Here are seven that are great to get started with:

1. AIClub: An online platform that offers a K-12 curriculum covering AI, but it also has a range of AI-related resources and activities for students. There are interactive lessons, coding challenges, and AI project ideas. Middle school students and younger learners can explore the AI Club Gym and try some activities to develop an understanding of AI and how it works. 

2. AI World School: Offers AI modules for learners as young as 7 and has courses available for older students to learn about virtual driverless cars and ethics. There are fun activities for students to explore that gives them a chance to understand how AI works and the potential benefits and concerns. 

3. Code.org: Provides many resources for coding and STEM and now has videos and resources for teachers to bring AI to all classrooms for grades K-12. 
4. Google Quick Draw: An AI-powered game that challenges students to draw objects while the AI attempts to guess what they are drawing. Students are given a set of 6 words to draw within 20 seconds. They learn about how the neural network begins to eliminate objects, based on what the student is drawing. A fun way to explore AI for everyone!
5. ISTE Hands-On Guide: Available for different grade bands, teachers can find lessons specific to a content area that are ready to run. Each lesson includes key definitions, lesson objectives, standards and detailed plans for implementing each lesson in the classroom. 

6. Scribble Diffusion: Students can turn a sketch into an AI-generated image by adding in text with descriptive words. The AI then generates a new image. A fun activity to try with all students and can be helpful for boosting creativity!

7. Semantris: A word association game powered by AI. Students can play solo or collaboratively, challenging their vocabulary and critical thinking skills as they try to come up with words that are related to terms provided on their screen. As they play, they develop an understanding of how quickly the information and data are sorted to come up with an answer.

As with all new technologies, it is important that we provide opportunities to explore new tools. Don’t be afraid to explore these tools so we can guide students to better understand the technologies that may become a big part of their future.

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I reached out to several educators and some students to find out what they thought about the changes we are experiencing in education, especially with these emerging technologies. There are, of course, concerns, ongoing conversations, and definitely excitement, although sometimes hesitant excitement, about what these technologies might bring to the world of education and work. 

Educator predictions

Nicole Biscotti @BiscottiNicole, Educator 

“AI has exploded on the scene and everyone is trying to figure it out at the same time which is exciting. A lot of educators are afraid that kids will use technologies like ChatGPT to cheat and have even banned its use. The reality is that kids have been cheating since the beginning of school and we have an exciting opportunity as educators to shape the narrative around this new technology. Biscotti plans to continue to learn as much as she can about how to use AI to better support her students. She says as an educator, “I feel that I am obligated to prepare my students for their future, not my past. These tools will only improve and they are here to stay. It’s imperative that kids are familiar with them and know how to use them or we risk sending graduates out into the workforce at a competitive disadvantage.”  

Dr. Michael Harvey @doctor_harves, Pedagogical Prognosticator from Blenheim New Zealand

“AI/emerging tech has yet to really shape this past school year. Questions are being asked of what learning is and the role of assessment, but the actions to this change are yet to be realized.” He is thinking about /planning how to transition assessment tasks to a process rather than a product model. As for the future, Harvey thinks that “the next school year will bring pushback from the establishment and for those who want to progress in education a movement away from assessment of learning to assessment for learning and the role of AI to support student independence in learning.”

Alex Isaacs @mr_isaacs_math, Edtech Specialist from Long Branch Public Schools 

“Emerging tech has helped teachers gain time while assisting with lesson planning, quick questions, and providing feedback to students in real-time. It has also helped increase data analytic capabilities by providing insights into student performance trends and instructional practice.” He plans to delve more into emerging technologies and how they can benefit the teachers and students in his school district. By participating in multiple coaching cohorts, including GoGuardian and Pear Deck, he hopes to gain more insight into helping his colleagues with these platforms. As for the future, “the discussions surrounding the ethical use of emerging tech will continue next school year.” He believes that more edtech platforms will increase their integrations of AI-related tech to provide differentiated instruction and personalized pathways to every learner.” Check out his AI-themed Wakelet collection that he and colleague Lois Alston created.

Vicki Van Matre @MsVanMatreArtRm, Teacher at Bluffton High School and  ISTE Certified Instructor 

Next year, Vicki will be teaching a class called the” 3rd class” for their new Education Professions pathway. One basis for this class is introducing technology’s role in the modern classroom. She was planning on discussing AI and how it could help the teacher but also discuss how to use it appropriately as a student. Her plans focus on involving students more in learning about ChatGPT by writing a lesson for them and having them make modifications where necessary. She also wants her students to experiment with a variety of technology to see “what THEY think would work best in the classroom.”  While she uses technology in her art room, she has not yet experimented a lot with DALL E to see if I want to use AI for any of my art classes. However, she believes that if she does choose to use it, most likely it would be with the senior independent study students to have them experiment with it. 

Student reflections

Student, grade 10

“As soon as I was introduced to AI, I knew that it would change the world. The more I interacted with it, the more I understood its vast potential.” He shared that he “may or may not have used it to complete a few small assignments (Never in Spanish).” His uses were more as a study tool, in particular for reviewing for Chemistry. He would ask it to give a simple definition and an example and it worked perfectly to help him process the information and content better. He believes that “AI by itself is mediocre at best. However, when collaborating with humans, it can do amazing things.” As for benefits, he has an interest in starting an online store but has never really had the time and he hopes that with the help of AI to get a jumpstart this summer. “The school will look right through all the great things that AI is capable of and try to prevent it from being used completely.”

Lola, grade 11

“I believe that emerging technology has provided and created new opportunities for students. The new ideas and aspects of technology accessible to students now provide new experiences and can help to improve a student’s capabilities and knowledge about the subject they are studying.” Looking ahead, “I believe that by next school year, technology will continue to grow and emerge in new ways that will allow students to continue to have opportunities that will enhance their learning environment.”

Dimitri, grade 8

“AI and a lot of new tech has helped me with coming up with ideas for projects or providing me with a summary of a book, if I forgot something that I had read or I didn’t understand it.” As for the next school year, “I hope we will be allowed to use ChatGPT in class to help us understand books and literature more.”

With the rapid advancements in AI and emerging technologies, there are now incredible opportunities available to us and as we reflect on the past year, it becomes evident that AI and emerging tech have revolutionized education in ways we never imagined.

The post A Transformative School Year with AI appeared first on Getting Smart.

The theme of Earth Day this year is “Invest in Our Planet” which focuses on efforts to rebuild ecosystems, combat climate change, and reduce waste and pollution to improve our environment and secure a better and safer future. Earth Day provides an opportunity for individuals, communities, and governments to take action toward addressing these challenges and creating a more sustainable future.

Earth Day is also closely tied to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which serve as a blueprint for working towards a better and more sustainable future for all. The celebration of Earth Day helps us to focus on several of the SDGs, including Goal 13 (Climate Action), Goal 14 (Life Below Water), Goal 15 (Life On Land), and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The event has been instrumental in shaping environmental policy, with the first Earth Day leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States.

