, technology and digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy. "This can allow all students to get constant, personalized tutoring based on their needs."

While this is still an emerging application of AI, there's the potential to create highly-personalized lesson plans for students and reduce the time teachers spend focusing on administrative tasks. Not only can AI improve the learning experience, it can also ensure that children in all situations and areas of the world have access to an education.

"AI has the potential to democratize education by providing world-class education regardless of where students reside," Walsh says.

5. Preventing acts of violence

In a time where mass shootings have become tragically common in the United States, experts are using AI to develop solutions that could keep innocent people safe from acts of violence. "While there may be backlash over the security use of AI for facial detection, in light of recurring mass shootings their use in assault rifle detection is largely seen as a major gain," says Jon Knight, chief security officer at Fortified Estate.

Knight explains that schools, businesses and individual homeowners don't always have the ability to hire round-the-clock security personnel to keep their environment secure. Artificial intelligence can provide an immediate response by recognizing when someone is carrying a firearm.

"The benefit in being able to detect openly held large firearms would allow crucial seconds of lockdown, emergency calling or other forms of protection that can save numerous lives," Knight says. "For example, soon door locks will be able to be automatically engaged when this sort of presence is detected outside, where laws prohibit firearms on school properties."

6. Reducing on-the-job hazards

You've probably heard people worrying that "robots" will take over their jobs. While it's a reasonable thing to be concerned about, AI is positioned to improve the workforce for everyone by reducing the hazards employees face in certain work settings.

Peter Scott, futurist and computer contractor to NASA, believes that AI can make workers safer by enabling devices or robots to take on dangerous tasks like bomb disposal or working with hazardous materials like nuclear waste. AI can also mitigate the health risks of careers that can harm workers through repetitive movement, exposure to toxins or driving in unsafe conditions. "[AI] will relieve us of the need to employ humans in repetitive, boring or unhealthy tasks, ranging from truck driving to telemarketing," Scott says.

While obviously there's potentially massive repercussions to eliminating tedious jobs that people rely on, if these shifts are managed properly they can unlock a massive positive shift in our lives. With AI taking the place of these jobs, people can pursue more fulfilling careers that themselves contribute to the well-being of society.

Will you be part of the AI evolution?

These benefits of AI are being developed right now, with even more positive changes on the horizon. The tech field relies on trained computer scientists to continue expanding artificial intelligence and changing our world for the better.

Earning a computer science degree is the first step to being part of this exciting time in AI technology. Find out if this is the right path for you with our article, "Should I Major in Computer Science? The Data You Need to Decide."

Google and Google Earth are registered trademarks of Google, Inc.

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The Benefits of AI: 6 Societal Advantages of Automation

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Artificial intelligence still sounds like the stuff of a far-off future in a science fiction show. To many people, AI's what leads to the apocalyptic network of murderous robots found in the Terminator movies-it just doesn't register as a concept that could actually have tangible effects.

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Resource: 10 Examples of AI in Everyday Life

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Resource: 10 Examples of AI in Everyday Life

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This resource offers examples of AI in use in everyday life:
Face ID, Social Media, Emails/Messages, Google Search, Voice Assistants, Smart Home Devices, Commutes, Banking, Amazon suggestions, Netflix.

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When you hear news about artificial intelligence (AI), it might be easy to assume it has nothing to do with you. You might imagine that artificial intelligence is only something the big tech giants are focused on, and that AI doesn't impact your everyday life. In reality, artificial intelligence is encountered by most people from morning until night. Here are 10 of the best examples of how AI is already used in our everyday lives.

The 10 Best Examples Of How AI Is Already Used In Our Everyday Life
Adobe Stock

1. Open your phone with face ID
One of the first things many people do each morning is to reach for their smartphones. And, when your device gets unlocked using biometrics such as with face ID, it's using artificial intelligence to enable that functionality. Apple's FaceID can see in 3D. It lights up your face and places 30,000 invisible infrared dots on it and captures an image. It then uses machine learning algorithms to compare the scan of your face with what it has stored about your face to determine if the person trying to unlock the phone is you or not. Apple states the chance of fooling FaceID is one in a million.
2. Social media
After unlocking their phones, what's next? Many people check out their social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more, to get updated on what happened overnight. Not only is artificial intelligence working behind the scenes to personalize what you see on your feeds (because it's learned what types of posts most resonate with you based on past history), it's figuring out friend suggestions, identifying and filtering out fake news and machine learning is working to prevent cyberbullying.
3. Send an email or message
Every day most of us will send an email (or several). Tools such as Grammarly and spell check activate when you compose your email to help you draft messages free from errors. These tools use artificial intelligence and natural language processing. On the receiving end of your messages, spam filters use artificial intelligence to either block emails that are suspected as spam or identify an email as something your recipient would like to receive in their inbox. Anti-virus software uses machine learning as well to protect your email account.
4. Google search
Most of us can't go a day without searching Google for an answer or a product we can't live without. Search engines couldn't scan the entire internet and deliver what you want without the assistance of artificial intelligence. Those ads that seem to follow you around? Yep, those are enabled by AI, are based on your search history and are personalized to you with the goal of getting items in front of you that the algorithms believe you will value.
5. Digital voice assistants
From getting directions to your lunch spot to inquiring about the weather for your weekend getaway, digital voice assistants are quickly becoming our can't-live-without co-pilots through life. These tools from Siri and Alexa to Google Home and Cortana, use natural language processing and generators driven by AI to return answers to you.
6. Smart home devices
Our homes are increasingly becoming "smart." Many of us now have "smart" thermostats such as the Nest that learn about our heating/cooling preferences and daily habits to adjust the temperature to our liking in time for our return home. There are smart refrigerators that create lists for what you need based on what's no longer in your fridge, as well as offer wine recommendations that would go with your dinner. Of course, smart appliances will continue to be more common.
7. Commuting to work
The travel aids enabled by artificial intelligence include more than maps. Google maps and other travel apps use AI to monitor traffic to give you real-time traffic and weather conditions as well as suggest ways to avoid gridlock. The car you drive to work might have driver-assist technology, and in places such as Mountain View, California, you can request a self-driving car through Google's sister company Waymo to drive you to and from work.
8. Banking
There are many ways artificial intelligence is deployed in our banking system. It's highly involved in the security of our transactions and to detect fraud. If you deposit a check by scanning it with your phone, get a low-balance alert, or even log on to your online banking account, AI is at work behind the scenes. If you visit a shop at lunch and purchase a new pair of pants, artificial intelligence will verify the purchase to determine if it's a "normal" transaction to either validate or decline the transaction for fear someone unauthorized is using your credit card.
9. Amazon recommendations
Speaking of shopping, America's largest online retailer Amazon is another way many people are exposed to artificial intelligence regularly. The retailer's AI algorithms learned what you like and what other people who are like you purchased to deliver to your Amazon feed recommendations for what you might like in your carts. Amazon is so confident in its predictive analytics and algorithms that it will ship products towards you even before you "click to buy" with its anticipatory shipping algorithm.
10. Netflix
At the end of the day, when it's time to kick back and relax, many of us turn to streaming services such as Netflix. The company's recommendation engine is powered by artificial intelligence and uses your past viewing history to deliver suggestions for what you might want to watch (including genres, actors, time periods, and more). Its tool gets as specific as what time of day you were watching and what you traditionally like during that timeframe. In fact, 80% of what we're watching is driven by Netflix's recommendations.

Soo, it will be hard to imagine any of our daily routines without the help of AI.

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The 10 Best Examples Of How AI Is Already Used In Our Everyday Life

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When you hear news about artificial intelligence (AI), it might be easy to assume it has nothing to do with you. You might imagine that artificial intelligence is only something the big tech giants are focused on, and that AI doesn't impact your everyday life.

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Resource: 43 Examples of AI in Education

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Resource: 43 Examples of AI in Education

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This resource offers 43 examples of AI use in education including resources and tools for personalizaton of education, tutoring, feedback, test prep, classroom management, academic research, parent-teacher connections, and learning tools.

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The potential of using artificial intelligence in education to enhance learning, assist teachers and fuel more effective individualized learning is exciting, but also a bit daunting. To even have an intelligent conversation about AI in education, one must first push past imaginary science-fiction scenarios of computers and robots teaching our children, replacing teachers and reducing the human element from what is a fundamentally human activity.

One of the leading writers on the benefits of artificial intelligence in education, Matthew Lynch ( "My Vision for the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Education"), is careful to explore the potential pitfalls along with the benefits, writing that "the use of AI in education is valuable in some ways, but we must be hyper-vigilant in monitoring its development and its overall role in our world."

The ethical considerations are profound, as they are when it comes to using artificial intelligence in any type of setting. AI lacks a so-called "moral compass." So, by one way of looking at it, AI programming is "as ethical as its developer," according to TowardsDataScience, in an article about AI ethics that prescribes two important recommendations moving forward:

1. We need to have ethics built into the idea of why a certain piece of technology, equipped with AI, is being developed.

2. We need to monitor/check/police the outcomes of that specific piece of technology in order to fully understand its behavior and make sure that it's not violating our (human) moral compass.

There is robust debate throughout the technology community and beyond about ethics in artificial intelligence and most university degree programs are integrating courses on AI ethics into their curriculum. There, now that we have identified the ethical elephant in the room, let's talk about the exciting possibilities of AI in education.

