July #Edu resources - part 1??

Happy Saturday folks, and welcome to the 1st edition of July. Home straight for the holidays - Woo-hoo!. I'm not exactly sure why I am celebrating; I haven't taken a holiday away since 2018, but clearly, I am just having way too much fun ;)

So, here are a few quick highlights from this week. I have a lovely catchup with Matthew Wemyss talking about all things #Ai and his upcoming "Ai in Education" conference in febuary next year. I had a visit across to Chiltern Learning Trust for a lovely chat with Adrian Rogers and Sufian Sadiq , a visit to hampton lakes primary school , and a catch up with Mark Anderson FCCT before another trip, this time to meet up with the lovely folks at Wonde and Bett Global for some secret filming (oops I shouldn't have shared that). Thursday was a trip down to the Oval Cricket ground for the excellent British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) summer conference with my able copilot Kat Cauchi , where I had the pleasure to meet up with loads of fab folks (make sure you connect with them) including Julia Garvey , Dave Smith , Emma Darcy , Simon Hill , Simon Blower , Jon Smith , Duncan Verry , Dominic Norrish (who shared a great presentation) it's been a while but was lovely to catch up, Michael Forshaw , Thea Wiltshire , Martin Bailey , Philip Wesolowski , Simon Winfield , Matthew Koster-Marcon , Ian Koxvold , Tony Staneff (well done on the awards), Murray Hudson , Sven Huber , Caroline Allams (winner winner, chicken dinner !!), Chester Freitas , Emily Ivey , Mark Solomons , Naomi Toland , Tilly Brooke the world most lovely person Bukky Yusuf , and some of the fab BESA team including Peter Doyle , Chloe M. , Swathy Raval (née Sanjay) , Meg Hamilton and Samantha Marsh , thanks folks for organising such a great event.

My day at the Oval was followed by an evening Hampton Academies Trust finance meeting (Yay!), and on Friday, I prepped some content articles for GESS Dubai and for a few other upcoming engagements next week. I've kept it relatively succinct this week after a rather long summary of my week in the last episode, but as always, a full and varied week of learning and (hopefully) helpful sharing.

Anyway, let's dive into the news in what I hope is a slightly more streamlined format for this week's newsletter. I may change my mind in a couple of hours' time and then be late publishing this morning, so apologies if that proves true.

Let's dip our toes into this week's fountain of knowledge. ??

#Edu

?? Another excellent episode of the Teach Middle East Magazine Podcast has dropped, this time with Philippa Wraithmell titled "Adapting and Thriving in the Digital Classroom" - well worth a watch from here .

?? Laura McInerney shared that PiXL have opened up their Parent-School Relationship guide to non-members. It’s a downloadable, short, practical guide to dealing with parents (including complaints). You'll need to complete a short (free) registration to grab it, take a look here .

?? Pete Henshaw (Top man) and the lovely folks at SecEd Magazine announced that their "Annual SecEd supplement for early career teachers" is out now for free download! Summarised as "16 pages of practical advice & tips to help you survive & thrive." Grab a copy from here .

??One from the lovely folks at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) with an article from John Holmes titled "Independent learning beyond the classroom." It's a good read and utilises the EEFs "Seven Step Model". It's from March of this year and well worth a read .

??A blog post to share from Aileen Wallace titled "Putting the "Personal" into CPD", short and sweet but a nice #EdTech and #CPD self-reflection and an opportunity to connect with her and others in a facebook group she is creating. Have a read here .

??The fab Brett Salakas shared a recommendation for the "Just Thinking Podcast" by Kevin Dougherty . As Brett shared "He has interviewed some incredible education voices including Cindy Gibson Ray McNulty Lamond Dean Jeff Kubiak Ashlee Boothe Matthew X. Joseph Ed.D. and many many others". It's good to see Brett himself feature in the latest episode, too. Well worth adding to your CPD playlist ;) Check out here .??