There are many activities that can be organized to raise awareness among students and the school community about the importance of environmental sustainability. Here are 4 ways to celebrate Earth Day in our schools:

1. Community Clean-Up Day: Organize a school-wide clean-up day to work in the community to clean and beautify the surrounding areas. This activity will teach students about the importance of keeping our environment clean and the impact of litter on our ecosystems.
2. Plant a School Garden or a Tree: Planting a school garden can be a fun and educational way to engage students in environmental conservation and also focus on place-based learning. Students will learn about the importance of plants in the ecosystem, and develop a sense of responsibility and ownership over the garden that they plant. It can also be an opportunity to teach students about healthy eating and sustainability. Another idea is to organize a tree-planting event on school grounds and involve students in planting trees.
3. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Encourage students to reduce waste by bringing reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, and bags. Teach them about the importance of recycling and composting and organize a school-wide recycling program.
4. Environmental Science Fair: Organize an environmental science fair where students can showcase their projects related to environmental sustainability. Through this activity, students can learn about different environmental issues and solutions. It is also beneficial to find a speaker to come in and share ideas with students and the school community.
5. Sustainable Art Projects: Encourage students to create art projects using recycled materials or objects they find and can repurpose. These opportunities will help students to express their creativity while also learning about the importance of sustainable materials.

Here are seven websites and resources to find additional ideas and materials for Earth Day:

1. Earth Day Network – provides a wealth of resources for educators, including lesson plans, videos, and activity guides. They offer a list of activities for Earth Day 2023 and ideas to explore for hosting a successful Earth Day event in your school or community. Teachers can get the Action Toolkit which is full of ideas for schools and has ideas for 14 different communities!
2. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides many resources for teaching about the importance of environmental sustainability. The website has lesson plans, interactive tools, and other materials that can help educators teach about the environment. It also has a coloring sheet and more for students to participate in this year’s recognition.
3. National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) – There are a lot of resources available for everyone to learn about ideas to focus on lifelong environmental learning. NEEF offers a variety of resources not just for educators, but for everyone to find ways to take actions that will protect our planet. For teachers, there are blogs, lesson plans, and activity guides. Find ideas for creating a garden in the spring to celebrate Earth Day. The Education resources page offers links to STEM ideas, projects for students, and other ways to focus on place-based learning.
4. National Geographic Education – National Geographic offers a variety of resources for educators, including lesson plans, activities, and virtual field trips. Their Earth Day Toolkit provides resources and ideas for teaching about environmental issues and taking action to protect the planet.
5. NASA Earth Day provides a wealth of information on the environment and its preservation. It has interactive games, educational resources, downloadable posters and images of the Earth from space. Through their resources, people will understand the importance of taking care of the planet and be inspired to take action to protect the environment.
6. PBS LearningMedia PBS offers thousands of free digital resources for educators, including videos, lesson plans, and interactive activities. Their Earth Day Collection includes topics such as climate change, conservation, and sustainability and materials for students in all grade levels.
7. Teach the Earth is a site created by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers that provides a variety of resources for teaching about the environment. You can search their site to find other earth education websites and also find teaching activities and other resources.

There are many options and resources that help us all to celebrate Earth Day, not just in April but throughout the year.

The post Celebrating Earth Day appeared first on Getting Smart.

Poetry Month is a perfect time of the year for teachers to look for ways to increase student engagement in learning. It is important to encourage our students to read and write more in our classes. Regardless of the content area or grade level taught, all teachers can offer opportunities for students to explore and write poetry.  Whether teachers find content-related poems to read to students or have students boost writing ad creativity skills and write their own poems, there are many resources to explore and ideas for sparking interest in the beauty of poetry. A special day, “Poem In Your Pocket Day” is April 27th. On this day, encourage students to choose or write a poem to share with classmates. You can also create a space in your classroom or use a digital tool to post their poems online!

Ideas to explore

When I was in the seventh grade, we had to create a book of poetry. Our task was to create a poetry book that included a variety of poems we found, a few poems that we wrote and memorize two poems to recite with classmates. I still have the yellow binder with the different poems that I hand-wrote and even added pictures to illustrate. I wrote two poems similar to some of the styles we learned about such as acrostic poems and haikus. I remember how much I enjoyed doing that project. It gave us choice, I felt creative and it led me to love poetry!

To celebrate National Poetry Month, encourage your students to write their own poems. Sometimes it helps to offer different prompts or themes or provide examples to guide students as they develop their critical thinking skills by analyzing and interpreting poems. In elementary or middle school, reading poems to students is also a great way to explore language and creativity. Depending on the grade level you teach, you could also read poetry aloud together and discuss what you like about each poem or compare poetry styles and have a discussion or a debate. In language classes, learning about different poets and styles of poetry also helps to build cultural awareness.  

Some middle school students may enjoy exploring different poetic forms and techniques. Encourage students to choose a type of poem to write such as haikus, sonnets, or maybe free verse. Something fun to do is a poetry slam. Poetry slams are a fun and exciting way to celebrate National Poetry Month. They give students the opportunity to perform their own poems in front of an audience (classmates) and can help build confidence and public speaking skills. Consider organizing a poetry slam at your school or even using tools like Flip for students to record a poetry slam. Depending on your students, you might break them into small groups so that they can collaborate and challenge each other and have fun in the process!  Or divide students into groups and have them write a collaborative poem to share with classmates. Writing poetry together can be a fun and engaging way to encourage creativity and teamwork.

For older students, depending on the content area, choosing to learn about and explore the works of famous poets from different time periods and cultures can be very beneficial. In my Spanish class, we read poems throughout the year and learn about the culture and history connected to the poet and the content of the poem. Students could even participate in writing workshops or attend virtual lectures by poets.

In addition to ideas for the classroom, here are nine resources to explore that offer activities, lesson plans, and many ideas for teachers and students.

1. Academy of American Poets is full of great resources for educators and families. Explore the site to find a variety of resources and a list of 30 ways to celebrate Poetry Month! On the site, explore Teach this poem to find ideas for students in grades K-12. It has lesson plans and shares 1 poem per week. You can also listen to the poems available on the site.
2. Book Creator is holding a poetry contest this month that is divided into two age categories: 4-11 and 12-18. Younger students can collaborate and create a book of poetry together. Students can choose the type of poem to add to the book!  Older students can record themselves reading the poems and sharing their work with classmates.  There are even prizes for the contest!
3. Edpuzzle which is an interactive video lesson platform has lessons available for National Poetry Month that can be quickly added into any classroom. Teachers can find a ready-to-run lesson to use and bring poetry into the classroom right away.
4. Favorite Poem Project is a site that has people from different roles and perspectives reading their favorite poems. There is a list of famous poems available to choose from with a corresponding video of each person reading it.
5. Listenwise offers a variety of activities for students to listen to podcasts and then engage in a variety of activities to share their learning. There are some great ideas to celebrate poetry this month!
6. Nearpod offers a variety of activities and content that can be used to create an interactive lesson. In celebration of National Poetry Month, Nearpod has lessons to teach about poetry. You can even use the drag-and-drop feature to create magnetic poetry right in Nearpod. Also with Flocabulary, there are poetry lessons to get students up and moving.  Students can use Lyric Lab to write their own poems!
7. Reading Rockets offers a variety of resources to boost literacy and has some poems and great ideas to celebrate the month!  
8. Read, Write, Think for K-12 has lesson plans and libraries with resources for each grade band.  One idea is to select students to be “Poets for a Day” and share their favorite poems or maybe they can write their own poems to share.
9. Verse By Verse uses AI to write a poem. You select up to 3 poets and the style, and a number of syllables and provide some input. It then generates a poem for you based on your selections.