The Potential Benefits of AI in Education

Ideally, writes Lynch in The EdAdvocate, "AI does not detract from classroom instruction but enhances it in many ways." He summarizes five intriguing potential pluses of integrating AI in education:

Personalization: "It can be overwhelmingly difficult for one teacher to figure out how to meet the needs of every student in his/her classroom. ... AI systems easily adapt to each student's individual learning needs and can target instruction based on their strengths and weaknesses."

Tutoring: AI systems can "gauge a student's learning style and pre-existing knowledge to deliver customized support and instruction."

Grading: Sure, AI can help grade exams using an answer key; but it can also "compile data about how students performed and even grade more abstract assessments such as essays."

Feedback on course quality: For example, if many students are answering a question incorrectly, "AI can zero in on the specific information or concepts that students are missing, so educators can deliver targeted improvements in materials and methods."

Meaningful and immediate feedback to students: Some students may be shy about taking risks or receiving critical feedback in the classroom, but "with AI, students can feel comfortable to make the mistakes necessary for learning and receive the feedback they need for improvement."

Much of the potential envisioned for AI in education centers on reducing time spent by teachers on tedious tasks to free up time for more meaningful ones.

Automating administrative tasks is also one of five potential benefits spotlighted by Bernard Marr, an author, futurist and technology advisor who cites figures forecasting 47.5% growth from 2017-2021 in the use of artificial intelligence in education in the U.S.

In a video on the potential of AI in education, Marr explains why he sees AI having a "massive impact" in education - emphasizing that "AI is not a threat to teachers; it is not there to replace teachers," but rather to deliver a better education to our children." He envisions a future hybrid model that is designed to "get the best out of our artificially intelligent-enabled systems and our teachers." Marr outlines the potential of AI to help our education provide enhanced:

Differentiated and individualized learning

Automation of administrative tasks

Tutoring and support outside the classroom

Universal access for all students

43 Examples of AI in Education

Inspired by a challenge from "an old school teacher who thinks that AI is ruining education," Matthew Lynch reviews a wide range of topics in a piece titled "26 Ways That Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Education For The Better." For example:

Adaptive Learning: "Used to teach students basic and advanced skills by assessing their present skill level and creating a guided instructional experience that helps them become proficient."

Assistive Technology: AI can help special needs students access a more equitable education, for example by "reading passages to a visually impaired student."

Early Childhood Education: "AI is currently being used to power interactive games that teach children basic academic skills and more."

Data and Learning Analytics: "AI is currently being used by teachers and education administrators to analyze and interpret data," enabling them to make better-informed decisions.

Scheduling: Helping administrators to schedule courses and individuals to manage their daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedules.

Facilities Management: AI is effective at "monitoring the status of power, Wi-Fi and water services; alerting the facilities management workers when problems arise."

Overall School Management: AI is currently being used to manage entire schools, powering student records systems, transportation, IT, maintenance, scheduling, budgeting, etc.

Writing: Not only does Lynch assert that AI is already at work helping students improve their writing skills, he confesses, "I am currently using a grammar and usage app to help me write this article."

Running down his list, Lynch also cites current uses of AI in education that include:

Classroom/Behavior Management

Lesson Planning

Classroom Audio-Visual

Parent-Teacher Communication

Language Learning

Test Prep

Assessment

Learning Management Systems

Gamification for Enhanced Student Engagement

Staff Scheduling and Substitute Management

Professional Development

Transportation

Maintenance

Finance

Cybersecurity

Safety and Security

Examples of how artificial intelligence is currently being used in higher education include:

Plagiarism Detection

Exam Integrity

Chatbots for Enrollment and Retention

Learning Management Systems

Transcription of Faculty Lectures

Enhanced Online Discussion Boards

Analyzing Student Success Metrics

Academic Research

Connected Campuses

In terms of AI-infused specific technologies now being used in education, the list grows longer every day. Here are just a few:

Thinkster Math: described by its creators as a "math tutoring program leverages human interaction and groundbreaking artificial intelligence to create personalized learning programs"

Jill Watson: an AI-enabled virtual teaching assistant introduced by the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016

Brainly: a social media site for classroom questions

Nuance: speech recognition software used by students and faculty; capable of transcribing up to 160 words per minute; especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have accessibility needs

Cognii: AI-based products, including a virtual learning assistant, for K-12 and higher education institutions, as well as corporate training organizations

KidSense: AI educational solutions designed for children, including a voice-to-text tool with algorithms built to recognize the sometimes harder-to-translate speech of young learners

Content Technologies: instructional design and content application solutions fueled by artificial intelligence research engines

As explained by CEO Dr. Scott Parfitt ( see video), Content Technologies Inc. develops AI learning systems that are focused on "turning big data into information, and information into knowledge."

"We send an engine out, it starts reading at light speed every article it can read. It's learned its own material," says Parfitt. The company's education-focused solutions include:

Palitt: built to help instructors easily create "your own custom lecture series, syllabus or textbook"

Cram101: AI technology that can "turn any textbook into a smart study guide complete with chapter summaries, unlimited true-false and multiple choice practice tests and flashcards all drilled down to a specific textbook, ISBN number, author and chapter."

JustTheFacts101: intended to function as the AI equivalent of an old-fashioned yellow marker, instantly highlighting and generating book and chapter-specific summaries

AI in Education [Inclusion and Universal Access]

Bernard Marr explains that AI tools can enhance inclusion and universal access to education in a number of ways, including:

Helping to "make global classrooms available to all, including those who speak different languages or who might have visual or hearing impairments"

Creating access for "students who might not be able to attend school due to illness"

Better serving "students who require learning at a different level or on a particular subject that isn't available in their own school"

Overall, it is hoped that AI will ultimately help educators make continued progress in addressing the broad range of physical, cognitive, academic, social and emotional factors that can affect student learning and ensure that all students have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic background or physical and mental disabilities.

AI in Education [Individualized Learning]

There is also considerable optimism around the idea that, as artificial intelligence becomes a more integral part of the classroom, teachers will be better equipped to offer an individualized learning experience for every student.

According to an article in The Atlantic, ( "Artificial Intelligence Promises a Personalized Education for All"), artificial intelligence holds the potential to "enhance human teachers' abilities to tailor lessons to each student without knocking their class schedule off track," eliminating the need for educators to "teach to the middle," as often happens when their students have a range of skill levels and learning abilities.

Rose Luckin, a professor of learning-centered design at University College London, is quoted as saying that, "The real power of artificial intelligence for education is in the way that we can use it to process vast amounts of data about learners, about teachers, about teaching and learning interactions." Ultimately, AI can "help teachers understand their students more accurately, more effectively."

The Future of AI in Education

Though there continues to be widespread debate over the pros and cons of deploying AI technology in the field of education, including the concerns about depersonalization and the ethical considerations cited above, there is an emerging consensus that the extraordinary range of current and future benefits will carry the day.
This report on Artificial Intelligence in Education was developed by the University of San Diego's innovative, online Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence program, an AI industry thought leader and education partner.

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43 Examples of Artificial Intelligence in Education

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The potential for using artificial intelligence in education to assist teachers and enhance learning is profound. Here's an overview, plus examples of how AI is being used in education today.

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Resource: How to Incorporate AI in the Classroom

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Resource: How to Incorporate AI in the Classroom

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This resource offers three suggestion for how to start incorporating AI in the classroom such as educating educators, starting early and trying to incorporate AI as often as possible, and encouraging students to ask questions.

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Council Post: (A New) Class Is In Session: How To Incorporate AI In Education

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Chief Marketing Officer at Interactions , a conversational AI company, where he oversees all aspects of communications, sales and marketing. Nearly two months in, the 2020-2021 school year looks unlike any we've seen before.

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Case Study: Using AI in the History Classroom

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Case Study: Using AI in the History Classroom

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The case study by NC State College of Education details how to use AI in a History classroom to help students inquire into a multitude of resources about the history of redlining and structural racial barriers in the US.

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This project takes the first step toward adopting artificial intelligence (AI) as a teaching tool in high school history classrooms. We use AI modeling software as the basis of a social studies unit on redlining. This allows students to investigate patterns across primary source texts and gain a deeper understanding of the systemic nature of historical discrimination. Using AI software, students investigate a large set of primary source texts-rather than an individual text-and pull out historical patterns that are normally impossible for them to access within the constraints of a social studies classroom. Finally, this project offers the opportunity to leverage educational technologies to teach histories of discrimination.

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Machine Learning in the History Classroom: Using Artificial Intelligence for a Student-led Inquiry into Redlining

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This project takes the first step toward adopting artificial intelligence (AI) as a teaching tool in high school history classrooms. We use AI modeling software as the basis of a social studies unit on redlining. This allows students to investigate patterns across primary source texts and gain a deeper understanding of the systemic nature of historical discrimination.