?? A good reflective read from Ed Fairfield titled "My 10 Years in EdTech", as Ed introduces "A decade is a long time in technology – and while the pace of change speeds up in all areas, so does the need to understand what on earth is happening, what good looks like and how to address risk." Well worth a read here . (I've been going 30 years in EdTech now, but conveniently can't remember most of the first 25 ;)

?? Talking of #EdTech and given my recent time spent at ISTE this summary from Carl Hooker on his experiences at the conference was very timely, titled "EdTech Disneyland: Reflections on ISTELive 2024". I knew it wouldn't be long on the topic of #Ai to see a mention of the "Dunning-Kruger effect" or as Carl referred to it, the "Gartner Hype Cycle" in discussions. I saw the same model shared by Laura Knight last year at EDUtech Europe (See Laura I was paying attention ;) Anyway, Carl's summary is excellent, covering the #Ai hype, the cyclical nature ( or more "GroundHog day" tbh) of new innovations in edu alongside important considerations around Teachers Mental Health. Do have a read here .

??This is a personal shout out for John Magee ???? UK Kindness Ambassador For Schools ?? who is always sharing positivity and appreciation across our social channels. Definitely a ray of sunshine on many days for me. Take a look at https://kindnessmatters.co.uk/ and see how John could support your students. (NOT a paid promotion, a heartfelt one).

?? Tom Bolton shared an article "The Other Side of #EdTech" this week. I do, on occasion, worry that the vast majority of SME EdTech vendors doing great things get "tarred with the same brush" as the big tech companies, but this is a measured and really good read. It helps that I agree with Tom, of course (for what that's worth), but it's an important reminder that the real value comes from the human factor, not the tech. Take a look here .

??This one is very England specific, but Schools Week shared an article "Trust staff go on strike as GAG pooling row escalates" highlighting the first strikes over MUlti Academy Trust central charges have started, as union demands radical changes to trust's GAG pooling policy. GAG Pooling is becoming increasingly common across MATs (as an alternative to a percentage top slice of on average 4-6%), which can work effectively when supporting schools at different stages of development, in this case with schools seeing 20% of their funding held up the chain, I can see how this has raised tensions. Have a read here .

??I am really adding to your reading list and #CPD options this week; if you haven't discovered the excellent "EdTech Bites Times" from Gabriel Carrillo , then you need to take a look. Technology and Food is a winning combination in my book ;) Take a look here , it's super accessible and well worth your time. Also, check out the book recommendation for Gabriel further down!

??I've shared some great reads from Mike Kentz recently, so when I saw Mik ask the question "What do David Byrne, Isaac Newton's First Law of Thermodynamics, and artificial intelligence in education have in common?" after an initial, I don't know panic, I had to dive in to his article "Navigating Change: Mastery Through Grief", it's a great read, supported by some beautiful paintings. Take a look here .

??With election fever rife this week, Caroline Barlow outlined the investment needed in education for any incoming government with her article in Tes "A bet on education is a bet on the future of the country", a topic that resonates wherever we are in the world. Have a read here .

?? Dr Pooky Knightsmith has been busy as usual and her latest newsletter covered topics including #Sleep, School #Anxiety and #ADHD. Loads of useful resources including a video, where she tackle's the pressing concern of children who find themselves overwhelmed in the classroom. Take a peek here .

?? Mike Tholfsen shared a new guide by Heather Aird on free digital tools from Microsoft Education that can empower students with #Dyslexia to enhance their learning experience. Download a copy of the infographic from here .

??I shared last week a post that was about Experts on various topics including #Ai, I am not sure such a person does (or can) exist right now and that I am quite happy to be an Expert of nothing, as the old adage goes "The more you learn, the more you realise how much more you actually have still to learn." It dovetailed nicely with a post from Melissa McBride ?? a few days later, where she said "The educator who believes they have all the answers is blind to the questions of tomorrow. The true visionary in education acknowledges the uncertainty of the future and embraces it as the greatest teacher of all." A similar theme, and of course, she is spot on. Take a read of her short summary here .

?? There was another excellent edition of the "Join the Inclusion Revolution" newsletter from Global Equality Collective , which you can read here .

?? Alex Quigley shared a great article from Schools Week titled "Why you should be thinking about disciplinary oracy" by Amanda Moorghen , highlighting that delivering whole-school oracy hinges on understanding what can be implemented for all and what should flex to be subject-specific. Take a look here .

??A world-class article written by Al Kingsley , ok a reasonable effort anyway, titled "How To Make EdTech Work For Teachers And Students" in TeachingTimes.com . With more than 98% of EdTech in the US not being used to its full capacity, a trend of 'technology for technology's sake' has emerged among some schools. In its latest Global Education Monitoring Report , UNESCO reported on the adoption of technology to transform education and whether it can help overcome the largest challenges in this sector. Hopefully an interesting read anyway from here .

