My OAESA 2025 Sessions

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the OAESA 2025 Professional Conference in Columbus, Ohio on June 16th and 17th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can get all of the details about the conference including registration, presenters, sessions, and more on the conference website at:

oaesa.org/gamechangers/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at OAESA 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 5-12-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

AI for Alt Text: Boost Accessibility with this Prompt

Did you know that 285 million people worldwide have vision impairments? 

Anytime I share content online, I want to make sure it reaches as many people as possible. If that content includes images, that can be a challenge for readers who have difficulty with the pictures.

One way to help with this is by using "alt text".

Alt text is a short description of an image that helps people who can't see it understand its meaning. When someone uses assistive technology, such as a screen reader, it will read the alt text aloud.

This is so helpful, but it can be a challenge to write good alt text that aligns to guidelines and best practices, especially if you share a lot of content online.

To help with this I have created a prompt you can use with your favorite AI chatbot to generate alt text for images in your social media posts. See below for directions, examples, and a copy of the prompt to use however you need. As always please share your suggestions for improvement.

EdTech Links - Week of 5-5-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Join Me for the THInC Forum: Education in the Era of AI

I am excited and honored to be keynoting at the inaugural THInC Forum on July 31, 2025 at the University of Toledo which will focus on Education in the Era of A.I.

This event is designed for PreK-20 educators, university faculty and students, technology specialists, and community partners who want to connect, collaborate, and explore responsible A.I. integration in education in a simple, practical, and supportive way. No prior A.I. knowledge is required. Just bring your curiosity and enthusiasm!

What can you expect?

• Presentations on practical use of A.I. in the classroom
• Opportunities to network with educators who have experience integrating A.I. into their classrooms
• Discussions with educational technology specialists and A.I. education ambassadors
• Earn 9 CEU contact hours toward certification renewal
• Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner
• Swag!
• Door prizes!

The THInC Forum will be a full day of learning from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and will be held at the University of Toledo, Ingmann Room, Lancelot Thompson Student Union.

You can get all of the details and registration information on the THInC Forum website. 

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at the THInC Forum, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

What's New in Google - April 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from April 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our April 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the April 2025 meeting:

EdTech Links - Week of 4-28-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Door A, B or C? Using AI for Interactive Choose Your Own Adventure Stories

When I was a kid growing up in the 80’s I loved to read "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. They were fun, and a little scary, and you died pretty much every time, but they got lots of students into books.

CYOA stories can still be an excellent way to engage learners in reading and exploring subject area content.

In the past I have shared ideas and examples of creating CYOA stories using Google Docs and Google Slides. Those are still great options if you or your students are going to be writing the story yourselves.

But what if you want the stories written for you? Thankfully with tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, you can have AI create a CYOA story for any subject matter content, at a grade level appropriate for your students, and delivered in an interactive format that your students can play like a game.

See below to get the AI prompt template you can use to create your own interactive CYOA stories, as well as explore some examples I have generated.

Upcoming Webinar - Chromebooks Can Do That?! Essential Features for Teachers and Students

Chromebooks have become a common tool in schools, but are you and your students getting the most out of them?

I am excited to be providing an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, May 14th at 3-4 pm ET hosted by Trafera where we will take a deep dive into Chromebook features, some of which may be lesser-known.

These features can encourage creativity, increase efficiency, ramp up engagement, and support teaching and learning in your classroom. Some of the topics we will explore in the session include:

• 🔑 Accessibility tools for all learners
• 📝 PDF annotation and editing tools
• 📷 Using the camera for pictures, videos, GIFs and more
• 🎞️ Built-in screen capture, recording & screencasting
• 🗂️ Multiple desks for organization and efficiency
• 📶 Offline access to work without Wi-Fi
• 🤖 Using Android apps on a Chromebook
• ☝️ Helpful touchpad gestures
• ⌨️ Favorite keyboard shortcuts
• ✨ AI tools to assist with your tasks
• And more!

You can register for free here: Registration Link

All qualified participants will receive a Starbucks gift card as a "thank you" for attending. (Must register with a valid school work email address and complete the exit survey at the end of the session to qualify)

I look forward to learning with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 4-21-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Upcoming Webinar - Power Tools for the Classroom

Technology is a moving target with constant updates and new features. This is especially true with AI advances.