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Concerns and Criticisms about Artificial Intelligence in Daily Life and in the Classroom (Blog Post - Week 1)

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Concerns and Criticisms about Artificial Intelligence in Daily Life and in the Classroom (Blog Post - Week 1)

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The number one concern when it comes to Artificial Intelligence is will we rule it or will it rule us? As useful as AI already is and has the potential to be when combined with the fact that AI very much already exists and will not be disappearing, there are still concerns that need to be addressed. First, just like many aspects of life, AI needs to be realistically, responsibly, and ethically regulated in order to protect consumers, but also be balanced with freedom, rights, and free market principles. Regulations fall to the US Government and bureaucratic agencies, yet the question is how much do our Congressional members know and understand about AI? The learning curve is steep and if the very people who are responsible for regulations have a minimal understanding, how effective can any regulation be? Another concern of AI falls on the for-profit companies that are utilizing it such as Facebook and Google. Because we are a free market economy, companies are looking to make a profit, but with AI this often comes at an expense of the consumers that may not yet be fully understood. For example, social media outlets allowing targeting advertisements that may not be entirely truthful can be harmful. Another example are search engines such as Google acting as gatekeepers by utilizing filter bubbles that result in very narrow, bias, and polarized results that only serve to prevent people from exposure to new ideas, people, or perspectives. This can be equally harmful to not only the singular person, but society and even democracy as a whole. These filter bubble algorithms that guide search results and often serve to reinforce our already deeply held views can  increase partisanship and fringe political views that drive unhealthy and uncooperative political discourse and result in minimal compromising skills and analytical skills. Not to mention the continual harvesting of data that occurs from AI and the fears of what this data is being used for that could result in greater inequalities, especially for those who are already marginalized. On top of all of these concerns, add in social media addictions that can easily develop for all of us, but especially for pre-teens and teenagers with still developing brains. I see this concern first hand daily in the 9-12 classroom setting. As much as AI can and will benefit learning and teaching in the 21st century classroom if handled with care and in an ethical manner, oftentimes we all need that human touch that AI just cannot offer and many times we simply need a break from our screens. Too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing, and AI is no exception. While AI is here to stay and will continue to only become a stronger presence in our daily lives and in the classroom, we must be sure to treat it as a tool for success and not THE only tool for success. A healthy balance is always the best option.

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Resource: The Negative Effects of Artificial Intelligence (Video)

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Resource: The Negative Effects of Artificial Intelligence (Video)

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This video details several negative impacts of AI and ways we can minimize them.
Negative impacts of AI include:
Jobs, Bias, Filter Bubbles, No human touch, Autonomous weapons, AI terrorism, Environmental Impact, Automated hacking

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What Are The Negative Impacts Of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

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In this Ted Talk, Eli Pariser discusses how sites such as Google and Social Media have become the gatekeepers and curators of information instead of humans with ethics to guide their decisions. Because of these filter bubbles, we do not see a variety of information or search results, but only see very narrow, often bias and partisan results based on our location, type of computer we are using, past search history, etc. This not only results in less exposure to new ideas, new people, and new perspectives, but it serves to reinforce very deeply what we already believe to be true without ever challenging those beliefs or bias. This is a threat to democracy. In my AP US Government course, we discuss how increasingly partisan American society has become and this is just one of the factors that has caused the divide. Many people in America can go their entire lives without having a relationship with someone on the opposite side of the political isle, and these filter bubbles from Google and social media sites serve to reinforce that narrow, one mindedness.

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Beware online "filter bubbles" | Eli Pariser

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Netflix Documentary: The Social Dilemma (Review)

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Netflix Documentary: The Social Dilemma (Review)

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The Social Dilemma is a Netflix documentary that reveals the potential for social media addiction and breaches of privacy that are not unknown to social media companies, but actually are built in features of the site. This can impact not only everyone, but especially pre-teens and teenagers.

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‘The Social Dilemma’ Review: Unplug and Run (Published 2020)

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This documentary from Jeff Orlowski explores how addiction and privacy breaches are features, not bugs, of social media platforms.

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How Digital Collaboration can Look/work in a Traditional face to face High School Classroom

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Hybrid & Digital Learning Spaces (Vlog Post - Week 2/Topic 2)

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Hybrid & Digital Learning Spaces (Vlog Post - Week 2/Topic 2)

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In this Vlog I discuss how I see digital collaboration looking and working in my traditional face to face high school social studies classroom with a heavy emphasis on Google apps for education. In the Vlog I mentioned how Padlet is blocked at LHS and I loved using it with my students before it became blocked, but our media specialist encourages us to use Google Jamboard. I haven't tried it yet, but it is what my first assignment will be focused on so that I can get back to having a collaborative whiteboard I can actually utilize with my students next semester. One Google resource I did not mention in the video is the Peardeck add on for Google Slides. It is a way for students to follow along with a lesson and be able to interact with the lesson. I use Peardeck often and students can answer questions, create drawings, take polls, etc. during certain portions of the lesson. It is a great option for quick formative feedback. I have had students quarantined at home join in via Google Meets and collaborate on our class Peardeck at the exact same time my in class students worked as well. It is an excellent Google tool! Be sure to check out the other resources I've linked here for you as well!

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work in a Traditional face to face High School Classroom

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Resource: Edutopia - "Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule" (K-12)

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Resource: Edutopia - "Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule" (K-12)

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This article discusses ways to set up your classroom and lessons for when students attend class in person a few days a week, but also attend class virtually the rest of the week. The offer suggests flipping the classroom and allowing students to receive instruction virtually and allowing in person class time for small group collaboration, work sessions, stations, etc.

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It can be a challenge to engage students when they're at school only a few days a week-station rotations and flipping the classroom can help.

Geoff Crimmins / The Moscow-Pullman Daily News / Associated Press

How do you plan your class when students are allowed to come to school only a few times a week? That's the question many teachers are facing as they confront the reality of a hybrid model where students attend school in person two or three days a week and spend the rest of their time learning online. It can be a challenge to engage all students in the same classroom activity when half are present virtually.

Blended learning represents an opportunity to personalize learning and reclaim instructional time in a hybrid schedule.

Flip the Classroom

Many teachers know the flipped classroom -where traditional lessons are delivered via video for students to watch at home while class time is reserved for students to collaborate and apply their learning. In a hybrid schedule, flipping the classroom is a great way to maintain instructional momentum. Students watch a lesson on remote days, then come in and apply their new knowledge in the classroom.

As in the classroom, short and direct mini-lessons can be most effective. Chunk longer content into shorter videos. Tools like Screencastify allow you to quickly record audio while talking over slides. Camera-shy teachers can remain present for their students by using the tool to help them find the important links and resources central to the daily work of the class.

Video is not the only tool for flipping the classroom. Try flipping with a text, image, or website for students to learn from at home. For example, the class might be asked to read and annotate an article about a current event and contribute to a group document where students share their thoughts. The next day, students meet in their groups and talk through and further develop the product they began virtually.

Encourage students to use a graphic organizer or something similar to collect and synthesize information. Gathering information in a central place can help students distill information and engage with it meaningfully. Asking students to assess and examine information, through an evaluative blog post for example, prior to live instruction time can improve engagement and help students think critically about the material.

Use in-person class time for students to work through an assignment first modeled online. Circulate in a socially distanced way, and talk with individual students about their work. After six months of remote work, many students are hungry for what English teacher Dave Stuart calls moments of genuine connection -small instances when teachers connect individually with a student. Students need to be respected, seen, and heard. Moving direct instruction online allows time for more connections in class.

Rotation Models

In a traditional blended learning format, students rotate through a series of stations within the classroom, including small group instruction and computer-based applications. In the hybrid schedule, spread these stations out over several days.

Catlin Tucker suggests that stations take several forms, including small group instruction, collaborative challenges, or other group work activities. After checking for understanding, create re-teaching stations for students struggling with a particular concept, while other students pursue enrichment or extension work. During face-to-face days, reserve some time to confer with students on their at-home work.

It might take some practice to envision what this could look like in the hybrid schedule. Consider reducing the total number of stations or splitting stations between online and in person. In school, students rotate through a teacher-led station and a group station; and at home, students work through individual materials at one station and videoconference with their peers in another.

Alternatively, use collaborative stations in class and save remote time for individual practice. Older students can use tools like Jamboard or Padlet to contribute to a collaborative product-either in the classroom or at home.

The Individual Rotation model provides personalization by allowing students to alternate between small group work at school and online learning at home. Students work through digital lessons to move along a skills progression tailored to their individual needs. For example, a teacher might assign a specific series of online math or literacy problems for a student to complete at home. While the learning sequence adheres to the class curriculum, students move through at their own pace and need. In class, students apply their learning through collaborative projects or other tasks. As with other strategies, reserve time to conference with individual students about their learning, hold them accountable, and discuss next steps. Many programs exist to support this work, including mastery-based learning modules on free sites such as Khan Academy.

Don't be afraid to mix the methods. For example, station work in class could include a flipped video explaining a concept. Group rotations could be differentiated such that students completed different adaptive exercises based on their individual needs. Flexibility is key in experimenting with new strategies.

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Effective Instructional Models for a Hybrid Schedule

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It can be a challenge to engage students when they're at school only a few days a week-station rotations and flipping the classroom can help.

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Resource: Edweek - "The Future of Blending Learning: What Educators Need to Know" (K-12)

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Resource: Edweek - "The Future of Blending Learning: What Educators Need to Know" (K-12)

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This article discusses blended learning as a combination of in person learning with the use of digital tools utilized during that face-to-face time. Students attend classes in the school building on a traditional schedule, but instructors continue to use digital instructional strategies started during the pandemic shut down. For example, recording lessons to post online for students to replay, flipping lessons for students to receive instruction at home and open up class time for meaningful work and collaboration, and utilizing online systems such as Khan Academy for both instruction and practice.

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The Future of Blended Learning: What Educators Need to Know

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More than two-thirds of educators expect their use of blended learning to increase during the 2021-22 school year.

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Resource: Ditch That Textbook - "30 Collaborative Google Apps Activities for Schools"

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Resource: Ditch That Textbook - "30 Collaborative Google Apps Activities for Schools"

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This article offers a plethora of ways to utilize Google educational apps in the classroom setting for online collaboration. Some of the suggestions include group projects within Google Classroom, "Do Now" activities in Google Sheets, interactive whiteboards for collaboration in Google Drawings, and collaborative presentations in Google Slides.

