Revved-Up and Ready for March

?Hello Purposeful Educators?

Welcome back as we embark on week 6 of our 12-week goal to harness the power of AI to elevate writing skills across all student demographics, with an emphasis on fostering inclusivity and equity.

Now that February break has passed, let's take a moment to reflect on the importance of stepping away and recharging. I took a moment to revisit the article I wrote back at the beginning of summer break.

During the break, I seized the opportunity to step back from daily routines, reconnect with my family and myself, and gain a fresh perspective. Now, I will return to the classroom that I share with over 100 wonderful human beings with renewed energy, creativity, and passion that comes from taking time for self-care and reflection.

February break served as a valuable reminder of the significance of prioritizing our well-being as educators. By embracing moments of rest and rejuvenation, we not only enhance our own effectiveness but also model healthy habits for our students.

With not much new, I want to take this opportunity to share the assignments that I have created for students. The objective is to empower students to share their work in a medium of their choice, one-act play, podcast, or video and book jacket. SchoolAI CoTeacher helped me develop these choices which encompass a variety of literacies and reflect the skills and interests of students in my classroom.

?? What's new

As we embark on the sixth week of our journey, Here are some new tools that I will include in the journey and how I expect them to be useful in our quest to harness AI and elevate writing skills for all students, with a particular emphasis on fostering inclusivity and equity. Here are some promising avenues I'm exploring:

1. Scrible: I'm eagerly looking forward to integrating Scrible's new features. This innovative tool holds the potential to empower students to annotate, organize, and collaborate on digital texts seamlessly. With Scrible, I envision students developing critical reading and analytical skills while engaging with diverse texts, amplifying their voices in the process. I first learned about Scrible several years ago at Ellen G. 's wonderful session at the MassCUE Fall Conference and have been using it ever since!
2. Everwrite: Promises to be a dynamic addition to our writing instruction toolkit. Its intuitive interface and real-time feedback functionality are poised to streamline the writing process, enabling students to craft clear, concise, and compelling narratives. I anticipate students will polish their writing skills while embracing the importance of the iterative nature of the writing process.
3. Brisk: I have been looking more deeply into Brisk. I have been using this for feedback inside Google Docs and plan to use it more in the coming weeks.
4. "Be an Author" Month: March is Book Creator (Tools for Schools) "Be an Author" Month. This initiative holds the promise of cultivating students' creativity and self-expression as they immerse themselves in the writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to revising and publishing their own works. I hope this initiative will instill a sense of pride and ownership in students' writing achievements, fostering a love for writing and a commitment to lifelong learning.
5. Listening Awareness Month: March is also Listening Awareness Month. I've been an advocate of Listenwise for years! We ask students to listen all day, yet few of us take the time for listening instruction. This month, I will swap traditional warm-ups with listen-ups to emphasize the importance of effective listening.

?? Looking Ahead:

Last week, I had the opportunity to work with the phenomenal production team at Teq to begin recording the Educate On Purpose micro-credential sessions! These sessions, comprising three distinct course streams—From Flat to 3D, AI Teacher, and Teach With C.A.R.E.—are inspired by my highly acclaimed conference presentations. I am thrilled to share these engaging and insightful micro-credential course streams hosted by Teq!

The inaugural course stream, titled "From Flat to 3D: Become a Next-Generation Science Teacher," offers a comprehensive series of sessions designed to elevate your teaching practice. The three sessions, Phenomena-Driven Instruction, Using Formative Assessment to Inform Instruction, and Student-Centered Classrooms, are tailored to meet educators at every stage of their professional journey. Whether you're just beginning or seeking to enhance your NGSS-style instruction, these sessions provide the tools and strategies necessary for continued growth and success.

?? AI Teacher and Teach With C.A.R.E. course streams are coming soon.

?? Please do take a moment to check out these gems from the Educate On Purpose PLN:

This Edutopia article by Marcus Luther Making In-Class Reading More Engaging in Middle and High School: Deep thinking and active collaboration aren’t mutually exclusive. These strategies extend silent reading by centering student engagement.

Another Edutopia article by my Edusister Hedreich Nichols When Black History Meets Women’s History.

I am always in search of reflection activities. This weekly review sheet from Dr Pooky Knightsmith was shared by the great connector Al Kingsley MBE in his newsletter. Be sure to check her feed for tons of fabulous content.

Check out Larisa Black who is always posting energetic and helpful content for teachers.

#Education #AIinEducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #WritingSkills #eduonpurpose #FormativeAssessment #StudentEngagement #Inclusivity #Equity #CandleClub #TeachingJourney #FallInLoveWithABook #ScienceSuccess ??????