Learning Ecosystems

How to Set Up District-Wide Choice-Based Professional Development [Kersznowski]

On 08/05/2024, in innovation, instructional design, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, by Daniel Christian

How to Set Up District-Wide Choice-Based Professional Development — from edutopia.org by Kathi Kersznowski
This district reimagined PD by tapping interested teachers to guide PD sessions on new software, creating a model that can be used for smaller initiatives as well.

As an edtech coach, I constantly seek innovative ways to deliver impactful professional development (PD), and when our district decided to transition from Microsoft to Google, I saw an opportunity to reimagine our approach to PD. My team of edtech specialists, plus our administrators and I.T. department, and I created Google Day, setting up a transformative model that engaged our entire staff and created lasting impact.

While our focus was a major platform change, this model can be adapted for any professional development topics or district-wide rollouts. Whether you‘re introducing a new curriculum or teaching strategies or starting any other initiative, the principles we applied can help you create a dynamic, effective PD experience.

The key elements—leveraging in-house expertise, offering choice in sessions, and creating a lasting set of resources—can be applied to virtually any PD need.

What to know about homeschooling [Wisner]

On 08/05/2024, in Alternatives, education, education reform, homeschooling/homeschoolers, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, parents/guardians, student-related, United States, by Daniel Christian

What to know about homeschooling — from parents.com by Wendy Wisner
Get a closer look at why families choose homeschooling, how common homeschooling is, and what homeschooling really looks like for kids and parents.

There are so many reasons why families become interested in homeschooling their children, and these days the choice has become much more mainstream and accepted.1 You may be interested in homeschooling starting from preschool or kindergarten, or it may be something you are considering for your older child.

While there are a lot of factors to weigh as you consider the option of homeschooling, the good news is that now, more than ever, there are many resources out there to help you. Let’s take a look at why families choose to homeschool, what homeschooling really looks like, and what the options for style and instruction.

As the economy slows, focus on the skills of the future: Ability to change. [Bersin]

On 08/03/2024, in business, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, economics, future, skills, training / L&D, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

As the economy slows, focus on the skills of the future: Ability to change. — from joshbersin.com by Josh Bersin

The Skills Of The Future Are Clear: Ability To Drive Change
I had an interesting set of meetings today with a group of HR leaders we talk with every few weeks. Every single one of the CHROs and other leaders told us they are investing in “change management” and “business transformation” skills in their people. What does that mean?

It means just this. While we all want more engineers, manufacturing gurus, scientists, and sales and marketing experts in our companies, the biggest set of “skills” we need is the “ability to drive change.” That particular skill is quite complex, learned over time, and massively important at the moment. And that led me to my final point.

The Role of the Law Library in Serving Incarcerated Individuals [Ortiz & Pokornowski]

On 08/03/2024, in law schools, legislatures / government / legal, library / librarians, society, sociology, by Daniel Christian

The Role of the Law Library in Serving Incarcerated Individuals — from sr.ithaka.org by Tammy Ortiz & Ess Pokornowski
Announcing a New IMLS-Funded Project

In a new project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), we will examine the national landscape of access to legal information for people who are incarcerated and the current state of the field of law librarianship in facilitating access to the law for the justice-impacted population. This project will build on exploratory research to document the different types of libraries involved in providing services to incarcerated patrons and the challenges and opportunities they face.

We will explore the following research questions:

What legal services and information can individuals who are incarcerated currently access?
What are the benefits and costs of increasing access to the law for persons who are incarcerated and their communities?
What role do institutions play when providing or allowing access to the law for individuals who are incarcerated?
How do policies and practices in place disrupt or promote access?
How can we design services and model solutions that incorporate best practices and overcome barriers that limit access to and use of legal resources and information?

Where are all the Special Educators? [Aldeman]

On 08/03/2024, in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), education, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, neurodivergent/special needs, student-related, teachers, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Where are all the Special Educators? — from educationnext.org by Chad Aldeman
Schools employ more special education teachers than ever. So why is there a shortage?

Is there a shortage of special education teachers in America’s public schools? If so, why? And how can policymakers fix it?

The first question sounds like an easy one. Yes, there is a shortage of special education teachers. In 2023–24, more than half of districts and 80 percent of states reported such a shortage.

If you doubt the self-reported data, a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation will lead you to the same conclusion. About 46,000 special education teachers leave public schools every year, while teacher preparation programs are training fewer than 30,000 new ones to replace them. Even if districts can supplement those new trainees with teachers who are re-entering the profession, that still makes for a very tight labor market.

