Tech Matters

Click to listen to a podcast version of this month's newsletter to experience an Audio Overview Podcast in action! Remember, it's not going to be perfect and there is no ability to customize the podcast content at this point, but I think you will be blown away when you listen.

To try it out, follow these steps:

1. Go to https://notebooklm.google/

2. Click ‘+ New Notebook’

3. Add at least one Source
   Source Options: PDF, Google Docs, Google Slides, Website, Copied Text
   Source Limit: 50 Sources per Notebook

4. Click the ‘Generate’ button for Deep Dive Conversations to create an Audio Overview
   Note: It will take several minutes to create. Be patient. 🙂

5. Listen and be amazed!

Click on the button below to check out the post I wrote about NotebookLM in the #eduKATE Community Google Group about it. If you're not part of the group yet, you'll see a button that says "Ask to join group". Simply click to request access and view the post.

This month for the EdTech Explorers Spotlight, we're focusing on the brand new EdTech Explorers PD Menu - designed to lead you on a comprehensive journey to grow your EdTech knowledge and skills.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

The PD Menu has a variety of activities that have been chosen to help support your growth with educational technology. Here's how you can get started:

• READY TO DIP IN YOUR TOES OR FIND A STARTING POINT?
  Start with Category 1 (Reflection & Building Community). All the activities in this section have been organized in a suggested order to help you reflect on your practices and engage in building community. Start by making sure you are part of the #eduKATE Community Google Group to start growing your PLN (Professional Learning Network).
  
  
• FOR AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT:
  Check out Category 2 (Professional Learning & Development). Only have 10 minutes? Try one of our EdTech Try-A-Bytes. Or choose from one of the three other courses, such as a Make & Take, 1-HR Workshop, or a Badge course for a deeper dive into a specific technology tool or topic.
  
  
• READY TO APPLY YOUR LEARNING?
  Head over to Category 3 (Application & Integration). Consider designing a tech-enhance lesson or integrating something you learned from a recent EdTech book or article you've read.

HOW DOES THE PD MENU WORK?

Each activitiy is aligned with the ISTE Educator Standards. The menu lists the task, the purpose behind engaging in it, and the documentation required to earn points. As you complete tasks and document your growth, you'll earn points towards leveling up as an EdTech Explorer.

GET STARTED TODAY!

Take your first step by exploring the PD menu! If you have any questions or need support, feel free to reach out!

I can't wait to see how our College is going to "level-up" their EdTech skills this year.

Rebecca

A huge thank you to everyone who dedicated time to growing their EdTech skills this past month! Check out the top 5 overall point earners, as well as the top 5 for this month! Since points reset in June, some of you already started earning points over the summer. It's incredibly rewarding to see so many of you actively persuing professional development.

While points are a fun way to track progress, the true goal of this program is to help encourage and provide oppotunities to engage with ISTE Educator Standards. Remember, every small step adds up!

Before the semester began, Dr. Brogan reached out to me about brainstorming alternatives to online discussion board posts, given the ability of Generative AI to easily complete this type of assignment. One of my suggestons was to have students engage in annotated reading, where they document their thinking as they engage with course materials, like the textbook. Dr. Brogan took this idea and ran with it, developing an incredible assignment that not only deepens student engagement, but is also more resistant to AI.

If you are looking to replace discussion posts or create more AI-resistant assignments in your online courses, I would encourage you to try out annotated readings!

Dr. Katherine Farmer has embraced using Brisk Teaching, an educational AI tool, to assist with providing feedback on student work. Check out how she is using this tool below!

"I believe the statement is "Work smarter not harder." This is how I think about using AI. How can I use AI to make my life easier when it comes to grading? Brisk Teaching presents a solution to this problem. In my online courses, my students are required to respond to discussion board questions each week. I read and grade the posts according to the rubric. Additionally, I want to provide written feedback on their posts, but in truth, that takes a lot of time to write for each student especially when you have 15-25 students in a class. This is where Brisk Teaching and the Grow/Glow feature comes in. Brisk Teaching reads the post and provides written feedback that I can use when grading. For example, when I grade a discussion board, I use parts of the Glow statements in my written feedback response for good posts. For posts that have issues or do not meet the word count, I use some of the Glow statements as well as the Grow and Wonder statements to show the students how they could improve their posts. A few of my students have remarked this semester that they like the additional written feedback."

Dr. Chhanda Islam first learned about Notebook LM's new podcast deep dive feature through the #eduKATE Community Google Group. Intrigued by its potential, she stopped by EdTech Office Hours to learn more about how Notebook LM works. She mentioned that she planned to use it with her students, so, of course, I had to follow up to see how it went! Read about her students' experience below!

"The attached pictures prove how much our students enjoyed the program.

By using the program, they were able to gain a better understanding of the article. This allowed them to get quick access to valuable information without having to read the entire article, allowing them to spend more time reflecting on the teaching strategies mentioned in the article. There were on-the-spot suggestions and insights from the podcast, which helped refine and expand on the teaching strategies discussed in the article. Through the program, our students developed critical thinking skills and were able to retain information more effectively.