Teachers can find a lot of resources from these sites and also look at the Poets.org website for more resources and activities. There are also some fun activities via the Bored Teachers site to engage students in movement and excitement for poetry. Beyond just reading the poems, students can compare poems and debate about the styles or the meaning. Students can also read poems and then design art to reflect the poem’s message. There are so many ways to celebrate National Poetry Month and develop an appreciation for the beauty of poetry. Follow #NationalPoetryMonth to learn new ideas.

The post 9 Ways to Explore National Poetry Month appeared first on Getting Smart.

Over the past couple of months, since it became open to the public, there has been a lot of discussion and concern about ChatGPT. For educators everywhere, the concern is heightened because of the capabilities of this technology. With so many possibilities for how this technology can be used by anyone, it can be a little bit concerning at first, which is why it’s important to understand what the technology is, its possibilities, its benefits, and of course what are some of the concerns that need to be addressed.

ChatGPT is a new AI chatbot that has been built and is an upgrade from GPT3, which was released in 2020. GPT3 is Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, a trained language model that uses deep learning and can simulate human conversation.  You can learn more about GPT3 from this post that I helped to research in 2020. Now, ChatGPT, which has been released by OpenAI, is artificial intelligence that can respond to prompts instantly and enable the user to engage in what feels like a human conversation. It responds to prompts through the use of natural language processing (NLP), which enables it to understand the questions from humans and to generate responses that mimic a human conversation. It can understand the context of conversations and can answer within seconds of being asked about anything ranging from how to bake a cake to something very complex and also in different languages.

It is a language model, released fully on November 30th, ChatGPT is the latest chatbot from OpenAI. It simulates a chat similar to what you might get from a chatbot when using an online website for example. But the difference is that it provides responses that mimic what you might find in a normal human conversation because it has been trained through machine learning and artificial intelligence.

How does it work?
Think of a question or curiosity and type in a prompt for ChatGPT to generate a response. Within seconds, ChatGPT will take the input(the prompt), or the question, and will generate a response by using algorithms and gathering information from the massive data that it can access. The use of deep learning algorithms enables it to understand the context and the meaning behind the question and then it uses this to create its response conversationally.

Take a few minutes and give it a try. Think of three very different prompts to explore. Perhaps one related to your content area, something fun like generating a top ten list or a funny story, or maybe writing emails, creating some tweets, or writing a song or a poem with certain themes or characters. Whatever it is that you decide to prompt it with, you will be amazed at how quickly you have your results. Try regenerating the response to compare with the initial one given or add in some new variables. For example, asking it to write a response at a certain grade level, in a different language or so with many words. Whatever you ask it to do, in most cases it will do. 

What are the concerns?
As with the use of technology and new resources, especially in the highly digital age and with access to so much information, we need to focus on the security and accuracy of information. We need to investigate and know that our information is secure. According to the site, the data that has been generated by ChatGPT is encrypted and is in compliance with regulations. It has also undergone a tremendous amount of testing before it was launched for use by the public. However, upon close review of their privacy policy, educators and parents may want to take a closer look, especially when it comes to the age of users of ChatGPT, how the prompts are stored (even after deleted by the user) and how the generated responses can be shared.  Other concerns are that it can show bias and also make errors based on a limited set of data through 2021.

What makes ChatGPT different?
ChatGPT has been trained to engage more in human-like conversations. Because of its programming, it is a dialogue model which means that the user can input a variety of prompts, change the variables of the prompt, ask it to revise, and it will adapt.

How does it differ from Google or voice assistants? Think about when you ask questions to Alexa or Siri. You receive a response that is limited, yet conversational, whereas ChatGPT is artificial intelligence that enables you to interact with a virtual assistant with the use of natural language. As mentioned, GPT3 is the third generation of this Generative Pre-trained Transformer text. The new ChatGPT is able to generate responses in real time and without the need to complete Google searches or look through other resources to get information. It streamlines the process completely, eliminates the need for sorting and processing information and writes and gathers all information for you. This is why it has some people concerned and why we need to focus on understanding it and promoting media literacy. The use of ChatGPT now is helping the designers to evaluate its accuracy, get feedback from users  as they continue to improve it before releasing the final version of ChatGPT 4, which is available now.

Not just in the area of education, but in the world of work. ChatGPT and others like it are developing as we speak and are the technologies that could potentially replace the need for many types of jobs. Think jobs like customer service representatives, coaches, and training providers, where you might need information that you normally would ask of a person and engage in a conversation, ChatGPT will be able to complete the same task in far less time potentially.

A fun activity is to create a prompt about yourself and check it for accuracy, to model the importance of verifying sources, understanding how to evaluate whether the information is reliable and developing digital literacy skills.

What about the students?
With all technology, I believe it is important that we Involve students in the conversation and exploration of new tools as much as we can, depending on the age of the students and after verifying the privacy and security information. In my STEAM class, students were curious if ChatGPT could generate a random story with 4 or 5 topics or different words and were amazed at how quickly it wrote the story and tied all of the words together into a narrative. Every student wanted me to type in a prompt and see what its capabilities were and then discuss it. Students enjoyed the discussion about the differences between ChatGPT and a Google Search and analyzing the wording style of the responses and how we could have it adjust the level and type of response to be for a certain age group, a different language, or a particular writing style, for example.

Don’t be afraid to explore ChatGPT because as educators, we need to be prepared to guide our students and help them to understand the technologies that may become a big part of their future. There are a lot of possibilities for teaching and learning about ChatGPT in our classrooms and what I believe to be the most important, is being open to exploring the technology so that together we can all understand its impact.

The post ChatGPT: Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Getting Smart.

North Dakota implemented the first state-sponsored digital credential wallet for high school students during the 2022-23 school year. In Texas, students in the Dallas College system have access to their transcript via Greenlight Credentials, which they can selectively choose to share with employers. In New Hampshire, Concord’s Community College NHTI, is rolling out verified credentials in partnership with ProofSpace to store learner outcomes and extra-curricular experiences.

