Deck.Toys

Learning Paths For Lesson Adventures

@LisaBerghoff

I learned about Universal Design For Learning in 2015 when I read a blog post explaining the brain science behind the framework. The post explained that UDL was about removing barriers and providing options for students. This really changed my way of thinking. As a special education teacher, I was writing IEPs where I had to list all of the students' deficits and reasons why they were not meeting learning expectations. 

Today, I use the UDL framework as a lens for looking at instructional technology tools. I look at a digital resource and think- Is this something that could be an option for students to engage with learning?, Is this an option for how students take in information?, or Is this an option for students to demonstrate their learning? 

That is why I was so thrilled to learn about Deck.Toys, it can really fit into all three of the UDL learning networks. The name Deck.Toys comes from the idea that a lesson is made up of 50% serious learning (the deck) and 50% having fun (the toys) by making it a fully engaging experience for students. 

What Is Deck.Toys?

Deck.Toys is an online platform that allows teachers to create self-managed interactive lessons for students. You can build a learning path filled with interactive activities for your students to learn, respond, and engage with. A learning path is a sequential path that your students take in order to complete a lesson journey. The path can be linear, divergent for a more challenging or less challenging path. Students might not be able to unlock certain paths until they unlock a previous path with a key. I like to think of these learning paths as treasure maps that students follow. Here is an example: 

How do I get started with Deck.Toys?

According to the quick start guide which can be accessed here, there are 3 options for ways creating in Deck.Toys. 

1. You can use the Learning Paths and Activities Wizard

2. You can make a copy and edit a pre-made deck that someone shared with you or from the public deck gallery.

3. Create from scratch.

Here's what I suggest:

1. Using the wizard, you will first enter your details such as grade level, topic/standards, and language. There is an AI button there to help you out if you want it.

2. Next, choose the learning path. You can choose from linear, forked, merged, spiral, web, and board game. Don't worry, there are examples to help you choose.

3. Add study sets. Again, you can create with AI, start with a blank set, import from other decks, spreadsheets, and more. Think of this as your vocabulary list or concepts.

I love the accessibility features built in here. You can record your voice and add images. These really help our struggling readers. 

4. The next step is to customize your activities. To me, this is the most important and fun step. You choose from many different activities. There is also an AI button that will build for you.

You now have your deck made! You can preview the deck so you can experience it as a student. I love that you also see the teacher view in a side by side layout. This is a simple civics lesson I created: 

As students work through the learning path, they earn points. In my simple example, students unlock activities sequentially. As you test out your learning path, you are able to edit and make changes to any of the activities.

How Do I Share With Students?

Sharing with students is simple. 

1. Create a Deck.Toys classroom

2. Assign the deck to the classroom

3. Share the classroom url on Schoology so your students can access it

Students can log in using their school Google account

On the dashboard you can view student progress

Deck.Toys is a wonderful activity idea for in-class time. You can enable certain activities for multi-player mode. This also works beautifully as an out of class assignment where students can move at their own pace.

Are you ready to try Deck.Toys? Want some help getting started? Feel free to reach out.

Have fun!

 

 

Unbiased News Doesn't Exist

@LisaBerghoff

When I was a student, I can remember taking classes that had a recurring current events assignment. We were instructed to find a news article and summarize it at regular intervals.  At times, those current events would be shared with the class. The purpose of the assignment was to help us understand the importance of awareness of current events, as well as reading comprehension and making connections. The news came from the newspaper. There was no social media. Nor was there the ability to comment on everything that is put out into the world in a very public way. Today, the way we get our news is very different and we often seem to exist in an echo chamber with the way news feeds and algorithms are filtered to give us more of what we already agree with. 

As educators, we all understand the importance of relevance and practical application in learning. The Universal Design For Learning framework explains that there are three main learning networks in the brain. The affective network deals with the "why" of learning. This is when I always think about that student who likes to say- when will I ever need to know this? The recognition network speaks to the "what" of learning, or how students take in and make meaning out of new information. Finally, the strategic network is around the "how" of learning. This network is all about how students show us what they know and understand. The Universal Design for Learning guidelines, which were updated over the summer of 2024, explain the importance in offering options for each of these networks. The recognition and strategic networks are often pretty easy to figure out in terms of providing choices for students. If a student is struggling with decoding, perhaps they can listen to an audio version of text. A student who has difficulty giving a live presentation could be prompted to record. The affective network is sometimes trickier and arguably the most important. 