Rapidly Rising Demand
The percentage of public school students who receive special education services has risen over time, reaching 15 percent in 2022–23. That increase has been propelled by a number of factors, including better and earlier identification of students who need additional support.

“For college students—and for higher ed itself—AI is a required course” [Merisotis] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 08/03/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, apprenticeships, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), bots, career development, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, education, education technology, emerging technologies, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, real-world assignments, reinvent, skills, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, trends, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, workplace, youth, by Daniel Christian

For college students—and for higher ed itself—AI is a required course — from forbes.com by Jamie Merisotis

Some of the nation’s biggest tech companies have announced efforts to reskill people to avoid job losses caused by artificial intelligence, even as they work to perfect the technology that could eliminate millions of those jobs.

It’s fair to ask, however: What should college students and prospective students, weighing their choices and possible time and financial expenses, think of this?

The news this spring was encouraging for people seeking to reinvent their careers to grab middle-class jobs and a shot at economic security.

Addressing Special Education Needs With Custom AI Solutions — from teachthought.com
AI can offer many opportunities to create more inclusive and effective learning experiences for students with diverse learning profiles.

For too long, students with learning disabilities have struggled to navigate a traditional education system that often fails to meet their unique needs. But what if technology could help bridge the gap, offering personalized support and unlocking the full potential of every learner?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful ally in special education, offering many opportunities to create more inclusive and effective learning experiences for students with diverse learning profiles.

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11 Summer AI Developments Important to Educators — from stefanbauschard.substack.com by Stefan Bauschard
Equity demands that we help students prepare to thrive in an AI-World

*SearchGPT
*Smaller & on-device (phones, glasses) AI models
*AI TAs
*Access barriers decline, equity barriers grow
*Claude Artifacts and Projects
*Agents, and Agent Teams of a million+
*Humanoid robots & self-driving cars
*AI Curricular integration
*Huge video and video-segmentation gains
*Writing Detectors — The final blow
*AI Unemployment, Student AI anxiety, and forward-thinking approaches
*Alternative assessments

Academic Fracking: When Publishers Sell Scholars Work to AI — from aiedusimplified.substack.com by Lance Eaton
Further discussion of publisher practices selling scholars’ work to AI companies

Last week, I explored AI and academic publishing in response to an article that came out a few weeks ago about a deal Taylor & Francis made to sell their books to Microsoft and one other AI company (unnamed) for a boatload of money.

Since then, two more pieces have been widely shared including this piece from Inside Higher Ed by Kathryn Palmer (and to which I was interviewed and mentioned in) and this piece from Chronicle of Higher Ed by Christa Dutton. Both pieces try to cover the different sides talking to authors, scanning the commentary online, finding some experts to consult and talking to the publishers. It’s one of those things that can feel like really important and also probably only to a very small amount of folks that find themselves thinking about academic publishing, scholarly communication, and generative AI.

At the Crossroads of Innovation: Embracing AI to Foster Deep Learning in the College Classroom — from er.educause.edu by Dan Sarofian-Butin
AI is here to stay. How can we, as educators, accept this change and use it to help our students learn?

The Way Forward
So now what?

In one respect, we already have a partial answer. Over the last thirty years, there has been a dramatic shift from a teaching-centered to a learning-centered education model. High-impact practices, such as service learning, undergraduate research, and living-learning communities, are common and embraced because they help students see the real-world connections of what they are learning and make learning personal.11

Therefore, I believe we must double down on a learning-centered model in the age of AI.

The first step is to fully and enthusiastically embrace AI.
…
The second step is to find the “jagged technological frontier” of using AI in the college classroom.

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Futures Thinking in Education — from gettingsmart.com by Getting Smart Staff

Key Points

Educators should leverage these tools to prepare for rapid changes driven by technology, climate, and social dynamics.
Cultivating empathy for future generations can help educators design more impactful and forward-thinking educational practices.

Some wisdom/scripture for us to reflect upon

On 08/03/2024, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, by Daniel Christian

⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Hebrews 11:1 New International Version

Faith in Action
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Psalm 86:5 New International Version

You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.

You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.

¹¹⁴You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.

Reflections on “U.S. national debt exceeds $35T for the first time ever” | Seeking Alpha

On 08/03/2024, in business, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, economics, parents/guardians, society, United States, vendors, youth, by Daniel Christian

.

