Affiliate Links on Blog

I wanted to be transparent and upfront about a practice on my blog that supports its maintenance and growth.

You may find links to various products or services in some of the articles and posts on [Your Blog Name]. Please be aware that some of these links are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost, I may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links.

I only recommend products or services I use or believe will be valuable to my readers. Including affiliate links is one of the ways I can continue to provide you with high-quality content, maintain the blog, and explore new topics and resources.

Your trust is of utmost importance to me, and I am committed to being transparent about any affiliations I may have.

Thank you for your continued support.

Rebekah

A Great Perspective on the Future of Education

 

As I reflect on the future of education at my own school, I have been searching for resources that align with the thinking that education as we know it will not continue to be. I spoke to a colleague the other day, and, excluding technology integration, we are teaching the same way we were taught. Things may be digital, work products may be digital, and the resources are more vast, but we are still asking students to sit at a desk, read text, answer questions, and complete assessments. 

Why is this still true for the majority of US schools? (No stats, just opinion.)

We have so many opportunities to individualize learning. 

My school is moving forward and trying to make changes to our high school. As I see it, in 5 years, things are expected to look very different. Students could already find answers online before ChatGPT just handed them to them. Rote homework has no place in classrooms today. The ones who know it may do it. The ones that don't won't do it or will cheat. What is the purpose?

So let's change it up!

Watch this video on Machine Learning, AI, and the Future of Education and see what you think.

A Quick Video for Gmail Unsubscribe Filter

 

A quick video on how to get move unsubscribe emails to one label and quickly delete. I took care of those 481 emails under that label in less than 30 minutes. It did not move everything there, but it did move a lot!

AI Tools for Administrators

This post is a follow-up to my presentation at the League of Christian Schools conference in November 2023.

I am linking everything to this post to make it easier to access the tools introduced. 

Let me know what tools you think are best:

Calendly

Canva for Educators

Otter.AI

Google Task

How to make an email filter on Google Gmail

Here is my own video for filter unsubscribe emails

WePik

Grammarly

Chaton AI

Best if you are taking graduate-level coursework:

Grammarly

Quillbot

Elicit

Chatgpt

Liner

Resources for your teachers:

Eduaide AI

Diffit

Alayna

Chatgpt

Canva for Educators

MagicSchool AI

Pinterest, with even more resources

Teacher Appreciation- Teacher Certificate Award Titles for Christian Teachers

Teacher appreciation weeks have started all over the US this week May 8 to May 15, 2023. I try to create a certificate each year for my teachers to hang on their door Monday morning.  Using a few different AI machines, I gathered a list of awards specifically for Christian school teachers. I created a template on Canva for you to fill in and edit. You can change your school colors and edit how you'd like (you may need to pay or exchange some elements since I use CanvaPro).

I gave a different award for every teacher- I have a staff of 30. I also laminated them. Over the weekend, I will go hang them up so they see them Monday morning.

This is an example of my school certificate:

I used the bulk create with a Google sheet and made these in a few minutes (a CanvaPro feature).

Here is a list of 70+ awards:

Servant Leader Award

Faithful Teacher Award

Christ-like Character Award

Dedication to Christian Education Award

Discipleship Award

Outstanding Christian Educator Award

Excellence in Biblical Integration Award

Most Encouraging Teacher Award

Spirit of Unity Award

Joyful Spirit Award

Loving and Caring Teacher Award

Creative Teaching Award

Prayer Warrior Award

Christian Worldview Award

Excellent Teacher Award

Best Classroom Management Award

Outstanding Mentor Award

Student Choice Award

Technology Integration Award

Innovative Teaching Award

Most Inspiring Teacher Award

Dedication and Commitment Award

Best Use of Creativity in the Classroom Award

Exceptional Student Growth Award

Positive Role Model Award

Most Organized Teacher Award

Professional Development Award

Community Service Award

Excellence in Subject Matter Award

Heart of Gold Award

Light of Hope Award

Servant's Hand Award

Faithful Guide Award

Fruit of Love Award

Steadfast Rock Award

Divine Wisdom Award

Grace Under Pressure Award

Sower of Seeds Award

Unbreakable Bond Award

True North Award

Kingdom Builder Award

Generous Collaborator Award

Gracious Communicator Award

Humble Servant Award

Courageous Warrior Award

Patient Listener Award

Empathy Builder Awards

Misson Minded Teacher Award

Compassionate Heart Award

Humility and Grace Award

Curriculum Crusader Award

Go Getter Award

Heart and Soul Award

Grit and Perseverance Award

Trailblazer Award

Rising Star Award

Teacher of the Heart Award

Love Over Limitations Award

Grateful Heart Gardner Award

Joyful Innovator Award

Integrity Beyond Measure Award

Godly Example Award

Motivational Powerhouse Award

Faithful Journey Award

Inspiration in Action Award

Eternal Impact Maker Award

Resilience Role Model Award

Unsung Hero Award

Outstanding Contribution Award

Exemplary Leadership Award

 

How Can ChatGPT Help School Administrators?