Kirstan Osborne, an educator from the Balmoral Hall School for Girls in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada shared how her school is working with Convergence Tech to distribute and store digital credentials and maintain wallets. When it comes to ownership, Osborne says that “Students will always have access to their credentials, regardless of whether the school continues to pay for the platform or not.” This characteristic of self-sovereignty is essential for digital wallets.

Osborne believes that this will allow the school to “improve student agency in learning,  provide real-world context and the opportunity to look at learning through a different lens, and promote the idea that schools should be part of and not apart from the community.” As for students, they were pleased when they realized their potential for supporting resumés and post-secondary applications.

As employers continue to emphasize the need for both core (literacy, math, etc.) and transferable (collaboration, leadership, communication, etc.) skills, technology is accelerating to meet the need to match learner skills with employer needs. Below is a primer on what every school leader and innovative practitioner should know about the technology within the credentialing ecosystem.

Why

If all learning, whether from formal learning experiences in K-20 schools, industry-related credentials and experience (such as internships, work-based learning and apprenticeships), and out-of-system learning (currently not credited except via states that have passed Learn Everywhere legislation) could be curated in one place, learners will be better matched via demonstrated skills to employers looking for talent. Education is ready for a learner-centered digital learning and employment record stored in a digital wallet (or a set of interoperable wallets) owned by the learner. This would address persistent challenges that include:

1. Difficulty in recording all of a learner’s educational experiences in one place.
2. Inaccuracy in matching potential employees to employers due to the relatively limited methods to verify learning
3. Given #2, using degrees as a proxy for new workplace talent which excludes significant numbers of potential candidates for employment.
4. Inability to share skills and competencies from non-degree programs, incomplete degrees (never earned the final credential), or credentials for organizations that have closed.
5. Cost of requesting and sharing proof of competency (ex. Asking for a college or high school transcript to be sent costs money).

Digital wallets enable individuals to store all Learning and Employment Records – a verifiable record of lifetime learning in one shareable space owned by the individual.

“Verifiable credentials are the most ideally suited standard for educational credentials. They extend digital trust to individuals, allowing them to hold their records and exchange them in secure, reliable, privacy-preserving ways. Together with decentralized identity, individuals can be in control of digital assets, online identity, and reputation.” — Kim Hamilton Duffy, Director of Identity and Standards, Centre Consortium.

How

Due to the technical nature of digital wallets, language can be confusing. To provide clarity, we provide the core definitions below.

• Learning and Employment Record (LER):  Records of an individual’s verified skills, competencies, credentials, and employment accomplishments. An LER can be used to highlight verified skills and match people to employment opportunities. LERs are stored in digital wallets. While platforms like LinkedIn can publicly display this type of information, the LER adds verification to the record.
• Digital Wallet: A digital wallet in education is a technology solution that stores the verified learning completed by the individual. The wallet is owned by the individual and can be built on decentralized blockchain architecture (which generally means that the wallet platform is not owned by/stored on a single platform). This decentralized approach keeps data ownership with the user rather than a centralized entity (corporation or government).
• Self-sovereign: Gives individuals full ownership of their digital identities without needing to rely on a third party, thereby providing greater security of personally identifying information. Users can decide what to publicly and selectively share.
• Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR): The CLR is a technical specification built by 1EdTech to provide technical specifications for LERs. The CLR is the recommended standard for lifetime learning records by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and has been widely adopted by the credentialing ecosystem.
• Verified Credential: A credential that can be cryptographically verified and is not alterable. Examples can include birth certificates, employee identification cards and records and educational certificates. In education, these credentials often are a set of stacked LERs, which are also verified.
• Awarder (Issuer): The person or entity that creates and issues the credential to the holder.
• Trusted Issuer List: A machine-readable registry of credential awarders/issuers that meet a specific set of quality, accreditation or licensing criteria.
• Holder: The person or entity whose information is being stored in the verified credential.
• Reviewer: The entity which verifies that the virtual credential meets the requirement of the credential. In systems based on Web3 architecture, this can be done in a trustless environment, where interactions between two parties does not have to be mediated by a trusted third party.
• Machine-read: Information/data can be processed by a computer rather than relying on human interaction for processing and verifying the information.
• Interoperability: The ability of apps, computer programs, devices, or products to connect and communicate without the need for third parties. Through the ecosystem, individuals will have the ability to move data into and out of wallets, as well as between wallets.

A widely-adopted credentialing ecosystem will have seamless integration of awarders, holders, and reviewers working within an interoperable framework of LERs stored on the digital wallet. Organizations such as Velocity Network Foundation and Lightcast optimize the match between employers and prospective hires by scanning job databases and matching them with the public data from learner wallets or other collections of verified skills.

Institutions that award digital credentials will benefit from having to store all learner records to a decentralized user-controlled system that is easy, secure and affordable. Identity fraud will be reduced and the level of granularity to describe the skills of a learner will improve.

What

The technology is readily available to serve this purpose. The challenge is to build a system that has choice and widespread adoption in the K12, higher ed, credentialing and employment sector. Displacing legacy practices such as digital transcripts that cannot be machine read, paying for paper copies of transcripts to be shared, and employer human resource departments that find it easier to use degrees as proxy for talent will be difficult.

Credential data can be stored within one or more digital wallets as a way to document the LER.

• GreenLight Credentials – provider of blockchain records for students, K-12 and Higher Ed institutions and employers. For K-12, it offers a “digital locker” that includes student information that enables students to control and share their academic records instantly.
• Territorium – offers verifiable records which includes competencies and skillsets, for students from K-12 and into the workforce. Territorium just launched its Life Journey platform that connects assessment, learner wallets, LER and skills-based job matching in a single platform.
• MIT Digital Wallet – open source wallet designed by the Digital Credentials Consortium
• LearnCard – open source digital and physical wallet. It is also a free app that can  issue, earn, store and share credentials
• Disco.xyz – in beta, will be a way for individuals to have a personal data backpack and control and own what is shared
• Proof Space –  interoperable identity hub wrapped with no-code tools for issuing and verifying reusable identity credentials – to both issue and store credentials.

Mastery Transcript Consortium, the leader in competency-based high school transcripts, has launched the MTC Learning Record (MLR). This MLR documents learning and allows the student to share the record with anyone through a portal where students can curate and display learning data. The MLR is interoperable and can be exported in CLR format to be stored in a digital wallet. MTC is working with partner districts in North Dakota to provide high school students with an LER that documents learning and is stored on the state-designed credential wallet. Approaches like this will become more widely adopted in LMS platform management in the future.

What can you do?

With all of the movement in this space over the last few years, it is difficult to imagine first steps. We recommend the following.

