Knowledge Is Power!

Google AI Educator Series

@LisaBerghoff

AI is not our future. It's our present. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, we are all using AI in some form. Every time you use a navigation app, do a Google search, or use predictive texting on your phone you are using AI. As educators, we are constantly needing to adapt. Technology shifts, our students' diverse needs change, curriculum maps fluctuate. Facing a tool as transformative as AI can feel overwhelming.

However, as I was telling my students last week, knowledge is power. Being educated about AI ourselves is not about becoming tech gurus or software engineers. You don't have to be an expert. We absolutely should be claiming a seat at the table to we can effectively guide, prepare, and protect our students. When we lack a sense of familiarity with AI, we end up teaching defensively. We focus on catching students using it inappropriately and look for bans and policy enforcement. When we have an understanding of how generative AI models like Gemini work, we can shift our focus to what we really want to be doing, guiding student growth. 

The good news is the getting up to speed does not require hours away from the classroom or weekend workshops or graduate programs. the Gemini For Education Google AI Educator Series was designed specifically for our busy lives. 

What is the Google AI Educator Series?

Google refers to this series as "snackable, stackable professional development", and I think this model can be a game changer in terms of how we think about our own learning. The series was created in partnership with ISTE/ASCD and so it uses sound androgogy. Here's what you need to know:

• The modules are 10-15 minutes in length and focus on single use-cases.
• They are non-sequential. Do the ones you feel you need today.
• You can earn micro-badges that are aligned to ISTE standards.
• There are new modules released each month.

You can browse them all or filter by type. 

Also, coming soon you will be able to earn ISBE credits for completing!

How Do I Get Started?

Just click this link.  Sign yourself in, and start exploring!

Want a thought partner? Reach out. I'm happy to help!

Create Incredible Interactive 

Activities With Canva. 

No Experience Required! 

@Lisa Berghoff

Canva continues to reinvent itself.  It does this to stay relevant and also to help solve problems and be helpful to classroom teachers. Now, when you log into Canva, you will see a new button that says "education". As you already know, we have a district education license for Canva and that gives us access to every possible bell and whistle that Canva has. This is wonderful but can also be a problem. It's easy to get overwhelmed and lost in what Canva can do. I find it helpful to think of a problem I would like to tackle and then see how the tools match up. For example, I want my students to be interacting with each other more. I don't need to be the center of attention in the classroom and in fact I would prefer it if the students did more of the heavy lifting. As a solution, I am thinking interactive whiteboards could be the perfect solution for small group work and student interaction.

Take a look at this quick and simple way Canva, with the help of AI,  can create interactive whiteboards for you and your students. 

How To Create Interactive Whiteboards (and more) in Canva:

1. Go to Canva and log in using your school account.

2. On the home page click where it says "education"

3. Either browse by subject or look at the section that says "create with ai" and choose one of the options.

4. Type in your subject, grade level, topic or standard and click "create activity with ai"

5. Take a look at the materials that were created and adjust to meet the needs of your class.

6. When ready, click "assign" and choose "assign via link". You can decide if a code is needed or not. Type in the instructions to students and click continue.

7. Add the link to the assignment in Schoology

Here is the whiteboard it created for me:

And here is how you get the link to share in Schoology:

I would use this with groups in my class so that one device is open for 3 students. They would need to discuss and work together to complete. Then, we can open it up for a larger class conversation. Using a tool like a Canva digital whiteboard gives more of the cognitive load to the students and transfers the thinking over to them.

Want some help?

Let me know!

Schoology Best Practices: According To Students 

*Image generated by Gemini

@LisaBerghoff

I recently facilitated the first meeting of the school year for the Student Technology Advisory Board. This is a group of students of varying backgrounds, ages, and technology abilities. I started this group last year when I realized that we are often guessing at "what's best for kids" when making decisions. In the technology world, they would refer to our students as the "end-users" and would be constantly looking for feedback and ways to improve. When I sent out the request for recommendations, I asked teachers to send me names of students, not for their technology knowledge, but for their ability to share their opinions and ideas. This group meets once a month and we cover a wide range of topics, all with the intent of figuring out the best ways to leverage our technology tools to help students learn. I wish you could have seen their eyes light up when we met last year and I told them I wanted their feedback. We often forget that our students are rarely asked for their input in school. 

For our first meeting, I asked the students to give me their feedback on some of the best ways teachers are using Schoology. I was careful to set norms so that we are not complaining or pointing out bad use of our technology. I wanted to hear what's working and what we should do more of. Their responses were clear and there was very little disagreement. Here is what they (our "end-users") said.