?? A handy webinar to watch back "Unleash the power of Google tools and Chromebooks" in this on-demand webinar featuring the Selfie King Abid Patel , Jennifer Leban, NBCT and Meagan Alfano - have a watch here .

??Yup, an #AertsAlert from Carla Aerts , this time from Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation with an article "Getting the Most Out of the Reader’s Notebook" by Adam Myman , who says that "Teaching reading using interactive notebooks can increase students’ intrinsic motivation to read." Have a look here .

??A great new podcast to add to your playlist (and share with families). Called "Navigating the Digital Jungle with Sue Atkins and Friends". This podcast is designed to provide insightful tips, expert advice, and practical strategies for parents to help their children thrive in a digital age. Find out more here .

?? Kate Jones shared "A Summary of Evidence Based Formative Assessment Strategies" for Evidence Based Education , short and sweet from here .

?? Bruno Reddy OBE and Helen Drury shared a really interesting read by Dave Kung titled "The Mathematics of Growth Mindset". If this introduction doesn't hook you to want to read on then I don't know what will, I was certainly intrigued "True or False: some students pick up math concepts instantly while others take many more iterations before they get it. “Definitely true!” I would have said – until a recent paper plunged me into a state of confusion, getting me to question some basic assumptions about how students learn math." Have a dive in here .

#Events

?? It's never too early to get your ticket for Bett Global 's #BETT2025 in London. If you are in education you can get your free ticket from here . Come and join the fun, always an excellent event.

??There is also the GESS Dubai conference in November, the leading education conference & exhibition in the Middle East region. You can register for a free ticket to attend from here .

?? Next week I'll be attending this one from the folks at HFL Education with their "EdTech Impact: Evidence, Equity and Efficient Funding (Tech in Schools Conference)" on 9th July. Find out more here . You'll find Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith sharing insights and that lovely chap Al Kingsley , yup me, I've been invited to speak at the conference too. (good chance to learn more from Fiona so a double bonus).

?? Join the ISC Research Annual Conference 2024: "Future Intelligence" on 16-17th July to explore the dynamic landscape of international education in 2024 - Find out more and grab your tickets here .

??The AI In Education Annual conference is this week, on June 24th which has got to be worth a sign up with Rose Luckin Ian Dunn Aisling Third and Scott Hayden on the lineup.

In-person reg: https://lnkd.in/emm5t6G6Live or online reg: https://lnkd.in/ezWynQx8

?? Dan Fitzpatrick has a free "Claude Projects for Education" webinar on Tuesday (9th), his sessions are always super popular, so grab a virtual seat here .

?? Another UK event, The Schools & Academies Show features again in November, and yes, you can already get your name on the list and grab a free ticket. Just head over here to find out more.

??One for the European contingent, Matthew Wemyss is busy shaping the second "AIDUCATION" Conference for February 2025 in Bucharest, featuring folks including Dan Fitzpatrick , Ben Whitaker , Philippa Wraithmell , Alex Gray ....and maybe even an Al Kingsley . To find out more and book a ticket, head over here .

??A reminder folks - Another one for next week, (11th July in Leeds) is the annual extravaganza that is the Edufuturists Uprising, it's genuinely a fun and inspiring evening and even better still, you can get 25% off the few remaining tickets. This is the link you need for the discount, I'll be there and looking forward to meeting many good friends at the event.

#Ai

??This one remains top of my #Ai section, an excellent newsletter, "Perpelexing Tech" ??that covers the world of #Ai through a wider lens. It is written by Niamh Kingsley my daughter, a product innovation and #Ai specialist in #FinTech. Please take a look and subscribe here ?

??Always good content from Matthew Wemyss and this week, he shared a handy summary and video on how he uses Chat GPT to review rubrics. Take a look here .

??A handy read from the folks at Educate Ventures Research after Anthropic recently released Claude 3.5 Sonnet. As they explained "According to the data shared by Anthropic, the new model outperforms several other leading LLMs in several state-of-the-art benchmarks and claims to do so faster and at lower cost. But what do these benchmarks mean? "This article has a handy comparison based on the GPQA benchmark. Have a read here .

?? Bennie Kara asked "How is the bias in AI showing up in generating poetry?" in the article they highlight "ChapGPT’s definition of poetry, without further elaboration, is one that is very much placed in Western European traditions. I have placed the named poets it is referencing in bold. They are all white men. This demonstrates a very real problem for educators and AI." Have a read of her article "Ai and Diversity" from here , its a good and important read.

