ISTELive 2026 is coming to Orlando in a little over a week … and I get to hang out at the Samsung booth (#1129) TWICE:

Here’s why I’m really excited about Samsung’s interactive displays this year:

The best way to experience all of this? See it in person at ISTELive 2026 because you’ll get to talk directly with Samsung education reps, see the displays up close, and FEEL how natural and engaging the learning experience can be.

I would LOVE to see you at the Samsung booth at the ISTELive conference … sign a book for you … and be there while you learn all about their great interactive displays!

AI adoption isn't just about picking the right tools—it's about creating the right strategy.

In the Playbook for Implementing AI in K-12, created by me and the team at Brisk Teaching, I share a practical framework for school and district leaders.

Inside, you'll find strategies for building AI guidelines, evaluating AI tools, and creating meaningful implementation plans—plus downloadable worksheets, a tool evaluation scorecard, and a simple 90-day action plan to help turn ideas into action.

Whether you're just getting started or refining your AI strategy, this free playbook offers a thoughtful framework for making AI matter in your schools.

👉 Download the free playbook and start building your AI roadmap today.

Summer gives us some time to slow down and think about things we didn’t have time (or energy) to think about.

We’re starting a new series called “Deep Thoughts for Summer.” It’s hard to get the 30,000-foot view of your educator life when you’re stuck in the weeds every day.

The plan: two Deep Thoughts questions per week for five weeks. We’ll explore 10 total Deep Thoughts in June and July.

Add your own: Feel free to post your own Deep Thoughts question inside the Deep Thoughts channel in the community!

Join the community: If you haven’t already, please join the DTT online community — and don’t forget to add the mobile app (iOS iPhone / Google Android) so you don’t miss a thing.

(Side note: Anyone else keep thinking about “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey” from Saturday Night Live years ago???)

This thinking behind this is from a 2011 post by educator Peter Pappas, which asks, "If students are going to be productive in a dynamic society and workplace they will need to be agile, fluid learners.”

Every summer, teachers get to re-invent themselves – to rethink their instructional approach. Here’s your essential question for the coming school year – 'How can I stop scaffolding every task for students, and have the courage to be less helpful?'"

From Matt: “I've struggled with this BIG TIME. When teaching Spanish, I always wanted my students to think learning Spanish was easy. But that doesn't always equate to sticky learning. In the book Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel, they point to ‘desirable difficulties.’ They're the struggles that make learning stick -- and make students better learners.” 

When your education career is finished, how will people describe you?

Have you thought about that recently? If not, let’s discuss. Here’s my recent reflection on that question …

My goals for my legacy have morphed over the years …

1. Ever since I started teaching high school Spanish in 2004, I’ve wanted to equip my students with a useable skill — speaking Spanish — that was real and practical.

2. I’ve always wanted my students to look forward to my class … to make learning a language fun.

3. Incorporating technology has always been important to me so they’ll see how it applies to their lives AND they’ll build some digital literacies for the future.

NOW, I’d add a couple of new parts to my legacy …

4. As my work with Ditch That Textbook has grown over the years, I’ve wanted to equip and empower teachers to make learning fun for their students — and for them — saving time for what really matters most.

5. And now, back in the classroom, I want to instill my students with some AI literacies that will help prepare them for an AI-saturated future.

Ask me on a different day and my answers might be different … but those are what I have today! :)

I’d love to see what you’re thinking about this … just click the button below to share — and read what others are saying!

Community member Don Sturm got to hike the Beehive in Acadia National Park recently. When he finished, he got to look back on it and think, “Wow, I hiked that!”

Could we get students to think that way about education — about the things that they’re doing in our classrooms?

Response by Dr. Charles Keller: “Love Maine hikes, and that's a favorite!!! Knife's Edge on the AT is another classic. I think the analogy is a good one and, coincidentally, if we could get kids to spend more time engaged with nature and having "live" experiences (vs virtual), we'd be half way up the trail right from the get go!!”

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education: