Episodes

  • AILeader Office Hours - November

    AILeader Office Hours - November
    Nov 13 2024

    Today was office hours for AI, which I do every month. Join me!

    Kathryn asked a great question about how to adjust her bell schedule using AI.

    This is the ChatGPT Conversation about Polson Middle School

    And this is the finalized schedule we came up with for Polson Middle School.

    We took her schedules from this page.


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    49 mins
  • Pre-Prompting AI with Tim Desmond

    Pre-Prompting AI with Tim Desmond
    Jun 20 2024

    In this episode of Vision for Learning, host Jethro Jones talks with Tim Desmond, a seasoned educator, entrepreneur, and writer with over 25 years of experience in educational innovation. Tim is the founder of New Educator AI, a platform aimed at preparing educational leaders for the challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI in education. The conversation delves into the evolution of AI technology, its impact on the educational landscape, and strategies for incorporating AI effectively in teaching and learning. They discuss the importance of directing AI creatively to generate engaging content, the potential of AI to democratize education, and the short-term challenges and long-term benefits of integrating AI into educational practices. Tim underscores the importance of active involvement and adaptability in navigating the AI era in education, while also highlighting the role of AI in enhancing personalized learning and the need for a paradigm shift in our approach to using AI tools.

    • The cycle of technology and education
    • How AI is going to affect education.
    • Push-button creativity
    • Becoming a director of AI
    • Learning growing and getting better all the time.
    • Pre prompt with my own writing.
    • Custom pre-prompt for each prompt.
    • Instead of your first prompt asking chatGPT to do something, ask what it needs to accomplish the task needing to be done.
    • Aspects of teaching that will disappear in the long term.


    About Tim Desmond

    Tim Desmond is a career educator and entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience innovating in education. He is the owner of Thorn Publishing LLC and the founder of New Educator AI.


    New Educator AI is dedicated to preparing educational leaders for the AI era, ensuring future generations are adept in using AI safely and responsibly.


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    24 mins
  • AI Enhanced Classrooms with Bonnie Nieves

    AI Enhanced Classrooms with Bonnie Nieves
    Jun 6 2024

    In this episode we talk about an AI enhanced classroom.

    • Using AI as a coplanner
    • Suggestions on activities you could do.
    • The AI is really trying to make you happy.
    • How to iterate to get the AI to do the things you want it to.
    • Whether we need prompting skills today or not?
    • The power of collaborating.
    • Watching prompt engineers do their work
    • It’s very natural language, rather than a strict programming language.
    • Diffit and SchoolAI are great AI solutions out there.
    • Laurisa Black


    About Bonnie Nieves

    Bonnie Nieves has an M.Ed. in Curriculum, Instruction & Educational Leadership. She is a high school teacher in Massachusetts, a science and edtech consultant, presenter, and author. Bonnie is the founder of Educate On Purpose coaching where she provides online courses and virtual and in-person professional development training for schools and individuals.


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    26 mins
  • Twitter Space About Local Software with Damon Hargraves

    Twitter Space About Local Software with Damon Hargraves
    May 16 2024

    In this discussion, Jethro and Damon dive into the use of progressive web apps (PWAs) and local hosting of educational tools to create safer and more controlled learning environments.

    They touch upon their personal experiences with AI, the benefits and functionalities of PWAs, and specifically discuss a tool called Audio Pen AI.

    Further, they explore the concept of hosting educational chats and software locally, using examples like Campfire by 37 Signals, to prevent unnecessary exposure to the internet for students.

    The conversation also covers the potential for schools to adopt locally hosted software for educational purposes, ensuring a safer, more reliable, and financially sensible approach to student technology usage.

    01:02 The Future of Software Development

    02:31 Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

    05:20 Localized Educational Tools

    05:45 Creating a Safe Digital Environment for Students

    08:33 The Potential of Local Networks in Schools

    24:45 Educational Software and Data Privacy
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    37 mins
  • Learning Through Dabbl Discovery with Ryan Palmbaum

    Learning Through Dabbl Discovery with Ryan Palmbaum
    May 9 2024

    This simulcast episode of Transformative Principal and A Vision for Learning features Ryan Palmbaum, founder and CEO of Dabbl Discovery, which is an educational platform offering bite-sized video learning aimed at helping people explore new interests and career paths through content created by experts across various industries.

    Ryan, an ex-collegiate and professional soccer player who lived in over ten countries before turning 20, discusses the importance of broad learning and not solely specializing in one area.

    He emphasizes the value of becoming a 'jack of all trades' to connect disparate industries and opportunities. The platform prioritizes verified, quality content from educators and experts, employing a vetting process for creators.

    Ryan also outlines how Dabbl boosts the learning experience through an adaptive algorithm and gamification, distinguishing it from other social media platforms by providing a more fulfilling and educational consumption experience.

