ideas

AI and the Law: What Educators Need to Know About Responsible Use in a Rapidly Changing Landscape — from rdene915.com by Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth, JD

As both an attorney and educator who has spent more than eight years researching, teaching, presenting, and writing about AI, I have worked with schools across K–12 and higher education that are navigating these exact questions. The legal implications of AI are not barriers to innovation, but I consider them to serve as guardrails that assist schools with adopting technology responsibly. The key is protecting students, educators, and institutions and staying informed. Understanding the legal landscape and any potential legal implications as a result of the use of AI in classrooms helps schools move forward with confidence rather than hesitation.

Sections of Rachelle’s posting include:

Why AI and the Law Matter in Education
Key Laws That Shape AI Use in Schools
Data Privacy and Vendor Responsibility
Transparency Builds Trust With Students and Families
Accessibility, Equity, and Emerging Legal Considerations
Teaching Digital Citizenship With AI Literacy
Supporting Schools and Organizations Through AI and Legal Guidance
Moving Forward With Confidence

The AI-based learning platform of the future will be constantly doing this

On 03/24/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, career development, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, education technology, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, lifelong learning, more voice more choice more control, personalized/customized learning, platforms, reinvent, skills, society, student-related, surviving, tools, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I have been proposing that the AI-based learning platform of the future will be constantly doing this — every single day. It will know what the in-demand skills are — at any given moment in time. It will then be able to direct you to resources that will help you gain those skills. Though in my vision, the system is querying actual/open job descriptions, not analyzing learning data from enterprise learners. Perhaps I should add that to the vision.

Coursera’s Job Skills Report 2026: Top skills for your students — from coursera.org

The Job Skills Report 2026 analyzes learning data from more than 6 million enterprise learners to identify the future job skills organizations need most. It’s designed for HR and L&D leaders; data, IT, and software & product development leaders; higher education administrators; and government agencies seeking actionable insights on workforce skills trends and AI-driven transformation.
…
Drawing on data from 6 million enterprise learners across nearly 7,000 organizations, the Job Skills Report 2026 guides you through the skills reshaping the global economy. This year’s analysis spans Data, IT, and Software & Product Development—and the Generative AI skills becoming essential for every role.

Is the eLearning authoring tool dead? [Milloway & Slade]

On 03/24/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, Learning Experience Design, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, tools, trends, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Is the eLearning authoring tool dead? — from linkedin.com by Melissa Milloway & Tim Slade

…which links to the video below:

Check out some of the features an AI-powered LMS provides you with!

On 03/23/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assessment, business, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, languages and translation, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, platforms, skills, training / L&D, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Here is Pradnya’s posting out on LinkedIn.com:

From DSC…note these excerpts from Pradnya’s posting:

I’m not manually assigning 400 people anymore ? They’re actually taking relevant courses now
Shows me the data ? Suggests courses to fix it ? I look like a strategic genius
Completion rates up 34% ? Nobody’s “stuck” anymore

Pradnya links to a page out at ParadisoSolutions.com. Check out some of the functionality this AI-powered system provides:

Also from Pradnya, see this posting:

5 Tech Strategies to Enhance Student-Led Learning — from edutopia.org by Rachelle Dené Poth
While technology has potential to distract students, it can also boost engagement and help them actively demonstrate their learning.

Over the years, I have learned that engagement doesn’t happen simply by adding technology. It increases when we give students more ownership by designing experiences that allow them to build, collaborate, reflect, and teach one another. Depending on how we use it, technology can either amplify engagement or distract from it. Technology can help build students’ confidence in learning, but it can also lead to passivity. When technology is used to amplify students’ voice, choice, and ownership in learning, their engagement will naturally increase.

Here are five strategies and some digital tools that can be used across grade levels and content areas to boost student engagement, build confidence, foster collaboration, and support meaningful learning experiences.

Project-Based Learning (PBL)
Implementing a PBL Design Challenge in Your School — from edutopia.org by Lisa Beck & Kim Mishkin
A weeklong, schoolwide project-based learning challenge encourages students to try to tackle meaningful problems.

For the past five years, Hudson Lab School (HLS), a K–8 progressive school committed to project?based learning (PBL), has kicked off each school year with an exciting tradition: Design Challenge Week. In five days, students take on a real?world problem, explore each phase of the design process, and present what they created and learned to an authentic audience. Design Challenge Week introduces concepts that students will revisit all year and offers a model for how any educational setting could experiment with PBL on a smaller scale. Even short, well?designed challenges can lead to deeply engaged learning experiences.