Speaking of money, banking, interest rates, the economy, and more, also see:

In ‘Old Growth,’ Mitch Epstein Travels the U.S. to Capture Monumental Ancient Relics

On 08/01/2024, in art, creativity, design, digital photography, photography, United States, by Daniel Christian

In ‘Old Growth,’ Mitch Epstein Travels the U.S. to Capture Monumental Ancient Relics — from thisiscolossal.com by Kate Mothes and Mitch Epstein

Gig Work, College Skills [Fain]

On 08/01/2024, in apprenticeships, business, career development, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, liberal arts, skills, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Gig Work, College Skills — from the-job.beehiiv.com by Paul Fain
New partnership lets college students use classroom learning for freelance roles.

Bringing Freelancing to College Education
A new partnership between Podium Education, an experiential learning company, and the freelance platform Upwork aims to let more students use the skills they’ve learned in class—and to make money now for doing so.

The Big Idea: The partnership, announced today, is an extension of the work that Podium already does with more than 70 universities. Through their Global Career Accelerator, students learn marketing, data analytics, or coding skills for credit and get the chance to work on a specific project with companies like Intel and the nonprofit charity: water. With the new partnership, students who complete the coursework will get customized access to and onboarding with Upwork, as well as coaching on how to be successful in freelancing.

“Designing your classroom” + “A Starter Pack of Resources for New Teachers” [edutopia.org]

On 08/01/2024, in design, education, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, learning theories, teachers, United States, by Daniel Christian

Designing your classroom — from edutopia.org

As back-to-school season approaches, we know you’re gearing up to design your next classroom. It can be daunting to craft a space that does it all: boosts academic achievement, fosters collaboration, *and* makes students feel welcome and included.

That’s why we’ve curated a brand-new collection of 25 articles and videos—packed with research-backed insights and actionable strategies—to help find a layout that works best for you and your students. Topics range from optimizing your classroom walls to creating an environment that supports a wide range of executive functioning skills. Whether you’re a teacher or an administrator, these essential resources are designed to guide you through every stage of classroom setup.

Also from edutopia.org, see:

A Starter Pack of Resources for New Teachers — from edutopia.org
We’ve pulled together articles and videos in which educators—both veteran and new—share what they wish they knew on day one about classroom design, assessment, working with parents, and more.

Also re: the K-12 learning ecosystem, see:

As climate changes fuels hotter temperatures, kids are learning less — from hechingerreport.org by Jessica Kutz
Rising temperatures mean dehydrated, exhausted kids, but some policy makers are starting to take notice
5 More of My Favorite Beginning-of-Year Resources — from thebrokencopier.substack.com by Marcus Luther and The Broken Copier
And just like last year’s post, I’ve included templates/tools you for your classroom
Advice for New Teachers From a Teacher of the Year — from edutopia.org by Rebecka Peterson
Try implementing four simple ways of thinking to help guide you through your evolution as an educator.

Virtual Coaching Videos: Answering Your Questions [Tucker]

On 08/01/2024, in blended learning, content development, aggregation, repositories, digital learning, education, education technology, hybrid learning, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, online media, student-related, teachers, United States, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Virtual Coaching Videos: Answering Your Questions — from catlintucker.com by Catlin Tucker
(Emphasis below by DSC — and I would like to thank Catlin and people like her who are sharing their knowledge — free of charge — as they help others learn and grow!)

I am excited to announce the launch of a new video series on YouTube called “Virtual Coaching.” I have the privilege of working with thousands of educators every year who are expanding their teaching toolboxes to include blended learning models, UDL, and student-led instructional strategies. I understand how challenging it can be to shift practice. I encourage the educators I work with to reach out if they hit bumps, have questions, or need support as they implement new instructional models. Every year, I field hundreds of questions from the educators I work with and people who read my blog or listen to my podcast.

Having a reliable resource to ask questions and receive timely, practical responses when trying something new is crucial. That’s the goal of my new video series, “Virtual Coaching.” I want to answer your questions, tapping into my experiences and resources as a teacher, coach, and professional learning facilitator. I hope these videos will be valuable as you strive to design and facilitate engaging, effective, and equitable learning experiences.

Each virtual coaching video is designed to provide you with actionable advice that you can apply immediately. These videos cover various topics, including implementing new teaching strategies, overcoming classroom challenges, and exploring innovative ways to engage students. Time is a limited commodity, so I keep my videos short and sweet. The goal is to provide my community of educators with support, insights, and inspiration without overwhelming you or consuming too much of your time.