1. Get educated. Get a wallet, earn a simple credential and store it in the wallet. Follow Ed3DAO, a decentralized education organization that helps the education sector understand wallets, credentialing, web3 and all other front-end technologies.
2. Especially in secondary and higher education, now is the time to ensure that every course or program has a clear set of competencies that are linked to career-relevant skills. And, that these competencies are accurately assessed.
3. Feeling innovative? Partner with a platform that will store verified credentials for your students in digital wallets owned by the user (and figure out who will pay the fees for as long as the wallet exists). Few districts and schools are doing this and you can lead the way.
4. For educators, think about badging and credentialing your classroom. Most LMS platforms allow for this (D2L, Canvas, Schoology) and if not, other options exist such as Credly and Open Badges. Young people today will be employed in a marketplace of the future where badging and credentialing of individual competency is common-place. Give them practice.
5. For higher-ed admissions officials, build the processes now to accept LERs from learner wallets as part of the admissions process.
6. For employers, move beyond trusting resumes and believing that degrees are a proxy for talent. Build a human resources department that hires based on verified skills. The long term benefit is immense.

The post Credentialing Everything: A Primer on Learning and Employment Records and Digital Wallets appeared first on Getting Smart.

Mock Schedules

TCEA puts together mock schedules focused on the different roles of educators such as classroom teachers, IT, leaders, and librarians, or with a specific focus on SEL or STEM, special populations, and other important topics in education. Being able to look at a sample schedule helps any attendee but definitely, a first-time attendee to build a schedule focused on their specific interests and needs for professional learning. 

Power Hours

Each day started with a Power Hour with a featured speaker. A few included:

• The Power of a Teacher with Dr. Adam Saenz.
• How to Leverage Educational Technology as a Learning Strategy with Dr. Michael Hinojosathe.
• Keep it REAL. Keep it FUN. Keep it UP! with Joe Dombrowski.
• Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis session on Purpose, Passion, Perspective, Resilience, and Hope.

Presenting

I presented a few sessions on artificial intelligence, emerging tech like NFTs, blockchain, the metaverse, and augmented and virtual reality. I also presented and attended several sessions on SEL. As a presenter, I learn so much from attendees and I look forward to those opportunities to connect. I also enjoy sharing some versatile tools for educators like BookWidgets and StoryJumper which were new to many. The interactions in sessions lead to new connections and spark interest in new areas for teachers who walk away feeling more confident in diving into some of these new topics and trends.

One of my presentations focused on Chart A New Course: Teaching Essential Skills

Other speakers and sessions included:

• Jaime Donally who spoke about augmented and virtual reality.
• Rabbi Michael Cohen (The Tech Rabbi) who presented a few sessions on Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, NFTs, and web 3.
• Jenallee, the eTwinz, and Scott Bricker on SEL topics.
• Monica Burns had so many ideas to share in her “15 Ways to Collect Actionable Formative Assessment Data” session.
• Dr. Desiree Alexander who had a lot of great tips for streamlining Google Drive.
• Holly Clark and Matt Miller presented on AI and ChatGPT.

The Poster Sessions

Poster sessions are a great way to take in a lot of new ideas in a short amount of time. Being able to interact one-on-one and ask questions specific to your needs in these topic areas really does make a difference. There were poster sessions for CTE, Librarians, Professional Learning, STEM, CTE, and content areas. Sometimes it can be tough to decide which sessions to attend at a conference, but there were opportunities everywhere, especially through the poster sessions.

Panel and Roundtable Discussions

There were roundtable and panel discussions held each day on topics such as equity, personalized professional learning, sustainability, and really relevant focus points for educators.  Each day had a variety of panel discussions focused on issues relevant to classroom teachers, educators, and librarians and provided an engaging space to ask questions and make new connections.

The Exhibit Hall

The exhibit hall hosts many opportunities to interact with cutting-edge technologies and new ideas for STEM and emerging technologies.  This inculuded the Escape Room bus, the Esports area, and of course the endless swag that was available to attendees.  There was a lot of interest in STEM-related resources such as Ozobot, Sphero, Marty the Robot,  and more hands-on learning materials for younger students like this learning mat from Active Floor.

Esports was popular this year with several sessions happening as well as a space in the expo for attendees to take in the esports experience. Throughout the hall, there were booth demos by educators sharing their experiences of using some of the tools like Book Creator, Edpuzzle, Kami, and Spaces EDU, and many booths with live presentations happening every 15 minutes. Attendees could also step inside and take a tour of a fully renovated, 43-foot school bus that has become a makerspace on wheels. It’s a STEAM dream come true.

From the welcoming TCEA staff and volunteers to the tremendous educator experience for all learners,  next year’s conference held February 3-7, 2024 in Austin, Texas will be one you will not want to miss.

The post Educators Leading Educators at TCEA appeared first on Getting Smart.

The start of a new year is always a great time to explore ideas, especially after having some time away during a winter break to relax and recharge. Kicking off January or any time when looking for new ideas throughout the year, it’s always good to have a list of possibilities to explore and see what the benefits are for students. Also as educators, it is important for our own professional growth that we embrace new, and maybe even some non-traditional methods of instruction. We need to provide more choices for students that will not only help them to build content area skills but also will lead them forward into their future careers.

Students need access to learning experiences that push them to drive their learning, which will boost student engagement and even spark more curiosity for learning. We also want to provide ways that help students build their ability to problem-solve, create and reflect on the learning process itself.  

By exploring different teaching methods or bringing in a variety of digital tools to facilitate those methods, we will amplify student learning potential. The use of digital tools that help to connect students with real-world learning opportunities will expand global awareness and transform the learning experience. Choosing methods in our classrooms that also foster the development of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, will benefit students now and in the future.

Meaningful and purposeful learning

When students experience learning that is meaningful, purposeful, and relevant to their lives, it boosts student engagement and amplifies their learning potential. By choosing methods that are not specific to the content area, such as bringing STEM-related learning opportunities helps students in many ways. With these options, we can leverage methods like project-based learning (PBL) or genius hour and focus on developing SEL skills.

To best prepare students for the future, they need to develop the five competencies of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship-building, and decision-making. Deciding on a method and then finding the tools to facilitate more meaningful and authentic interactions and learning will positively impact student learning in many ways.

Here are some ideas for students and teachers. Dive in and try something new. Pick one for each month and make time to reflect on its benefits, and ask students for their input too!

Book Creator is a multimedia creativity tool. It has added features such as captions, translation in 120+ languages, and improved screen readers. Students can also collaborate on a book with a partner or as part of a class. Each book can include audio, video, text, and images and they can even comment on each other’s books. It also has Canva and Bitmoji integrations and more!

BookWidgets was an instant hit in my classroom. Choosing from more than 40 templates, teachers can create bingo cards, crosswords, exit slips, jigsaw puzzles, timelines, word searches, and more for students. These can be used in any content area or grade level. To promote accessibility, BookWidgets also has an audio recording option which enabled me to record messages for students and is also great for having students record themselves too.

