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...

A smooth start to the school year sets the tone for everything that follows,  especially in the online classroom . Whether you're new to virtual teaching or a seasoned pro, building trust , clarity , and connection early on pays off all year long. Here are three essential steps to help you start strong: ✉️ 1. Send a Welcome Letter That Connects Before students ever click into your LMS, send a warm, clear, and visually friendly welcome letter. Include: 👋 A brief personal introduction (with a photo, if you're comfortable) 📚 A simple overview of what to expect in your class 📬 Preferred communication channels & your response times 🔑 Login instructions and how to get started 🎥 Bonus: Add a short video greeting to help students feel connected, especially in asynchronous or self-paced programs. 📊 Fun fact: A 2014 study found that instructor-generated video content boosted student engagement and satisfaction in online higher ed courses. 🔥 Pro Tip: Use a m...

🧠 I have ADHD. Two of my children have ADHD. And still,  even knowing what I know now, it's a struggle. Why? Because when ADHD runs deep in your family, the symptoms don’t always feel unusual. They feel familiar . They feel like you. Like home. Like “just how we are.” But that sense of normalcy can be the very thing that delays support—and as both a teacher and a mom, I’ve seen just how important it is to name what’s happening and get help. 👀 When ADHD Runs in the Family, It Hides in Plain Sight ADHD is one of the most heritable mental health conditions— up to 80% of its traits are passed genetically ( PMC , EBSCO ). So when one child has ADHD, there’s a good chance others in the family do too, whether they’re diagnosed or not ( ADDitude ). That’s exactly what happened in my house. And in my classroom, I’ve seen it play out again and again: Parents say, “I did the same thing as a kid and turned out fine.” Families build elaborate systems to work around c...

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. ...

🎯 Why Instructional Coaching Matters Even More in Virtual Asynchronous Schools 💡 Isolation is Real—But Coaching Can Break It All teaching can feel isolating. Even with teachers just down the hall, some may feel left out or unsure. In virtual asynchronous schools, teachers often work alone behind a screen, compounding the isolation.  🟡 No hallway conversations 🟡 No informal classroom visits 🟡 No quick team huddles after school 🎯 Instructional coaching is the bridge between isolation and innovation. While good coaching is the same in any school environment, in a virtual, asynchronous school, intentionality is key to meaningful conversations.  “Coaching in Brick-and-Mortar vs. Virtual Schools” Coaching Role Brick & Mortar School 🏫 Virtual Asynchronous School 💻 Peer Collaboration Daily, informal Rare, must be intentional Feedback Opportunities Frequent and real-time Needs to be scheduled and structured Access to Classroom Practice Ea...

Conferences can be hard. You have: determined which students need support. communicated, usually multiple times, in order to find a time to meet. held a conference with parents/students/other staff. Now what? First, setting the conference up for success is important.  See my previous post on managing virtual parent/teacher conferences.  During the conference, keep the goal in mind. SMART goals, that is. With as much student input as possible, set a short-term goal that is measurable.  Next, consider these tips to ensure you get the most return on your efforts to meet with students. 1. Manage Your Communication.  Where possible, you want to build relationships with students. You do this by tracking previous conversations so that each meeting feels like a continuation of the relationship. I use several Google tools to manage my communication with students and families. Google Sheets: I use a Google Sheet to keep a list of my students. I use this list to email students ...

  End-of-course surveys can give you valuable info so you can continue to perfect your course and your teaching. They support a growth mindset and allow for important reflection. 

 FERPA Defined FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law in the United States that regulates the access to and protection of student educational records. It gives students and their parents the right to access, review, and control their educational records, and sets limits on the release of personally identifiable information from these records to third parties. In an Online Environment FERPA can be tricky in an online environment when teachers are communicating, screen sharing, or hosting group lessons. In a synchronous environment, teachers may have little control or even awareness as to who can hear their conversation. Here are a few tips to protect yourself and your students in regards to FERPA and student privacy: Communication Limit the amount of personally identifiable information (PII) shared in the email. This may include a student's name, address, Social Security number, grades, or other sensitive information. Be sure to only contact a...

The Essay is Dead? Gloom and doom predictions about the impact of AI on education, especially essay writing, claim that AI will ruin any validity of essay writing, particularly unproctored essay writing. The real question is, "So what?" To understand what is, or rather isn't, at stake, one must explore the originals and uses of the essay writing process.  The History of Essays The history of essays in education can be traced back to ancient Greece, where scholars such as Plato and Aristotle used writing as a tool for intellectual discourse and exploration. In the Middle Ages, the essay evolved into a form of personal expression and self-reflection, with religious scholars writing introspective pieces on their spiritual journeys. The Renaissance period saw the emergence of the essay as a literary genre, with writers such as Michel de Montaigne popularizing the personal essay form.  Essays went from a way to evaluate learning to a way to evaluate writing.  In modern times,...

 Regardless of the educational setting, many parents and teachers enjoy the convenience of offering virtual conference options. Time savings and flexible schedules can serve to increase parental involvement in conferences as well. Hosting a successful virtual meeting, though, can benefit from some careful planning. 1. Advertise : Get the word out to parents and students about the options for virtual conferences. Send multiple emails in the weeks leading up. Be sure the options are communicated in district conference communication as well. List the method, time frame, and topics that you may cover. I send something like this:  Consider signing up for a short conference this week.  Signing up is easy. Simply click HERE and choose a time slot that works best for you.  Don't see a time slot? Reply here to let me know when you are available. We can meet by video or phone.  Some things we can discuss:  Simply meeting and greeting Concerns over content Making a pl...

  Supporting students in a virtual environment goes by many names. Coaching mentoring or shepherding are all programs that have been instituted to provide the virtual student with that one key person within the virtual program that can offer them support and guidance. I often liken the mentor, as it is called in my program, to a guidance counselor as it is a person that can see a student's whole schedule and has regular contact with the student and the parents to communicate important information about the virtual program and to answer any questions that the student has. The mentor also communicates with the teachers when a student has an issue such as an extended illness that might impact their ability to work in their classes. Without a mentor, a student can get lost or overlooked in a program. Teachers may know a student is struggling in their class but may not realize that they're not working in any classes or may miss key information about that student's personal life....

  As the number of K-12 students taking online classes increases, the need for research to identify best practices specific to the online classroom becomes greater. Michigan and Florida, along with other states, require most students to take an online course in order to graduate. Moreover, students are electing to enroll in virtual schools for all of their classes, whether those schools be in their district or in a charter school, public or private. The chances are that a teacher entering the field today will, at some point, have the opportunity or obligation to teach in an online setting. The value of a great teacher is established and makes the need for best practices more urgent.  For teachers already teaching online, it quickly becomes apparent that while a few classroom strategies transfer to the virtual classroom, many do not. The available literature on the topic of teaching online centers around either higher education settings or blended learning models. Some new rese...