I recommend Notebook LM to anyone who needs to manage large volumes of information efficiently and intelligently."

This section of the newsletter features different modifiable prompts. This type of prompt is one that has been designed for you to customize by adding information specific to your needs. These prompts provide an easy entry point into using Generative AI and learning more about effective prompting.

Each prompt includes

• Modifiable Prompt - A prompt that is ready to customize
• Purpose - What the prompt is for and why you might want to use it
• Instructions - How to modify and use the prompt
• Sample Output - An example of what you can generate with the prompt

If you try one out, I'd LOVE to hear about your experience and how it worked for you!

Purpose of Prompt: It can be much faster to capture your thinking using Speech to Text than typing; however, this means the text needs to be “cleaned up”. This prompt allows Generative AI to take care of correcting the grammar, punctuation, and capitalization without changing your wording. It also allows you to not have to verbally include punctuation when speaking.

Purpose of Prompt: This prompt was designed to assist with creating lecture-style narration scripts to accompany slide decks in online courses, or as a supplemental resource in an in-person course.

Click links to access prompts from past newsletters.

Prompt #1 | AI Persona Prompt

Prompt to create an AI Persona that students can chat with. Includes a specific prompt to have students discuss professionalism and the role of teachers with a school princiapl.

Prompt #2 | Active Learning Brainstorming Prompt

Prompt to help brainstorm ideas to incorporate more active learning into lecture-heavy class periods.

We FINALLY have access to Google Gemini through our Murray State accounts! Head over to gemini.google.com and start exploring! You'll be hearing more about Gemini from me soon. 🙂

Google Docs is finally releasing a highly anticipated feature - TABS! Docs now allows you to add multiple tabs to a single file - it's like having several Docs in one! I am mildly obsessed. Thanks to John Sowash, you can get early access by clicking on the button below and making a copy of the doc.

Want to read more about it? Check out this post in the #eduKATE Community Google Group. Not a member? No problem, click join and I'll add you!

If you often find yourself writing the same emails - like advising reminders or class updates - consider creating a set of reusable templates.

Use the Google Docs 'Email Draft' building block with the new Google Docs tab feature to keep all your frequently used email templates in one location! The 'Email Draft' building block allows you to draft your email in Docs, giving you more formatting options and the ability to collaborate with others. When you're ready to send, you can transfer the content into Gmail with a single click - no reformatting or copying and pasting needed!

Using the new tab feature, create a separate tab for each email template, so you can store them all in one doc. This approach is great for any email, whether it's one you send daily or just a few times a year. Simply modify or update the content instead of composing from scratch. Once you start, you'll ask yourself why you haven't always done this!

1. Add the Building Block: There are three different way to add the Email Draft Building Block -
   > Smart Chip: Click on the Smart Chip labeled Email Draft at the top of a new doc
   > @ Menu: Type the @ symbol and select Email Draft from under Building Blocks
   > Insert Menu: Click on the Insert Menu, hover over Building Blocks, and select Email Draft
   
   
2. Draft Your Email: You can add recipients in the Doc, or wait until you transfer the email to Gmail.
   
   
3. Send with a Click: When you are ready to send your email, click on the blue envelope icon to transfer your message over to Gmail. Make sure everything looks the way you want it to, then press send.

Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, educators have been working to define which competencies and skills hould be taught, and at what grade levels, to ensure that our students are AI literate. Whether you call it Digital Citizenhip, Digital Literacy, AI Literacy - these skills are no longer optional - they are essential.

Evergreen AI has spent over 20 months developing a comprehensive approach to AI Competencies for K-12. Each compentcy includes eduring understandings and curriculum-aligned starter ideas. They are currently working towards aligning these with Common Core standards.

This is one of the best resources I've seen - not only for providing a clear roadmap on how to approach teaching AI, but also for giving curriculum aligned starter ideas. Resources like this are essential as we move forward with thoughtfully integrating AI into K-12 education.

Click the button below to visit their website and download a free copy.

First Friday events are times organized by KATE to help you engage with the COEHS learning community about EdTech. These events target the ISTE Educators standards (2.1) Learner and (2.4) Collaborator. We try to schedule them on the "first" Friday of the month, but sometimes they just happen on a Friday!

We hope you'll attend as many as you can!

📆 Date: Friday, October 4th (9am - 11am)

⏰ Time Commitment: 1-2 hours (If you need to leave partway through, that's okay!)

🏆 Points: 50 Points (Earn by coming & engaging in a discussion)

⏰ Time Commitment: Flexible (Come & Go Event)

🏆 Points: 25 Points (Earn by coming & engaging in a discussion)

📆 Date: Friday, November 1st (9am - 11am)

⏰ Time Commitment: 1-2 hours (If you need to leave partway through, that's okay!)

🏆 Points: 100 points (Earn by reading the research article and attending the event.)

The purpose of this event is to engage with the COEHS learning community in reading, evaluating, and discussing the practical application of an EdTech research article. We will send out an RSVP form closer to the event, which is how you will recieve the article. The RSVP also helps us get a headcount for refreshments!