How to Give Students Directions They Actually Understand — from edutopia.org by Mary Davenport
Making small changes in your instructions can have a significant impact on students’ understanding and engagement.

No more than a minute after you’ve provided instruction on the day’s targeted content and given students directions for their next task, some brave soul utters the line that brings tired teachers to their knees: “What are we supposed to be doing?”

None of us want this. As teachers, we all want students to fully understand what they’re supposed to be doing so that they can be successful as they do it.

Good news: A few small changes in how we give directions can be the lever that boosts student understanding and engagement.

“The Future of College in an AI World” [Selingo] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 03/18/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate / business world, digital learning, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent systems, K-12 related, leadership, learning ecosystem, liberal arts, Michigan, multimedia, music, Open AI, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

The Future of College in an AI World — from linkedin.com by Jeff Selingo
In today’s issue: The tension over AI in higher ed; application inflation continues and testing is back; what’s the future of the original classroom technology, the learning management system.

Hundreds of higher ed and industry leaders gathered Tuesday for a summit
on AI and the future of learning at the University of Michigan.
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Conversations like the one we had at Michigan this week are necessary, but the action rarely matches the ambition.

We say the humanities are the operating system of an AI world, yet students and parents don’t believe it. They’re voting with their feet toward STEM, business, and narrowly tailored majors they believe will lead to a job.
Meanwhile, colleges are quietly eliminating the very humanities degrees the panelists were championing, employers are cutting the entry rungs off the career ladder for new graduates, and as Podium Education co-founder Christopher Parrish reminded us yesterday, there’s a yawning gap between demand for experience and the internships that actually exist.

AI Music Generators: Teaching With These Catchy AI Tools — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
AI music generators are getting better and better, and there are more applications in the classroom as a result.

Are All AI Music Generators More Or Less The Same?
No. After experimenting with a few various free ones, I found a wide range of quality with the same prompts.

Gemini is the only one I’d currently recommend. It’s user-friendly but limited and only creates 30-second clips. Other music generators could potentially outperform Gemini with prompt adjustments. The ones I tried did better with the instrumentals but struggled more with the lyrics, and that kind of defeated the purpose of the tool for me.

ChatDOC: Teaching With The AI Summarizing Tool — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
ChatDOC lets users turn any PDF into an AI chatbot that can summarize the text, answer questions, and generate quizzes.

What Is ChatDOC?
ChatDOC is an AI designed to help users interact with PDFs of various types, be it research papers, short stories, or chapters from larger works. Users upload a PDF and then have the opportunity to “chat” with that document, that is speak with a chatbot that bases its answers off of the uploaded text.

ChatDOC can perform tasks such as provide a short summary, search for specific terms, explain the overall theme if it’s a work of literature, or unpack the science in a research paper.

Other similar tools are out there, but ChatDOC is definitely one of the better PDF readers I’ve used. Its free version is quick and easy-to-use, and delivers on its promise of providing an AI that can discuss a given document with users and even quiz them on it.

From AI access to workforce readiness — from chieflearningofficer.com by Johnny Hamilton, Amy Stratbucker, & Brad Bigelow
Is your workforce using the right tool with an outdated mindset and playbook? Why old playbooks fall short — and what learning leaders must do next.

The leadership opportunity
Organizations do not need to predict every future AI capability. They need systems that allow people to explore with curiosity, practice safely, reflect deeply and adapt continuously — starting with what they already have and extending as capabilities evolve.

For CLOs, this is a moment to lead from the center of change — designing workforce readiness that keeps pace with accelerating technology while making work more rewarding for employees and more valuable for the organization. That is how AI moves from the promise of transformation to demonstrated readiness and, ultimately, from promise to performance.

Addendums on 3/19/26:
How to Build Practice-Based Learning Activities with AI — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr Philippa Hardman
Four evidence-based methods for designing, building & deploying active learning activities with your favourite LLM

Most L&D teams are using AI to make content faster. The real opportunity is using it as a practice engine.

The Synthesia 2026 AI in L&D Report f2026 AI in L&D Report found that the fastest-growing areas of planned AI adoption aren’t in content creation — they’re in assessments and simulations (36%), adaptive pathways (33%), and AI tutors (29%). In other words: L&D teams are starting to realise that the most powerful use of AI isn’t producing learning materials. It’s creating environments where learners actually practise.