I am excited and honored to be part of an upcoming webinar all about new AI updates from Google, Canva, and ChatGPT. The webinar is being hosted by Jennifer Womble from FETC, and features Monica Burns (covering ChatGPT updates), Rob Dickson (covering Canva AI updates), and me (covering Google AI updates).

Here are the details and registration info:

• 🛠️ Power Tools for the Classroom: What’s New from Google, Canva & ChatGPT for K12
• 📅 Thursday, May 15, 2025
• ⏰ 4:00 PM Eastern
• ✅ Registration - Free sign up form
• AI is evolving at lightning speed—and so are the free tools educators rely on every day! In this fast-paced, must-attend webinar, three expert practitioners break down the newest updates from Google, Canva, and ChatGPT that are reshaping teaching, learning, and classroom creativity. Join us for a power-packed hour designed specifically for K12 administrators and educators who want to stay ahead of the curve. Discover real-time demos, practical applications, and time-saving tips you can implement immediately. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change, this is your moment to catch up, get inspired, and re-energize your digital teaching toolkit. Your AI update starts here!

Looking forward to learning with everyone!

Beyond the Book - AI for Librarians

I recently put together a new professional development training on the topic of AI for librarians, and have had the chance to present it several times so far.

As with all AI resources, I am sure I will continue to develop this session over time, adding many more tools and ideas. But for now I wanted to share what I pulled together so far.

Here is a description of the session:

Beyond the Book: AI for Librarians

Artificial intelligence in education isn’t just for the classroom. Librarians can harness AI for reader’s advisory, collection development, book promotions, community outreach, and more. In this session we explore practical applications of AI to expand and enrich your library program, including prompts tailored for librarians, tools to generate read-alike lists, multimedia book trailers, AI chatbots, verifying AI-generated information, and educating students about responsible AI use. Whether you serve K–5, 6–8, or high school, you’ll leave with dozens of ideas to spark innovation and engagement in your library.

See below to access the resource document, slideshow, and selected content from the session. And please feel free to share your ideas, tools, resources, and suggestions to add to this!

2025 Ohio AI Summits

AI is continuing to grow in its capabilities and its impact on teaching and learning. To help support Ohio educators, a series of AI summits are being provided by aiEDU, Innovate Ohio, the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, and Ohio Educational Service Center Association.

I am excited and honored to be presenting at all five of the Ohio AI Summits taking place across the state this April and May!

All AI Summits are FREE to all Ohio ESC employees, district leaders, building leaders, and K-12 teachers. If you are anywhere across the state of Ohio, please consider attending one of the summits near you.

See below for all of the details on each summit and register today!

EdTech Links - Week of 4-14-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Podcast Spotlight - The Global Education Station

I recently had the pleasure to be a guest on the "The Global Education Station" podcast hosted by Annette Levesque.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love podcasts and am always mentioning something new I learned from one of them, so I was super excited to get to join an episode of this podcast.

The podcast is described as follows:

This unique podcast is dedicated to exploring the vast world of education through the voices of esteemed education leaders from around the globe. It's more than just a podcast; it's a virtual community where educators unite to learn from one another and grow collectively. Please join us for each episode as we delve into insightful conversations with top educators from universities, colleges, K-12 schools, and corporate training programs. Our guests share their personal journeys in education, discuss the challenges they've faced, and celebrate the triumphs they've achieved within their organizations.

I had a wonderful time chatting about:

• How Brisk Teaching and Magic School streamline lesson planning and enhance classroom engagement.
• The importance of free and accessible AI tools for teachers and students 
• How AI-powered platforms personalize learning and support differentiated instruction 
• Insights into Control Alt Achieve and its mission to empower educators with creative tech strategies 
• Why lifelong learning is crucial for educators in the ever-evolving digital landscape
• And more!

Take a look below to listen to the episode, access the resources that I shared in the episode, and explore more about the podcast.

AI in Education Roundtable - Recorded Session

I recently had the pleasure and privilege to be a member of an AI in Education Roundtable that was hosted by Scott Fisher from GAT Labs.