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30 collaborative Google Apps activities for schools

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G Suite Apps are collaborative, which makes them highly powerful. They offer opportunities for students to engage unlike ever before. Here are 30 ideas

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Coding in the K-12 Classroom (Blog Post - Week 2/Topic 3)

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Coding in the K-12 Classroom (Blog Post - Week 2/Topic 3)

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When I first heard about implementing coding across content areas and the idea that it could become a graduation requirement in the future, I admit to being extremely skeptical. As a high school history, government, and economics teacher I have no knowledge about coding and I definitely had no ideas of how to bring it into my classroom and into my lesson plans with an already packed curriculum that I seem to barely get thorough each semester...until I did some research. It turns out, there are a plethora of simple coding programs that can help students learn the basics through self-paced modules such as Code.Org and Twines. Some ideas that I came across in my research to include coding in my social studies classroom include students using coding to create interactive media, games, and stories instead of creating a PowerPoint or writing an essay. Students can also create web-based adventures, stories, and settings built for exploration in which they could re-create a historical place or event to show their understanding and allow their classmates to explore their creation. However, my favorite example of coding in social studies was something I actually already knew about, the Congressional App Challenge. Students can work alone or in a group of up to 4 to create an app/website about anything they choose. A winner is chosen from each of the 435 US Congressional districts each year. As I was exploring the Congressional App Challenge website including recent winners, competition rules, etc I was thinking of all kinds of ways I could implement this in my AP US Government and Economics courses. I could use this as a chance to collaborate with our computer science classes and have students create an app for the competition that is government-themed such as a voting app, community service app, campaign finance reform/transparency app, or even an app for one of the bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, or branches of government. In economics, students could create some sort of personal financial advice/simulator app or even a college financial advice/simulator app. These would all fit within our curriculum and give students a chance to more deeply explore and research a topic within our social studies standards while also learning to code and collaborating with classmates. Each year, I get an email from Congressman Scott detailing the competition, and next year I may just have to have my students take on the challenge!

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Resource: Edutopia - "Coding Across the Curriculum"

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Resource: Edutopia - "Coding Across the Curriculum"

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This article offers a ton of different coding apps and websites for elementary, middle, and high school students learning how to code.

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Elementary School

These sites and apps can be used independently by upper elementary students, and kids as young as kindergarten may have fun working one-on-one or in small groups with the teacher.

ScratchJr: ScratchJr is an app version of the popular Scratch site (below) that's aimed at beginners. It's a drag-and-drop coding language, meaning that users snap together colorful blocks on the screen to make their own programs that can do complex tasks, like tell an interactive story about something they're learning. It's a great way for kids to get interested in programming without needing to navigate programming terms like bool. (iOS, Android)

Scratch: Once kids are comfortable with the interface in ScratchJr, they can move online to a fuller version. The best part about Scratch is that kids share the games and animations they create on the site, so other kids can see their code and learn from it. MIT, which developed Scratch, provides resources for teachers, including tutorials and lesson plans. Consider having students build an animation in Scratch for their next book report-a modern, digital update for the shoebox diorama. (web-based)

Tynker: There are many ways to use Tynker in the classroom, some paid and some free. On the paid end, Tynker has a program for classroom use that teaches basic coding concepts without a lot of teacher input. Online lessons cover a wide range of subjects, like using coding to create a map of Pangea splitting apart for geography or an animation to quiz peers on types of government systems in social studies. And Tynker has pulled together some free games and activities for Hour of Code that can be used throughout the year. (web-based)

Middle School

Many of the tools here can be used by a variety of age groups. Scratch is very versatile that way-while elementary students get a lot out of it, it's also used by middle and high school students to build projects with increased complexity. Similarly, while the apps and sites in this section are great for middle schoolers, students in upper elementary school may want to try their hand at Hopscotch or Blockly.

Hopscotch: Another drag-and-drop coding app that's great for the classroom. Hopscotch specifically helps bridge the gap between ScratchJr and more complex drag-and-drop programs by providing a transition guide. Students can use this tool to add creativity to class projects-for example, by building an explorable map for world studies or making a quiz for a fellow math student to prep for a test. (iPad, iPhone)

Blockly Games: These web-based coding games go hand-in-hand with the main Blockly site, Google's response to Scratch. Blockly is a great bridge between Scratch and more advanced coding languages because it still uses colorful blocks but introduces proper terminology. The 52 Blockly Games are arranged in seven categories that teach core coding concepts to get students familiar with computer language basics. The games are great for independent work time in a math class. (web-based)

Swift Playgrounds: Swift is Apple's coding language, and this app is a great transition for middle schoolers who are moving from drag-and-drop to word-based programming. There are still blocks that can be tapped to create a program, but these blocks have the words of the command written on them-students can tap a block or type the command. These lessons-structured like coding puzzles-can be tucked into open time at the end of math class. (iPad)

High School

If your students are ready to move into word-based programming, try the tools below. While these may be enjoyed by someone comfortable enough with programming to sign up for an AP computer science course, they're also for students who are just learning how to write a program or want to learn programming so they can utilize it for projects in a wide range of classes.

Code.org: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS are great language starting points, and Code.org has tutorials for students so they can learn how to build apps, design games, and build a web page. These self-guided units are perfect for students who learn best at their own pace and can be tucked into any science or math classroom. (web-based)

Twine: Ever wanted to walk around inside a story? With interactive fiction, you can. Twine is a simple-to-learn language that incorporates many facets of JavaScript and is perfect for new coders. Students can create web-based choose-your-own-adventure stories or use text to create a setting and then allow for directional exploration. For instance, students can build 19th-century London with words, and then allow the user to explore the nooks and crannies of Clerkenwell, maybe even running into characters like Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger. This is the perfect language for learning core coding concepts such as loops, variables, and arrays, and it can be worked into any humanities course. You'll find more ideas in my book on using Twine in the classroom. (web-based)

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With these apps and games, you can work coding lessons into any subject and any grade from early elementary through 12th.

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Resource: "20 Ideas for Teaching Coding in Math, Science, Social Studies, and ELA"

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Resource: "20 Ideas for Teaching Coding in Math, Science, Social Studies, and ELA"

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This article offers many ideas for integrating coding into content-specific classrooms.

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20 ideas for teaching coding in math, science, social studies, and ELA

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You might think coding is a novel trend that doesn't have other applications beyond programming, but coding offers many connections to multiple subjects, with the added benefit of reinforcing essen...

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Website: Congressional App Challenge Student Winners

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Website: Congressional App Challenge Student Winners

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Here is a list of the past winners of the Congressional App Challenge. My favorite is New York's 10th District 2021 Winner with a website called "Senate Trades" that was inspired by the 2020 Insider Trading Scandal. This website allows the public to track (already public information) stock trading of US Senators in a way that creates accountability and transparency for some of our nation's most powerful public servants- all created by a high school student! Wow!

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Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality (Blog Post - Week 3 Topic 4)

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Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality (Blog Post - Week 3 Topic 4)

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Virtual Reality is a term I think most educators have heard, but augmented reality is a term that is new to me. The difference between the two is that augmented reality typically uses a screen and some sort of app to allow users to interact with a real world environment in an enhanced way. On the other hand, virtual reality transports users to a completely different world. Both of these are great supplementary tools to bring lessons to life in the classroom. As I was researching both of these emerging technologies for use in social studies classrooms, one resource I stumbled upon mentioned that with options like these learning should never again be considered boring because students will be enthusiastically engaged in a new and interactive manner. Some of the ways AR is already being used in classrooms is through apps that allow students to create 3D models and presentations. Just this past week my AP US Government students have been designing Government themed Amusement Parks as their final projects, and it would be extremely engaging and collaborative if I could have groups designing them in a 3D manner that could come to life during their presentations rather than traditional tri-board posters. My kids are insanely creative, so I can only imagine what they could do with an AR project. Another way I could envision using AR in the social studies classroom would be to have interactive historical photos come to life once scanned via an app. This could be some sort of gallery walk in which students scan photos to learn more about the historical figures. Possibly, they could even create the videos about the figures themselves. One resource mentioned having students create 3D figures that can come to life via an app called Kouji/Storyfab. This could be done as students creating famous historical or government figures or even acting as themselves, but placed in a different time period. I could even see my AP Government students using something like this to create campaigns as if they were running for political office. The options really do seem endless! With virtual reality, it lends itself easily to virtual field trips to historically important places and events or even government buildings, court trials, etc. I found a resource where virtual trips are free and students can use their own devices or even chromebooks rather than purchasing expensive VR headsets. This resource is linked on my Padlet. Of course, the headsets and subscription services to VR sites would be much more enriching, but if cost is a factor this could work. I actually do something similar to this already in my US History class in which students take a 3D tour offered by the Wall Street Journal to a Tenement Housing development in New York City during our unit on the Progressive era. Having more in depth experiences like this to supplement what students are learning in social studies can really only make the subject more interesting and relevant.

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Resource: MIT Research Paper - Revolutionizing History Education: Using Augmented Reality Games to Teach Histories

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Resource: MIT Research Paper - Revolutionizing History Education: Using Augmented Reality Games to Teach Histories

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This research by a Masters degree candidate at MIT details a game called "Reliving the Revolution" that could be used to teach historic inquiry, decision making, and critical thinking skills. The AR game uses handheld devices and GPS location around Lexington Commons in Massachusetts to allow participants to interact with virtual historical figures to gather evidence and testimonies on the Battle of Lexington to determine who fired the first "shot heard 'round the world." Each player has a different role (Colonial soldier, loyalist, revolutionary, British soldier, African American soldier, etc) so they gather different evidence in order to make their claim.