It is that motivation and spark of interest that often propels students from just taking in information to actually shaping their understanding and making connections that will expand their learning in the future.

In my quest for searching for ways to help us all make real world connections, I was thrilled to find Allsides.com and Allsides For Schools. 

Allsides aims to provide diverse perspectives and a balanced take on news. They do not publish any news stories of their own. Allsides takes a look at what is out there from about 600 media outlets and creates a media bias rating on the news stories. News items are rated as being left, lean left, center, lean right, or right of the political spectrum. You have the ability to do a search by topic or do what they refer to as a balanced search, which will give you results that are rated. Take a look at their Media Bias Chart below. 

The site exposes people to information and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum so we can better understand the world.  It also includes a "Red Blue Dictionary" because sometimes when we disagree it's like we're not speaking the same language. this dictionary reveals how people across the political spectrum define, think and feel differently about the same term or issue. 

Watch the 90 second video below to learn more about how Allsides works.  

The Allsides For Schools sight provides tools, resources, information, and lesson plans with the goal of teaching students how to critically evaluate news, media content, as well as other information and to participate in thoughtful conversation. This is targeted for middle school, high school, and college classrooms. Allsides for schools is a joint nonprofit initiative of Allsides, Living Room Conversations, and the Mediators Foundation. This education site was created in 2019 when it became clear that teachers were using both Allsides and Living Room Conversation guides. 

Here is a short video explaining three ways to use Allsides in classrooms.

Also on the site you will find Mismatch, which is an online conversation platform built to cultivate skills and offer practice in civil dialogue between middle school, high school, and college students in different parts of the United States. This is amazing because you sign up as a class, not as individuals, and you get to decide what conversation you are going to have. The whole point is to help get students out of their bubble and have meaningful conversations.  This site has so many fantastic features designed to get teachers and students out of their filter bubbles and looking at the news through critical thinking, not social media. There are multiple tools available or you can just use the Allsides website. 

Here is a short video demonstration explaining how Mismatch works.

There are many practical uses for this in the classroom, whether or not you are teaching current events. Think about how many times we want our students to research what is currently happening in our world and to be exposed to balanced viewpoints.

I hope you will give Allsides a look. Let's keep conversations open and help teach our students how to do it in a positive way. 

Want some help using Allsides or any other edtech product? Let me know. I'm here for you!

 

AI:

Which Is Best?

*image created with Canva's Magic Media

@LisaBerghoff

As educators, the AI landscape has absolutely exploded since November of 2022 when OpenAI (ChatGPT) became available to the public. For many, just mentioning the term AI only brings to mind ChatGPT and the ways it can be used by students to do their writing for them. In reality, AI has been around since the 1950s and in the past decade has been built in to many of the tools that we use on a daily basis. We now have access to numerous AI tools that are designed specifically for education. Even the edtech tools that we have been using for years now have been infused with AI features. 

I get asked on a regular basis which generative AI tool is the best. While most people still default to ChatGPT, there are other generative AI tools worth exploring for your own personal use. It is good to understand the various tools and explore to see the differences. Since they are all a little different under the hood, they will perform differently so I always suggest trying the same prompt on each tool and see what type of response you get. 

Here is a quick primer.

ChatGPT:

Created by OpenAI, the GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer. This is an ai chatbot that can create new things, is trained on a large amount of data to learn patterns, predict the most logical sequence of text based on a prompt, and then respond based on its prediction. 

Claude:

According to my sources, Claude, which is created by Anthropic, is the one that is doing the best at removing bias and decreasing hallucinations. This is the generative AI model that is most widely used in the healthcare industry. It is known for its great writing quality. It has a larger text window and tends to respond more empathically than ChatCPT. Claude operates on technology called Claude Opus.