I was joined by Jason Towne from Squirrel AI, and by Mandy DePriest from AI for Education, as we discussed the significance of incorporating AI tools to create personalized learning experiences that address individual student needs.

Some of the topics covered in the discussion included:

• Exploring AI's Benefits in Education
• Innovative AI Tools for Teaching
• Engaging Students with AI
• Motivation and Personalization through AI
• Motivating Students in the Age of AI
• Engaging Students with AI Activities
• Identifying At-Risk Students with AI
• Developing Soft Skills and Critical Thinking with AI

The session was recorded and you can watch the full video below, as well as access all of the resources shared throughout the roundtable discussion.

What's New in Google - March 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from March 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our March 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the March 2025 meeting:

EdTech Links - Week of 3-24-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Classroom Guidelines for Student AI Use - Free Adaptable Template

AI isn't coming - it's already here and it is not going away.

Classrooms around the world are seeing an explosion in the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and more. Whether we are ready or not, our students are already using these tools, and will just keep experimenting with them more.

As educators, we need to help guide our students' use of AI so it’s productive, ethical, and supportive of learning. And what better place for them to learn about AI than our classrooms?

Now there are dozens and dozens of sample guidelines and policies for the classroom, and I have shared many of them in the past. Over the last few years I have reviewed these examples, spoken with educators across the country, and worked to identify the critical elements of classroom AI guidelines for students.

In the end I created two things:

• A comprehensive template with classroom guidelines for student use of AI
• A powerful prompt to help you modify my template to fit any grade level and any subject area

If you don't already have a set of AI guidelines for your classroom, or if you are looking to improve the guidelines you do have, then I believe this template and prompt will be a great asset to help get you there. 

See below for access to the template and directions on how to use it for your students. And please email me with your suggestions for improving this template and process. I would love to hear your ideas and learn along with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 3-10-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Google Sheets Pi Day Projects

Pi Day is March 14th each year (since the date is 3/14 and Pi starts out with 3.14). As a previous middle school math teacher, this is always a fun day to be a math nerd, do Pi-themed educational activities, and of course eat some real pie!

Over the years I have shared several technology activities for celebrating Pi Day in separate posts. This year I have pulled all those together in one place including:

📈 Discovering Pi with Google Sheets

✍️ Create "Pi Poems" with Google Sheets

🏙️ Graph a Pi-Line Skyline with Google Sheets

See below for this great collection of technology activities to help students explore, understand, and create with Pi!

Chromebooks Can Do That?! Essential Features for Teachers and Students

Chromebooks have become a common tool in schools, but are you and your students getting the most out of them?

I recently had the opportunity to present a webinar where we took a deep dive into Chromebook features, some of which may be lesser-known. 

These features can encourage creativity, increase efficiency, ramp up engagement, and support teaching and learning in your classroom.

Some of the topics we explore in the session include:

• 🔑 Accessibility tools for all learners
• 📝 PDF annotation and editing tools
• 📷 Using the camera for pictures, videos, GIFs and more
• 🎞️ Built-in screen capture, recording & screencasting
• 🗂️ Multiple desks for organization and efficiency
• 📶 Offline access to work without Wi-Fi
• 🤖 Using Android apps on a Chromebook
• ☝️ Helpful touchpad gestures
• ⌨️ Favorite keyboard shortcuts
• ✨ AI tools to assist with your tasks
• And more!

See below for the one-hour recorded webinar video and session resources. And be sure to share your favorite Chromebook tips and features. I am excited to learn with you!

EdTech Links - Week of 3-3-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Podcast Spotlight: Innovator Insights

I recently had the pleasure to be a guest on the "Innovator Insights" podcast from GAT Labs.

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love podcasts and am always mentioning something new I learned from one of them, so I was super excited to get to join an episode of this podcast.

The podcast is hosted by Scott Fisher and is described as follows:

Exploring the minds and journeys of today's innovators to inspire tomorrow's leaders. Every episode tells the story of an innovator-someone who has faced challenges, overcome obstacles, and carved a new path in industries like technology, business, education, and beyond. Through their triumphs and setbacks, we uncover the heart of what it means to lead, to innovate, and to shape the future.