And you can build these right now — no dev team, no custom platform, no code. Each method below includes a prompt you can paste into your preferred AI tool to generate a working interactive prototype: a self-contained practice activity with a briefing screen, a live AI interaction, and a debrief — all running in the browser, ready to share with stakeholders or deploy to learners.

OpenAI Adds Interactive Math and Science Learning Tools to ChatGPT — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly

Key Takeaways

ChatGPT adds interactive learning tools: OpenAI introduced interactive math and science visualizations that allow users to explore formulas, variables, and relationships in real time.
The tool currently covers over 70 core math and science topics and is aimed initially at high school and college-level learners.
Users can adjust variables, manipulate formulas, and immediately see how changes affect graphs and outcomes.

Ideas on setting up excellent seating plans, using trauma-informed practices, & reducing cognitive load [edutopia.org]

On 03/13/2026, in attention, education, experimentation, graphics, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning spaces, learning theories, multimedia, pedagogy, strategy, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

An Unconventional Seating Plan Designed to Benefit Focus and Learning — from edutopia.org by Tyler Rablin
After years of search and experimentation, this teacher finally hit on a room layout that allowed for efficient shifting between whole class, small group, and independent work.

I used to be an obsessive classroom rearranger—every six weeks or so I would find myself looking for a new desk arrangement that would improve some aspect of our work in the room. So when I finally found a desk arrangement that I didn’t want to change for the rest of the year, I knew I was on to something good.

The idea started developing when I stumbled across an article about an Australian classroom arrangement based on three “archetypal learning spaces”: campfires, caves, and watering holes. Essentially, the idea is that students need a physical space to work independently (a cave), spaces to gather informally (campfires), and a space to gather as a whole to learn from an expert (the watering hole).

Using Trauma-Informed Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms — from edutopia.org by Emily Barbour
Small changes in language and classroom routines can increase connection and improve learning for young students.

Trauma-informed practices invite a shift from reactive to proactive systems. To design classrooms that are grounded in safety and care, teachers need to embed predictability, co-regulation, and relationship-building into daily routines. Seemingly small changes like morning choice, intentional language, and shared commitments can transform the environmental conditions for students to properly regulate, feel connected, and fully access learning.

Replacing Morning Work With Morning Choice
The largest positive shift in my classroom culture occurred when I replaced traditional morning work with morning choice bins. When I began our day with worksheets, it felt like I started each day with an uphill battle. The mornings began with redirecting behavior instead of building meaningful relationships.

Reducing the Cognitive Load of Math Tasks With Strategy Cards — from edutopia.org by Katherine Efremkin
When students create a visual resource to scaffold problem-solving, they can approach independent work with more confidence and focused attention.

All three of these areas of the brain need to be activated and work together in order for a student to be successful with independent math work. To help ensure that students are able to successfully shift between their problem-solving ability, thinking, and actions to attack different parts of a problem, I teach students to create strategy cards.

These cards help reduce the cognitive load, enabling students not only to become more successful and independent within their arithmetic work, but also to dive deeper into the conceptual understanding of math concepts.

How to Get Consistent, On-Brand Course Images from Any AI Image Tool — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
A 3-step workflow that works every time — whatever AI tool you’re using

Most designers try to describe their way to an image. That’s the wrong approach. The goal is to show the tool the world it should be working in, then give it the minimum it needs to place your subject inside that world.

Every long, over-specified prompt is a sign that your visual inputs aren’t doing enough work.

The fix is an 3-step process which gives you superpowers in AI image generation…

How AI Could Transform, or Replace, the LMS — from futureupodcast.com by Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn, and Matthew Pittinsky

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 – For 30 years now, colleges have relied on the Learning Management System, or LMS, as a key portal for professors and students to teach and learn. It’s a tool that has helped colleges adapt to online learning and bring digital tools to classroom teaching. But generative AI seems poised to disrupt the LMS. And it’s unclear whether the LMS will evolve—or be replaced altogether. For this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with a pioneer of the technology, Matthew Pittinsky, about the lessons of past moments of tech disruption like the smartphone and cloud computing and about what could be different this time. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Gemini, Explained — from wondertools.substack.com by Jeremy Caplan
5 features worth your time — tested and compared

Google’s AI, Gemini, has quickly become one of the AI tools I rely on most. It builds dashboards and creates remarkable infographics. It spins out comprehensive research reports in minutes that would once have taken days to assemble.