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Resource: How to Use Augmented Reality in any Subject Area

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Resource: How to Use Augmented Reality in any Subject Area

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This website offers several examples of how to implement AR in many subject areas. For social studies courses it suggests students explore festivals from around the world and then design/create their own festival using an app called 3D Bear.

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Does augmented reality have a place in your classroom? Across subject areas and grade levels, educators are bringing augmented reality learning experiences to their students. But if you've wondered how to use augmented reality in your classroom, I'm excited to share a handful of ideas and a fantastic back-to-school promotion to get you started.

I was first introduced to the possibilities of augmented reality in education at my very first ISTE Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in 2013. I already had an idea of what augmented looked like and what it might be able to do. But most of my "experience" was from watching science fiction movies. After that first conference, my wheels started spinning about potential use cases for augmented reality. However, it was hard to find clear curriculum connections that made AR more than a "wow" factor in my classroom.

Augmented Reality in Education

Last year I connected with the folks behind 3DBear, an AR tool that turns teachers and students into creators. I've talked about 3DBear on the blog in the past, including its connection to Web 3.0, ways to use augmented reality for storytelling, and project ideas for science classrooms. 3DBear can help support phenomenon-based learning too.

If you're a regular follower of the blog or listener of the podcast, you've probably seen me use the phrase "tasks before apps." With any open-ended creation tool, for as much as I'm excited to see it does, I care way more about teachers and students can use it in the classroom.

So in addition to sharing 3DBear's special back-to-school promotion, I also want to make sure you have some ideas to customize and tailor to the needs of your students. First off, here are the details about the promotion. From July 30th to September 30th, 2019, if you sign up for the free trial from within the 3DBear app, you'll automatically get one month extra, for a total of two months free.
Head straight to your favorite App Store and download the 3DBear app for iOS (iPad & iPhone) and Android (on the Google Play Store).
How To Use Augmented Reality

If you're interested in ways to use augmented reality in your classroom this year, I have a few subject area-specific ideas to share with you. It's important to remember that there isn't one right way to integrate technology into your instruction, and these are ideas you can customize. Of course, you might have goals for using AR with students that go beyond traditional curriculum connections, like building empathy or problem-solving.

AR Activity Ideas

English Language Arts: Students can read a short passage and recreate a scene. You might ask them to write a paragraph that goes along with their augmented reality representation. This is a great opportunity for students to make connections to the text. For a collaborative project, a class can create a video retelling scenes from a book they've read as a call. You might even have small groups of students create a video for different scenes. Then, they can play these scenes in the order they appear in the book. Here is a link to a video based on Goodnight Moon.

Science: 3DBear has an extensive collection of dinosaur elements that can fly around your students' screens. This feature makes it an excellent choice for discussing habitats and parts of the world once inhabited by these creatures. In the video below, you get a feel for what it looks like to place a T-Rex outside of your school building!

Social Studies: Students can explore festivals from around the world and create a scene with a special celebration. 3DBear has a large collection of elements for students to add to their scenes, or they can design their own.

Math: You might ask students to redesign a space in their school or community, and use augmented reality to represent their design proposal. Students can use Tinkercad to build elements with specific, scaled measurements to add to 3DBear.

Design Thinking with Augmented Reality

With 3DBear, students can explore design thinking principles within an augmented reality space. After accepting a challenge and researching the topic, students can discuss potential solutions and obstacles and decide on their design. 3DBear has collections of elements students can use to layer a virtual object on top of a real place. By layering elements over a space, students can create an augmented reality experience. Students can also design elements using third-party integrations.

Then students can compose a description of their planned response to a problem and build a scene in augmented reality in 3DBear. 3DBear provides users with a few different options for documenting and presenting their final augmented reality scene too. So students can create a video or snap a picture to go along with their written description.

Standards for Teaching Augmented Reality

When reviewing your standards and learning goals for the upcoming school year, you might not see the term augmented reality listed in any state-wide or school-wide documents. However, a quick review of the Standards for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core reminds us that "model with mathematics" can take many forms - including an augmented reality model.

The same is true when reviewing the English Language Arts Anchor Standards and the goals you have for students as speakers and listeners this school year. Here is a link to a slide deck with high level ELA, Science, Math, and Social Studies standards. You can see how building stories and solutions in augmented reality hits so many of the areas we want children to learn.

In the video above, you can see some of the ways augmented reality is used in schools across the country. I had the opportunity to meet with Susan Sclafani last year. She is a passionate educator at a school just a few miles from where I grew up. It was so exciting to hear about the ways she is using 3DBear in her classroom. Thinking about how to use augmented reality this school year? I definitely encourage you to explore this dynamic tool!

Ready to dive in? Just download the app and sign up for a free trial! Head straight to your favorite App Store. Use this link to find the 3DBear app for iOS (iPad & iPhone) and Android (on the Google Play Store).

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Tags: augmented reality, virtual reality

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How To Use Augmented Reality in Any Subject Area - Class Tech Tips

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Does augmented reality have a place in your classroom? Across subject areas and grade levels, educators are bringing augmented reality learning experiences to their students. But if you've wondered how to use augmented reality in your classroom, I'm excited to share a handful of ideas and a fantastic back-to-school promotion to get you started.

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Resource: The 10 Best AR Apps for Classrooms (Apple's ARKit)

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Resource: The 10 Best AR Apps for Classrooms (Apple's ARKit)

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This article describes 10 different Apple apps to use on a smartphone in the classroom. My personal favorite is Kouji/Storyfab where students can create 3D characters that can use expressions, animation, and express thoughts. I could see this being used in a history classroom for a study of important historical figures. Or even the creation of everyday people living during certain time periods. For example, when we study the Roaring Twenties in US History, students could create 3D characters of Flappers, Harlem Renaissance musicians, authors, artists, or even organized crime bosses. They could put themselves (their own bitmojis) in the middle of a historical time period. During our study of the Civil War, students could create a 3D character of a Union or Confederate soldier, Abolitionist, Slave, Northern or Southern woman, Native American, President Lincoln, etc to show their understanding of the content. In AP US Government students could transform their bitmoji into a political running campaign ads, speeches, etc. The fact that students can make these characters have thoughts they express would be extremely interactive. We may be able to create some sort of gallery walk using this app as well.

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The recent popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) has put a spotlight on immersive technology-and our curriculum may never look the same again.

In the midst of all this enthusiasm, Apple has released a new resource for app developers-the ARKit-that has supercharged augmented reality for fields like entertainment, gaming, advertising and, of course, education.

The ARKit is often mistaken as a single app, but it's actually a tool for developers to create their own apps. Already, it has opened up the AR floodgates for newer Apple devices, and developers have been showcasing their new apps on social media using the hashtag #ARKit. The latest apps include technology that simulate realistic experiences, making AR more useful than ever in our daily lives.

While researching the possibilities, I've reached out to companies to see how they plan to make the technology that will one day rock our classrooms. In some instances, the app isn't intended solely for education, and I try to make recommendations to prevent inappropriate content from being included. By and large, I've found companies welcome feedback and ideas to make their programs more beneficial and successful for classroom use.

While testing some apps before the release of iOS 11, I was overwhelmed with the educational potential and benefit for our students contained in this technology. I found some incredible apps that blew the roof off of our classroom walls, as well as some that provided minimal benefit.

Here, I've made my list of top 10 recommended ARKit apps (as of today) that can drastically transform our lessons and the interactions with content. While I've tried to explain the value of these tools, there are some instances where you simply need to see it to believe it, so I've included my experience on video using some of the apps to provide further insights whenever possible.

#10 Magicplan (freemium) - Measure with AR

Capture the floor plan of your room or building by dropping pins in the corners of your space and rotating around. The app collects the dimensions and provides both the area and a blueprint model. Students can create their own custom classroom with furniture, doors and walls. Easily explain the difference between area, volume and surface area using this app to solidify the learning.

#9 Chalk (Free) - Get video support using AR

Interact with friends or colleagues using augmented reality. Video chats will never look the same as you support and collaborate on your screen that attaches to your space. Draw on the screen and include shapes to show off your model volcano or tutor a friend on their math work from afar in the video chat.

#8 Kouji / Storyfab (Free) - Make your own 3D character

Take your bitmoji to the next level by making them 3D. Use 3D characters that express your thoughts and ideas using expressions and animation. The Storyfab app allows you to create a scene in augmented reality to give multiple camera views. Bringing these characters in your spaces feels more convincing than a standard image and gives the students a chance to show their learning in a creative way.

#7 JigSpace (Free) - Explore learning in 3D

Learn in 3D using JigSpace with interactive objects for engaging lessons. Jump into history, science and more by exploring objects on your classroom tables. Students can virtually break apart the objects and identify specific parts or learn how each item functions. There are other libraries of 3D objects available, but JigSpace has made those objects more realistic using ARKit.

#6 Qlone (Freemium) - Scan 3D objects and share

Scan an object on a QR code mat using your device to create a 3D object. The app uses a simple process that rotates around an object in a circular motion, which uploads in the app in multiple formats for 3D printing, creating GIFs or even uploading into other AR/VR apps. Students don't need to create 3D objects for their projects from scratch, but instead can start with what they have.

