A lot of teacher-authors read my WordDreams blog. In this monthly column, I share the most popular post from the past month on my teacher education blog, Ask a Tech Teacher. This particular post is on the hot topic of generative AI. While I do share a quick paragraph of my opinion (beware bias), the strength of this topic is in the post’s comments and the other 120 groupmember posts on this same topic (click here for the entire list of participants). If you’re looking for a great overview of generative AI, here’s a great place to start:

This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.

This month’s question — The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

My thoughts on this topic remain heavily conflicted. Every time I come up with an opinion, I have a counter-opinion. The only one that remains always there, though, is

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How to keep children safe online is the most popular question parents ask at my school. They want to know about firewalls, filters, kidsafe desktops, nannycams, cyberbullying, internet privacy, and everything in between. Should they keep their children away from computers or just off the internet? Do they have to sit with them while they work? Is there an age when it’s OK to let them on their own?

No. No. and No. Parents must teach children to take care of themselves while visiting the vast, anonymous, addictive neighborhood called ‘the internet’. Just as they stay at your side in large busy stores, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t open the door to people they don’t know, they will learn to be safe in the digital world. Because it’s part of our genome–to do what keeps us safe.

While they’re getting to that epiphany, here are ideas you can employ to support them on the way:

1. Teach your children to use the internet. They are digital citizens which includes rights and responsibilities they probably aren’t aware of. Just as in their neighborhood, they must learn them. Don’t hope school teaches them. They may, or might teach them wrong. Teach your kids to avoid ads, that anonymous isn’t innocent, and online relationships aren’t always friendly. Tell them again and again. Sooner than you think, they will own it. Just as they don’t cross the street without looking both ways, they won’t cross the ‘digital street’ unless it’s safe.
2. Discuss what they can and cannot do online. Discuss why so they understand. You want them able to take care of themselves which means not putting themselves in harm’s way.
3. Use a parental control filter. Block everything you worry about–chicks, Minecraft, girls, Facebook, xxx, murder. It’s easy to unblock if your child needs a site that won’t come up. More importantly, it leads to a conversation with your child about what they’re researching and why a particular site is relevant. You want your child comfortable with you involved in their lives–not as an arbiter of right and wrong, but an interested loving party.
4. Do not assume parental controls are perfect. In fact, assume they aren’t. Stay vigilant. Be aware when your child is too quiet or too noisy at the computer. Ask questions. Pop in unexpectedly.
5. Enforce rules. Don’t decide you’re too tired one night to go check a website your child tells you they need to visit. Always always always follow your own rules.
6. Check ‘history’ on your child’s computer. Do it with them so they understand this is part of the plan to keep them safe.
7. Know what their school does to keep your child safe online. Follow the same rules, or follow your own. Do explain the differences to your child. Children are flexible. They will be fine with varied rules.

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Here are popular online royalty-free music resources for presentations, classwork, and projects (click here for updates):

1. Audio Archive–millions of varied musical selections
2. Bensound–royalty free
3. dig.ccMixter--free for commercial too
4. Fesliyan
5. Free Music Archive
6. Free Stock Music
7. MusOpen–royalty-free music
8. Pixabay Music
9. Videvo–royalty-free music

Looking for general music sites? Check these out:

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What Student Assignments and Projects Are Considered Most Difficult: Myths and Truths

Are you a student who has ever wondered which assignments and projects are the most challenging? We’ve all been there, faced with daunting tasks that seem insurmountable. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the myths and truths surrounding the difficulty of student assignments and projects. By the end, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of these academic challenges, along with expert insights and tips to help you excel.

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Summer jobs for many high schoolers (myself included) was a right of passage, where we stuck our toe into the adult work-a-day world for a brief period before returning to school for more education. Arguably, our summer experience helped us decide to continue our learning into college, apply for trade school, join the military, or something else.

If you’re helping students select a summer job for next year and they want one that works better than this year’s choice, check out these ideas from the Ask a Tech Teacher crew:

6 Best Summer Jobs For High School Students & How To Land Them

With summer always seeming like an endless expanse of time for high school students, you might be wondering how to make productive use of it.

Getting a summer job can be a great solution. Not only will it provide an income, but also crucial skills and work experience that look great on college applications.

