Ed Tech I’m Using
In Experiments with Google, Haiku poems can be enhanced with the assistance of AI-generated music, fonts, and video. This is especially beneficial for my EAL students and creates a more emotional impact.
AI I’m Exploring
The announcement from Google IO this week was pretty cool. My top three announcements were:
- Help me write: an AI assistant coming to Gmail to help you write email responses.
- Immersive view: shows you the route in Maps in advance.
- AI responsibility: this looks like the most interesting out of the tons of information to come. It talks about watermarking AI-generated content – not sure where this will end up, but it is bound to cause a stir.
Teaching Practice I’m Trying
I stumbled upon an outstanding writing project by Debbie Millman that she assigns to her pupils. It involves envisioning where they see themselves ten years from now. This exercise is incredibly empowering and I was thrilled to share it with my own students. However, since they are in grade 5, I decided to customize the exercise to their age group. Therefore, instead of looking a decade into the future, I had them write about their expectations for their first day of middle school. This activity proved to be an excellent way to tap into their aspirations and apprehensions.
Media I’m Consuming
I love tuning in to My Analog Journal’s YouTube channel, where DJs showcase timeless beats. The Japanese Jazz from the 70s they curate is especially delightful.
Things I’ve Learned
Making time for loved ones is a top priority that should never be overlooked, no matter how busy our schedules become. As a leader, it’s absolutely essential to make time for the amazing individuals you are responsible for guiding and supporting.
The String I’m Pulling
The phenomenon known as “isomorphism of schools” refers to the trend of schools adopting similar structures, policies, and practices over time, regardless of their location or student population. This can be attributed to the schools’ desire to meet common standards or to replicate successful models from other institutions. I have seen this ism occur in a bunch of international schools, fancy a back-to-school BBQ anyone?
Organizational sociology first introduced the term “isomorphism,” which describes the tendency of organizations to conform to societal expectations or gain legitimacy by adopting comparable structures and practices. In education, this results in the implementation of standardized testing, teacher evaluations, common curricula, and other widely used policies and practices across schools, districts, and countries.
While isomorphism of schools can promote consistency and fairness in education and facilitate learning from successful models and practices, it can also hinder creativity and innovation, and limit curricula, over other essential educational objectives.
Quote, I’m Pondering
“Don’t aim to be the best, be the only one.” – Kevin Kelly
And if you can’t be the only one, be the best at being different!