I need to figure out how to find a balance when it comes to technology use in my classroom. While games are great for classwork and formative assessment, summative assessment is different and technology/games may not be best.

Additionally, the use of AI is so prevalent that we need to be cautious of when and how we use it in the classroom--particularly for those subjects that are writing intensive (ChatGPT who?) How can we set up those guidelines?

Ultimately, working with teams to determine guidelines ahead of time will help mitigate technology overuse and help us incorporate it effectively.

Juliet brought up a really good point about differentiating for students who don't have IEPs. How do we support students who are struggling but don't have documented learning difficulties? This might be a situation in which to bring this student to the attention of an administrator or the special education team. It would also be a good idea to reach out to grade-level colleagues who also teach that student, and compare notes.

I also love the concept of UDL: providing the same accommodations to anyone in the class who could use them (e.g., print out copies of the slides for a lesson, and any student may take them so they may follow along). Universal accommodations can be beneficial to any student, not just students for whom it is mandated by their IEP.

I also appreciated the article about team meeting norms. It got into very practical considerations, such as the power dynamic in play when considering whether to point out that your principal is not starting the meeting on time. I would be so grateful (and relieved) to be part of a school that prioritizes equity by collaboratively creating, and planning for how to adhere to, norms in our collaborative spaces.

Collaborative groups structuring and assessment seems really difficult, because so many kids don't like it (free riding, uneven participation, common scoring...). So anything that helps us clarify that and apply a tool is a great help.

I also found this definition of equity education from EdEquityVA really helpful for my thinking about the end goal: Education Equity is

achieved when we eliminate the predictability of student outcomes based on race, gender, zip code, ability, socioeconomic status or languages spoken at home.

An alternative approach that has appealed to me is individualized instruction. Insofar as it self-directed, it seems that student might be able to self-differentiate. Learning menus strike me as a productive way to individualize instruction while maintaining rigor, given that the teacher can determine which activities would be comparably rigorous in advance.

I think these could be fun ideas to try on my own and share with my collaborative team, and also hear about they taught similar topics, if they have similar suggestions for activities, etc. These are also good ways to give students a break from their computer and technology in general.

Another helpful document is the "HOW TO REFRAME OUR CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT STUDENTS." These conversation guidelines help us to navigate those difficult conversations in and out of the classroom.

The other resources for classroom engagement templates will be put to use as soon as I am able to customize with course material. My students will notice the newness of the ideas! Thank you!

-The guess who could be really fun for keeping the students engaged and feeling like they are playing a game but will have to use their knowledge to solve the other person's "character" and won't even realize they are recalling knowledge and learning.

-Instagram summary can really make learning feel relevant to students with apps they use but still apply it to learning.

-Overall I think being able to blend technology is great. Using apps like schoology to give tests and quizzes to have instant results and feedback for not only the students but the teachers as well.

The great part of having access to these different types of technology is that it can vary instruction. Instead of students just copying information down for memorization, we can utilize these different platforms. Instead of the students copying down character traits of characters from novels, they can create a Guess Who game or Instagram profile of the characters.

My group also discussed the importance of screen-free time. One of the ways we talk about increasing engagement with free time is doing more hands-on activities such as gallery walks.

It was also interesting to go over the materials about how students are different -- UDL and the Learning Brain and more. It's very helpful as a teacher to understand that students vary and it is our responsibility as teachers to try and help students be able to access the content in a way that clicks with them.