Work Smarter, Not Harder

 Prior to this class I actually had quite a bit of experience with AI, but I never really thought about it from that perspective. As I was reading over this week’s coursework, I realized that I use AI all the time! I have a fitness tracker, I use Siri and Alexa regularly, GPS on my car, a backup camera, etc. However, I did not really use it to enhance my teaching until more recently. 

Last year at one of our institute days we had a speaker come to discuss AI and, more specifically, ChatGPT. I had never used the tool before in my own classroom, but I was very interested to see what our speaker had to say. At first I was skeptical, and believed that I would never use AI in my own classroom. However, by the end of his lecture I realized that was untrue. ChatGPT has a ton of capabilities that I had never considered! Since his speech I have now used AI to generate practice problems, brainstorm different lessons I could use that incorporated stop-motion animation, plan an itinerary for a vacation, and more! I still am a little hesitant to use it to have it do other things for me, because I still like the idea of generating my own ideas and lessons, but I am way more open to using AI than I ever thought I would be!

While I have never actually used it in a lesson with my own students I know that they love to use AI! Last year I had a student in my class who was very self-motivated. He decided that he wanted to switch his schedule for the following year, but he knew that he would need to contact the assistant principal of Curriculum and Instruction. Even though the student is very confident, he did not usually have regular conversations with the assistant principal, so he turned to AI to help make this communication seem more professional. He typed in the stipulations for the email that he wanted to send, and ChatGPT generated a letter. The letter sounded very professional and thoughtful. I think he used AI in an appropriate and effective way! It was cool to see him thinking outside of the box!

Image Source: Simplilearn

I think that technology, and AI Specifically, is a great way to enhance learning and create opportunities that were previously impossible. AI has made my own life so much easier, but I never want it to take the place of learning. I think that if you use AI appropriately, to help you brainstorm, answer a question that you are having, etc. it is great! However, it should not take the place of hard work and learning. I feel like at times students use AI to write them an essay that they just did not feel like writing, or summarize a story that they did not want to read. In this case I just think AI is promoting laziness and unpreparedness. However, overall I think AI is a powerful tool that can help make students understand concepts at a deeper and more meaningful level. 

End of an Era

Image Source: Tenor

I wanted to start off with my new and improved GIF, because I think it speaks a lot to the transition that has occurred over the last eight weeks of this class. At the beginning of any new class, semester, life experience, etc. I always feel very overwhelmed. I tend to look at the big picture, rather than breaking things up into more manageable pieces. However, by the end I am feeling much more like Kristen Wiig in this GIF. I am so excited I cannot even stand it! 

There are many reasons for my excitement levels being sky high, and the first one is that this class was a really great experience. I feel like I was introduced to so many resources that I was previously unaware of. The week that we talked about accessibility allowed me to explore so many different extensions for Google Chrome, that I have begun to incorporate into my own lessons. I also loved coming up with a curated collection of things, websites, podcasts, books, etc. that I enjoyed, and sharing it with everyone else. I enjoyed clicking through my classmates' collections as well, I plan on using them as a resource in the future! Finally, I loved creating my own website! I always thought it would be an awesome resource for my classes, but I was too nervous to create one myself. Now, I have a website that I can use as a baseline to share important information with my students presently and in the future.

Additionally, my perspective on technology in education has shifted slightly. I have always thought that technology is key in order to enhance learning. However, I never thought about how being part of a professional learning network could improve how I use technology in the classroom. I am going to continue to network and learn more about what free resources are available, what fun activities I can include in my own lessons, and how I can make my class more engaging and active. Overall, I think this class has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone into new and exciting lessons!

One other aspect of the class that I absolutely loved was the assignment tracker! It helped me to stay focused and organized. It also helped with my anxiety, because it was nice to see what I needed to get done on a weekly basis. I think that in the future I may implement this with my own students! I think it will be a great way for my students to take ownership of their learning! It will give them more responsibility and prepare them for the real world!

Finally, on a personal level, this is my second to last grad school class possibly ever! While I love to learn and expand my knowledge on various topics (especially educational technology), I am looking forward to taking a break! I will take all the amazing things I have learned throughout this experience and, hopefully, use it to amplify student learning!

It’s the end of an era…

Image Source: GIPHY

Getting the Dirt

As a millennial who is mildly obsessed with social media I was a little bit nervous about conducting the data dig about my life. While I try my best to make sure everything I post is thoughtful and appropriate, there was a time in my life when college-Ashley was not always so vigilant. 

Places 

I started my dig at Peek You. This website definitely was able to locate me, however the information, for better or worse, was a little sparse. The website was able to link me to a different website, Instant Checkmate where many connections were made. The first thing I noticed was they were able to identify many towns that are meaningful in my life: 

• Elmwood Park - where I grew up 
• Palatine - where I live now
• Normal - where I went to college 
• Niles - although I never lived there, my grandma did.

Image Source: Instant Checkmate

 People

As I continued my data dig, I noticed many of my family members were listed as my connections. There were a few people that I did not know, but many of them are my very close family members. 

• Frank Shaw - my grandpa

• John Shaw - my dad

• Joseph Shaw - my brother

• Laurie Shaw - my mom

• Marianne Shaw - my aunt

• Nora Shaw - my grandma

When I was on other websites I found very similar results, with even more people! While all of the family members I listed above have the same last name as me, on another website I found my maternal grandparents. 

Social Media

Later on I switched to Edge to do more research into myself. I started off by Googling my most common username “ashaw314.” My results were not super exciting, in fact only my Pinterest portfolio.

Social Media

Later on I switched to Edge to do more research into myself. I started off by Googling my most common username “ashaw314.” My results were not super exciting, in fact only my Pinterest portfolio. 

Social Media

Later on I switched to Edge to do more research into myself. I started off by Googling my most common username “ashaw314.” My results were not super exciting, in fact only my Pinterest portfolio. 

Image Source: Personal Screenshot

Then I decided to try to Google my name, once including and once excluding my middle initial. When I excluded my middle initial none of the results were actually me. However, when I included my middle initial I was able to find my address, age, and previous address right on the page. 

When I clicked on the first link, True People Search, I was able to find a lot more information that was in regards to my life. Including a street view of my house, as well as information about my house including how much I paid for it, property taxes, the school district I live in, etc. 

Image Source: Personal Screenshot

Reaction

I understand why doing a data dig could really stress out a lot of people. However, I was excited to see how my experience would pan out. I think part of the reason I was not too worried was that I do not really have anything to hide. I want to see what other people could find out about me. The only thing I did not love was that people were able to easily find my address. However, that is public record, so I understand that people can access that information. 

As far as teaching my students this in school, I do think it is a very valid point for teachers to make. I think at times students have tunnel vision, and they do not realize that whatever they post will live on forever. Having a friendly reminder of this is very important! Many times students have gotten into trouble based on posts they have made outside of school. Knowledge of this can help students to be mindful of what they are posting, because you never know what someone can find in the future.