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- 🛠️ New AI tools for the classroom
🛠️ New AI tools for the classroom
Plus: Microsoft Flip to discontinue web, mobile versions
Matt Miller
June 05, 2024
👋🏿 Classroom tech comes — and goes
The AI boom continues all around us — and in the educational technology space.
New AI tools — and new AI features in our existing tools — seem to show up every day. Don’t feel bad if you feel like you’re not keeping up to speed. No one is.
Today’s email shares some of our favorite AI-powered edtech tools. We’ve added to our list to include 40 AI tools for the classroom.
Tech tools come, and tech tools go.
I learned this week that Microsoft is retiring the web and mobile versions of Microsoft Flip (formerly Flipgrid). You’ll find more details below in the DTT Digest.
It’s one of my very favorite classroom apps. I’m so disappointed to see Microsoft lock it inside Microsoft Teams, where lots of us (especially Google schools) can’t access it anymore.
Feels like a corporate profitability play and a power play to convert users from Google to Microsoft. And in the end, students and teachers lose out. I have dear friends who work on Flip who will certainly be impacted.
We’ll move on, but this one stings for now.
Inside:
😊 Prepare students for an AI future
👀 DTT Digest: Microsoft Flip retiring, AI detectors, AI grading
💡 The Big Idea: 40 AI tools for the classroom
🗄 Template: Super hero trading card
🌎 Where’s Matt? Texas, Indiana, New Mexico, Tennessee
😄 Smile of the day: I’m a password mess
👋 How we can help
😊 Prepare students for an AI future
The future is changing rapidly. AI is going to be a big part of it.
How do we prepare students for that future?
My book, AI for Educators, has a whole chapter about preparing students for an AI-integrated world — steps we can take now to start preparing students for their future.
👀 DTT Digest
4 teaching resources worth checking out today
🚨 BREAKING: Microsoft to retire mobile, web version of Flip — Microsoft Flip won’t be available via mobile or web soon. On July 1, you won’t be able to add new videos. You can download your videos there until Sept. 30.
😢 I’m disappointed by the Flip news — I shared on Twitter/X about my mixed emotions — disappointment by the news and decision, but grateful for the people and the impact that Flipgrid had.
🚫 Why AI detectors are problematic — Holly Clark writes about the concerns about using AI detectors to determine student cheating — and what to do instead.
📝 Is AI essay grading any good? — The author of a pending research paper says AI essay grading is “as good as an overburdened teacher.” She shares her findings and the implications.
💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡
🛠️ New AI tools for the classroom
The AI race is on … and we’re seeing it show up in classrooms.
New AI tools show up in education all the time — and other existing tools add new AI capabilities.
If you don’t feel like you can keep up with them all, don’t worry … we can’t either.
(And, to be totally honest … you don’t have to. Not every educational app or tool is good or worth using. Plus, you can still be a highly effective teacher if you’re not on the cutting edge of tech.)
We have updated our post about AI tools for the classroom several times. Now, we’re up to FORTY (40!) tools!
Looking for some new classroom tech to try out over the summer? This is a great place to start!
🗄 Template: Super hero trading card
If you were a superhero, what would be your powers? What would be your superhero identity?
A group of educators has a put a fun spin on this in the form of a trading card — one your students can use OR you can use (especially if you’re attending the ISTE Conference!).
The EduGuardians, a group of educators who love using tech/AI and sharing how it can be used, has created this trading card template on Canva. (Example shown is of EduGuardian Rachel Lemansky.)
For students: They can create a card to describe themselves (their identity) … or a card for a person they’re studying … or to describe a friend … or an ideal student in your class.
For teachers: If you’re attending the ISTE Conference in Denver this month, the EduGuardians will have meet-ups where fellow EduGuardians can swap cards with each other. Check out the EduGuardians website for more details about them and their presence at ISTE.
(Thanks to Kat Crawford for suggesting this!)
🌎 Where’s Matt?
It has been a busy week! I’ve been presenting on artificial intelligence, edtech, and student engagement in …
San Antonio, Texas (AI keynote + session) on Thursday
Brazil, Indiana (AI keynote + sessions) on Friday
Albuquerque, New Mexico (AI keynote + sessions) on Monday
… and in Knoxville, Tennessee (full-day AI workshop) today!
The best part? I got to travel with my oldest daughter, Cassie, to New Mexico! She wanted to tag along with Dad on a work trip. I’ll have to be careful not to get used to this … she’s a fun travel companion!
😄 Smile of the day
Ohhhh … yeah … let’s not talk about passwords. I’m a mess, too …
h/t Teacher Goals on Twitter/X
👋 How we can help
There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:
Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.
Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.
Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!
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