1. Use the Schoology Calendar for ALL assignments (even the ones done on paper or listed on a Google doc).

Our students really make good use of the "upcoming" section on their Schoology page. It helps them stay organized and plan their time to get assignments completed. Even though we have a learning management system, it can still be confusing for students to know where to go to figure out what their homework is because we are all doing it in so many different ways. They understand that many teachers give a daily slide presentation or a Google doc that has a calendar with links on it. They know that they are asking those teachers to do an extra thing. But they are also saying that this is one of the single biggest frustrations about Schoology- not everything is easy to find, or even on it at all. For assignments that are done on paper, teachers can add it to Schoology, include a due date, and just un-click the "submissions" icon at the bottom of the assignment screen. I'm happy to work with you, your course team, or your department to learn how to get better at this.

2. Organize Folders By Unit

As adults, we often think in terms of timeline. Our students are making sense of their class work by unit and they are asking us to set them up for success by organizing folders on the materials page in that way. Did you know you can make folders within folders? Our students know that and they like it. They did say to please not get too carried away but if we have a folder for each unit, and then within that unit folder perhaps there are folders for notes, assessments, and assignments, that would be ideal. One student noted that all AP classes have 5 units. I decided to take her word for it because she seemed to really know what she was talking about. Now, sometimes teachers can split these units up in a way that is more manageable for teaching, but if we can keep those 5 unit folders consistent for AP classes, it could potentially remove a barrier for students who are new to the AP curriculum.

3. If It's Going To Be Digital, Assign It In Schoology

This one actually shocked me and I had to ask several times to make sure I was understanding what they were saying. If your students are going to be working in a digital format such as a Google doc, Google slides, or PDF, please do not ask them to make a copy and share it with you. Schoology can easily make a copy for every student and it is shared with both of you automatically. It's easy for them to submit and easy for you to grade. If it's something like a video or a link to a Canva project, they can just include the link in Schoology by clicking the "submit" button and copying it there. They said that they are being asked to make copies and upload all the time. Again, please reach out to me to learn more. 

Other things they noted:

• Inconsistent use of Updates is confusing
• The email notifications that they receive are from a generic mail account, they don't see who it is from until they open it and they get a LOT of them.
• They love that they can re-order their courses
• They love being asked what is working well

I'm sure I will have more information as the group meets monthly. We will have different topics each month so stay tuned. 

Assigning To Differentiate?

Use Schoology Grading Groups!

 

@LisaBerghoff

I operate under the general assumption that we all have good intentions and that no one is intentionally trying to confuse students or the people who support them. Often, when I see educators using our systems in a way that seems odd, I believe it is because they simply don't know another way to do it. These encounters, combined with questions that come up frequently,  are often the inspiration for what I write here.  Today's post is both. This quick and easy tip can help alleviate some confusion. It is also a question that has come up several times in the last week.

Imagine that you have a stacked class, you are teaching multiple sections of a course at different levels all in the same room and at the same time. Even if your class is not stacked, you likely have some groups of students with varying needs and maybe you wish you could separate them into different classes. Or, perhaps you have linked several of your classes in Schoology and now realize that you need to give some different assignments to certain groups.

All of these scenarios can be handled in Schoology by creating grading groups.

What Are Grading Groups In Schoology?

Grading groups are custom collections of students within a course section that teachers can use to organize students, assign specific materials, and filter grade book views. This allows teachers to assign customized or modified assignments, tests, specialized materials, or discussions to specific subsets of students. 

The beauty of Schoology grading groups is that the STUDENTS DO NOT SEE OTHERS' ASSIGNMENTS SHOW UP ON THEIR MATERIALS PAGE!

Yes, I am yelling. I know that as a workaround many of you will enter an assignment and then just click "exempt" so it doesn't count against the other students' grades. I'm here to tell you that this workaround is not great. 

Here's an example: Jordan is taking a standard level class that is stacked with an honors class. The teacher enters the honors assignments and just exempts Jordan from all of those. When Jordan, his parents, counselor, and case manager look at his grades, they can see all of the honors assignments that are not meant for Jordan. This stinks and we can do something about it. Just create a grading group for the standard students and one for the honors students. 

How Do I Make Grading Groups In Schoology?

1. Click on your Schoology course and navigate to the materials page.

2. Click on Members.

3. Look at the right side of your screen and click where it says: Organize Members Into Grading Groups.

4. Give your group a name (students will not see this) and click all of the students who you want in that group.

5. Click Create Grading Group.

How Do I Assign To My Grading Groups?

1. Click on your Schoology course and navigate to the materials page.

2. Click Add Assignment.

3. At the bottom, where it says Options, click on the icon for individually assign.

4. Type the name of your grading group in the box. 

The assignment will only appear on the materials page for the students in that grading group.

Want some help getting started with grading groups?

Let me know. I'm happy to help!

