The Digital Learning Podcast

Latest Episodes:

End the Year with Digital Portfolios and Reflection Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the podcast, Holly and Matt celebrate that the end of the school year is getting closer and closer! As students start wrapping up their work for the year, digital portfolios and reflection can be a big help. Students can use digital portfolios to display their best work -- what Holly calls a "showcase portfolio." Or they can select items that demonstrate all of their growth throughout the year. It's OK if you haven't been adding to portfolios all year long. It's not too late! Also, we discuss the power of reflection -- a quick practice you can add in just a few minutes that brings important transfer and lasting learning. Read more:

The Illusion of Choice Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Digital Learning Podcast, Matt and Holly discuss the concept of choice and voice in education. They explore how some teachers give students too many choices, which can take away from their voice and agency. They suggest that while choice and voice are important, to empower students, teachers need to move away from making all the choices themselves and allow students to take control of their own learning. They argue that this is the key to student-centered learning and giving students more agency. Resources:

Learning from One School's Crackdown on ChatGPT Mar 28, 2023

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What happens when a disruptive technology like ChatGPT is on a collision course with your school's policies and practices?

In this episode of the Digital Learning Podcast, we explore the reaction of a Florida high school to its students using ChatGPT in their classwork. Whether you've had to confront these issues in your school or not, this serves as a case study to examine when it's time to have those conversations. We discuss the importance of having conversations -- with students, with parents, and among school staff -- about appropriate use. We also talk about the importance of having conversations before handing out punishments. This episode will help equip you for your own conversations and decisions in your school and school district.

How ChatGPT and AI assistants Can Save Us Time Mar 22, 2023

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In this episode of The Digital Learning Podcast we discuss how ChatGPT and AI assistants can help teachers save time and be more productive. We cover the benefits of AI for summarizing chapters, generating lesson plans, and assisting with IEPs and emails. While AI can provide feedback and rubrics, we also acknowledge that human interaction and personalized approaches remain essential for effective teaching.

Rethinking Writing in a World of AI Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of The Digital Learning Podcast, we're discussing how to incorporate AI, specifically ChatGPT, into your classroom to change the way you think about writing. Our guest, Jill Pavich, shares practical ways to use AI to enhance the writing process and empower your students.

As teachers, we're always looking for ways to make our students' learning experiences more meaningful and engaging. AI tools like ChatGPT can help us do just that. Rather than relying solely on AI-generated content, Jill encourages teachers to encourage students to add their own human touch to their writing. By leveraging their interests and passions, AI tools can stimulate ideas and save time.

Jill highlights the speech-to-text feature as a valuable tool for both students and teachers. By embracing AI tools, we can work smarter and give our students more meaningful experiences.

So if you're looking to incorporate AI into your classroom, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to discover how ChatGPT can help you and your students work smarter and achieve better writing outcomes.

You can connect with Jill on Instagram @JillPavich and on her website JillPavich.com.

Download her free writing kickstart resource at JillPavich.com/kickstart.

Revolutionizing Writing in 2023: AI and Authenticity Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we hear from Jill Pavich, a former high school English language arts teacher who coaches teachers to develop authentic learning and writing in real contexts. Jill discusses how writing is changing in the digital age and how we can prepare students for writing in 2023 and beyond. She emphasizes the importance of valuing academic writing while also incorporating writing that is authentic and relevant to students' lives, such as social media and video. Jill also discusses the role of ChatGPT, an AI language model, in the writing process and how it can be used to help students overcome the intimidation of starting and to focus on the revision phase. Finally, Jill encourages educators to shift the conversation from "kids need to write" to "kids need to edit" and to let go of the stigma of social media as a valid form of communication.

Connect with Jill at jillpavich.com

ChatGPT in Schools: What You Need to Know Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of The Digital Learning Podcast, we discuss ChatGPT - an AI language model developed by OpenAI. We talk about how teachers can still use it and copy over the responses for their students to use even though it's age-restricted. We also discuss how AI is changing the writing process and information literacy, and what will become the most important part of writing in a world of AI.

Helping Students Regain Control Over Technology Addiction Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Josh Ratliff talks about his experiences with technology addiction in schools, including his own struggle with it as a parent and an administrator. He shares that the desire for human connection is what draws students to technology and that schools should focus on integrating technology in ways that encourage collaboration and joint reasoning, rather than just individual work. He emphasizes the importance of finding the best use of technology, establishing a healthy relationship with it, and being connected to a tribe, while also establishing a relationship with a mentor who can provide accountability and demand excellence. By understanding the desire for connection, schools can help students achieve a healthy relationship with technology and thrive academically and personally.

Follow Josh on Twitter at @JRatliffEDU

Visit Trafera.com or check out the Trafera booth at most major EDU conferences.

Lessons in AI from an AI App Developer Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Everyone seems to be talking about artificial intelligence right now -- and its impact on education. Now that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence assistants are going mainstream, how does it affect education? We've discussed this with educators. Now let's talk to someone in the tech industry. In this episode, Matt interviews Jens Seip, co-founder and CEO of Curipod, an AI tool that will build you interactive presentation slides on any topic. He shares insight from inside the tech landscape -- plus some tips and things that teachers should keep in mind.

Curipod website: https://curipod.com/

Generate a ready-to-use interactive slide deck right now: https://curipod.com/ai

Follow Curipod on Twitter: https://twitter.com/curipodofficial

Follow Jens on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JensSeip

The Buzz from the TCEA Conference Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Matt and Holly just attended the TCEA Conference in San Antonio, Texas. They presented on ChatGPT and AI in Education together ... but there were other things that everyone seemed to be talking about.

They noticed the long lines to attend some sessions and figured out what a big topic of conversation was -- creating in the classroom!

In this episode, Matt and Holly talk about the importance of classroom creation -- one of the building blocks of blended learning -- and some tools you can use to help your students create, too.

We were also joined by Stevie Frank, an educator from Indiana who has helped her students to create podcasts.

In this episode, we mentioned several tech tools: