Pushing Through

My uncle was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

I found out an aunt and uncle cannot drive anymore.

I found out my friend with MS has digressed.

I found out another friend was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

My father has declined more than I thought.

Set Up Site Search in Your Browser

The Chrome Search Engine Settings Page

I believe technology should help us be more efficient or deepen our understanding. For the past few years, I have been a big fan of using site search in my browser. Site search allows you to type in a URL and press a key to be able to search the site directly from the Omnibox or the address bar. 

This morning I was trying to get my address in Japan, which is stored in Google Keep, and I instinctively tried to hit tab so I could search through Keep for the note I was looking for. The problem was that I did not have Keep set up with site search. 

Here is how to set it up.

1. In your [Chrome-based] browser, go to Settings > Search Engine.
2. Look for Manage Search Engines.
3. Next fill out the search engine form replacing %s with the search query.

Then when you go to a site, try searching on the site. When the search is finished, it will show you a URL. 

In the example below, I am searching Google Drive. The resulting URL is https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=the%20question

If I take off the end I find the search URL is https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=   Then, you add %s for the search query.

Here are some sites and their site search URLs:

• Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=%s
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%s&page={startPage?}&utm_source=opensearch
• Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%s

• Google Keep: https://keep.google.com/u/0/#search/text%253D
• Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/?source=osdd&sl=auto&tl=auto&text=%s&op=translate

Here is a good article about how to set these up from Zapier.

Using AI to Create Unit-Specific Vocabulary Lists

It is a well-known fact that students with a richer vocabulary tend to do better in school. Vocabulary is especially important in the older grades when the academic language increases in complexity. This is where I see many students struggle. One of my big questions since becoming a teacher has been to figure out how to build student vocabulary.

Especially with EAL learners, it is hard to do because for the first few years, a student is in school, up until about third grade, he or she might appear as if everything is going ok. He or she might even be ahead of other students. But in about fourth grade, students can plateau when academic vocabulary becomes more challenging. 

When I was in the classroom I was inconsistent with creating unit vocabulary lists. So the other day I saw what AI could do for me. I used Bard for this experiment.

I started by writing what grade I was teaching. I also gave it information such as the Central Idea, ATL Skills, Key Concepts, and Learner Profile Attributes.

It gave me what appeared to be a good list. Then I asked if the words were Grade 2 level.

Notice how the words "rights" and "responsibilities" moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2. I asked Bard about this and the response I got was that they are more important in second grade so they were moved to a different tier. 

 

After adjusting the level of the lists, the words "rights" and "responsibilities" were moved to a category of more importance. 

Then I decided to ask for activities that were suitable for the lists. This gave me some pretty good ideas, but I mis-prompted and forgot Tier 3 words. 

The screenshots are hard to read, so the exchange is typed out below:

Here is another 

I am a teacher in grade 2. I am looking for a tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary list for my unit. My unit is about: An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. My unit objective is communities and the relationships within and between them, Human interactions with the ecosystems have consequences.  My ATL skills are Self Control, Formulating & Planning, Analysis, Informed Choices, Managing Self. The key concepts are form, causation, and responsibility. The learner profile attributes are Principled, Balanced, Inquirers. Other helpful info: interdependence,habitat, conservation,ecology, pollution, biodiversity, ecosystems.

make sure the words are appropriate for grade 2

===

Sure, here are some tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 vocabulary words that you can use for your unit on communities and the relationships within and between them, Human interactions with the ecosystems have consequences.

Tier 1 Vocabulary:

• community
• environment
• resource
• finite
• struggle
• share
• responsibility
• interaction
• consequence

Tier 2 Vocabulary:

• interdependence
• habitat
• conservation
• ecology
• pollution
• biodiversity
• ecosystem

 

Tier 3 Vocabulary:

• causation
• informed choice
• managing self
• principled
• balanced
• inquirer

Here are some activities that you can use to help students learn and use these vocabulary words:

• Word sorts: Students can sort words into categories, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
• Word walls: Students can create a visual display of words that they are learning. They can illustrate the words or draw pictures that represent them.
• Frayer models: Students can create a Frayer model to show the meaning of a word. They can write the word in the center of the Frayer model and then write its definition, synonyms, antonyms, and examples around the word.
• Word hunts: Students can search for words in a text or in the environment. They can write down the words that they find and then look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary.
• Word games: Students can play games that involve using vocabulary words, such as Scrabble, Boggle, or Taboo.

Here are some specific activities that you can use for grade 2 students:

Tier 1:

• Word sorts: Students can sort words into categories, such as animals, plants, or objects.
• Word walls: Students can create a word wall with words that they are learning. They can illustrate the words or draw pictures that represent them.
• Frayer models: Students can create a Frayer model to show the meaning of a word. They can write the word in the center of the Frayer model and then write its definition, synonyms, antonyms, and examples around the word.
• Word hunts: Students can search for words in a text or in the environment. They can write down the words that they find and then look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary.
• Word games: Students can play games that involve using vocabulary words, such as Scrabble, Boggle, or Taboo.

Tier 2:

• Semantic feature analysis: Students can create a semantic feature analysis chart to show the characteristics of a word. They can write the word in the center of the chart and then write its meaning, part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and examples around the word.
• Word webs: Students can create a word web to show the related concepts of a word. They can write the word in the center of the web and then write related words and concepts around the word.
• Sentence frames: Students can use sentence frames to write sentences that include vocabulary words. They can choose from a variety of sentence frames or create their own.
• Word mapping: Students can create a map to show the related concepts of a word. They can write the word in the center of the map and then write related words and concepts around the word.
• Word projects: Students can create projects that demonstrate their understanding of vocabulary words. They can create posters, dioramas, or presentations.