Unpacking AI In The Classroom 

*Image generated by Gemini

@LisaBerghoff

Here are the top 5 questions I am getting about AI use in the classroom, along with my responses.

1. Are there any AI tools that I CAN include student names or other personally identifiable information?

Yes. Our district has approved 5 tools for both staff and student use. These tools are protecting all data under several data privacy laws and it is safe to enter information that identifies students when using these tools. The tools that are approved for both staff and student use are: Brisk, Gemini, NotebookLM (now called GeminiNotebook), SchoolAI, and MagicSchool. Do NOT enter any personally identifiable information for students or for you in any other AI tool.

2. I want to use AI in my classroom but I want to be able to have control and see my students' interactions, what's the best way to do that?

This is a perfect way to have students use AI in a way that is safe and also focused on learning. The district has 2 approved tools that can help you do this. MagicSchool and SchoolAI both have ways for you to set up an AI "room" or a "space" with guardrails. You can set the parameters for the chatbot interactions and you will have access to the chat logs. With both of these tools you will get a flag notification if a student enters information that is suspicious or seems inappropriate. 

3. I am worried that my students are going to use AI to cheat, what is the best way to prevent that from happening?

This question (not AI specific) has been plaguing teachers since the beginning of time. Research shows that prevalence of cheating has remained relatively stable since the release of ChatGPT. That is not to say it's not happening, it just means that it may not quite be the cheating explosion we think it is. I will respond to this question with a three-step suggestion.

    1. Talk to your students. Let them know that certain assignments require their full brained attention because you are helping them develop skills that they will need for the future.

    2. Show your students new ways to use AI. The kids really have no idea how to use it best. They need our guidance to understand how to use it as a tool that can help them learn and not complete their work for them.

    3. Take a critical look at your assignments. If you are asking students to complete tasks that can easily be done using AI, they are most likely not assignments high on the Blooms Taxonomy list. Ask them to make personal connections to what they are learning and ask them to provide specific examples from their life or our school community. I also recommend assessing process and not only the final product. Have students show their progression and explain the choices they made along the way. 

4. What is the best way to communicate to my students when they are and are not allowed to use AI?

This is such a tricky question because you would need to define AI use. You probably have noticed that now when you Google a topic you get an AI summary response at the top. Is that using AI? There are extensions like Grammarly that provide spelling and punctuation assistance, is that using AI? 

Here's the best way to think about it. What is the learning goal? What are the skills that you are going to be assessing and watching for growth? Be specific and clear and encourage your students to talk to you about how and when they are using digital tools. They are hiding from us because they don't want to get into trouble so an open and honest conversation is the best tactic to take. 

5. How can I learn more about AI? I don't feel equipped to be teaching about something that I know little about.

There are many professional development opportunities to learn about AI. The LTC (Learning Technology Center), which is a part of ISBE, has some great online courses that are free or low cost and you can earn credits. If you want to know more, just let me know, I have taken most of the ones that are out there.

Still have more questions? Book a time with me to chat!

Back To School With Schoology

5 Things To Do This Week

@LisaBerghoff

The adjustment to "back to school brain" is a challenge for me. The amount of information that I am trying to cram in my brain in the first few days puts me on overload. Learning students' names, staying on top of all of the things that need to get done and also the things that I want to get done can feel like too much. One thing that helps calm me down is a good old fashioned to-do list. Here is your Schoology to-do list. Get it done this week and it will help create a smooth(er) transition for you and your students.

1. Set Up Your Gradeboook In Schoology AND IC (or just IC)

No judgement at all if you have not done this yet but please do it this week. I know you think you remember but it's a lot of steps. Please follow these instructions in order. 

2. Make Your Tiles Look Good And Organize Them

Your Schoology tiles are a digital extension of your classroom. Creating nice looking tiles is the same as making sure your room looks nice. The correct tile size is 300X100 pixels. You can use Canva or your favorite design app. Download your design and then click on the image for your course to change it. You must be clicked into the course, not the course dashboard. 

I know some of you use gifs, please be mindful of what the screen looks like when students log in and remember that they have at least 8 tiles. If they were all moving and flashing you probably wouldn't like it. Ask your students what they think. 

To organize your tiles click on COURSES, then MY COURSES, and then click REORDER. Students can do this too. 

3. Set Notifications Settings

Work-life balance is important. Be thoughtful about the notifications you receive. You can customize these by clicking on your name in the upper right corner and clicking on SETTINGS. When you click on NOTIFICATIONS you have many options. You can turn on or off email and also mobile notifications. You can also customize your notifications for specific classes by clicking CUSTOM

. 