Gemini:

This generative chatbot is owned by Google (Alphabet) and uses a combination of models, LaMDA- stands for Language Model For Dialogue Applications. It also uses PaLM 2, which, according to Google, is their "next generation language model". Since Google has access to massive amounts of search data, Gemini is going to be a little different from the others. Since Gemini is a Google product, it will export responses to a google doc and draft in gmail if you choose. 

Please note!

• All generative AI tools come with a disclaimer that their responses may be inaccurate. 
• All generative AI tools will require finessing of prompts and iteration to get to a place where you are consistently getting helpful responses.
• All generative AI tools' FREE versions will use your data to help train their models. Free may not cost you money but you will always pay in some way.

I asked each of these tools the same prompt: 

*What are three important things for educators to know about artificial intelligence.

ChatGPT Response:

Here are the three most important things for educators to know about artificial intelligence:

1. AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement

AI can enhance teaching and learning, but it won’t replace educators. It’s a powerful tool to:

• Personalize instruction (adaptive learning tools)
• Save time with tasks like grading or generating resources
• Support student writing, research, and creativity
  Educators remain essential for building relationships, guiding students, and fostering critical thinking and ethical use of AI.

2. Ethics, Equity, and Accuracy Matter

AI can be biased, produce inaccurate information, or exclude certain groups. It's important for educators to:

• Teach students to verify and fact-check AI-generated content.
• Promote equitable access to AI tools.
• Discuss the ethical use of AI, including privacy, bias, and intellectual property.

3. AI Literacy is Key

Educators should develop a basic understanding of how AI works to effectively integrate it into their classrooms. This includes:

• Knowing how to use AI tools for productivity (e.g., generating lesson plans, differentiating instruction).
• Helping students become responsible AI users and creators.
• Staying updated on how AI is evolving and how it affects education and society.

Would you like this framed more specifically for teachers, counselors, or administrators? 😊

Claude Response:

Let me share three crucial insights that educators should understand about artificial intelligence:

First, AI is already transforming education through tools like intelligent tutoring systems, automated grading, and personalized learning paths. However, AI should augment rather than replace teachers - its real power lies in handling routine tasks so educators can focus on what they do best: providing human connection, emotional support, and nuanced guidance that AI cannot replicate. Understanding this complementary relationship helps educators integrate AI thoughtfully.

Second, students need to develop AI literacy - not just how to use AI tools, but how to think critically about them. This includes understanding AI's capabilities and limitations, recognizing potential biases, and developing skills that will remain valuable alongside AI (like creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving). Educators play a vital role in helping students become informed and ethical users of AI technology.

Third, AI tools raise important questions about academic integrity and assessment. Rather than trying to prevent AI use entirely, educators need to rethink assignment design and assessment methods to emphasize skills like analysis, synthesis, and original thinking. This might mean shifting from traditional essays to projects that demonstrate process and creativity, or using AI tools openly as part of the learning process while being clear about appropriate boundaries.

Would you like me to elaborate on any of these points or discuss other important considerations for educators regarding AI?

Gemini Response:

Here are 3 important things for educators to know about artificial intelligence:

1. AI is rapidly changing education. AI-powered tools can personalize learning, automate tasks, and provide data-driven insights. Educators need to understand how these tools work and how to use them effectively to improve student outcomes.

2. AI raises ethical concerns. Bias in AI algorithms can perpetuate inequalities. Educators must be aware of these risks and advocate for the responsible development and use of AI in education.

3. AI requires new skills. Students need to develop skills in areas like data literacy, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making to thrive in an AI-driven world. Educators need to adapt their teaching to prepare students for this future.

I think the key takeaway here is to be aware. There are many tools out there and you should be experimenting with multiple tools instead of just using one. Also, an awareness that they are not all the same is helpful when you are choosing which tool to use for various tasks. 

Want to talk more about AI?

Come and chat with me! 

Emoji Kitchen

There's An Emoji For That!

 @LisaBerghoff

It's February. The days are still short, the weather is still unpredictable at best. We are tired. Our students are tired. All around us life feels serious. In an effort to counter balance the weight I feel around me, I like to find a little something that doesn't take much effort but will consistently yield a moment of happy. Often, these are found in obscure corners of the internet. My current go-to has been Google's Emoji Kitchen.