I had a wonderful time chatting about:

• How my journey from math teacher to tech integration specialist shaped my approach.
• The challenges of limited resources and how creativity with existing tools can break barriers in education.
• The role of AI in personalizing learning and providing teachers with actionable insights.
• And more!

Take a look below to listen to the episode, access the resources that I shared in the episode, and explore more about the podcast.

What's New in Google - February 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from February 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our February 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the February 2025 meeting:

EdTech Links - Week of 2-17-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

AI Student Learning Activities with Prompts! Interviews, Debates & More

AI can be a powerful tool for educators to help save time, create content, provide feedback, and much more. As helpful as AI can be for teachers, it can also be a powerful tool for students.

Understandably AI use with students may be limited in many schools for several reasons. In some cases the students may be too young to use AI tools, as many times the required age is 13 and above. Or it may be a situation where AI tools are not yet approved by the school.

 

Thankfully there are many ways that AI can still be used with students. These activities involve the teacher managing the AI, but including the students in the learning activity. Some sample AI activities for students that teachers can lead include:

• 🎙️ AI Interview
• ⚖️ AI Debate
• 🧩 AI Games
• ✍️ AI Co-Writing

I recently recorded a new version of my PD session "Today's Special Classroom Guest: Mr. A.I. Chatterbot" where I do a demonstration of each of these activities. See below to watch the recorded video and to access all the prompt templates.

My UCET 2025 Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again be presenting at the UCET 2025 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 25th and 26th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can get all of the details about the conference including registration, presenters, sessions, and more on the conference website at:

https://ucet.org/conference/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at UCET 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

My 2025 NCTIES Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again be presenting at the 2025 NCTIES Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 5th through 7th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can access more NCTIES information and register for the conference at:

• https://www.ncties.org/2025-registration.html

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at NCTIES 2025, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Give Your Students a Voice - Be An Author Month 2025

This blog post is sponsored by Book Creator, but all opinions are mine.

Book Creator has long been one of my favorite EdTech tools, providing students with both the inspiration and the tools to tell stories, share their ideas, and let their voices be heard.

I have often shared about Book Creator, including how this tool can be used to help students write and illustrate their stories. For more details on that, see my earlier blog post and tutorial video here - "Book Creator Pen Tools - Let Your Inner Illustrator Come Alive!"

Well March is "Be An Author Month" and Book Creator is helping to celebrate it through activities, webinars, templates, and a personal narrative competition for all students.

Writing is a passion of mine, including this blog, my "Control Alt Achieve" book, my poetry for kids, my essays on wellbeing, and more. I am so excited for resources that support and inspire students to write.

See below for all the details on how you can access these free resources and engage your students in the writing activities.

EdTech Links - Week of 2-10-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

AI-AI-Oh! Awesome AI Uses in Education

Artificial Intelligence can be used in so many different ways in schools to improve teaching, learning, creativity, productivity, support, and more for educators and students.

Recently I recorded a 45-minute webinar where I covered a wide range of helpful and creative ways to use AI in schools. 

To bring some order to my examples, I organized them into six categories including:

• 🤔 Brainstorming
• ✍️ Creating Content
• ✂️ Altering Content
• 🔎 Processing Information
• 💯 Grading and Feedback
• 🗣️ Student Conversations

See below to watch the recorded video, as well as access the session resource document and slideshow. And please reach out to me to let me know your suggestions for other AI uses. I am excited to learn with you!

EdTech Links of the Week - 2-4-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

What's New in Google - January 2025

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from January 2025, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our January 2025 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the January 2025 meeting:

Boost Student Learning with Brisk Teaching

Brisk Teaching is one of my favorite educational AI tools which I have shared about often on this blog.

I usually refer to Brisk Teaching as the "Swiss Army Knife of AI Tools for Schools" because of all the things you are able to do with it from creating content, to generating feedback, to re-leveling text, to so much more.

In addition to all of those uses, recently Brisk added a new feature that is easily one of my favorites… Brisk Boost activities for students!

With Brisk Boost:

• Educators can create school-safe student-friendly "Boost" activities with customized AI chatbots that students can interact with.
• These can include chatbots for tutoring, chatting with a character, debating, brainstorming, exit tickets and more.
• And Brisk records everything typed by the student and the AI so you can review it and learn how best to support your learners.