4. Organize Your Materials Page

Remember! Every time you enter an assignment into the Schoology gradebook, it populates to your materials page. For this reason I suggest entering through the materials page first so you can organize it. Have a system, make a plan, and stick with it. Maybe you need a folder for each week, put the newest information at the top. Or, if you want your folders organized by unit you can have subfolders for notes, assignments, and other materials. Whatever makes sense for your content area, choose a consistent way to post the information and teach and reteach it to your students. 

Think from the perspective of a student and ask your students for feedback. 

5. Remember These!

• Even if you are entering grades in IC, all assignments should be listed in Schoology. This is where our students go to see what they have due.
• Put due dates on your assignments, even the ones that are being done on paper, so they will show up on your students' upcoming list.
• If it's not a digital assignment, uncheck the "submissions enabled" icon.

Want some help?

Book a time with me. 

I'm happy to talk it through with you!

  

My New-Ish Summer Rules 2026

@LisaBerghoff

Rules for summer sounds like an oxymoron, or a bad idea, but hear me out. Summer goes by so fast. We know this. I want to do all the fun things but I also want to relax and see my friends and spend time with family and get projects done around the house and... 

This is the problem. If I spend time lounging then I feel like I did not use my time well. If I spend my time doing all kinds of projects then I am upset that I didn't get to relax. The best solution I have come up with after many years of struggling through summer (that's a joke) is to come up with this list. I make sure that I do all five of these every day. Some activities can count for more than one and I get to make up the rules as I go because it's my summer. This calms my mind and helps me to really enjoy it. I know this is an edtech blog but just stick with me on this. Want to check them off in an app? Go for it. No tech is needed to follow these rules. My best suggestion is to do as the kids say and go touch grass. 

Every day I do something that is:

• Relaxing/Mindful
• Productive
• Social
• Physical
• Indulgent

NEW TWIST FOR 2026!

This summer as I follow my summer rules, I am going to focus on strengthening neural pathways. I want to experiment this summer with plans to share with students in the fall to help us all learn better in this time of rapid technology development. Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to recognize itself. This is about combining focused repetition, cognitive novelty, and physical support. It sounds wild but it can be as simple as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.

Here is a breakdown of the summer rules with the added neuroplasticity lens. 

1. Relaxing/Mindful: I have a hammock in my backyard and it is my most favorite place to relax in the summer. Relaxing doesn't have to mean lying down or even staying still. Sometimes a walk can be relaxing, listening to music, reading a book, or doing a hobby. I find baking to be relaxing and it can also check off the productive category if we need a dessert to bring to a bbq. As I am relaxing I am going to take a moment to be present and mindful. I'm going to check in with myself without judgement, just to increase my own awareness. 

2. Productive: The key here is to have no judgement and set the bar as low or as high as feels comfortable to you. I will sometimes choose a drawer to reorganize. Running errands can be both productive and social if you do it with a friend. Some days will be massively productive and others will just touch the edges of productivity, that's ok. As long as I feel like I have done something that checks this off the list. When being productive, I am going to have a bias towards doing something that challenges my brain in some way. When running errands, maybe I look for a new route to take. As I am organizing that closet, perhaps I examine how best to use the space instead of putting everything back where it came from 

3. Social: This may surprise some of you but I am actually an introvert. While I love people and I love being social, the way I recharge my battery is typically alone or with one other person. There is a wide continuum of what counts as being social. It could be plans with friends, a phone call, a chat with a neighbor, or just being somewhere where there are lots of people and likely someone I will know. In this realm I am going to seek new experiences. There is so much going on in and around Chicago and summer is a great time to allow my brain to experience something new. Whether it's blueberry picking or axe throwing, I'm going to be open to it because you know, it's good for my brain. 

4. Physical: This is key. I will often start my day with some sort of exercise. Running is my addiction and I have noticed that when I start my day with a run, everything just tends to go better both physically and mentally. As long as the weather is nice, stop looking at screens and get outside. It doesn't have to do a hard workout, just get moving in some way. Take a walk around the block, lift some heavy things, try a new exercise class, do some yoga. The beauty of it is that it's summer and I get to choose. The research is solid on this, physical exercise and sleep are critical to brain health. My plan is to get lots of both this summer. 

5. Indulgent: This is the one my family gives me the hardest time about. What is indulgent to me is sometimes ridiculous to them. Again, my rules, and I get to decide how to follow them. To me, indulgent is something that I enjoy that does not happen regularly.  Indulgent could be anything from a massage or a mani/pedi to a really good cup of tea. It could be buying myself a little treat at a sidewalk sale. Indulgent does not have to be expensive nor does it have to involve food. It could be spending an afternoon binge watching a show. Giving myself permission to do something indulgent helps remove any guilt I may feel and exponentially increases my enjoyment of summer. I'm just following the rules!

Do you have summer rules that you follow? What would your list consist of? I look forward to hearing about it.

Enjoy the summer!