What Is Emoji Kitchen?

Emoji Kitchen is part of Google's dev lab and it allows you to create over 14,000 creative stickers by mixing emojis. You can also search for emojis to remix.

How To Use Emoji Kitchen.

Go to emojikitchen.dev to start searching or search Emoji Kitchen and click where it says "Get Cooking". 

From there, choose 2 emojis and click "combine" to get your emoji mashup.

If you go to emojikitchen.dev, you get a slightly different interface in which you can search for emojis. Click on one to see all of the possibilities. Do this twice and you can then combine the two.

That's it!

Have fun.

Want to connect? I'm here for you. Feel free to reach out to me. 

NEW!
Polls And Quiz Questions In Canva

@LisaBerghoff

I will admit, I have a love/hate relationship with presentations. I have always struggled with lecture style teaching because unless the speaker is a truly gifted storyteller, I get easily distracted and I tune out. I think that is also why I am so uncomfortable leading in a lecture format. I don't want my participants to get bored and miss out on the information I am sharing. That is why I love to incorporate interactive elements. Whether I am presenting to students or adults, the interactivity seems to help keep everyone invested and engaged. 

That is why I am so excited about Canva's new poll and quiz elements. 

What is the poll/quiz feature in Canva?

When you create a design in Canva, you can now add polls and quiz questions that students will respond to. These are pretty simple, think multiple choice, true/false, and poll questions. You will get real time feedback. These are quick, easy, and more inclusive than asking students to raise their hands. 

Here is an example:

How do I add poll/quiz questions in Canva?

1. Create a new design or open an existing one.

2. Click "elements" in the side menu

3. Scroll until you see "polls and quizzes"

4. Choose a quiz or poll template and drag it into your design

5. Click "edit" to enter your own question

6. Share your design (I suggest using a public sharing link) and your students can respond

The Canva poll/quiz element works on all Canva designs except docs and websites.

How do I view the responses?

If it's a poll, you will see the results come up in real time.

For a quiz question, click on the quiz and click where it says "responses" in the toolbar.

Want more information? Go to https://www.canva.com/poll-maker/ or Canva.com/quiz-maker

Ready to get started? Want some help? Feel free to reach out to me for help creating poll and quiz questions in Canva, or any Canva related question. 

 

The Magic Of MagicSchoolAI
For STUDENTS! 

It's Time For MagicStudent AI

@LisaBerghoff

Last February I wrote a post about an exciting new ai tool for teachers called MagicSchool AI. You can check it out here.  

What Is MagicSchoolAI?

It's really a series of chatbots that have some parameters set so prompting is so much easier than on a typical generative ai tool. These chatbots are designed specifically for educators and they are meant to help save time by doing some of the more time consuming tasks for us, such as creating rubrics, designing lessons at different grade levels and in different languages. It can help you craft professional sounding emails, create questions from a YouTube video, generate content specifically for your students, and so much more. There are currently over 80 different tools available in MagicSchoolAI. In order to keep track of them all, you can star some of your favorites and you can filter to find just what you need. And if for some reason there is not a tool that you need, they have Raina, your own generative ai chatbot, that can act as your personal assistant. 

If you have not experienced it, I highly recommend you jump over to MagicSchoolAI and check it out. 

Does MagicSchool AI Work With Students?

Ok, this is the big question I keep getting and I am thrilled to say that now I have an answer.

YES!

As the teacher, you have the ability to open up ai chatbot rooms where students can engage, get feedback and support, and ask questions that they may not feel entirely comfortable to ask in the classroom. The incredible part is that you have access to see what your students are doing as they engage with the ai chatbot and this information can be instrumental in informing your instruction. 

How Do I Get Started With MagicStudent?

1. When you are on the MagicSchool AI dashboard, toggle the switch in the upper right hand corner to Magic Student.

2. From the toolbar on the left, click "launch to students"

3. Click "Launch New Room" in the top right of your screen.

4. Name the room, set the grade level, set the max students for this room and click "next.

5. Select the tools you want to add to the student room. Many look the same as the teacher tools. You many choose as many tools as you want. Click "next" and then customize your tools by clicking on them.