Also from Catlin, see:

Why Don’t We Trust Students? — from catlintucker.com by Catlin Tucker

As someone who regularly works with teachers on topics like blended learning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and student-led learning, one recurring theme I encounter is control. There’s a pervasive fear among educators when it comes to releasing control and allowing students to take more ownership and responsibility for their learning. This begs the question: Why don’t we trust our students? What is it that we really fear?

If we maintain all the control, we hinder our students’ ability to develop the essential skills they will need in the future. The rapidly changing demands of the workplace and life require individuals who are self-motivated, adaptable, and capable of critical thinking and problem-solving. By not allowing students to take more responsibility for their learning, we risk leaving them unprepared for these future challenges.

From DSC:
This item re: control makes me think of this graphic, which readers of this blog will recognize.

Learners need: More voice. More choice. More control. -- this image was created by Daniel Christian

Building Durable Skills into Middle School Career Exploration — from edmentum.com

As the needs of the modern workforce evolve at an unprecedented rate, durable, or “soft,” skills are often eclipsing demand for sought-after technical skills in high-demand jobs across industry sectors, geography, and educational level.

Through research, collaboration, and feedback from more than 800 educators, workforce professionals, industry leaders, and policymakers, America Succeeds—a leading educational policy and advocacy group—has developed Durable Skills and the Durable Skills Advantage Framework to provide a common language for the most in-demand durable skills. With 85% of career success being dependent on durable skills, this framework bridges the gap between the skills students are taught in school and evolving workforce needs.

On a somewhat related note, also see:

Green Workforce Connect and Building Green Pathways with Cynthia Finley — from gettingsmart.com by Mason Pashia

Over the last few years, we’ve been covering New Pathways, which we think of as a framework for school leaders and community members to create supports and systems that set students up for success in what’s next. This might be career exploration, client-connected projects, internships, or entrepreneurial experiences.

But what it really comes down to is connecting learners to real-world experiences and people and helping them articulate the skills that they gain in the process. Along the way, we began to talk a lot about green jobs. Many of the pre-existing pathways in secondary schools point towards CTE programs and trades, which are more in demand than they’ve been in decades.

This coincides with a pivotal moment in the arc of infrastructure redesign and development, one that heavily emphasizes clean energy trajectories and transferable skills. Many of these jobs we refer to as green pathways or requiring some of these green skills.

One leading organization in this space is the Interstate Renewable Energy Council or IREC. I got to sit down with Cynthia Finley, the Vice President of Workforce Strategy at IREC to talk about green pathways and what IREC is doing to increase awareness and exposure of green jobs and skills.

“Every single restaurant, every single website will probably, in the future, have these AIs …” Huang said. Plus numerous other items re: AI in general.

On 07/31/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, bots, business, change, computer science, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, Facebook / Meta Platforms, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, marketing/social marketing, NVIDIA, Open AI, platforms, privacy, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, skills, society, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

We’re starting to roll out advanced Voice Mode to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users. Advanced Voice Mode offers more natural, real-time conversations, allows you to interrupt anytime, and senses and responds to your emotions. pic.twitter.com/64O94EhhXK

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) July 30, 2024

Per the Rundown AI:

Why it matters: AI is slowly shifting from a tool we text/prompt with, to an intelligence that we collaborate, learn, and grow with. Advanced Voice Mode’s ability to understand and respond to emotions in real-time convos could also have huge use cases in everything from customer service to mental health support.

Also relevant/see:

OpenAI’s SearchGPT: Google’s knockout punch or just a Perplexity copycat? — from aidisruptor.ai by Alex McFarland
The days of traditional SEO are numbered.

Creators to Have Personalized AI Assistants, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Tells NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang — from blogs.nvidia.com by Brian Caulfield
Zuckerberg and Huang explore the transformative potential of open source AI, the launch of AI Studio, and exchange leather jackets at SIGGRAPH 2024.

“Every single restaurant, every single website will probably, in the future, have these AIs …” Huang said.

“…just like every business has an email address and a website and a social media account, I think, in the future, every business is going to have an AI,” Zuckerberg responded.
…
More broadly, the advancement of AI across a broad ecosystem promises to supercharge human productivity, for example, by giving every human on earth a digital assistant — or assistants — allowing people to live richer lives that they can interact with quickly and fluidly.

Also related/see:

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Calls Mark Zuckerberg’s Vision for the Future of AI a ‘Home Run Idea’ — from entrepreneur.com by Sherin Shibu, edited by Melissa Malamut
Here’s how Zuckerberg sees AI affecting Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta products.