Buncee is a great option for multimedia presentations and interactive lessons. Another benefit is it offers Immersive Reader which promotes language accessibility for students. Buncee also has an SEL toolkit that provides ready-to-use template activities for use in grades K-6 and 7-12. Also with PebbleGo Create, it combines the power of stories and lessons that students can explore and then create to share what they are learning,

Elementari is a tool we started to use this year and it has been fun seeing what the students create. There are many options available with Elementari, including the option for students to create an interactive story and build their skills in coding. There are more than 10,000 illustrations and sounds available to choose from.

Games!  There are so many options for game-based learning tools. Students enjoy having a variety and for teachers, being able to create quick games and have access to real-time data makes a big difference. Each of these games offers a variety of modes of play. Check out the choices available with Blooket, Gimkit, Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Quizlet Live! Having games to play live in class or in some cases, to use as extra practice for students as student-paced can enhance learning in many ways.

Genially is quite a versatile and interactive presentation platform that makes it easy to create a variety of multimedia projects. In my classroom, we have used it to create an About Me graphic, a resume, a website, choice boards, flyers, interactive images, class newsletters, individual or collaborative presentations, scavenger hunts, and more. There are thousands of templates to choose from that make it easy to get started!

Mote is a fantastic way to provide authentic and timely audio feedback for students and encourages better communication and understanding of where students are in the learning process. With Mote, the feedback can be translated in real-time, simply choose the language and slow down or speed up the transcription. Also, a great way to build student confidence in learning is by leaving personalized messages for them!

Nearpod is a multimedia, interactive presentation tool that enables teachers to get started with ready-to-run lessons or quickly create engaging lessons. The lessons can include a variety of content such as virtual trips and 3D objects and many activities to add including short responses, collaborative board, matching, and more. There are thousands of lessons available on topics such as digital citizenship, social-emotional learning, career exploration, and current events. Nearpod has a library full of options for all content areas and grade levels.

Spaces EDU offers individual, class, and group spaces, which foster collaboration at different levels. For a teacher-to-student interaction, the individual space helps students to build confidence in sharing their learning with teachers. We have used the group spaces for working together on activities like a scavenger hunt, an in or out-of-class discussion, or to work on PBL for example.

STEM-related: There are some new resources we have explored this year including iBlocksPBL and Marty the Robot!  Students really enjoy being able to learn about topics that matter to them and as they work through the iBlock, they are building essential SEL skills, especially self-awareness and self-management. Teachers have everything they need to dive into STEM and PBL.  With Marty the Robot, even the youngest learners can get started with coding using screen-free coding cards.  Birdbrain Technologies offers the Hummingbird and Finch Robots that are great for use in any content area and teachers can even request to try these resources with their students! With Birdbrain, students can dive into learning about AI and robotics using Google Teachable Machine with the Finch robot!

StoryJumper is a digital storytelling platform that gives students so many ways to share their learning. Students can choose different characters, props, and background scenes and even add audio to the books that they create. StoryJumper helps educators promote student choice, and spark curiosity and creativity as they design their stories. There are also libraries full of books to explore.  Books can also be shared with classmates and families.

Teacher tools: There are also some tools to explore that are beneficial for educators, especially for improving our teaching practice. One example is LessonLoop, which is used to anonymize student engagement surveys to gather feedback from students. The students’ responses help educators to guide their next steps and better plan for instruction by valuing the input of every student. Also, for educators looking for more feedback for professional growth, Edthena has the AI Coach, a virtual coaching platform that I have tried several times.  It is a great way to be “observed” and be able to reflect on our practice, interact with a chatbot, and have the support and resources needed to help us set goals and improve our work.  Both of these tools help us to become better for our students and receive the feedback that we need.

As with all new ideas, trying new methods or digital tools, or taking a different role in the classroom may be uncomfortable at first, however, there are many benefits. Taking risks with new methods is a great model to set for students. Choose one of these options to create a class hook to pique student interest or make a quick change to your plans and experiment with a new teaching method or digital tool. Sometimes I even ask students to brainstorm ideas for our lessons. We can learn so much from them.

The post 12 Ideas to Try in 2023 appeared first on Getting Smart.

AI already does and will continue to impact education – along with every other sector. Innovative education leaders have an opportunity (along with parallel emerging innovations in Web3) to build the foundation for the most personalized learning system we have ever seen. Using these tools, educators can design an equitable and efficient model for every learner to find purpose and agency in their lives – and the opportunity to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

AIChat Innovation

Artificial intelligence and/or machine learning are sets of code that build new understanding from existing underlying data. Unlike search engines (such as Google or Safari), AI machines can take huge amounts of data and predict, with strong accuracy, helpful and relevant responses (acknowledging here that plenty of stories came out this week of interesting responses from testing the new OpenAI release).

ChatGPT builds on the existing OpenAI platform by including responsiveness. ChatGPT remembers prior conversations so that it can build on previous responses. Vastly different from the first-generation help bots we all experience with online help desks, this step up creates a more natural, interactive and helpful conversation to support both learners and educators.

Potential

1. Personalized. Personalized learning, where every student gets what they need, how they need it, and when they need it, increases chances of long-term success (i.e. family-sustaining wage, contributing citizenship, positive mental health). ChatGPT, can suggest next steps to any learning challenge at multiple levels of complexity. For example, if a student does not understand derivatives in Calculus, a simple search for “Explain derivatives using everyday terms” or “Provide step-by-step processes for solving derivative calculations” can instantly support a student where they are. As AI becomes more sophisticated, this can be in multiple modalities and media formats. The demand and evidence in support for 1:1 tutoring have risen dramatically to account for Covid losses and learning gaps. Personalized AI Tutors can address this issue.
2. Access. Hundreds of millions of learners of all ages do not have access to quality education. Sophisticated AI tutors, built into simple and affordable platforms, can solve this challenge for those who have access to mobile devices. For example, students can ask for clarification on a concept they are studying and receive immediate responses via an AI tutor. Access to immediate support will help to limit and hopefully eliminate lost learning opportunities.
3. Purpose. Through more efficiency in the learning process, and more personalization, more energy in learning spaces can be focused on purpose-driven work connected to complex and unpredictable challenges such as those described in Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
4. Assessment. If you feed a piece of writing into ChatGPT and ask it to make recommendations for improvement, it will respond accordingly and then continue to guide the user through the revision process. Imagine formative assessment completed by ChatGPT and the time it would save educators to focus on relationships and create high engagement learning. ChatGPT can create rubrics when prompted appropriately, and then improve on these rubrics with continued questions.
5. Support and Guidance. The need for social-emotional and mental health support for young people is at an all time high. Just as 1:1 academic tutoring matters, so does the availability of counselors and mentors. ChatGPT, especially when combined with AR/VR technology, may serve as the front-line counselors for those who need it the most. Additionally, the use of ChatGPT could provide students with immediate access to resources for career and college planning, for seeking advice and other benefits that can come from having access to a counselor – especially given the overwhelming student numbers assigned to most school counselors.
6. Learning Design. Innovative learning experiences can take significant time (think high-quality project-based learning) to design. AI can address that challenge. Nolej, a newly launched AI platform available for beta in early 2023, can generate complete and sophisticated learning modules when fed a text, video or other media source on a topic. These modules contain tasks, assessments and eventually, AI-generated assessments to support learner growth. Future-oriented learning organizations like Sora Schools have an internal research team investigating the use of Large Language Models like ChatGPT in education. CEO Garrett Smiley says, “This has the potential to change everything. It could become a teacher’s best friend and help students create even high-quality projects. But, time will tell if that potential comes to fruition. There are still a lot of open questions.” As Seth Godin stated, “Technology begins by making old work easier, but then it requires that new work be better.”
7. Coaching. Every educator (and possibly every human being) can benefit from a great coach. AIChat could provide that for teachers. Building on the solution introduced by Edthena last year, personalized coaching could be readily available for every educator.  When schools lack coaches to support teachers, relying on virtual coaches helps all educators to receive feedback, to interact with a coach and build professional skills in an authentic way.
8. Virtual Assistant. AIChat could act as a virtual research assistant for educators as they explore new content for courses, saving time in searching through Google and other resources. Asking AIChat to draft a lesson plan, write letters, and other communications could enable educators to redirect the time spent on these tasks toward students when AIChat is used for clerical tasks.  
9. Adaptive. AIChat can adjust its response and information provided as it learns more from its interactions with the user. By analyzing the questions and ongoing conversations with the user, it then analyzes the data received to provide more personalized interactions that meet the specific needs and pace of each learner. This may also support learning differences by personalizing engagement by interacting with students through conversation, providing simple or complex explanations based on student needs, and chunking information and adapting learning based on a student’s input (such as explaining in more simple or more complex terms).