It’s improving every month. On March 13, Google announced Ask Maps, so you can query Gemini about things like “Which nearby tennis courts are open with lights so I can play tonight?” On March 10, Gemini added new integrations to build, summarize, and analyze your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

In today’s post below: catch up on the Gemini features worth your time, candid comparisons with other AI tools, and answers to the questions I hear most.

How we’re reimagining Maps with Gemini — from blog.google
Ask Maps answers your real-world questions with a conversation, and Immersive Navigation makes your route more intuitive.

Today, Google Maps is fundamentally changing what a map can do. By bringing together the world’s freshest map with our most capable Gemini models, we’re transforming exploration into a simple conversation and making driving more intuitive than ever with our biggest navigation upgrade in over a decade.

Ask anything about any place
We’re introducing Ask Maps, a new conversational experience that answers complex, real-world questions a map could never answer before. Now you can ask for things like, “My phone is dying — where can I charge it without having to wait in a long line for coffee?” or “Is there a public tennis court with lights on that I can play at tonight?” Previously, finding this information meant lots of research and sifting through reviews. But now, you can just tap the “Ask Maps” button and get your questions answered conversationally, with a customized map to help you visualize your options.

The Future of Learning Looks Like Workforce Infrastructure — from workshift.org by Bruno V. Manno

For years, “ed tech” was an umbrella term grouping schools, online platforms, courses, credentials, and software under one idea: technology applied to education. That shorthand made it easier for investors, policymakers, and institutions to talk about innovation without rethinking how learning fits into the economy. Today, it no longer explains what’s happening.

That’s the central insight of “The European Learning & Work Funding Report” by Brighteye Ventures, a research and advisory firm tracking investment at the intersection of learning, work, and productivity. The report’s seventh edition shows that learning is no longer funded primarily as education. It is increasingly funded as part of how work gets done.

Across Europe, and increasingly the U.S., capital is flowing not toward courses or credentials but toward systems that are closer to production, including hiring platforms, staffing firms, clinical decision tools, payroll systems, and compliance software. These are not educational products, though learning is embedded throughout them.

In these systems, learning is not the point. Outcomes are.

Build hybrid institutions that erase boundaries. Stop forcing learners to navigate disconnected systems. Create partnerships that blend K-12 schools, community colleges, training providers, and employers into one integrated system, so students move through one coherent system, not four separate bureaucracies.

“Teach Smarter with AI” [Caplan & Eaton] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 03/08/2026, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, liberal arts, platforms, skills, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Teach Smarter with AI — from wondertools.substack.com by Jeremy Caplan and Lance Eaton
10 tested strategies from two educators who actually use them

I recently talked with Lance Eaton, Senior Associate Director of AI and Teaching & Learning at Northeastern University and writer of AI + Education = Simplified. We traded ideas about what’s actually working. We came up with 10 specific, practical ways anyone who teaches, coaches, or leads can put AI to work.

Watch the full conversation above, or read highlights below.

Beyond Audio Summaries: How to Use NotebookLM to *Actually* Design Better Learning — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
Five methods to maximise the value of NotebookLM’s features

In practice, what makes NotebookLM different for learning designers is four things:

Answers grounded in your sources (with citations):
Source toggling:
Multi-format studio & multi-source summaries:
Persistent workspace:

…
5 Evidence-Based Methods NotebookLM Operationalises…

Shadow AI Isn’t a Threat: It’s a Signal — from campustechnology.com by Damien Eversmann
Unofficial AI use on campus reveals more about institutional gaps than misbehavior.

Key Takeaways

Shadow AI is widespread in higher education: Faculty, researchers, students, and staff are using AI tools outside official IT channels, including consumer platforms and public cloud services that may involve sensitive data.
Unauthorized AI use creates data, compliance, and cost risks: Consumer AI tools may store or reuse user data, while uncoordinated adoption drives redundant licenses, unpredictable cloud costs, and weaker security oversight.
Institutions are shifting from restriction to enablement: Some campuses are making approved paths easier by offering ready-to-use research environments, campus-managed AI tools, clear guidance on data and vendors, and streamlined approval processes.

