A few months back, I came up with an idea for testing AI image generators: creating a mood meter graphic that teachers could use in their classrooms. I thought this would be a good way to test how well AI image generators create something with several different elements that also look visually cohesive. At the […]
Watch Out for Low-Quality Sources When Using Google Deep Research
Recently, my favorite newsletter linked an article about Sweden going back to paper textbooks after 15 years of using digital devices. This was the first I had heard about it. The headline intrigued me because I was looking for the latest research on screen time and its impacts of using digital devices in the classroom. […]
Generative AI: The Day I Stopped Searching and Started Creating
I’m just kind of dumbstruck by AI right now. A problem cropped up at work, and AI helped me solve it in a way that wasn’t possible a year ago. It wasn’t a big problem, just the kind that gets on your nerves when some app doesn’t work how you want. The solution, however, offers […]
Turn NoteBookLM Audio Overviews into a Podcast Feed with PushPod
So you love NotebookLM’s audio overviews feature, but it’s a pain to listen to them on the go. What if you could listen to them on your favorite podcast player? You can! I found a tool called PushPod that lets you create a private podcast using a Dropbox or OneDrive folder. This tutorial will show […]
How Generative AI Helps Me Maintain Flow When Writing
Writing has always been a challenge for me. It’s hard to maintain flow because I often fall into the trap of editing while writing. I will show you one way I used ChatGPT Plus to avoid that trap, and then I’ll mention some of the free options available to do the same thing. I’ll also […]
Reboot: Making Sense of AI in Education
I’ll get write to it. I’m rebooting my blog because of AI. I’ve worked in K-12 education for fourteen years, and I’ve never seen a new technology emerge with the power to radically change our world with such power and speed. Tablets, 3D printers, smartboards, 1:1 classrooms, those were iterative developments that (not always) enhanced […]
Sparking Student Creativity with Abstract Ice Cream Cones
How can we help kids be more creative? It’s a question I often think about when working with students at Garden Street Academy. Creative thinkers make better problem-solvers. Here’s a bit of insight I recently had with sixth graders in my 3D printing and design class. I’m teaching them to design for our 3D printers […]
How to Change the Background Color of an Apple Pages Document
Have you ever wanted to change the background color of an Apple Pages document? If the document has full-page body text (instead of text boxes), and you try to drag a photo, shape, or object onto the page, you’ll notice that the text either gets pushed around like two magnets repelling each other, or it gets covered up. This quick tutorial […]
Taking Notes in Class: Laptops vs. Handwriting
I didn’t get my first computer until my third year of college in 1995. It was a giant, Windows 95 tower PC (a P120 with 16MB of RAM). Laptops were not common, and no one used anything but pen and paper to take notes during class lectures. Forward to today, and laptops and tablets are […]
Dinosaur Timelines and Time Scales for Class Reports and Projects
Dinosaurs are a popular topic in schools, especially with younger students. One of the important bits of information students learn is when dinosaurs lived. However, I couldn’t find any simple dinosaur timelines or time scale that students could print out and use to show when a dinosaur lived. Dinosaurs roamed the earth for 181 million years. It can be challenging for […]