?? Dan Fitzpatrick has been busy with his weekly #Ai musings on Forbes with this week's article "ChatGPT Forces Universities To Adapt Or Retreat" where Dan explains "The University of Reading in the UK has revealed that ChatGPT can not only pass university exams but also outperform human students. This discovery is forcing institutions worldwide into an immediate dilemma. Do they fall back on traditional exams and risk irrelevance, or adapt?" Have a read here .

??A weekly #AertsAlert from the ever brilliant Carla Aerts , this time commenting on an article in TechCrunch titled " Meta changes its label from ‘Made with AI’ to ‘AI info’ to indicate use of AI in photos". As the article summarises "After Meta started tagging photos with a “Made with AI” label in May, photographers complained that the social networking company had been applying labels to real photos where they had used some basic editing tools. Because of the user feedback and general confusion around what level of AI is used in a photo, the company is changing the tag to “AI info” across all of Meta’s apps." Carla concluded that right now in the space, "Nothing seems to be what it appears to be." Have a read here .

??There are so many good newsletters (and dare I say it, quite a few less compelling), but one to add to your "must check out" list is from Nick Potkalitsky, PhD with his newly renamed "The Pragamtic Ai Educator" newsletter, the most recent issue is titled "Embracing Pragmatism in AI Integration: A Commitment to Balanced Implementation", good stuff Nick. Take a look here .

??There has been lots of news and discussions of late around the challenges at Los Angeles Unified School District , and first and foremost I really feel for the team there who must be under immense pressure. Adam Garry shared an update to the LAUSD ED #Ai Chatbot story by Jacob Kantor with a whistle-blower added into the mix. They told officials that the tool processed student records in ways that likely ran afoul of L.A. Unified’s own data privacy rules and put sensitive information at risk of getting hacked. Have a read of the article on The 74 Media from here .

?? Daren White shared a great new blog about "AI assessment and using LLMs to mark extended writing", as Daren explained "Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly popular in education, with some educators wondering if they can be used to automate the marking of extended writing. As part of my work supporting schools in my trust and beyond, I conducted an experiment to see of LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are really up to the task." Well worth a read here .

?? This one caught my eye from Jason Gulya "Stealth AI" ...What happens when students use #Ai all the time, but aren't allowed to talk about it? A really good read from here .

?? Leon Furze shared an article on the "3 Levels of Lesson Planning with Generative AI." I understood it, so that's a good litmus test it's accessible and informative. Take a look here .

?? Adam Garry signposted a really good read by Claire Zau "Peeking Inside the AI Black Box". As she explains "LLMs have a “black box problem” - they’re opaque and often work in mysterious ways. Models have “hallucinations”, where they generate incorrect or misleading results. We’ve somehow wound up with these extremely powerful and useful tools that can write essays, code software, and solve complex problems. Yet, when you peek under the hood, it’s almost impossible to understand their inner workings or trace an output back to their origins." This is well worth a read . I really found it interesting.

??One from Sarah Horrocks in her excellent "Connected Learning" blog, titled "Should teachers use AI tools to teach writing?" it also features a few handy #AI roundups. Check it out here .

??One for all you prompt crafters (or perhaps those who would like to be), Mark Anderson FCCT has released a very handy "Little Book of Generative AI prompts for senior leaders" which looks very handy. You can read his advice and guidance as well as grab a free download from here .

??This one sparked a dramatic eye roll from Bonnie Nieves , an article by eSchool News "NJ unveils resources for using AI in schools as state aims to pioneer innovations" sounds exciting and innovative eh? Well, they plan to install 7,000 Ai cameras (to make schools safer) all for a modest $12m spend and are looking at expanding their rollout of Khanmigo. So I guess we can strike innovation, and certainly "pioneering" off the list for this one. Have a read and be ready to be inspired (not) from here .

??Never a fan of the word "Expert" being used when discussing #Ai, but i'll let it slide in this case. The BBC shared an article "Getting started with AI and machine learning: Three experts share their insights" featuring Jane Waite , Mark Anderson FCCT and Hosanna Hali it's a good read on a sa very accessible level and I do want to amplify this quote from the article "The trick to being successful with technology often isn’t the technology itself but your cognisance of how it can help, when it is helpful, and then how to use it". Have a read here .