 

As a teacher, stealing is the best policy! As a teacher, you know what I mean. So many teachers offer free materials, ideas, and strategies on blogs and websites. One of my favorites as an algebra teacher is Math = Love.

As an administrator, work products are not as easily shared. Most likely, it is because many administrators work for districts that create their own materials. Administrators are often provided with rules, policies, letters, etc.

Working in an independent school, those are not readily available or may need to be updated. 

Since this was my school's accreditation year, I had a lot of items to gather as evidence. I adapted another school's policy manual (stealing with permission) to my school's needs. I found many things we lacked that would be important if I were to leave. I know what I do, but can the next person in my position have access to it.

So I began working on things that I felt were needed. One was letters in case a staff person died, a student died, or a significant event occurred on campus. I used ChaptGPT to help create those letters and then adapted them. I am a math teacher... writing is only sometimes my best subject. I can talk... lol... but composing takes a little more effort. But AI has helped make those tasks more manageable. Those letters are in the policy manual, so if these events occur, that is the last thing I must consider!

Here are ways ChatGPT answered the prompt: What tasks can ChatGPT help principals complete? I think they are definitely things I will explore. I am wondering if it will create a bell schedule for secondary!?

Directly quoted from ChatGPT:

1. Writing and Editing: You can use ChatGPT to help you with writing and editing tasks such as crafting announcements, composing newsletters, creating reports, or reviewing documents. Simply provide prompts or describe the content you need, and ChatGPT can generate text based on your input.

2. Planning and Organization: ChatGPT can help you with planning and organizing tasks. You can use it to create schedules, outline lesson plans, or develop strategies for school improvement. ChatGPT can also help you manage tasks and deadlines by providing reminders or creating to-do lists.

3. Communication and Correspondence: ChatGPT can assist you with communication and correspondence tasks. You can use it to draft emails, compose letters, or prepare speeches. ChatGPT can also help you generate responses to frequently asked questions or provide information about school policies or procedures.

4. Problem Solving: ChatGPT can aid you in problem-solving tasks. You can describe an issue or challenge you're facing, and ChatGPT can generate suggestions or solutions based on its knowledge and language capabilities. It can also help you brainstorm ideas for school projects or initiatives.

5. Professional Development: ChatGPT can support your professional development as a school principal. You can use it to access information about best practices in education, research educational resources, or gather data for decision-making. ChatGPT can also provide insights on leadership strategies or offer recommendations for professional growth opportunities.

Using ChapGPT for the Classroom- Lesson Creation

I have been using the free version of ChapGPT since I came across it a few months ago for exploring various prompts, requests, and activities to help with my job as an administrator. It is pretty handy for writing letters and emails or other forms of communication. I feel I am only scratching the surface of the capabilities as I read articles about the program. It is quite fascinating!

Recently, I saw an educator on Facebook asking ChatGPT to write a lesson plan. I was amazed at how limiting I was to the program!

Most of the beginning articles about ChapGPT and education explored how much cheating can be done with AI. This is true. (However, my college son recently told me that two students in one of his classes were caught using the program because AI detectors work pretty efficiently. So teachers are on it!)

One afternoon, I wanted a character education lesson for my secondary teachers to use in a newly formed advisory class. We are using the Fruit of the Spirit for character education words. I asked ChapGPT for a lesson plan on character education for middle school. I adapted it to include the Fruit of the Spirit and made some engagement changes to reflect the foundation of AVID's WICOR , with the addition of Bible (WICORB). I adjusted the collaboration and writing aspects that ChatGPT excluded. To add the inquiry portion, I asked ChapGPT to write reflection questions and added those to the lesson.

I am sure ChapGPT could have added those activities if I had asked, but I adjusted based on my teaching style.

Then, with a newly learned skill of bulk add to Canva , I made a slide deck using the character education reflection questions for my teachers to use in class.

This entire process, with editing, took about one hour. Using Canva and making the slide deck was a little more complex, but it certainly wasn't a complicated process. This lesson was provided to each of my teachers (12 total) so the entire secondary program would have the same lesson. It was at least 3-5 days of teaching material, depending on the length of discussion and collaboration.

In addition, I listed all the products on my Teachers Pay Teachers site for a possible income stream for my time.

How have you used ChatGPT to make your life as a teacher easier?

Rebekah