Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

How to (correctly!) use ChatGPT for essay writing

Key points:

Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT launch in November 2022, it continues to bother teachers. No wonder:

The tool has a fascinating ability to craft texts that look like a human wrote them. Influencing the education niche, it’s a game-changer in the classroom. Not only does it make educators revise their approach to teaching academic writing, but some still see it as a threat to students’ academic integrity.…Read More

3 lessons on perseverance from a honey badger

Key points:

  • A classroom that values perseverance is a safe space for students to take chances
  • Setting goals is another key part of creating an environment of perseverance
  • See related article: 3 ways teachers can drive student growth

Have you ever heard the story of Stoffel the honey badger? Stoffel was rescued by a wildlife rehabilitation center after being injured by a pride of lions and quickly became infamous for his many escape attempts.

No matter what his caretakers did to deter him, Stoffel always found a way to escape his enclosure. First, he taught his fellow honey badger how they could work together to open the door to their habitat. Then, he began using tools and objects to scale the walls when his caretakers weren’t looking. At one point, he even built a small ramp over the wall using accumulated mud and debris. Suffice it to say, Stoffel knew a thing or two about perseverance.…Read More

Reading, writing, and cybersecurity: Practicing good cyber hygiene

Key points:

The school bell is about to ring in another academic year, and as children pull out their lunchboxes and teachers decorate their rooms, schools continue to face an onslaught of cyberthreats while also grappling with perpetually insufficient budgets, legacy IT, and under-staffing concerns.

The increased level of connectivity in today’s schools means richer opportunities for learning and community, but it also puts at further risk the financial data, personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive information that educational institutions hold.…Read More

How AI could advance computer-based tutors—and student success

Key points:

  • Education has long struggled to help all students achieve concept mastery
  • With advances in AI, computer-based tutors could be one of the solutions educators have long sought
  • See related article: 4 exciting ways AI is a game-changer for teachers

Benjamin Bloom explained the 2 sigma problem in his seminal 1984 article of the same title. Briefly stated, the problem consists of the following:

  • The average student who is taught by a tutor using mastery learning techniques outperforms 98 percent of students taught in a typical classroom.
  • Society cannot afford to provide full-time tutors for every student.
  • As a result, the majority of students fail to reach their potential due to the way we teach them.

Because there appeared to be no viable path to providing each student with their own personal tutor, Bloom called on educational researchers to “find methods of group instruction as effective as one-on-one tutoring.” Educational technologists weren’t so quick to give up on the idea of providing every student with their own individual tutor, however, and have made laudable progress toward the 2 sigma goal by designing what are called intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Unfortunately, these systems are both difficult and expensive to design and build, and typically work only in a single domain of knowledge (such as algebra).…Read More

How districts can proactively protect against school shootings

Key points:

The U.S. continues to grapple with its gun-related violence problem as new shootings make headlines every day. In 2022, Americans witnessed the horror of the second deadliest school shooting of all time, which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. While Robb Elementary School was the target in this particular tragedy, school shootings have proven to have a domino effect that permeates the entire school system.

K-12 schools are facing a national teacher shortage and declining public school student enrollments, with enrollment dropping by roughly 3 percent in 2020-21 compared with the previous school year. These declines cannot be attributed solely to budget cuts, salary disputes, or curriculum changes. In a recent National Center for Education study, 57 percent of students and 63 percent of parents claimed they are worried about a shooting happening at their school, while 40 percent of teachers reported feeling less safe compared to five years ago.…Read More

Creativity in the classroom reduces burnout and improves well-being

Key points:

This article originally appeared on Adobe’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Teacher burnout is, unfortunately, not a new phenomenon. Even 15 years ago, when I was teaching middle and high school, it was always a question of when (not if) my colleagues and I would reach burnout towards the end of the year. On a good year, with ideal conditions, some teachers would make it until around April. But, of course, we always looked out for teachers who showed signs of burnout as early as mid-year.…Read More

Sibme Unveils AI Tool to Save Teachers’ Time and Strengthen Coaching Conversations

Sibme — Research reinforces the effectiveness of video coaching in education, and a  recent study from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) noted that at least 70% of teachers that received feedback via video coaching learned specific strategies that they could use in their classrooms. In addition, almost 90% of teachers in the study said they were more reflective about their teaching as a result of the feedback they received.

“Teachers have so much on their plates—from creating lesson plans to ensuring each of their students grows and grasps important concepts and lessons,” said Dave Wakefield, Chief Executive Officer of Sibme. “When we created Sibme, we set out to make sure professional learning opportunities were based on evidence of practice and designed to save valuable time. Sibme AI does just that and takes some of the extra work off teachers’ and instructional leaders’ shoulders to analyze recorded classroom instruction—while still providing the insights teachers need to work with their instructional coaches and grow in their craft.”

Sibme AI automatically transcribes a video or audio recording and then uses data from the transcription and video to generate reports on a variety of quantitative metrics about classroom instruction. Those key metrics allow teachers to self-reflect on what’s working and not working in their classroom, collaborate with their colleagues and engage in authentic, data-focused coaching conversations. The tailored metrics provide direction and opportunities for rich discussions when teachers work with their instructional coaches one-on-one, helping them pinpoint areas for potential growth together.…Read More

5 ways AI can help teachers in the classroom

Key points:

  • As AI tools like ChatGPT grow in popularity, there’s no avoiding them in the classroom
  • Using AI to teach students about AI helps students approach it with the respect it deserves and emphasizes its use as a learning tool
  • See related article: Debunking common myths about AI in education

If you’ve spent any time tinkering with AI like I have, you’ve discovered what a powerful and versatile tool it can be for teachers in the classroom. Sometimes, it almost feels like AI gives us superpowers. Simply by using a collection of prompts, I can direct AI to write, draw, code, and perform any number of difficult tasks in ways I otherwise couldn’t. The only limit is your imagination!

This brings up some pressing questions, though, and as with any new technology, it will take time before we reach definitive answers. In the meantime, however, finding positive ways of integrating AI into education can give us a better understanding of its full potential, and maybe point us in the right direction for its future use. Here are just 5 ways AI can help teachers in classroom:…Read More

Teachers are surprise AI champions

Key points:

  • While some reports have teachers wary of AI in the classroom, a new survey reveals that approximately half of teachers are excited about its potential
  • Teachers say they can use AI for research, lesson plans, generating classroom materials, and more
  • See related article: Is generative AI a new secret weapon, or just another gadget?

Roughly half of teachers say they are excited about AI’s potential in the classroom and say they believe it increases learning equity, according to a new survey from study platform Quizlet. 

The first-ever State of AI in Education Report polled students and teachers in the U.S. on how they are using AI in the classroom and how these technologies are shaping the future of education.…Read More