??A very interesting read from Matt Ivey ?? titled "How Micro-Funding is Revolutionizing AI and Empowering Neurodivergent Thinkers", Matt shares how micro-funding is transforming the AI entrepreneur space, especially for neurodivergent and dyslexic thinkers, who often face unique challenges in the field. Take a look here .

?? Dr Will Van Reyk has written a short digital book (77 pages of handy resources) called "Democratizing Knowledge: A guide to teaching with Ai" it's full of tips and plenty of linked resources you can jump to. It's free, you just need to share your email from this link . Well worth a download.

?? Clara Lin Hawking shared a good read this morning (nearly missed it) by Myoung-Shin Kim , featured in an UNESCO special edition, it features a focus on AI Ethics, AI education, and how you can use AI integration as a competitive advantage. I've only had time for a quick scan of the topics covered in this issue but plenty to get the grey matter stretched. Take a look here .

?? Another share from Carla Aerts , this time an article from University World News "Integrating AI in academic research – Changing the paradigm" which Carla commented on "Changing the paradigm indeed. Research won't be the same (it already isn't)." Have a read here .

#Books

??Don't forget you can find all of the books I cover on my Amazon bookshelf, You can find my curated list here .

?? The team at NetSupport have curated a fab bookshelf of "top tomes" to keep you out of mischief over the summer, well worth a quick peruse of this hady 3D flip book from here .

?? A new one from Starr Sackstein titled "Making an Impact Outside the Classroom" which explores exciting opportunities for educators considering a career shift (not that I want to encourage any readers to leave the classroom mind you), but this could be a handy resource if it's on your mind. Take a look and pre-order here .

??A new one available to pre-order, this time from Morgan Whitfield (she/her) titled "Gifted?: The shift to enrichment, challenge and equity". This book explores how you can provide every student with rigorous challenge. Grab a copy here .

??This links to the article earlier, but do check out "Cooking Up Experiences In The Classroom: Focus On Experiences, Not Just Lessons" by Gabriel Carrillo . You can find it here .

??Another one for your radar is "Diverse Words and Voices" by Bennie Kara which has been designed to support you in diversifying your KS3 and KS4 English curriculum. You can pre-order it from here .

Don't forget, all the books I include each week are added to my virtual bookshelf, You can find my curated list here .

#CandleClub

Let's wrap up with my weekly Candle Club. Hopefully, you will know what this section is for, built on the message that "a Candle never Loses any of its Light while Lighting up another candle" - it costs nothing to help support and highlight others in our space, so here are a few more really good people to connect with and follow ??

Ok, that's it for this week's highlights. As always, a big thanks to all of you, whom I was able to curate into another episode.

I know I always ask, but please don't forget to give this edition a like and a share ;) All those brilliant #CandleClub mentions benefit from sharing as widely as we can each week.???? These are partly courtesy of a busy BESA event this week and are great folks to add to your PLN

Sarah Baber , Stephen Morales - MA, FISBL, CertEd , Trudy Spillane , Lana Stoyles (Molloy) CMgr MCMI , Naomi Toland , Patrick McGrath , Carrie-Ann Gibson , Michael Forshaw , Hilary Power & Jo Quince (thanks for sharing about your fab school), Tilly Brooke , Katie Potts , Dominic Norrish , Mark Solomons , Kat Cauchi , Alison Day , Alexandra Lakhan , Lana Stoyles (Molloy) CMgr MCMI , Sarah Baber , Carl Hooker , Tracey O'Brien , Georgina Durrant , Ken Shelton and Dee Lanier (check out their "Promise and Perils of Ai" book.)

Right that's a wrap once again, have a lovely weekend, share the love, light a few candles and I'll see you again soon.

Al (and Ferdi ?? )

You can book me to come and cause some fun and disruption at your event via Katie Cavill and The Learning Line via this link . Please also reflect on the diversity and representation of your speakers and panels at your events when reaching out.

??2022 EdTech Leadership Awards winner - EdTech Digest

??2023 Edufuturists of the Year.

??2023 Outstanding Achievement winner - Educational Resources Awards (ERA) Awards.

??2023 Inspiring Leader winner - British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) Awards.

??2023 Education CEO winner - EdTechChronicle .

??2024 Top 100 Influencers in Education - District Administration magazine.

??2024 Top 25 Education Technology Influencers - Feedspot .