Then-

Click Launch Room 

How Do My Students Access MagicStudents AI?

Once you launch your room, you will be given a link to copy and add to Schoology. There is also a qr code that you can use. 

Once students click the link they will be prompted to sign in. They will then see a page where they can access each of the tools you have assigned to their MagicSchool Room.

The tool will look exactly the same as it did when you assigned it.

Once students have generated some outputs, they have access to their output history. They can learn from their previous interactions.

What Will I See?

Teachers will see a list of all the students who joined the room, what their last message was, the last tool they used, if they are currently using a tool, and if their activity has been flagged for inappropriate content.  

As the teacher, you have many options for control over this room. You have access to all interactions. You can duplicate the room or share it with another teacher as a template so they can use it with their own class. You can PAUSE a room and you can also LOCK a room.

You get to decide how long the room stays open.

Are you ready to dive in and try MagicStudent AI?

Please say yes! And if you want some help getting started, I've got you.

Please reach out and we can watch the magic happen in your classes.

*This post was written with some help from the MagicSchoolAI PD deck. Thank you!

PowerBuddy For STUDENTS!

@LisaBerghoff

I have seen so many technology folks touting the time teachers will get back by using artificial intelligence tools. I'm not completely convinced that will be the case. I'm dating myself but I remember when email first came out and it seemed like we were going to have hours of our day back because we wouldn't be opening and reading letters any more. We all know how that's going. I do think AI can be used for efficiency and to help with automated tasks that are cumbersome and mind numbing. 

However, what I'm truly interested in is the power of AI to provide a more personalized experience in the classroom. One of my favorite Ted talks is from David Rose and it's called The Myth Of The Average. Check it out here. He talks about how in education we talk about "age appropriate" and "grade level" but those are really just constructs that are designed for the average learner. The catch is that there is no such thing as an average learner. We need to lean into the notion that personalized learning is necessary if we are really going to ensure that every student is able to make progress and thrive in our ever changing world.

It is this capability of AI that I am most curious about. How might we leverage the power of technology and artificial intelligence to give students a place where they can ask questions without being embarrassed, give them in the moment feedback, and practice utilizing critical thinking skills when presented with difficult text? 

What Is PowerBuddy?

PowerBuddy is an artificial intelligence tool that is built into Schoology. It is available for teachers to use for content creation and lesson design (see last week's post). Teachers also have the ability to turn it on for students on an assignment by assignment basis. Since PowerBuddy is in Schoology, there is no need to log in or go to an external site. There are no codes to enter or links to share. It already knows the student's name and what they are working on. In addition, PowerBuddy has access to the assignment and so the tool is geared for assisting students without the need for intricate prompting. There is also the ability to make the chatbot transcript available to students for future use. What a wonderful review tool. 

How Do I Use PowerBuddy?

As an administrator in your course, you have the ability to turn on PowerBuddy for your students. 

• When you create an assignment or a discussion question, you will see the little PowerBuddy icon in the "options" section. When it is gray, it is not turned on. Click it to toggle it on and you will see it turn into a blue color.
• You have 2 options: "Research Mode" Which provides direct explanations to students' questions about the topic, or "Socratic Mode" Which provides questions to guide and challenge students on the topic.
  
• You can also check the box to make the chat history accessible for students.

How Do My Students Use PowerBuddy?

Once you have enabled PowerBuddy for an assignment, the PowerBuddy icon will appear in the lower right hand corner of the students' screens. It's way at the bottom. All they need to do is click the icon to open the chat. PowerBuddy will take it from there!

Here is what it looks like:

I also tried it in Spanish. The assignment that I created was in Spanish and when I prompted PowerBuddy, it responded in Spanish.

Ready to give PowerBuddy a try? I will be so curious to hear what your students think. Remember, this is something new and trying it just once is not going to give you good data on its impact. Want someone to walk through it with you? I thought you'd never ask! Please feel free to reach out to me and I can help you get set up and also get your students up and running.