    The conversation touches upon the broader future of learning, envisioning a pivot towards more specialized, less time-consuming learning paths and the importance of exploring a wide range of career opportunities at an early age.

    Overall, the discussion underscores personal responsibility in learning and the potential of platforms like Dabble Discovery to transform how individuals explore and engage with educational content.

    00:45 Meet Ryan: From Soccer Player to EdTech Innovator

    03:52 The Philosophy Behind Dabbl Discovery

    05:33 The Importance of Micro Learning and Expert Content

    07:27 Personalizing Learning with Dabbl Discovery

    10:51 Keeping Learning Engaging and Fun

    12:11 Comparing Dabbl to Other Platforms and the Future of Learning

    16:32 Ryan's Vision for the Future of Learning and Closing Thoughts


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    22 mins
  • Integrating AI in Education with Lauren Owens

    Integrating AI in Education with Lauren Owens
    Apr 4 2024

    In this episode, Jethro interviews Lauren Owens and they discuss her journey from teaching Spanish and student leadership to her current role as the executive Director of Technology at Agua Fria, where she has played a significant role in integrating artificial intelligence into schools.

    Lauren shares her insights on the indispensability of merging technology with curriculum and the importance of AI literacy in education.

    She stresses that AI has been part of educational systems for decades and highlights the necessity for creating frameworks like the AI care model (clarity, accuracy, relevance, ethics) and the stoplight system (red, yellow, green) to guide safe and effective AI use among educators and students.

    Furthermore, Lauren talks about the efforts to prepare students for the workforce through academy models and project-based learning, emphasizing digital mindfulness.

    She also discusses the challenges and learning experiences encountered in promoting AI integration within school systems, suggesting that broader inclusion and engagement could enhance these initiatives.

    00:32 Key Takeaways from the Conversation on AI in Education
    02:00 The Importance of AI Literacy in Education
    03:28 Challenges and Strategies in Implementing AI in Schools
    08:30 Creating a Framework for AI Literacy Among Teachers
    14:54 Launching AI Literacy for Students: Plans and Expectations
    19:36 Reflecting on the Journey and Future Steps


    We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.


    IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

    • Simplify and streamline technology
    • Save teachers’ time
    • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
    • Improve student performance on state assessments

    🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    25 mins
  • Blending Traditional Education with AI's Potential with Aaron Makelky

    Blending Traditional Education with AI's Potential with Aaron Makelky
    Mar 24 2024
    This episode of 'A Vision for Learning' features a discussion with Aaron Makelky, a high school social studies teacher and entrepreneur from Casper, Wyoming, about the future of learning and the integration of artificial intelligence into education. Aaron shares insights from his experiments with using ChatGPT in classroom assignments, emphasizing the role of AI in automating tedious tasks and allowing teachers and students to focus on deeper learning. He advocates for a shift from traditional teaching methods to incorporating AI tools to prepare students for their future careers. The episode also touches on the potential of teachers leveraging their extensive networks for professional growth and the importance of educators embracing new technologies as experiments to enhance the learning experience.00:23 Introducing Aaron Makelky: A Teacher's Journey into AI and Entrepreneurship02:11 Aaron's Entrepreneurial Shift and the Value of Time06:00 Leveraging AI in Education: Aaron's Experiments and Insights17:43 The Future of Education: Embracing AI and Beyond32:58 Connecting with Aaron McKey and Final ThoughtsEvery habit is a vote for the future personOur web of networks and how thatGoing to use AI to do everything in class. Who can do the work better?Garbage in, Garbage out.Within a couple weeks, students had seen it.Can I do it, too? What is the purpose of that assignment? What real learning do you want your students to experience?Teachers had their world blown Is the learning to go to the library and research? Or is the learning to learn how to research? Beyond the curriculum, so many organic skills. Leveling text is super simple, now. Students can take control of their own learningThe future of education: rowing a rowboat and getting passed by a jetboat. Chasing things that have always been a problem and so focused on chasing those little things. Kids love it when you walk in and say “do you want to try something new today?”How do you turn something that is so slow? How many schools have policies for staff and students around AI? Education is set up on different incentives.There is something outside of the snowglobe. Within the ecosystem of public ed, it’s not going to happen. The best people that teach these things in the new world are those that teach new and different things aroundExperimentation as learning. Movement snacksIt’s already an experimentation“Preparing all students for their next steps”Advice for someone getting pushback. Unless you are preparing your students to be factory workers, you’ve got to do something different. Teachers are afraid to take risks to take advantage of it. Principals are too busy with other tasks to try new things. Allow students to lead. AI in Schools, lack of policies, experimenting with teaching students to use AI, lessons learned. A vision for the future of education**About Aaron Makelky**Aaron Makelky, a husband, father of three, leader, and teacher, holds a successful career in public education and coaching. Based in Casper, Wyoming, he currently teaches high school social studies and embarked on a business venture in December of 2023. In his newfound entrepreneurial pursuit, he has immersed himself into the world of consulting and online business, delving into the Vision Pursue's Performance Mindset for athletes and coaches.Aaron relishes the opportunity to explore technology, aiding his students in harnessing its potential. In the spring of 2023, he utilized Chat GPT in his own class assignments to gain a thorough understanding of its applications. He encourages his students to leverage writing tutors and custom chatbots, which he has been experimenting with since the fall of 2023. Aaron actively crowdsources his teaching methods from his students, integrating hands-on learning strategies and simulations, along with Spotify playlists for most of his lessons. He recognizes the crucial role of preparing students for their futures, acknowledging the need for transformation within the public education system.Website: www.aaronmakelky.comLinkedTree: www.linktr.ee/aaronmakelky We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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    38 mins
  • AI As a Finishing Agent

