My sis is visiting from Oct. 5-10th. I will have difficulty thinking of anything other than family. We have a lot to talk about.

See you-all Oct. 12th!

This article hits many of my core tech beliefs–that it shouldn’t be difficult to use, that it should solve a problem, and that it should make your teaching tasks easier. One of the members of the Ask a Tech Teacher team applied this thinking to AI voice tools:

Technology earns its place in the classroom when it solves a problem.

If it adds another platform to learn and another headache on Friday afternoon, it may not be worth using.

Voice tools are one useful category. Used well, they can offer students another way to take in information, practice speaking, or, in the case of voice typing, show what they know without turning the teacher into a full-time tech assistant/troubleshooter.

1. Give Long Instructions an Audio Option

Some kids simply take in information better when they hear it alongside reading it. But there’s no need to reformat an entire lesson to accommodate them. Instead, the teacher can provide an audio version of the instructions at a fraction of the cost of recording everything.

This can be especially helpful for instructions that guide kids through multistep projects. Instead of pausing to dissect the process, they can go back to the audio file.

2. Let Students Listen to Their Own Writing

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Have you wondered if taking additional classes in business would benefit your career? Maybe an MBA? Or a certificate in data analysis? The Ask a Tech Teacher team as a few ideas for you to consider as you ponder your options: 

Every career reaches a point where hard work alone no longer leads to the next step. Many professionals find that promotions start to depend on a wider set of abilities, such as guiding teams, planning for the long term, and understanding how every part of an organization fits together.

Advanced business education helps close that gap. It gives people the knowledge, habits, and confidence they need to move from doing good work to leading others who do good work. For anyone who wants to grow into a leadership role, learning the language and logic of business can make a lasting difference. (more…)

Learning to use technology has become as important in most jobs as being comfortable with computers was for any post-high school job twenty years ago. Now, thanks to advances, even hands-on professions benefit from solid tech skills. In this article, the Ask a Tech Teacher team explores that reality as it relates to mental health nursing:

Technology has changed the way people learn, communicate, and access healthcare, but that does not mean meaningful careers are limited to computers and engineering. In fact, healthcare increasingly depends on professionals who can combine digital confidence with strong human skills. Mental health nursing sits directly in that space. It requires scientific knowledge, communication, critical thinking, and the ability to use evolving healthcare technology while supporting people through some of their most difficult moments. For students who enjoy problem-solving, digital tools, and work that creates a direct impact, this career path offers an interesting combination of innovation and personal connection. (more…)

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Bullying is no longer relegated to the playground or the neighborhood. It now regularly happens in the cyberworld. Kids don’t expect that and often don’t know how to handle it. In fact, according to StopBullying.gov, 52 percent of young people report being cyberbullied and over half of them don’t report it to their parents.

Everyone knows what bullying is — someone being taunted physically or mentally by others — and there are endless resources devoted to educating both students and teachers on how to combat bullying. But what about cyberbullying? Wikipedia defines “cyberbullying” as:

the use of information technology to repeatedly harm or harass other people in a deliberate manner

Cyberbullying occurs on not just social media like Twitter, Facebook, and topical forums, but multiplayer games and school discussion boards. Examples include mean texts or emails, insulting snapchats, rumors posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing photos or videos.

How serious is it? (more…)

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each week, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: The file I’m trying to use say’s ‘read only’. I need to edit it. What do I do?

A: A ‘read only’ document does not allow editing the author’s original work. You can read, but not make any changes–or save it.

Here’s how you solve that: Save it by a different name, say, call it ‘edited’, and then you can edit it. There might be an amber bar at the top of the document asking you to do just that.

Questions you want answered? Email me at askatechteacher@gmail.com and I’ll answer within the next thirty days. (more…)

This is an update to a popular article from last year, to prepare you for the new school year. I think you’ll find it an interesting alternative to traditional teaching strategies:

It’s no secret many parents are frustrated with public schools. Are kids learning to think or just to pass tests? Are they spending classroom time wisely or just doing what’s always been done? Are we developing lifelong learners or simply kids who can’t wait to graduate?

If this describes you, you’re not alone in your concerns, but there’s hope. Consider a pedagogy that transcends rote memorization and the stock drills often found in today’s classrooms, one that expects critical thinking and teaches how to learn anything — not just school subjects. It’s called a “Growth Mindset”. In a 2016 Edsurge article by Rupa Gupta, former Redesign Administrator at Burnett Middle School in San Jose, Calif., she summarized the issue like this:

“In a recent national survey, 97 percent of teachers agreed that all students can and should have a growth mindset, and that same number said fostering a growth mindset is an important part of a teacher’s job. Yet only 50 percent said they have adequate solutions and strategies to shift mindset.”

So nearly everyone agrees this type of cerebral approach is important to real learning but few know how to make it happen.

Fast forward ten years. Here’s an article from Stanford discussing why it works and why you should try it. Their summation :

“Research has shown that when students have a growth mindset, they are more likely to challenge themselves, believe that they can achieve more, and become stronger, more resilient and creative problem solvers. Educators can have an enormous impact on the mindset of their students.”

Let’s review the basics:

What is Growth Mindset?

Let me back up a moment and define “Growth Mindset” more clearly. Most people believe basic human qualities like intelligence and talent are fixed traits: nature supersedes nurture. Kids are born with the characteristics that will mold their future. They are good at math or they aren’t. They can throw a football well or not. As kids grow, they figure out what they can and can’t do and adjust learning and life as needed to these truths. They come to believe that understanding and adapting to this process equates to success.

In a Growth Mindset, people believe ability can be developed through dedication and hard work. The cerebral and physical traits they were born with are just the starting point. Students are responsible for setting the patterns and strategies that allow them to succeed, by evaluating what they can do at any given point and making a plan for learning everything else.

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It sounds easy, but to a five or six year old, holding the mouse, clicking that left button, dragging and dropping while holding a finger down is darn difficult. Here’s a list (click for updates):

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Today’s tip: Fix Double-space between Paragraphs

Q: Space between paragraphs is the default, but I don’t like that. What do I do?

A: I don’t like that either. I’m sure as many people start a paragraph with a tab indent as a double space between paragraphs. To fix this, select the document you want to fix and then:

• In Word: Go to Page Layout>Paragraph>Spacing. Set ‘before’ and ‘after’ to 0–not 10.
• In Google Docs: Go to Format>Line Spacing. Set ‘before’ and ‘after’ to 0.

To make this the default, set the spacing up as you’d like it to be then click the ‘Default’ button at the bottom of the dialog box.

In Google Docs: Set up the page as you want it and then go to Styles drop-down menu>Options>Save current.

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Technology has been changing learning for over a decade. The Ask a Tech Teacher team has insights into what that means in the teaching of English:

How Is Technology Changing the Way English Is Taught?

Technology has always been crucial when it comes to the field of education, but it has never before had such an impact on the way in which English is taught and learned than it has today. Virtual classrooms, instant feedback, and AI tools are all helping teachers to deliver more effective lessons while simultaneously supporting students in their learning journeys.

Online classes have been around for a while, but the Covid-19 pandemic really brought their potential to the fore. As internet use has become more accessible across the globe and Wi-Fi is now more reliable, the latest technology is rapidly changing the way English is taught in countries all over the world. From artificial intelligence to mobile apps and online learning spaces, cutting-edge tech is making an enormous difference for educators and learners alike.

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