#5 World Brush (Free) - Draw in 3D

Practice your artistic ability inside of your room by walking around and drawing in 3D using the World Brush app. When you hold the screen on the device and walk around, you're leaving a trail of digital paint. The app has several different brush settings that include basic colors, calligraphy, glowing ink and rainbow. The published drawings can be tracked by location and the most popular creations show up in the letter board shown as a trophy.

#4 Catchy Words (Free) - Challenge your problem-solving skills with letters

Catch flying letters that can be grabbed with your device and placed into boxes to form a word. The letters can create multiple letter words that challenge you to form words in 360 degrees. While the traditional Scrabble game places letters in a single row, moving and rotating around your room makes creating words much more difficult. Asking students to get up and move around to solve the problems is not just fun and challenging, but helps with long-term retention.

#3 Orb (Free) - Use AR to build in your real world

Build a digital world in your living room. Drop spheres, columns, blocks and characters into your space and walk around them. Each of the 3D objects are tethered to a specific location based on where you place them and can be adjusted by texture and color. In addition to creating 3D objects in your space, you can save the creation and upload it in an entirely new space. The opportunity to create augmented reality for our students has taken a huge leap forward, and the Orb app is the beginning of more creation tools.

#2 Human Anatomy Atlas ($1) - Turn your classroom into a human anatomy lab

Developer Visible Body has created the most immersive AR experience I've ever seen by letting you view the human body within your space and allowing you to literally cut through any part using your device. Before trying this app out with students, keep in mind that the app includes the full anatomy of a body and may not be completely appropriate for all ages.

#1 FigmentAR (Free) - Build portals to anywhere in your classroom

Using both augmented and virtual reality, Figment has struck gold for our classrooms. Using different windows, our educators and students can create a portal into a 360-degree image while walking around in our space. The five portals available are good experiences, but what makes this app my No. 1 pick is the option to upload your own 360-degree image to bring your students to life inside your AR images. My recommendation for Figment is to provide a subscription-based app that gives the users access to a collection of 360-degree images.

I'm sure you're feeling excited to begin using these tools and make sure to stay connected for more ARKit apps as they are released in the App Store. We're beginning to see this technology in the classroom and Google is making the same type of technology available soon to open the door for more AR in our classrooms.

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​The 10 Best AR Apps for Classrooms Using Apple's New ARKit - EdSurge News

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The recent popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) has put a spotlight on immersive technology-and our curriculum may never look the same again. In the midst of all this enthusiasm, Apple has released a new resource for app developers-the ARKit-that has supercharged augmented reality for fields like entertainment, gaming, advertising and, of course, education.

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Resource: Edutopia- 5 Worthwhile Augmented and Virtual Reality Tools

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Resource: Edutopia- 5 Worthwhile Augmented and Virtual Reality Tools

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This article from Edutopia offers teachers 5 different tools for both AR and VR they can utilize in their classrooms. For example, one called "HistoryView VR" offers FREE virtual tours of both national and international historical sites. The great thing is students don't even need VR headsets, but can experience the tours on their chromebooks and tablets. I can let my US History students explore a JFK era atomic bomb shelter in DC or take my AP US Government students to see the Lincoln Memorial or inside of the Washington Monument right here from Valdosta, Ga. Some resources are 3D videos while others are 3D images students can manipulate as if they were in the scene themselves. https://historyview.org/

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Interesting-and free-ways to use AR and VR in the classroom to create engaging learning experiences.

Ian Davidson / Alamy Stock Photo

There was a time-not so long ago-when augmented and virtual reality seemed like they belonged in a science fiction movie. Now these emerging technologies are making their way into classrooms.

Quick recap: In augmented reality (AR), digital objects are superimposed in real-life scenes on a smartphone or tablet. Virtual reality (VR), by contrast, creates an entire virtual world that fully surrounds the individual-a person holding their smartphone or tablet, or wearing a VR headset, can turn in all directions, or look up or down, and see that part of the virtual world on the device.

One of the obstacles to implementing AR and VR is the high cost of some of the products and the supplemental equipment needed. However, costly merchandise is not the only way to bring these technologies into the classroom. The following five tools offer AR and VR experiences that are free and do not require extra equipment.

Story Spheres

Story Spheres is a website that pairs virtual reality with digital storytelling by letting students create VR experiences. The website enables students to upload a 360-degree image-they can select one they have taken themselves or use one downloaded from a Creative Commons website.

Once that's uploaded, a student can begin to customize their VR experience, adding songs, sound effects, and narration. For students writing a narrative, Story Spheres is a creative way to present their work to the class. Students could use the 360-degree image to display a setting and use the sound effects to both narrate and capture the mood of their work. Students studying historic sites can show an image of that location and use the sound tool to provide facts and other information.

HistoryView VR

HistoryView VR offers free virtual reality tours of many national and international historic sites. Whereas some websites offer only a few free tour options, all of HistoryView's tours are free.
©HistoryView LLC
Students can use their device to click through museums, national parks, government buildings, and other landmarks. Each VR tour is equipped with touchpoints the students can select to learn more about the location. For example, environmental science classes could visit the Amazon rain forest or the satellite for NASA's Operation IceBridge. History classes studying ancient civilizations could visit the Roman Colosseum, and students in American literature courses can visit the Mark Twain house.

These tours are accessible with any VR headset, but the extra equipment is not required-students can view the tours using their tablet or laptop.

Metaverse

Metaverse is a combination of a phone app and a website. Using the website, students can create their own AR experience using a variety of backgrounds, characters, and other objects.

Students can choose from 2D and 3D images, as well as animated 3D objects and characters. Sounds and speech bubbles with text can also be added. It does take some time to learn the tricks and options, so teachers should try to give students time to explore and get comfortable with the tool before diving into a project.

When a student is finished with their creation, they can print a QR code that peers can scan to see the work. For students in an English class reviewing a book they've just read, Metaverse can be used to create an AR object that represents something of significance from the text. Using sound files, students can narrate a review or a summary of the book.

Tour Creator

Tour Creator is a product from Google that allows students to create their own versions of Google Expeditions-they can make VR tours to share with their peers.

Tour Creator allows students to pull images from Google Maps' Street View-they can search for an address or city and select the 360-degree images they would like to add to their tour. Each location selected is called a scene, and within each scene, students can add background music, notes for their classmates, or points of interest-touchpoints that draw the eye of the viewer to a specific part of the image where the student has provided more information, sound effects, or images to educate their peers.

For example, in an earth science VR experience, a student may create a touchpoint to explain a rock formation in the location they have chosen. Students can also create literature trips, following characters in a story and creating a VR tour with touchpoints for each location referred to in a book.

Panoform

Panoform pairs real-life drawings with VR experiences. To get started, the teacher prints out a grid template for students, who are free to draw and design on the grids. Once a student has finished their design, they take a picture of the grid and upload the picture to Panoform's website, where they can view their design as a VR experience either on a VR headset or their phone or other device. For example, students can draw molecules in a chemistry class or diagram an organism in biology.

With these five tools, students can use augmented and virtual reality tools in the classroom-all without the need for expensive equipment.

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5 Worthwhile Augmented and Virtual Reality Tools

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Interesting-and free-ways to use AR and VR in the classroom to create engaging learning experiences. Ian Davidson / Alamy Stock Photo There was a time-not so long ago-when augmented and virtual reality seemed like they belonged in a science fiction movie.

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Resource: ISTE - 25 Resources for bringing VR to the Classroom

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Resource: ISTE - 25 Resources for bringing VR to the Classroom

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This resource from the International Society for Technology in Education details 25 different websites, apps, tools for bringing VR into the K-12 classroom in various ways.

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23 Resources for Bringing AR and VR to the Classroom | ISTE

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As both augmented and virtual reality become more accessible on ordinary devices, more educators are exploring the potential of these tools.

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Resource: Class VR - Virtual Reality for the Classroom (Headsets & Subscription Service for Schools)

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Resource: Class VR - Virtual Reality for the Classroom (Headsets & Subscription Service for Schools)

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This resource is a hub of lesson ideas for teachers using the VR headsets and subscription services offered by this particular company. They have samples of VR experiences for each subject area teachers and schools can check out. For example, https://www.classvr.com/school-curriculum-content-subjects/historical-times-lessons/. This link offers many examples of ancient societies students can take a virtual field trip to using Class VR headsets and service.

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ClassVR’s standalone VR headset comes with a unique student-friendly interface, embedded educational VR & AR resources and simple-to-use teacher controls. Using technology in a busy classroom isn’t always as easy as it should be. The ClassVR interface and teacher portal provide the simple-to-use too…

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Favorite APP #1: Google Peardeck (Blog/Vlog Post Week 3 Topic 5)

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Favorite APP #1: Google Peardeck (Blog/Vlog Post Week 3 Topic 5)

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Peardeck is an add on for Google Slides which makes your Slides presentations interactive. I use this across all of the subjects I teach - US History, AP US Govt, Economics - and for both gifted, on-level, and co-taught students. It is a way to turn a boring "notes" presentation into something interactive for students to keep them on task and to check their understanding. In the video above, I've showed you the basics of how to use it along with several examples of how I have used it as both an instructor-paced activity and a student-paced activity. The best thing about it is that during times when I had students quarantined and joining into class on Google Meets, they joined in with Peardeck at home working on the exact same thing my students in class were looking at and interacting with. It was truly a game changer! I did not show you an example for Economics in the video, but for those of you who may teach Econ, I use Peardeck to teach and practice shifting supply and demand in which students have economic scenarios and they must draw the shifts in supply/demand plus explain what caused the shift. Again, it is an extremely interactive way to have students join in the lesson and take ownership of their learning.
Link: https://www.peardeck.com/googleslides

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0:00 / 12:12•Watch full video

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Favorite App: Peardeck for Google Slides Tutorial

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Canva is a tool for designing all sorts of projects, presentations, flyers, infographics, business cards, worksheets, brochures, etc. It is almost endless. The cool thing is kids can collaborate and work on their own devices on the exact same project. I have used it myself during my Specialist courses to design infographics and newsletters to send out to parents. My Economic students have used it to design infographics as study guides and my AP US Government students have used it to design Political Party Magazines. Next year, I plan to have my AP US Government students use it to design business cards for the interest groups they research. It can be done on a traditional web browser or via a phone app. Within the resource you can have a team in which whatever designs you work on show up for your teammates. Our US History PLC has a team on Canva so whatever we work on can be easily shared, collaborated on, etc.