    AI As a Finishing Agent
    Mar 1 2024
    In this episode of A Vision for Learning, host Jethro Jones invites AI literacy consultant, educator, and academic researcher, Nick Potkalitsky. They discuss the significant role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the current and future education system. They explore the importance of building trust and transparency with students while integrating AI into learning practices. Nick shares insights into his teaching methodology, emphasizing that the AI tool works best at the beginning and end of the writing phase. However, he underlines the importance of ensuring AI does not replace critical thinking or become a helpline to avoid hard work but remains a useful tool that enhances learning. They also discuss the positives and pitfalls of plagiarism in the AI era and the ethical implications of AI use in both student learning and teacher resources creation.00:00 Introduction and Guest Presentation00:55 The Role of AI in Education02:11 Addressing Plagiarism in the Age of AI05:07 The Impact of AI on Teaching and Learning15:08 The Changing Landscape of Writing with AI19:00 The Future of AI in EducationMaintain the human connection first and foremost. AI detectors are not that good. Detectors introduce a surveillance culture into our classrooms. AI Detectors destroy trustDon’t have the full impact of rolling out AI tools into writing practices?Hesitant to go all-in, but also interested in doing some things with AI. Generating ideas ex-nihilo We need to do more to prod students because of the pandemicNot having the stamina to do things from scratch and then having technology that can do it effortlessly. One method is to ignore the AI Tools. One method is to adopt the AI Tools. One method is to adopt some AI Tools. The Other Wes MooreGiving kids specific prompts, brainstorming, etc. Using AI more socratically. Khanmigo asks more questions. Concentrated human space for drafting. Some commentary from AI It’s easy to get AI to do anything, but hard to get it to do one thing. Using AI as a finishing agent. Need to give AI systems the logical connections between my ideas. How using AI himself has helped him use it with his students.Using it to generate classroom materials.How you’ve used AI yourself.Audiopen.aiAI is becoming a prosthesis for learning. Skipping over the cognitive gains that come from the sustained critical engagement with the writing process. How to prevent AI from encroaching on cognitive gains. What outcomes do we want to see? Help teachers build up watchpoints or criteria to help them know what they should focus on. What criteria can we use to evaluate use? Power comes from engaging with the toolsTraining materials to use the products to see what is possible. My initial response to AI in winter and spring of 2023: Exploration of AI detection software, going so far as to securing quotes for large packages for my schoolMy summer of study: a personal search for AI literacy My initial report of AI x Education published at AI SupremacyMy late summer realization:AI detections are inaccurate, unreliable, inspire a surveillance cultureMy favorite post on the topicNew research program: How does the integration and implementation of AI into today’s classroom impact students' acquisition of more traditional literacy and writing skills and competencies?In Sept, very little evidence to ground new practicesThus, experiments: very gradual, incrementalA collective research project Writing as knowledge-generationThe sentence as the locus of new or different thought generationMy responseMy current thinking: AI allows students to generate both content-knowledge and skills-knowledgeStudents need to know how to write in order to prompt; writing doesn’t disappear in the AI landscape, it just takes on a different formConceptualizing the AI-human workflowDifferent options currently under considerationAlan KnowlesIt is my sense that there will not be one “right” way to conceptualize AI-human interactions; that the framework will be context drivenImplementation ChallengesK-12: The major research question has not been sufficiently answered with evidence yet. Different models:Ignore AI–build traditional skills: introduce AI late in high schoolHybrid: hope a reinforcing feedback loop occurs All-in: Writing becomes writing to generate textThis is not just a pedagogical debate: moral, philosophical, cultural, politicalProbably, no universal across US K-12; more regional approaches subject to change depending upon electoral cycles, technological meltdowns, shifts in news cycles, etc. About Nick PotkalitskyNick Potkalitsky is an AI Literacy Consultant, 7-12 Language Arts Instructor, and Academic Researcher in AI, Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Instruction. He has worked in both private and public settings with students from middle school to graduate school, bringing a wealth of knowledge about these various institutional spaces and students' social-emotional and academic development ...
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    36 mins