DC: Nvidia continues 2get rocked as I think people are taking their gains & getting nervous about AI’s ability 2deliver healthy ROI’s. But I think co’s will let many people go as a result of various AI’s impacts. They WILL get their ROI. But it may be at a great cost to some pple

— Daniel S. Christian (@dchristian5) July 30, 2024

From DSC:
Today was a MUCH better day for Nvidia however (up 12.81%). But it’s been very volatile in the last several weeks — as people and institutions ask where the ROI’s are going to come from.

DC: What do you think about this? What about if this occurred at *your* place of employment? https://t.co/CWc09Cm7n1

— Daniel S. Christian (@dchristian5) July 30, 2024

This last wave of AI releases is truly making us more capable than ever.

Here are 10 amazing examples of my favorite new tool ?

This is Claude 3.5 Sonnet with Artifacts, a new feature that allows people to go from a super simple prompt to immediate previews of games, code… pic.twitter.com/w4kkT25fch

— Allie K. Miller (@alliekmiller) July 15, 2024

It’s been a huge week for AI, and it’s only Tuesday.

Major developments from OpenAI’s Advanced Voice, Friend, Meta SAM 2, Speechmatics, Perplexity, Midjourney, Runway, Leonardo, and NVIDIA.

Here’s everything you need to know:

— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) July 31, 2024

For images, use @midjourney
For real time, use @krea_ai
For upscaling, use @topazlabs
For voice, use @elevenlabsio
For music, use @suno_ai_
For NeRFs, use @LumaLabsAI
For 3D, use @splinetool
For editing, use @DescriptApp
For mocap, use @MoveAI_
For video, use prayers

— Nick St. Pierre (@nickfloats) July 27, 2024

9 compelling reasons to learn how to use AI Chatbots — from interestingengineering.com by Atharva Gosavi
AI Chatbots are conversational agents that can act on your behalf and converse with humans – a futuristic novelty that is already getting people excited about its usage in improving efficiency.

7. Accessibility and inclusivity
Chatbots can be designed to support multiple languages and accessibility needs, making services more inclusive. They can cater to users with disabilities by providing voice interaction capabilities and simplifying access to information. Understanding how to develop inclusive chatbots can help you contribute to making technology more accessible to everyone, a crucial aspect in today’s diverse society.

8. Future-proofing your skills
AI and automation are the future of work. Having the skills of building AI chatbots is a great way to future-proof your skills, and given the rising trajectory of AI, it’ll be a demanding skill in the market in the years to come. Staying ahead of technological trends is a great way to ensure you remain relevant and competitive in the job market.

Top 7 generative AI use cases for business — from cio.com by Grant Gross
Advanced chatbots, digital assistants, and coding helpers seem to be some of the sweet spots for gen AI use so far in business.

Many AI experts say the current use cases for generative AI are just the tip of the iceberg. More uses cases will present themselves as gen AIs get more powerful and users get more creative with their experiments.

However, a handful of gen AI use cases are already bubbling up. Here’s a look at the most popular and promising.

The resistance to AI in education isn’t really about learning — from medium.com by Peter Shea

A quick comment first from DSC:
Peter Shea gives us some interesting perspectives here. His thoughts should give many of us fodder for our own further reflection.

This reaction underscores a deeper issue: the resistance to AI in education is not truly about learning. It reflects a reluctance to re-evaluate the traditional roles of educators and to embrace the opportunities AI offers to enhance the learning experience.
…
In order to thrive in the learning ecosystem that will evolve in the Age of AI, the teaching profession needs to do some difficult but essential re-evaluation of their role, in order to better understand where they can provide the best value to learners. This requires confronting some comforting myths and uncomfortable truths.

Problem #2: The Closed World of Academic Culture
In addition, many teachers have spent little time working in non-academic professions. This is especially true for college instructors, who must devote five to seven years to graduate education before obtaining their first full-time position, and thus have little time to explore careers outside academia. This common lack of non-academic work experience heightens the anxiety that educators feel when contemplating the potential impact of generative AI on their work lives.

Also see this related posting:

Majority of Grads Wish They’d Been Taught AI in College — from insidehighered.com by Lauren Coffey
A new survey shows 70 percent of graduates think generative AI should be incorporated into courses. More than half said they felt unprepared for the workforce.

A majority of college graduates believe generative artificial intelligence tools should be incorporated into college classrooms, with more than half saying they felt unprepared for the workforce, according to a new survey from Cengage Group, an education-technology company.

The survey, released today, found that 70 percent of graduates believe basic generative AI training should be integrated into courses; 55 percent said their degree programs did not prepare them to use the new technology tools in the workforce.