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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Apps to Try: Blendspace & Classroom Screen

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Apps to Try: Blendspace & Classroom Screen

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I learned about Blendspace from Katelyn Wilhite's Padlet and it seems similar to Nearpod, but has the potential to allow students to have discussions within the presentation. I really like this feature and think it could be be extremely useful in my AP US Government courses when I teach how to write FRQs and have students practice. If students were able to put their own thesis sentences out for the class to see and they could peer review each others via the discussion feature, this would be beneficial. I could also see students collaborating together using Blendspace to create digital presentations as well.
I learned about Classroomscreen from Erin Morton's Padlet. I have actually used it a couple of times simply for a timer, but I did not realize all that I could do with it. Seeing Erin's tutorial video show how I could use the random name generator, write a daily agenda, etc would be really beneficial. I always write out our daily agenda on the board, but many times students never even glance its way. Often times I have multiple tabs open such as a Google Doc with directions, a timer, etc. Being able to do all of that on one screen with a fun background would really create a more inviting experience for my students, especially those AP Gov freshman who are always super nervous taking their very first AP class with me!

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Teacher Buy-In (Blog Post Week 4/Topic 6)

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Teacher Buy-In (Blog Post Week 4/Topic 6)

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I am the type of teacher who tries to change things up and make many of my lessons better every year, so following through with using the emerging technologies we have learned about in this class is not going to be a stretch for me. I am intrinsically motivated to try to be better and better each year, and that will now include strategically using many of the emerging technologies we have learned about. I am also a PLC facilitator/teacher leader in my school and I try to lead by example, which means embracing change and trying new things, even if I am not sure of how they will work in my classroom. However, not every teacher is this way. We all know those teachers who resist any type of change, and especially technological change in their classrooms, so what can we as fellow educators do to help teacher buy-in? What can administrators do to help teacher buy-in? The first and seemingly obvious answer to this is to include teacher voice in school-wide and system-wide decisions. Nothing makes teachers feel less valued than having no input at all in new system-wide or school-wide initiatives. So, systems and schools really need to rely on focus groups full of all kinds of teachers, not just the willing ones, when it comes to adopting new technologies that teachers will be required to utilize. They also need to be sure to give teachers enough time to not only learn the technology, but get comfortable with it as well. When it comes to encouraging teachers to utilize more technology in their classrooms voluntarily, turning to their peers seems to be a great idea. At my school, professional learning is a monthly requirement, so when we are given a choice in what we want/need to learn, it goes a long way. Having fellow teachers lead SHORT and informative professional development sessions showcasing technologies I can use in the classroom the very next day is also a game changer, and very much appreciated. Utilizing our weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings for teachers to share their needs, concerns, anxieties, and ultimately their own ideas and experiences with technology in the classroom will also help teacher buy-in because it is a smaller group of teachers who have learned to trust each other and can be raw and honest rather than an entire faculty meeting where teachers can sit back, sulk, and complain with no consequences. Also giving teachers time to  develop lessons and content utilizing the new technology and not just a learning session will be a great way to get teachers on board. Another idea that has helped teacher buy-in at my school post-pandemic shut down has been implementing virtual learning days. This is not a time when students aren't in school, but it is a day where all teachers are expected to utilize one of or many of the various technological tools we have learned about through peer-led PD into our lessons. Some of us have even been asked to record our lessons to share with the school for even more collaborating and sharing of ideas. No teacher loves being told we "have" to do something or have to implement a certain tool on a specific day, but we get to decide by content area with our PLCs when our virtual learning day will be and which technologies we plan to use and how. Overall, it has turned out well and has forced even the most reluctant teachers to use technology that is out of their comfort zones, and once they have that lesson planned they often go back to it semester after semester. No one can change the heart of all reluctant teachers in one fell swoop, but small changes that result in more teacher confidence in technology use and that allow teachers to see the importance, relevance, and usefulness of new tools will go a long way in the end.

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Resource: How Administrators can get Teacher Buy-in on Change Initiatives

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Resource: How Administrators can get Teacher Buy-in on Change Initiatives

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This article discusses why teacher buy-in on any sort of initiative, but especially technology is so important and can make or break the process. It also discusses what administrators can do to help teachers not only buy-in, but ensure a successful initiative. For example, teacher buy-in for a classroom tool can impact student perceptions of the tool/technology. A lack of teacher buy-in can diminish the effectiveness of the technology, plus a rush to implement the new technology/initiative is one of the main reasons for failure. Therefore, administrators have to find a perfect balance between pushing for innovation and getting faculty support. This means that administration cannot leave teachers out of the decision making process and need to not only listen to teacher needs, but seek to understand teacher hesitations and anxieties while ultimately helping teachers work through it.

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Dive Brief:

Technology adoption and innovative teaching practices are becoming commonplace in the classroom, particularly as educators look toward more blended and experiential learning strategies - but ensuring success will also require school leaders to consider whether teacher buy-in is critical for a given initiative, according to eSchool News.

On one hand, many education experts say teacher buy-in is important because educators' comfort and feelings toward tech adopted are key to that technology's successful implementation, but others claim that teacher buy-in can sometimes be overemphasized and inadvertently stifle innovation.

According to eSchool News, teacher buy-in for a classroom tool will also most likely affect how students perceive it, which can impact learning outcomes, so finding a balance between pushing innovation and getting faculty support comes down to administrators taking the time to understand teachers' hesitations or emotional anxieties around change and working with them to find a solution.

Dive Insight:

Lack of at least some teacher buy-in for change initiatives in a school can diminish the effectiveness of those projects. Teachers, who are closest to the students, are responsible for delivering new technology and strategies in an effective manner. According to two officials at Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut writing for eSchool News, a rush to implement new technologies and changes without teacher buy-in or a proper strategy are some of the main reasons why blended learning programs fail. Simply put, moving too quickly without giving faculty the support they need or hearing their concerns can be a recipe for failure.

​But beyond just getting support for a technology or program, administrators are increasingly seeing that leaving teachers out of decision-making conversations affects not only students, but also the school environment. Statistics reflect this reality, as 8% of teachers leave the profession each year - more often than not for feeling that they lacked a supportive school culture. As schools increasingly move toward becoming "future ready" and adopt new learning strategies, not meeting the needs of faculty can lead to unforeseen setbacks.

Administrators can take steps to avoid such a consequence by actually listening to what teachers want and working to understand their hesitations. For instance, Principal Lourenco Garcia of Revere High School was able to successfully implement strategies to prepare his school for the 21st century by focusing in on faculty professional development, support and facilitation of student-centered learning communities, which helped teachers feel as though they had a sense of ownership over transformation in their classrooms. In another case, Superintendent Mario Andrade of Bristol Warren Regional School District in Rhode Island made professional learning communities a 24/7 commitment by always paying attention to what faculty needed. When he had t eachers collaborate on ideas for technology adoption with reviews, assessments, and data, he could see issues with projects and immediately respond to them.

It's an issue at the higher ed level, as well, with this reality becoming unavoidable as colleges and universities must adopt modern technologies and innovative strategies to stay ahead. Education Dive attended the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's meeting last month, where education experts spoke toward disruptive innovation in the industry, saying that institutions will fall behind if they don't start to make changes that meet the demands of a more diverse and technologically savvy student body. As higher ed leaders adapt, faculty buy-in will be an important factor in ensuring that changes are made successfully.

Examples of college leaders taking steps to include staff in the decision-making conversation include Harvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe, who created steering committees around chief concerns expressed through campus-wide surveys. And Robert Morris University President Christopher Howard has noted that it can be difficult to get support for change in universities, but often times ideas for innovation actually come from the faculty members.

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How administrators can get teacher buy-in on change initiatives

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Technology adoption and innovative teaching practices are becoming commonplace in the classroom, particularly as educators look toward more blended and experiential learning strategies - but ensuring success will also require school leaders to consider whether teacher buy-in is critical for a given initiative, according to eSchool News.

