With the introduction of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude and other GenAI platforms, educators are faced with adapting our instructional and assessment practices. In this session we will examine key elements of GenAI while we tackle a few key questions: How can educators use AI tools in their practice to save time and devote energy to other things such as assessing student learning? What are some critical shifts in assessment occurring at post-secondary and elsewhere that can guide our decisions? How might the existence of AI impact grading practices and homework? What are some effective approaches to instruction and assessment in an GenAI world? What skills should we focus on in the GenAI era, and how can we identify them? How can we increase student voice, engagement, and personalization through planning instruction with GenAI?
As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) expands throughout all sectors of society, teachers have numerous apps and platforms specifically geared for them. One of the most notable is 'Magic School', and it offers an incredible array of support for teachers. Perhaps the most useful element of Magic School is that it is scaffolded for teachers, with easy to use prompt boxes that eliminate the need to write effective prompts from scratch. By completing a few fields, teachers can obtain customized rubrics, unit plans, text leveling, Math word problems, YouTube video questions, and much, much more. Recently the makers of Magic School have introduced 'Magic Student' - a teacher monitored portal where some tools can be added to a 'classroom' and students can access AI tools in a controlled environment. Join this session to get an in-depth look at Magic School, where participants are encouraged to bring a laptop, iPad or similar as time may be provided to explore and share.
* We’ll remove the laptops immediately to protect the ecosystem According to the most recent research, globally the average person spends around 7 hours per day looking at a screen. For Gen Z (ages 11-25) tack on an extra two hours, and if current trends continue, they'll soon surpass 10 hours a day! If screen time was an issue before COVID, it was exacerbated by the pandemic through remote learning, Zoom sessions, and other ways we were forced to connect digitally. While it’s clear that technology plays an integral role in learning, perhaps it’s worth exploring ways to periodically ‘switch off’ the screens and explore other avenues. In this session, we’ll explore a variety of ways to introduce face-to-face conversations, movement, and the outdoors. We will also dust off 'old school’ stuff like Lego, Play-Doh, and action figures and examine how we can purposefully incorporate these engaging elements into our instruction and assessment routines.
