Blog Post #5 AI in Education

        I have not been a huge fan of AI. I have been told in classes over and over do not use it so I just stay away from it. I actually learned a little bit more about it this past school year. We had someone from our district come in and show us how to use MagicSchool. I fell in love. It created lesson plans, assessments, and reading passages on grade level to name just a few. ChatGPT is something brand new to me. I have seen posts all over Social Media of my friends and colleagues using it but I kept looking at it and saying that is not for me. Well guess what?! It is! 

        I went into ChatGPT and played with Coloring Book Hero Generator, Grammar Checker, Writing Assistant, Animation Creation, and Cartoonize Yourself along with many others. I had so much fun. Every year, our school has a Carnival Day to celebrate testing being over. We always try and find a coloring page for carnival day and the ones we find are so simple and not fun for our students. I used Coloring Book Hero Generator to create a coloring page for Carnival Day. I was quite impressed with the results. The other apps I played with were just for fun to see what they were all about. 

AI generated image showing the importance of AI in the classroom

        In education, we as teachers and librarians need to keep up with the technology that is being used. I am going out on a limb and saying my students probably know about AI way more than I do. After this week, I plan to get on and play with it some more. Our district has paid for the MagicSchool subscription so that is where I plan to start exploring but I am also going to look at ChatGPT as well because that seems to be trending right now and I know that if adults are using it like I have seen then I know students are as well. 

        I feel that if we create lessons for students and give them ways to use AI then it can be done in a way that doesn't effect ethical values. We don't want students to use AI to get all the answers or write their papers. We want students to learn but we could still let them use AI to do this. One of Mollick's activities in the prompt library for students was a tutor. I went in and asked Chat GPT to give me 10 subtraction problems. The first problem was a two-digit subtraction with regrouping. It gave the problem and then told me to think about if I should subtract the 10s or the 1s first. I gave it the wrong answer to see what it's response was. It broke it down even further and walked me through step by step. Students in any grade level could use this during independent time. Instead of asking the teacher for help every two seconds why not allow them to get on the app and use it to help themselves. It won't just give them the answer it will make them think through the problem first. 

        Now that I have been exploring AI and all the resources it can provide for teachers and students I know that I will be implementing it more into the classroom as well as learning even more about it to help others use it as well. This is something that I wasn't sure about at first but I can see how useful it can be and if it's going to be around and not go anywhere then we, as educators, may as well implement it into the classrooms.

ChatGPT

MagicSchool

Blog Post #4 Assistive Technology

Hey all! I have chosen to highlight an online, digital tool called Seesaw. This is something I use all the time in the classroom and it is very helpful when it comes to differentiation. 

Click here to access my video on Seesaw!

Blog Post #3 Dast and Dot Robots

         I have heard of Dash and Dot Robots before and I have seen them, but I have never taken the opportunity to learn anything about them. My current school library has Dash and Dot and I have seen them during our school's district Technology Fair, however I never thought about using them in the classroom until now. While Dash is still around, Dot is now part of Dash's virtual world and is still her best friend. Dash is also available in a virtual world (paid version) where a classroom can all be engaged at the same time without having to have a physical robot in front of them. 

Dash Robot

        Dash is a programable robot that can move, sing, dance, flash lights, respond to voices, make sounds, and tell a story (Wonder Workshop, n.d.). Students learn to code through self-directed and guided play. Dash uses the software Blockly. In the software, students can follow guided pathways for their grade level. There are 10-15 activities which take about 15-20 minutes a piece. Teachers can monitor student progress on a dashboard and it will alert teachers if a student looks to be stuck. 

                Dash Robot Capabilities

        The R.A.T. model was developed by Dr. Joan Hughes in 1998. This model was created by Dr. Hughes to help her understand the nature of technology-supported practices teachers develop and implemented into their classrooms. R.A.T stands for Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation. 

Image of R.A.T. model and its characteristics

   Replacement: Technology is used to replace, and not change, the way student learning processes, instructional practices, and content goals are implemented. All that changes in Replacement is the means that the content is delivered (digitally).

    Amplification: In Amplification, technology increases capabilities. Technology increases efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of instructional practices, student learning process, or content goals.

    Transformation: In Transformation, technology invents instruction, learning, or curriculum in new, fun, and original ways.

            While thinking about how this software could be used in the classroom, I came across a section in the Make Wonder page that lists different aspects of the technology. In the Make Wonder software, math activties, coding, science activities, and read aloud support are all included. The math activities are meant for grades 3-5. However, as a teacher I know that students in younger grades can be working at higher levels. This would be a great way to ensure students are working at their level and it would serve as Amplification in the R.A.T. model. For younger readers, instructions in the software can use the read-aloud feature to help support them in following the directions. The other section I feel that could be implemented would be the science section. This section is provided for grades K-5 and it includes teaching science along with the coding concepts of sequence, looping, and events. The Make Wonder Software also includes lessons that can be implemented in Math, Science, Social Studies, and Reading.

            While researching this product, I went ahead and signed up for the Free version and I plan to borrow Dash and Dot from our school librarian to use in my classroom this year. I am hopeful that it will add to the curriculum and allow students to work through coding skills as well. Due to the time restriction for my core curriculum, I will begin by implementing this during our workstation/small group time. I also plan to talk to our technology teacher and STEM teacher to see if they have used this in their classroom at all and if not I will ask if this is something they could do in their classroom to supplement what is being done in my classroom.

        

To learn more about the Make Wonder Free version for teachers and to sign up click here

Tp purchase and learn more about Dash and the Wonder Workshop click here

References

Dash robot from Wonder Workshop. Wonder Workshop. (n.d.). https://store.makewonder.com/products/dash?srsltid=AfmBOoqqR1J6t6r5o9hAnklUaYfV1Uto22HU8_a4G976c6IfGzMmQSJQ

R.A.T. model. Dr. Joan E. Hughes | TechEdges | Technology Integration Research. (2016, June 24). https://web.archive.org/web/20190612101737/https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/