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Resource: How to Help Teachers Learn New Technology (Edutopia)

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Resource: How to Help Teachers Learn New Technology (Edutopia)

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This article is a gold mine of ideas of teachers supporting teachers, which is going to be a more effective way of getting staff buy-in. This article details how a school turned to teacher leaders and created a Digital Learning Team (DLT) made up of 5 tech-savvy teachers from the various content areas. The DLT's initial purpose was to support colleagues in the area of technology adoption by promoting authentic learning and helping them implement technology that can be used indefinitely. Ultimately, the DLT found via a survey that teachers wanted short professional development sessions from their peers to connect their content to the technology, which also revealed which platforms teachers already frequently used versus what they needed additional help and encouragement with. Overall, the DLT turned into much more. Each member of the DLT was assigned to a department to coach/support teachers, provide individualized and group instruction showcasing technology plus uses in that specific content area, and determine if teachers wanted or needed additional training. The DLT also put out a staff monthly newsletter highlighting one website/platform by including an overview, video tutorial, engagement techniques, and content ideas. The DLT also developed a Digital Learning App that became a one stop shop for all of the technology ideas and materials offered throughout the year. Finally, the DLT offered "Lunch and Learns/Tech Talks" which were short 20 minute live sessions reviewing specific technology. These sessions were placed on the school calendar ahead of time for teachers to determine if they wanted or needed to attend, recorded to provide on demand sessions for those who couldn't come or for teachers to reference, and were teased beforehand with "movie trailers" detailing why the session would be beneficial. Ultimately, relying on teacher leaders working side by side with colleagues to provide encouragement and support led to teachers actually feeling supported, heard, part of the conversation, and overall accepting of technology in their classrooms.

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I went back to my fundamentals and immediately knew that answers could be found among the teacher leaders right in front of me.

Conceiving a Digital Learning Team

I decided that we needed a team that would function much like a professional learning community (PLC) and that I would call it a Digital Learning Team (DLT); the way I envisioned it, through this team, colleagues could connect to support each other, share ideas, and build student engagement.

At my high school, the DLT is composed of five innovative and tech-savvy teachers from various content areas including chemistry, Spanish, and social studies, as well as our media specialist. Each one has unique skills and experience, so they are equipped to meet the diverse needs of the student body. The DLT gets together every other week to continually assess and develop new ideas and techniques that meet the needs of our teachers and students.

Starting With Grounding Questions and Feedback From Teachers

The DLT immediately asked critical questions to frame their work:

How can we continue to promote authentic learning?

How can we implement platforms/websites that teachers can use indefinitely, even after the pandemic?

How can we use platforms as replacements for techniques that teachers used previously in in-person classrooms?

How can we re-create formative assessments for students in the virtual classroom?

What can we do to effectively assist teachers and directly connect with them?

Our goal was to help teachers navigate today's circumstances and build student engagement in a way that was easy for teachers to understand. But it was quickly clear that the questions weren't enough to guide us; we also needed feedback from teachers with detail about their needs that could keep us on track. We developed a comprehensive survey for teachers, and the data from it demonstrated that they wanted short professional development sessions from their peers to help connect content to technology. Data from the surveys also helped us to understand which platforms teachers implemented most and therefore which ones we should focus on.

A Plan and Strategies Emerge

Armed with that data, we developed a plan with four comprehensive strategies to connect and support teachers while providing information, engagement strategies, and professional development opportunities.

Digital learning teams and team captains: Each of the five DLT members is assigned to a department to coach and support; these team captains provide individualized instruction showcasing platforms such as Flipgrid, Pear Deck, and TeacherMade, as well as innovative applications for new Zoom or Google platforms. The captains regularly check in with the departments they coach and provide mini-lessons specific to their content areas, such as how to use the whiteboard feature in Pear Deck so that students can solve multiple math problems simultaneously; how to use Flipgrid for debates in social studies; or how to use Kami to teach about text structures. DLT members share a platform and then ask the department teachers if they have used the platform (if so, how; if not, why), how the DLT member can help them, and if they plan on attending presentations to learn more.

For example, Gabriela Sikorski, a Spanish teacher and team leader, worked alongside her World Language department to share Jamboard as an assessment tool. Since her demonstration in September, the utilization of formative assessments via Jamboard has increased and provided teachers with necessary daily data to make informed decisions about student understanding of new material. This information is used to differentiate students' needs and plan the next day's lesson.

Digital learning newsletter: Each month the staff receives a digital learning newsletter highlighting a platform or website. Every newsletter contains an overview, video tutorial, and engagement technique. For example, for a newsletter focused on Flipgrid, Spanish teacher Laura Tetto wrote about Flipgrid engagement strategies, while Gina Policastro, our media specialist and technology coach, provided a video tutorial covering related content. She also shared specific ideas for using Flipgrid during lessons, such as for character analysis review or a virtual debate, or for practical purposes like video response exit tickets.

Digital learning app: Our staff survey told us that we needed to condense and organize the resources into a user-friendly app. Jennifer Allessio, our high school chemistry teacher and science coach, designed the DLT app, which teachers can easily access from their desktop or phone. The app was created in just minutes using Google Slides by resizing the slides and linking them together, and it can be updated throughout the year as new ideas and materials surface.

Lunch and Learns/Tech Talks: As the fall progressed, teachers voiced the desire for models and interaction with experts. In response, we developed Lunch and Learns and Tech Talks, in which the DLT reviews a specific platform in brief, live sessions.

We record each session so that they are available on demand for teachers who cannot attend the live session. Staff members can engage with the expert and are encouraged to ask questions and share ideas. These 20-to-30-minute sessions have yielded great results for the teachers and the students. After one session, a teacher commented, "The quick, teacher led sessions are the BEST, [I] can not wait to try the new techniques like posing a Do Now question on Pear Deck and getting immediate responses from students." After a Lunch and Learn focused on TeacherMade, teachers felt a sense of relief when they realized the platform could save them precious time; the DLT demonstrated how teachers could use the platform to easily convert existing documents to a digital format that students could engage with directly and that teachers could use for automatic grading.

Prior to each Lunch and Learn or Tech Talk, we send teachers a video teaser (not unlike a movie trailer and made with Biteable) that emphasizes reasons for attending and what specifically teachers can learn. I also created a calendar of the offerings in advance so that teachers can plan ahead of time and choose which sessions they want to attend.

The Digital Learning Team has been essential during hybrid and virtual learning. Teachers rely on the team to help them learn new platforms and take risks in their classrooms. They feel supported and are applying strategies they never thought were possible. Carolyn Bonifazi, an English teacher in my school, is a case in point. She shared that the support of this team and access to her team captain bring a sense of relief and community to her work: she now confidently applies Pear Deck to check for understanding, Kami for students to read and show their text evidence, and Flipgrid for presentations and student collaboration and response. She also refers to the DLT app and newsletters to bring new ideas into her virtual learning classroom every day.

The Digital Learning Team continues to create new content to advance the success of its staff and students. We are creating an Instagram account to share simple strategies for the various platforms and are hosting a Tech Showcase where teachers from all content areas can share what tools they use and how they use them. We also continue to expand our tech series lessons, share new platforms such as Parlay Ideas, and keep teachers up-to-date on new features from standard platforms such as Google Classroom and Zoom.

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How to Help Teachers Learn New Technology

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I went back to my fundamentals and immediately knew that answers could be found among the teacher leaders right in front of me. I decided that we needed a team that would function much like a professional learning community (PLC) and that I would call it a Digital Learning Team (DLT); the way I envisioned it, through this team, colleagues could connect to support each other, share ideas, and build student engagement.

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Idea: Adding Technology Use to the GA DOE TAPS Standards

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Idea: Adding Technology Use to the GA DOE TAPS Standards

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Ask any teacher and evaluations are NOT one of our favorite aspects of teaching, but unfortunately they are a necessary part of the job. In Georgia, we are evaluated using the 10 standards from the Georgia "Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards" document linked above. The 10 standards include Professional Knowledge, Instructional Planning, Instructional Strategies, Differentiated Instruction, Assessment Strategies, Assessment Uses, Positive Learning Environment, Academically Challenging Environment, Professionalism, and Communication. If the Georgia Department of Education, districts, and schools truly want to create graduates that are ready for the current tech-driven world we live in, they must make it a priority for teachers to give students a strong background in creating content, critically thinking, and collaborating using technology. One way to do this from a top-down approach is to add a technology standard to the GA TAPs or to integrate it within one of the existing standards like Instructional Strategies or Academically Challenging Environment. I'm not saying that ALL teachers care as much about their evaluations as I do, but I am the type of teacher that really tries to make sure that I am hitting these standards regularly in my classroom for the benefit of my students, so adding a technology standard would definitely be one way to ensure that I am implementing useful technological tools in my lessons on a regular basis.

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Using Emerging Technology in AP US Government & US History Moving Forward

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Reflection/Extension: Moving Forward with Emerging Technology in the Classroom (Vlog Post - Week 4/Topic 7)

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Reflection/Extension: Moving Forward with Emerging Technology in the Classroom (Vlog Post - Week 4/Topic 7)

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In the video above I discuss my plans to implement digital tools like Google Jamboard & Flip Grid in my AP US Government and US History courses. I also discuss various AR apps (Kouji, Storyfab, and Sandbox) that I plan on using with my students as well. One thing I did not mention with Sandbox in the video is that there are some Virtual Worlds already pre-built that students can explore. One being the first colony, Jamestown. Jamestown is one of the very first standards in my US History course and students often find it boring - shocking I know! So, if I can have them explore Jamestown as if they are there in real life as one of the first things we do in US History, I am hoping I can hook them in to realize just how amazing learning history actually is. I also plan to continue my use of Peardecks in my course for quick formative feedback and interactive presentations and hopefully increase my use of Canva and have students collaborate to create Unit Infographics/One Pagers after each unit that can be shared on Google Classroom as study guides for all students to benefit. There is so much potential with technology in the classroom, and I can't wait to actually put these things into practice next year with my students.

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Using Emerging Technology in AP US Government & US History Moving Forward