Recently I had the pleasure to present a booth session at FETC on how to use Brisk Teaching for students. See below for the 25 minute recorded video of that presentation to learn all about creating Brisk Boost activities, the student experience, and the teacher experience.

EdTech Links of the Week - 1-28-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

Class Tools to Make Google BETTer

This week Google is in London at BETT, the world’s biggest educational technology exhibition. At the event, companies from all around the world show off their latest and greatest innovations for educational technology.

Google is using this opportunity to showcase new updates for Google Workspace for Education. These updates include new features for Google Classroom, Docs, Accessibility, Chromebooks, AI, and more!

Although I have never been to BETT yet (definitely a goal for the future!) I wanted to share these new updates with you. The big new update that caught my eye is "Class Tools" which is a classroom management solution for teachers and students to use on Chromebooks.

See below for the details on this new Class Tools feature, as well as an overview of what else Google announced at BETT.

EdTech Links of the Week - 1-22-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

"Abracadabr-AI" - MagicSchool AI Rooms for Student Learning

MagicSchool is a very well known AI tool for schools, which I have shared about many times before.

When most people think of MagicSchool they probably think about how it can assist educators with creating content such as lesson plans, rubrics, releveled text, DOK questions, and more. 

As awesome as that is, MagicSchool has another use that makes me even more excited… MagicSchool for students!

With MagicSchool:

• Educators can create school-safe student-friendly "rooms" with customized AI chatbots that students can interact with.
• These can include chatbots for writing feedback, idea generation, tutoring, sentence starters, character chats, and many more.
• And MagicSchool records everything typed by the student and the AI so you can review it and learn how best to support your learners.

Recently I had the pleasure to present a booth session at FETC on how to use MagicSchool for students. See below for the 25 minute recorded video of that presentation to learn all about creating student rooms, the student experience, and the teacher experience.

Top 10 Components of the Perfect AI Prompt

As amazing as AI chatbots are, to get the best results from them it is important that we provide them with well structured prompts.

As the old saying goes "Garbage in, garbage out."

Now certainly if you are not interested in creating your own prompts, there are many excellent tools that will do the entire process for you such as MagicSchool, TeacherServer, Khanmigo Teacher Tools, Fobizz, Brisk Teaching and more.

However, creating your own prompts gives you much more control and flexibility. And it really isn't that difficult! Prompt engineering is a valuable skill for everyone to help us get the most out of our use of AI.

In this blog post we will explore my top 10 tips for creating the perfect prompt, as well as other prompt engineering resources and techniques. And as always, please share your suggestions with me. I am excited to learn with you!

EdTech Links of the Week - 1-7-25

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup

🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

One Word of the Year - Google Slides Photo Word Template

The idea of choosing one word for the year has become a very popular activity to do. It can be a helpful way for anyone to set a goal to work toward or a focus to work on throughout the year.

There are lots of templates and tools to help you do this, but a couple years ago I tried this out by creating what I called a "Photo Word" in Google Slides. This is basically a clever way to make it look like you have a picture inside of a word.

If you want to learn all the gory details about that you can check out my earlier blog post as well as my short intro video and my very long deep dive video all about creating Photo Words.

However, to make things super simple I have a Google Slides template that you can copy and edit to make your own "One Word" for the year.

See below for a link to the template and a short tutorial video on how to make your "One Word" for the year.

17 Super Chrome Extensions

Google Chrome is a powerful web browser filled with loads of useful features and tools. I covered many of these in my earlier series of posts and videos called "Google Chrome Can Do That?!"

However, as awesome as Chrome is, it may not do everything you need.

Thankfully Google allows you to make Chrome even better by installing Chrome web extensions. Extensions are tools from the Chrome Web Store that give extra features and abilities to Chrome. When you have them installed, you will find them as little icons in the top right corner of your browser.

In this blog post and webinar video we are going to take a deep dive into extensions including how to get extensions, how to manage your extensions, my resource with over 150 recommended extensions for you and your students, and a deep dive into 17 of my favorite extensions!

See below for the recorded webinar and all the resources for this session.