From babysitting to retail jobs, from lifeguarding to internships, there’s something suited to every student’s preferences. With this amount of choice, it’s worth exploring each opportunity in detail, so let’s do that together.

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October 10-19th

I’m visiting my wonderful sister in Indiana. Our plans: walk, read, cook, talk, tread, pet the dog–sounds fun, doesn’t it? I can’t wait.

See you-all in a few weeks!

In education, case studies are widely used as a pedagogical tool to encourage critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the application of theoretical knowledge. They serve as a bridge between theory and practice, promote active learning and the development of practical skills that improve their teaching methods. Our Ask a Tech Teacher crew has several resources for you to consider when you’re looking for case studies that relate to your next project:

Case Study Resources for Modern Teachers

Introducing case studies in your course can help prepare your students to deal with real-world situations. Well-planned case studies can challenge students’ problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. This teaching approach can help them analyze and find realistic solutions to complex problems.

As educators embarking on the application of case studies, creating your individual case studies or incorporating existing ones is pivotal. If the pursuit is to provide students with a custom assignment as you get started, opting for an online case study writing service is highly beneficial; services such as EduBirdie or Studybay extend premier case study writing services tailored to your needs.  (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 Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: What’s the easiest way to introduce 3rd graders to Excel charts?

A: When students have gone through the spreadsheet basics and feel like that scary interface (with the blank boxes and letters and numbers) isn’t so scary, you’re ready to create a chart. Collect class data. Highlight the labels and data and push F11.

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Assessment of student work is a crucial aspect of learning. It helps students recognize important lesson goals and teachers gauge  understanding. While multiple choice, short answer, and essays are still proven methods, there are many alternatives teachers can use for their particular student group. Here are some you can look into–and all online:

1. Easy CBM
2. Educreations–video a whiteboard explanation of how students are completing a task (app)
3. Edulastic–formative assessments; work on any devices (app)
4. Flip — record a video question from your desktop; add attachments; students respond from the app with their answer
5. Flubaroo (app)
6. Gimkit–gamified assessment, like Kahoot; freemium
7. Go Formative (app)
8. Google Forms (app)
9. Kahoot–quiz-show-like format (app)
10. Socrative (app)
11. Stick Around–turn questions into puzzles (app)
12. ThatQuiz.org

Add-ons

1. Flubaroo
2. Kaizena–add audio and video notes to submitted assignments; add-on

Badges

1. BloomBoard–badges for teacher PD
2. Credly
3. Open Badges

Class Review

1. Digital Breakouts–review or assessment in a gamelike format; includes mostly history, but other topics; high school
2. Kahoot–with a new team mode
3. Quizlet Live–students join with a code, break into teams, and are quizzed on a Quizlet

Common Core Prep

1. ReadyTest AtoZ--from RAZ Kids, freemium

Flashcards

1. Flippity–make flashcards in Google Spreadsheets
2. GoConqr–flash cards, quizzes, notes, more

Grading

1. Gradescope (from Turnitin)
2. Paperscorer–create quiz in Google Forms, grade it through Paperscorer
3. Planbook–online lesson planning and gradebook

Quizzes/Tests

Peer Review

1. PeerGrade–automate the process

Rubrics

SAT/ACT Online Resources

Warm-up/Exit Tickets

Failure

1. The Crossing–attempts to cross a gorge; some fail; all result in success

Copyright ©2023 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Here are the most-read posts for the month of October:

1. 9 Online Resources to Assist with ESL and ELL
2. Tech Tip #14: Desktop Icons Disappear?
3. Photoshop for Fifth Graders–Auto-fixes
4. Tech Ed Resources–Mentoring and Coaching
5. 12 Online Resources About 3D Printing
6. What do Parents Ask About Technology in Education?
7. Tech Tip #109 Five-second Backup
8. Easy Photo Editing in MS Word
9. 8 Online Resources for Animation
10. How to Find Reliable Internet Sources

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up in October:

1. Dozens of Online Resources About Assessment
2. How to Create a Chart Really Fast
3. How to Add Accents and More
4. What You Need to Know About Kidproofing the Internet
5. What’s Happening on my Writer’s Blog
6. 9 Online Resources About Free Music
7. My Keyboard Doesn’t Work
8. 17 Topics to Teach K-8 About Digital Citizenship
9. My Mouse Doesn’t Work

–image credit to Deposit Photo

Copyright ©2023 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.