Unboxing Education

In virtual and asynchronous education, one of the most persistent challenges is keeping students on track without daily in-person check-ins. When learners fall behind, they can quickly become overwhelmed, especially when teacher oversight is limited. Enter AI-powered support tools. 🧠 Why AI in Pacing Matters As educators and instructional leaders, we can now customize AI tools to meet our students’ real needs. One simple yet powerful example? ✅ The AI-Powered Pacing Guide Generator This tool creates individualized learning schedules based on each student’s: ✅ Start date ✅ Course length ✅ Available work days 🛠️ What Is a Pacing Guide Generator? A pacing guide generator takes a few simple inputs (course content, end date, skipped days) and automatically produces a custom, student-friendly plan . With just a few lines of code, you can generate pacing guides directly into Google Docs or Google Sheets with minimal effort. 🎯 Use it once, reuse it forever. 💡 Why This Chan...

  As digital devices become an essential part of everyday life, completely banning screen time is no longer realistic—or even necessary. Instead, families can guide healthy technology use with the help of simple tools and practical boundaries. Here’s how to strike a balanced approach that fosters responsibility, safety, and digital wellbeing. 1. Use Built-In Parental Controls Most smartphones and tablets offer free tools to set screen time boundaries: Apple Screen Time (iOS): Set daily limits for specific apps or app categories Schedule downtime (like no devices after 9 p.m.) Monitor usage reports Google Family Link (Android): Set app time limits and daily device limits Lock devices remotely Get weekly activity reports ✅ Tip: Pair these tools with a conversation. Kids are more likely to follow limits when they understand the why behind them. 2. Control Wi-Fi Access Through Your Router You can manage screen time for the entire household by ...

  Quick wins for overwhelmed educators Let’s be honest: digital chaos creeps in fast—especially for educators juggling lesson plans, student emails, curriculum files, and a thousand open tabs. If your digital life feels more like a junk drawer than a well-organized toolbox, this one’s for you. Here are 6 quick and doable ways to start unboxing your digital life—one tiny task at a time. Set a timer, pick one, and give yourself 15 minutes. That’s it. Progress over perfection. 1. 🚫 Unsubscribe From 10 Emails Time: 1-3 minutes per day Search “unsubscribe” in your inbox. Unsubscribe from 10 email lists you don’t read. If you notice emails still coming through, use the UNSUBSCRIBE in at the bottom of the email or report the sender as SPAM. 💡 Try Unroll.Me or Gmail filters to clean faster. 2. 🗑️ Delete 100 Photos Time: 15 minutes Open your photo roll or Google Photos. Clear out blurry shots, screenshots, and duplicates. 📁 Make a “Favorites” album to preserve the best. ...

Some days, I feel like I’m juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle—on a Zoom call. Generated with Firefly AI That’s life as a teacher with ADHD. People often associate ADHD with kids, daydreamers in the back of the class, impulsive behavior, or forgotten homework. But ADHD doesn’t disappear when we grow up. For many of us, it follows us into adulthood—and for some, it’s not diagnosed until we’re already deep into our careers. I’m one of those people. And I’m also a teacher. The Daily Challenges Teaching is a job that requires organization, multitasking, emotional regulation, time management, and attention to detail. You know, all the things that ADHD loves to mess with. Here’s what that can look like for me: 🧭 Planning paralysis. I can see all the possibilities, ideas, and resources. But choosing one direction and sticking to it? That’s the hard part. 🕳️🐇 Hyperfocus rabbit holes. I’ll spend three hours crafting the perfect lesson slide deck—only to realize I forgo...

Every now and then, someone refers to me as "just an online teacher." It might be said with curiosity, confusion, or even subtle dismissal. It’s a phrase that seems small, like my work is somehow less than what happens in a traditional classroom. But here’s the truth: I’m not just an online teacher. I am an ONLINE Teacher. I remember a quote about Ginger Rogers that says she "did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels." Online teachers do everything but on a computer and in a different location from their students.  Online Teaching Is Real Teaching Let’s get this out of the way: online teaching isn’t easier, simpler, or less demanding than face-to-face teaching. It’s not an escape hatch from “real” education. In fact, it often requires more intentional planning, more data-driven decision-making, and more individualization to meet student needs. I don’t just post assignments and hope for the best. I analyze engagement data, craft personali...