There is nothing like a conference to invigorate a teacher. Surrounded by enthusiastic peers, gathering inspiration from motivational keynote speakers, learning new skills and new ways to use old skills, and…the swag!
In October, we traveled to Foxborough for the two-day educational technology extravaganza, the MassCUE Conference at Gillette Stadium. As a long-time attendee and a first-timer, we were equally excited about what lay ahead. The sheer quantity of workshops, presentations, and demonstrations, required preparation and an attack plan. Bree was interested in coding and bringing Scratch into her curriculum, Marcia had her eye on AI, and both wanted to master Canva. We would divide and conquer!
Despite the dismal season for the home team, Gillette is a premier conference location. Taylor Swift had nothing on us, as we attended sessions in the luxury boxes high above the field. We zig-zagged around the vast stadium, taking in as much as possible.
The possibilities with Artificial Intelligence are incredible. Framed as a “Helper” not a “Doer” presentations reinforced the time-saving aspect for teachers, allowing for more streamlined preparation and more hands-on time with students. Educating and modeling effective, ethical use for our students is paramount. Magic School AI, Diffit, and Gamma rose to the top as effective educational assistants.
We returned to Bement full of new ideas and eager to share with colleagues, presenting our experience during a faculty meeting. We are demonstrating to students how AI can be a personal tutor and an effective learning companion. We are sharing ideas with colleagues on writing effective prompts that will generate useful results, saving them time on more mundane tasks and freeing up time for new opportunities and dynamic learning. It was fun to learn about new trends in educational technology, such as Apple’s tools for creating and using augmented reality, which has resulted in a fifth-grade virtual trip inside the Statue of Liberty!
Our tech toolkits are full of new ideas which we look forward to continue sharing with our students and our colleagues.