How L&D Can Lead in the Age of AI Even If Your Company’s Not Ready — from learningguild.com

How to lead even when your company doesn’t allow AI
Even if your corporation isn’t ready for AI, you can still research tools personally to stay ahead of the curve, so when organizational restrictions lift, you are ready to use AI for learning right away. Here are some tools you can test at home if they’re restricted in your workplace:

Content generation – Start testing text-based tools to get a taste of how AI can accelerate content creation. Then take it to the next level by exploring tools that generate voices, music, and sound effects.
AI coaching tools – Have AI pose as a customer co-worker or customer to get a taste of what it’s like to use it as a conversation coach. Next, use the voice and video capabilities in an app like ChatGPT to explore how AI can coach someone through tasks.
In-the-flow learning assistants – Test turning documents into a conversational avatar and interacting with it to see how it feels. Then think about how the technology could potentially transform static content into dynamic learning experiences for employees.
Vibe-coded simulations – Experiment with this technology by creating a simple, fun game. Afterwards, brainstorm some ideas on how it could quickly create simulations for your learners in the future.

The Higher Ed Playbook for AI Affordability — from campustechnology.com by Jason Dunn-Potter

Key Takeaways

Affordable AI adoption focuses on evolving existing systems: Universities are embedding AI into current devices, workflows, and legacy systems rather than rebuilding infrastructure or investing in new data centers.
Edge AI reduces costs and improves access: Running AI models on local devices or networks lowers cloud processing costs, enhances security, and supports learning use cases such as tutoring, translation, transcription, and adaptive learning.
Enterprise integration and governance drive impact: Institutions are applying AI across admissions, advising, facilities, and research workflows, supported by shared resource hubs, data governance, AI literacy, and outcome-driven implementation.

Claude is quietly becoming the go-to AI tool for learning designers. Here’s a 101 guide. [Hardman]

On 03/03/2026, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Europe, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, intelligent systems, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, training / L&D, UK, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Claude is quietly becoming the go-to AI tool for learning designers. Here’s a 101 guide. — from Linkedin.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman

Are microschools a solution to falling public school enrollment? One district thinks so [Fradette]

On 03/03/2026, in curriculum, education, education reform, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, parents/guardians, student-related, teachers, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Are microschools a solution to falling public school enrollment? One district thinks so — from hechingerreport.org by Rachel Fradette
In Indiana, a rural school district leader started a network of microschools to help keep students in his schools. The model could spread

Around the same time, the concept of microschooling was gaining traction nationally. Microschools offer multiage learning environments that focus on personalized, often less-regulated instruction. Popularity grew during the pandemic when families sought learning alternatives in online, hybrid and pod options; an estimated 750,000 to 2 million students now attend the schools.

The schools are typically privately run, but Philhower saw a role for them in his small district. Last year, he won approval from the state’s charter school board to establish the Indiana Microschool Collaborative, which he says will incubate a network of microschools statewide. They will operate as charter schools, meaning they are public but have more flexibility in terms of curricula and other operations than traditional public schools.

5 of the Best Tools To Teach Storytelling — from techlearning.com by Luke Edwards
Use these best tools to teach storytelling to help students progress towards mastery

The best tools to teach storytelling can also be some of the most ideal ways to engage students, both creatively and more generally with education. From sparking their imaginations to helping structure a creative toolset, these digital assistants can be powerful in the classroom and beyond.

Giving a student the ability to structure and tell a compelling story can help to empower them in terms of literacy, empathy, and critical thinking.

Students can be given the opportunity to explore historical perspectives, dive into personal narratives, build fictional worlds, and present research in a story form. All of which helps strengthen communication skills while learning at the same time.
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Here is Brandon’s post out on linkedin:

Make Gatherings More Engaging — from wondertools.substack.com by Jeremy Caplan
Tested tools for quizzes, online discussions, & shareable docs

The hardest part of teaching — or leading meetings — is sparking engagement. Getting people to engage enthusiastically with something new can be tough. It’s especially challenging if people are overwhelmed, super busy, or just tired.

As we aim to stretch people’s thinking in a new direction, tools are just one part of the overall picture. But they can help. Last week I shared five tools for creating learning paths, interactive lessons, and new kinds of digital notebooks. Today’s follow-up recommendations focus on creative engagement.

You don’t have to be a teacher to find these resources for opening up participation useful. If you lead a team, run meetings, or collaborate with colleagues, you can benefit from these tools.

I’ve baked into this post multiple ways to engage.

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