Unboxing Education

 Here’s a clear outline of how a school can enforce differentiated AI policies across classes or assignments without chaos —focusing on consistency in expectations, communication, and accountability while still allowing subject-specific flexibility: 🧭 1. Create a Schoolwide AI Policy Framework Instead of one rigid rule, develop a policy framework with these elements: Core Principles (e.g., “AI should support—not replace—learning”) Acceptable Use Categories : Prohibited : Tasks where AI use undermines learning (e.g., generating entire essays). Permitted with Attribution : Brainstorming, outlining, or revision support. Encouraged : Coding help, data visualization, or simulations. Require teacher discretion within this framework to define expectations per assignment. Refer to established frameworks, like this one from Michigan Virtual. 🧾 2. Require Assignment-Level Disclosure Teachers include an AI Use Policy section on each major assignment: What...

In education, consistency is often championed—but when it comes to setting due dates and AI usage policies, the "one size fits all" approach is more harmful than helpful.  It’s time we acknowledge a simple truth: not all subjects (or students) are the same. So why are we still enforcing blanket rules? 📚 Different Subjects, Different Cognitive Demands Subjects vary not just in content, but in the kind of thinking they require. Consider these examples: Math and Science often rely on sequential problem-solving. Timely practice and feedback are essential. Late work in these subjects may mean missed opportunities to correct misunderstandings before moving forward. English Language Arts requires deeper reflection, drafting, and revision. Rigid due dates can discourage the iterative process that leads to strong writing. Electives like Art, Music, and CTE often assess creativity, iteration, and production over time. Artificial urgency can hinder authentic learning. ...

Between coaching, consulting, parenting, and studying policy, writing can easily fall to the bottom of my list, even though it's really my first love. I’ve always loved ideas, but the process of getting them out of my brain and onto the page hasn’t always been easy. As someone with ADHD and dyslexia, I often struggle with executive functioning, writer’s block, and imposter syndrome. Generative AI has become a surprising ally—one that’s helped me build momentum, stay productive, and still feel like *myself* in my writing. ⚙️ How I Use AI in My Writing Process I use tools like ChatGPT to draft initial copy for blog posts, workshop materials, emails, and more. I’ll often start by giving a few prompts about the message I want to get across or the audience I’m writing for. The AI helps me generate that first messy draft—the hardest part for my brain to start on its own. Any time I have an idea, rather than just jotting it down on a piece of paper (that, let's be honest, I'm...

  Wait—before you clutch your annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird , let me explain. I’m not burned out. I’m not bitter. I still believe in the power of story and the necessity of critical thinking. I still light up when a student finally cracks open a book they claimed to hate—or when their writing hits that sweet spot of clarity and voice. But after years in the ELA classroom, I’ve come to a difficult but exciting realization: English class, as we’ve traditionally framed it, is too narrow for the kind of reading and writing students actually need. 📚 Reading and Writing Don’t Belong in a Silo We live in a world where language is everywhere—slippery, powerful, and inextricably connected to every subject. So why do we keep reading and writing corralled into “English class,” dissecting fictional texts and over-analyzing symbolism as if that alone builds literacy? I’ve seen what happens when we teach reading as a skill for English class , not a survival skill for life. S...

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...

 What does learning look like in the age of AI? Generated with Adobe Firefly AI Cheating Is Getting Worse AI cheating is hopelessly, irreparably corrupting US higher education AI cheating is overwhelming the education system These headlines tend to frighten educators both about their current work and their future relevance. It has caused me to honestly reflect on what I want my students to do and know upon leaving my courses.  Do I want them to know HOLM  (the acronym for Shakespeare's tragedies)?  Or, do I want them to think critically about human behavior and universal themes? What it comes down to is that I want my students to think about their learning. This is why the use of AI presents problems in the classroom. Not because it shortcuts creativity or gives them ideas they wouldn't have come up with. Those aspects can be assets to certain learners. As I wrote here , I want students to know, or remember, the purpose of assessment, and it's not to submit the corre...

Do you feel attacked when you open your To Be Graded list?   Nearly every online teacher has been in a situation where the grading inbox seems to be an avalanche of work that needs attention, feedback, and evaluation. There are even days when a teacher grades one assignment only to return to find the queue has grown by 5.  While most of the advice available begins with the beginning, course design, there are things a teacher can do TODAY to manage the load. Then, the teacher can find time to plan for the future, to minimize the storm of grading next semester. What to do TODAY: Wrangle the TBG Monster (To Be Graded): 1. Search for or scan for items that are easy to grade. Eliminate short assignments, assignments with rubrics attached, and anything that is for completion. Return any blank assignments, documents that are not shared, or other errors in submission. 2. Sort by Date: Feedback is most impactful when it is timely. If an assignment is more than 5 school days old, the st...

 Did you know Canva has a built-in accessibility checker? Find it in the File menu under View Settings: The checker even has AI built in to help you generate alt text quickly and easily. See demo below: If you are looking for even more info about best practices for accessibility, check out this webinar from Canva.  You can also check out resources from CAST here for UDL guidelines. 

 Freebie Alert: At the link below, find a tab with the ChatGPT prompt and a tab with the Blooket csv format. Template in Google Sheets Customize the provided prompt in ChatGPT to generate a table of questions. Copy the questions starting in 3B of the CSV template. Save CSV tab as a CSV >File>Download>Comma Separated Value Create Blooket Game Import Questions with Spreadsheet Import option Edit/Review Game and Save Have fun!

 

Tools Used: 1. ChatGPT 2. Canva     -Magic Design     -Bulk Create

“You may delay, but time will not.” —  Benjamin Franklin The most common request I hear from administrators and legal counsel regarding AI is the request to see policy language from someone else. This has resulted in a kind of standoff. Here are two sources that may help you get this process moving along Syllabus Resources Sample Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools

 Am I the only one overwhelmed by the possibilities of adding AI to my classrooms? Why do the articles that state  3 Simple Ideas for Introducing AI Into Your Teaching  seem neither simple nor helpful?  I find myself searching for the bridge, the path from the way I've been using curriculum to the future where AI is a natural aid in my students' learning experiences.  I find myself researching how to build a bridge.  What have I been doing to retrofit the curriculum to survive this transition?  I'll share my successes and failures below. AI Detectors From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository I'll start with the rocky relationship I've had with investigating the use of AI. I teach British Literature and have grappled with AI-generated essays since early in 2023. While the rise of AI brings up important, philosophical discussions about the ongoing value of essay writing (which I discussed in a previous blog post ), the fact is I'm still using cur...