Challenge

1. Bias and Accuracy. AI is only as good as the data that is fed into the machine learning algorithms. OpenAI uses data from 2021 and earlier. It is already dated. Support services such as Education Technology equity certification (such as that from Digital Promise) will help platform builders increase equity. With a massive uptake in use, AI can also be self-referential, citing work that it has already generated. Consider an AI engine that asks millions of questions every second – and then publishes those to the web. The mere volume produced could impact the veracity of searches. As with all information we obtain via online searches, there is no guarantee of its reliability. Not everything we find online is true. Because AIChat is a language model, it will provide wrong answers at times, even though its responses appear to be accurate and authoritative, there will still be errors. As with all information we receive, we need to have the skills to sort through the information and check its validity.
2. Literacy. If every learner has access to a tool such as OpenAI that can write close to perfect essays, it is not difficult to imagine that essay-writing, blog posting (such as this blog) and other human produced writing will go the way of cursive: interesting but perhaps deemed not critical. There is no doubt that reading may remain, but perhaps basic essay constructions will be completed by AI technology and humans may be the editors, creators, and question askers. Michael Moe at GSV describes a writing revision process using ChatGPT as a tool (rather than just to produce the final product). The challenge will be whether and how fast educators can adapt (as opposed to reducing all essay prompts to handwritten products only).
3. Data privacy. As with all technologies, data privacy is paramount. If learners and educators use ChatGPT solutions, how will their input data be used beyond feeding into the data model? Schools are expressing concern about how student data is used by third parties and with technologies like this, without consent given.
4. Isolation. Already technology is built to maximize use. Research suggests that users have more access but feel more isolated. If the power of human relationships is paramount, AI “friends” may increase isolation, social anxiety and mental health challenges. With the use of AIChat, users will instead collaborate with AI, rather than build interpersonal and SEL skills that are necessary for workplace success. Will AIChat be a suitable and comparable alternative to human connections?
5. Ownership. If AI generates code for a computer science class, essays for an English class, and art for an art class, who owns the work? What if a student modifies it slightly? Will new solutions (whether a problem set or an invention) always be AI aided? Educators will worry about detecting plagiarism, but it may get better at being undetectable (but not impossible). There is no doubt that over the last two weeks students have submitted AI-generated solutions to assessment prompts. So, we either regress to handwriting and cursive to prove authenticity, or embrace new tools that make the process and product for every learner.

Action

Education leaders need to consider these possible futures now. There is no doubt that K-12 and higher ed learners will be using these tools immediately. It is not a question of preventing “AI plagiarism” (if such a thing could exist), but a question of how to modify teaching to take advantage of these new tools.

1. Test drive AI platforms like ChatGPT and the sandbox from OpenAI.  
2. Have your students and/or teachers do the same. Try entering prompts and then analyzing the quality, accuracy and variability of the responses. Rapidly increase comfort level.
3. Build learning around these tools and evaluate the outcome.
4. Rethink assessments and the tasks you are asking students to do, they can already plagiarize and find all answers, but now, they don’t even have to paraphrase. Begin now to imagine learning with this context.

Conclusion

AI will change education in a variety of ways, from the way students learn to the way teachers teach. AI-based tools will allow students to learn faster, with more personalized instruction tailored to their individual needs. AI can also help teachers track student progress, allowing them to intervene in learning when necessary and provide more effective instruction. AI can also provide valuable insights into student performance and help teachers develop better teaching methods. AI will also help schools become smarter, with more efficient use of resources and better decision-making. Ultimately, AI can help create a more equitable, effective, and enjoyable learning environment for all students.

While we are making broad predictions in this post, imagine if every person had access to supportive AI technology that was designed with equity, access, privacy and learners at the core. ChatGPT and its successors, built on these premises, will radically change the education landscape – sooner than we think. In an increasingly distracted and disconnected world, perhaps AI can provide more quality educational access to more people in a more efficient manner to give time to collaboratively tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges.  

Author’s note: Can you find the paragraph written by OpenAI in this post? If not, the Turing test was successful. Alan Turing was a mathematician who devised a test to determine a machine’s ability to imitate human behavior.

The post Education is about to radically change: AI for the masses appeared first on Getting Smart.

How can educators prepare?

Teachers often feel like they have to be the expert, but I can attest to the fact that you don’t. Thinking that I had to be the expert kept me from taking risks throughout my teaching career. I know that I don’t have to be the expert, I only need to know enough to get students started. Then they can take the lead and we can learn with them as everyone knows, we learn directly from them too. So when it comes to these topics, finding time to learn about them can be challenging. How can we possibly know enough?

In October, Getting Smart held a Town Hall focused on “Where has education been and where will it go next?” Nate McClennen, VP of Innovation and Education kicked off the event with an overview of the different web versions. Vriti Saraf, Co-Founder of Ed3 DAO spoke about the versions of the web and how “Web3 will advance things at a technological level, this technology will also have impacts on reshaping the “ethos of the web.” Mike Peck also shared some of the themes of web3 and the impact on the learning systems in place and the roles of educators and students in this space.