Tier 3:

• Word study: Students can learn about the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of vocabulary words. They can use a variety of resources, such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and online resources to learn about the words.
• Reading: Students can read texts that contain vocabulary words and discuss the meaning of the words. They can use a variety of strategies to figure out the meaning of the words, such as context clues, word parts, and prior knowledge.
• Writing: Students can write about topics that require them to use vocabulary words. They can use the words in their writing to clarify their ideas and to make their writing more interesting.
• Speaking: Students can discuss vocabulary words with their classmates. They can explain the meaning of the words, use the words in sentences, and answer questions about the words.
• Listening: Students can listen to discussions about vocabulary words. They can pay attention to the meaning of the words, how the words are used, and how the words are related to each other.

===

I then showed the list to the Grade 2 teacher who again made some suggestions. If I were the homeroom teacher, I might just look at what I was given and weed them down to what I could handle teaching.

###

After writing out the above post, I put it through Bard again for general feedback. Remember to use visuals when teaching EAL learners.

Writing with ChatGPT

Made with Craiyon, Prompt: w a storyboard of a robot who gets lost in the forest 

I have recently been working with small groups of Grade 5 and 6 students in their Unit of Inquiry about how people use technology to communicate. We are focusing on AI.

Today I was working with a few groups of Grade 5 students. I started by activating their prior knowledge with a quick Baamboozle (www.baamboozle.com).

I then challenged students to try to write a prompt for ChatGPT that would produce a story that matched a storyboard I found online. They did this on a shared Google Doc. After they finished their prompts, I wrote the prompts into ChatGPT and then pasted their stories into the Doc.

After they read their stories I asked a few reflection questions.
- What do you notice about the writing?
- What would you edit about this writing?
- What stage in the writing cycle do you think an AI tool would be most useful?

The next step for this group of students is exploring ways to write effective prompts.

Made with Craiyon, Prompt: draw a storyboard of a robot who gets lost in the forest 

 

Kids are going to use it so how can we stop them?

Made with Craiyon, Prompt: "cartoon bots doing what they want in a classroom"

A colleague said aloud in the staff room, "ChatGPT is down!"

(I think he was reading an article about it.)

I told him that I was able to use it earlier in the morning after I read that the IB is now allowing it according to an article in The Guardian. I wanted to confirm that I had read in their terms of use that they restrict usage to users 18+. 

He replied that we cannot control what happens outside of school and if students sign up for it on their own that is on them.

The question I was asking was: If ChatGPT is for users 18 and older, how can the IB say that students can use it when most students are under 18? 

An AI Unit of Inquiry

Made with Dall-E

Prompt: "use technology to communicate ai"

I am working with the Grade 5-5 team on their How We Express Ourselves Unit of Inquiry. They are focusing on how we use technology to communicate and specifically on AI. It's my role to pull small groups of students and work with them. 

The plan I am weaving through the UOI is to talk about 

• what AI and ChatGPT is,
• the strengths and weaknesses of AI tools,
• how to write a good prompt,
• the ethics of using AI tools.

The Unit is framed around the learner profile attributes of communicators, open-minded, and risk-takers. For my part, I have not found an authentic way to integrate risk-takers and open-minded yet, but communicators will be addressed by inquiring into how to write a good prompt and what a good ethics policy might look like.

The highlight of the unit so far was last week when students tried to write stories using ChatGPT and the resulting stories were just a regeneration of the prompt. Next week we will have to look to see what went wrong.

Let's Revamp How We Use Google Sites For Learning

I have been thinking about using Sites in class for the majority of the year. My own philosophy is to create lessons in Slides so they can be reused in the future. In my school, most teachers write their content directly into the Site - which can be OK, but something isn't working. 

"It's so confusing. It's not just this class, it's all classes. I don't know what to do."

This is what I heard from a student in one of the MYP classes I support. 

The overall look of most class Sites is pretty good. However, I think there are still a few missing pieces to supporting student understanding.

I would suggest the following changes:

1. The Unit Title, Statement of Inquiry, and ATL Skills at the top of each page.
2. Control the flow of the lesson - easy to understand.
3. Use a Google Slide deck for your lessons. 
4. Add a Google Form to collect feedback. This could be next to each day's lesson like in Alice Keeler's example here.
5. Consistency between classes.
6. Make links obvious by changing the color or font size.

This is something I will need to think more about.

Technology Advice for Parents with Toddlers

I was watching my nephew use an iPad the other day. He is 3, but I marveled at how he navigated the iPad. I watched him as he watched a video and then gracefully moved from the YouTube app to the YouTube Kids app. I guess he got bored with that first video.

I watched for a few minutes and noticed he was watching videos for a short while, never really reaching the mid-point of any of them, and then moving onto the next recommended video. Watching him I wondered about my own students and how their relationship with technology could have been different. 

The advice I would like to give to my nephew's parents and other parents with toddlers is the following:

• always know what you're child is doing on the device,

• be present - use should always happen in front of you,

• set time limits - the AACAP recommends only an hour a day for children 3-5 years old,

• talk about what they do and why - try to understand them,

• encourage creation over consumption.

This list is not comprehensive, and the points need to be expanded on, but it is a start for now.

For future thinking - Teach your brain to focus longer and accomplish more