Ed Tech I’m Using
Looking for a way to promote positive mental health and well-being in your classroom? Look no further than along.org. With a focus on social-emotional learning and building strong relationships, this evidence-based program provides the tools and resources you need to help your students thrive. From interactive lessons and activities to teacher training and ongoing support, along.org has everything you need to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
AI I’m Exploring
This is my favourite AI tool so far. The purpose is to serve as an additional storage device for your brain, or as the co-founder Dan Siroker says, a search engine for your life. It records your activity on your device (currently this is Apple Silicon Macs only), from websites you have visited to the insane amount of YouTube shorts you watch. It does this by constantly running and recording in the background; a little creepy, although all files are stored locally, which is great. Then, to activate a search you open the app, using the shortcut keys, type in what you want to search for, and it then presents you with the information.
It looks awesome, and I have found it really useful to look back to see how I am spending my time – which appears to not be all that great! It is subscription based, but the free trial gives you 50 free rewinds. Check it out here rewind.ai
Teaching Practice I’m Trying
This week it is a coaching practice that I have incorporated into when I have a 1-1 conversation with a student. Jim Knight states, that the single purpose of a coach is to allow the other person to think and grow. For me this just means listening more to my students when we are discussing work they are doing presently, or future goals they might have. I find it really empowering for them, as it gives them a lot more ownership of what they are doing, as well as giving them a voice.
Media I’m Consuming
This week it is a video tutorial on how to use Procreate, since starting a (almost) daily drawing routine. Brad Colbow’s channel is pretty cool.
Things I’ve Learned
That I just need to shut up and listen!
The String I’m Pulling
LLMs, for me at least, are a black box. I really do not understand exactly how they work. I feel like a romantic from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – not knowing nor caring about how this technology is working, when all I want to be is a classic; i.e. to understand what makes LLMs and the chat agents work.
Quote, I’m Pondering
“Master a few skills well, look for a few places where you can apply there, and stay out of everything else!” Adam Robinson on the Tim Ferris Show.