To get started, educators can explore blogs available through G​etting ​S​mart, participate in the Ed3 DAO Twitter spaces and check out resources from their 3-day ​E​d3 conference held November 11-13, 2022. The conference’s mission was to help educators understand what these technologies mean for the future of education and how to best prepare students.

What is Ed3 DAO?

Ed3 DAO (Digital Autonomous Organization), co-founded by Vriti Saraf and Mike ​P​eck is a group created “by educators and for educators” to learn about web3. They are “committed to onboarding one million educators into the world of web3.” Educators can join the group and interact through a Discord Channel or connect via Twitter. Ed3 DAO recently held its first virtual conference in the Edverse. It had a variety of session types including Ed talks, hackathons, gaming, networking opportunities, learning labs, and more. The focus was on the future of “learning, earning, teaching and community.” There were “discussions between innovators in web3 & experts in education about the utility (& risks) of blockchain, metaverse, NFTs, & cryptocurrency in education.”

For anyone new to these concepts, the conference provided opportunities to explore and interact in the metaverse space. The design of the conference helped educators understand how to build an immersive and collaborative learning experience for students. The event included a variety of learning opportunities including Edtalks, 20 learning labs, networking and idea labs in the Edverse where you could pitch ideas and get feedback from other attendees. There were also 12 Mastermind sessions focused on topics such as AI and the future of writing, what students need to learn about web3, amplifying SDGs with web3, and legal topics in the metaverse.

Attendees were able to receive a “proof of attendance protocol” (POAP, an NFT) certificate on blockchain as evidence of their participation in the event after each day. The proof can then be used for professional development hours, shared on social media, added to a crypto wallet, or used for teacher professional development hours.

Some of the main speakers included ​Vriti Saraf, Mike ​P​eck, Dagan Berstein, leaders in this space and I recommend that anyone wanting to learn more and be involved, should follow their work. During this event, participants were able to learn about what web3 means and how the look and feel of school might change. It was a great opportunity to connect with educators who are teaching students about these topics and gather ideas for use in the classroom. Also to be able to experience the metaverse by joining in the virtual space, selecting an avatar, and learning how to communicate in these new spaces for learning. There were opportunities to explore games like choose your own adventure and win an Ed3 NFT and see some of the other projects that have been created in the web3 in the Project Expo.

The event

The kickoff “What is Web3 and Why Does It Matter in Education?” What is Ed3 DAO and how to make the most of the conference with Vriti Saraf and Mike Peck. They spoke about what web3 is, how it has evolved and the impact that it will have on education and the world. Vriti explained how when the world wide web was created in 1990, at first it was decentralized and open source, which meant anyone could create. Web 1.0 was “read” and there were not a lot of opportunities to do more than consume content. In 2005, the web evolved to become web2.0, where social media apps and other websites could be created by people without the need to know how to code. It made global collaboration and sharing of content possible. This was the “Write” version because we could now contribute. Web 2,0 changed from “building to business, collaboration to monopoly and innovation to profit generation.” Tim said “this is not the web we wanted to create.” This is where web3 comes in and the focus of the conference. Web 3.0 is “own” because people can own and create their own info because of blockchain. It has shifted from closed to open, business to building, and monopolies to collaboration. No longer tied to owning everything but instead, sharing.

Vriti said, “As educators, the small scale building mentality is leading to creating micro-schools and unbundled learning. Collaboration and community-driven equals personalization. Innovation is leading to new ways of learning, hybrid, immersive and regenerative.”

Mike Peck spoke about the shifts from web versions and their impact.  Now we have the gig economy and people can engage in different types of work. In web3, more changes are coming. As the web evolves, we may see the “creator economy.” How will decentralized platforms enable people to create and explore in ways unlike what we can do now?

How will it impact our daily lives? Instagram, Starbucks, and Pearson are a few corporations that are discussing how web3 will impact strategy and are looking at the use of NFTs. As the web evolves, educators need to help students develop essential skills such as digital citizenship, financial literacy, and the 4 Cs.  In web3, “there is an importance of community and how we can work together to achieve great things.” According to Mike, “Our students are already experiencing the metaverse, like with Fortnite and some are even investing in web3. A 12-year-old created a collection called “Weird Whales” and made around $160,000 in one day.  He created the code base through to the NFT collection.

The unconference experience

Attendees could experience an unconference and suggest topics for discussion or just join in some of the sessions.  Topics such as Bitcoin 101 and hashing, the process of and time requirements for mining, and governance of assets were a few. I  enjoyed a session about how a teacher decentralized their classroom through a DAO-like structure. They launched a community token and microeconomy with their fourth graders, which shows that we can teach students of all grade levels about the metaverse and these emerging technologies. Other sessions such as Gamifying Immersive Social Learning Experiences with Pablo Ortiz from Erasmus, Digital Badges and Microcredentials, NFTs, Web3 and Social impact projects were popular topics.

It was unlike any other experience I have had. The gatherings around the learning labs during the unconference and being able to interact, engage in live conversations whether the camera was on or off, and moving in all of those spaces was awesome. It offered flexibility by being able to move your avatar into any of the different learning spaces and quickly enter another space to connect with attendees. While it is similar to being at an in-person event or a virtual conference and changing sessions, the time to move and enter the spaces is in your control and instant when in the Edverse, rather than waiting for someone to let you into the room or traveling a distance.

On Sunday, Nate McClennen, VP of Education and Innovation of Getting Smart kicked off Day 3 events with an Edtalk about “How can web3 drive open ecosystem of learning, workplace degrees, and thriving democracies and livelihood?  He spoke of the evolution of the web and how web 3 allows for “permissionless, self-sovereign and decentralized systems, which increases access and agency which empowers people to be more active.” With centralized systems, there are groups of data that are being used to make money for others, compared with decentralized. When it comes to learning, the learners control credentials, and digital wallet/employment records. Store information there, the diplomas are there and are easily verifiable without other distractions or time consumption.

Joining the different Edtalks held in the learning labs or available on YouTube was such a unique experience. There were so many great sessions available that deciding was difficult!. Some of the topics for learning labs that I joined were Design, Modeling, and Building NFTs to Build Future Student Entrepreneurs, and Making Web3 Work for Workforce Education with Dr. Micah Shipee and Kaylee Brown.

The conference ended with a dance party in the virtual space celebrating the conference and thanking Vriti Saraf for an amazing event. Several members of the planning team spoke and shared some of the key takeaways from the event. Vriti said, “Web3 is all around us and it is here and education is always the last to catch up.” She thanked everyone for joining in the event, and the management of it, which was planned for 6 months.

To learn more, check out the Twitter feed for the #Ed3con22 event to see more images, the conversation topics and connect with other educators. I recommend that anyone interested in learning more about web 3, become a member and check out the events that the Ed3 DAO holds each month. There are also courses available for educators to work through that are focused on the blockchain, metaverse, NFTs, web3, and more.

The post Preparing for the Future of Education appeared first on Getting Smart.