15 Jan2024
By Savannah Peat
This article originally appeared on the University of New Mexico website and is reprinted with permission.
While the term “artificial intelligence” (AI) may be exhausted in its quantity of mentions, the University of New Mexico (UNM) community is just getting started with exploring this impactful phrase.
Literacy professor Mary Rice in the College of Education & Human Sciences (COEHS) is exploring the role of AI and education. From future teachers to current educators to students of all ages, it is a connection worth understanding.
“I still don’t know all the answers. I think the place where we should be centering is thinking about how to help teachers and students learn what those sorts of tools can and cannot,” Rice said.
Ph.D. student Jegason Phosphorus Diviant and Ph.D. candidate Lou Ellis Brassington are part of this cautiously optimistic area of study alongside Rice.
09 Jan2024
By U.S. Department of Education
The Biden-Harris Administration announced eight new grant awards today totaling more than $37 million over five years under the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) program and one new grant for $10 million over five years under the National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI) program. This $47 million investment, issued by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), bolsters the capacity of states to support school districts in improving school facilities with the goal of more equitable access to healthy, sustainable, and modern learning environments for all students.
“These new investments in modern, healthy, and sustainable school infrastructure reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to both promoting student success and protecting our planet for generations to come,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Research has shown that modern, well-maintained facilities and healthy learning environments can help schools Raise the Bar by increasing student achievement, reducing absenteeism, and improving teacher retention. At the Department of Education, we’re going to keep fighting to provide every student in every community with access to safe and healthy 21st-century schools that inspire learning, unleash imagination, and motivate children and youth to bring their best each day.”
08 Jan2024
Lunch & Learn with Guy Trainin
By Brooke Evans
AACTE is pleased to offer Lunch & Learns: professional development opportunities for members. These 30-minute sessions are designed to provide you with an immediate tool or strategy to apply to your work. Can’t make it virtually? All Lunch & Learns will be available on-demand for AACTE members. Watch them during your lunch break or whenever it is convenient for you.
AACTE will continue its Lunch & Learn series with Lesson Planning: Generative AI Tools for Teachers and Teacher Educators on Wednesday, January 17, from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET.
Guy Trainin (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) will talk about various AI tools, their functionalities, and best practices so that these tools can enhance teaching and not just serve as a novel addition. Furthermore, he will discuss ethical considerations, such as data privacy and avoiding algorithmic biases, ensuring that the implementation of AI is not only effective but also responsible.
Visit the AACTE events page to register or read more about this Lunch & Learn.
19 Dec2023
By Andrew Donnelly
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-Ind.) introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Act on December 15, 2023. The bill would codify AI literacy as a key component of digital literacy and create opportunities to incorporate AI literacy into existing programs.
The adoption of AI has more than doubled since 2017, and the average number of AI capabilities that organizations use doubled between 2018 and 2022. Americans of every age, in every district, and from every background will be impacted by AI, and therefore need AI literacy — an understanding of basic AI principles and applications, the skills to recognize when AI is employed, and awareness of its limits.
“It’s no secret that the use of artificial intelligence has skyrocketed over the past few years, playing a key role in the ways we learn, work, and interact with one another. Like any emerging technology, AI presents us with incredible opportunities along with unique challenges,” said Blunt Rochester. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan AI Literacy Act with my colleague, Rep. Bucshon. By ensuring that AI literacy is at the heart of our digital literacy program, we’re ensuring that we can not only mitigate the risk of AI but seize the opportunity it creates to help improve the way we learn and the way we work.”
18 Dec2023
By Amanda Nelson
Before leading a classroom of their own, students preparing to become special education teachers are using mixed reality simulations to develop skills to be successful educators.
The UK SimLab at the University of Kentucky College of Education provides simulations for aspiring special education teachers across Kentucky. The simulations enable the college students to rehearse teaching in a controlled setting by interacting with avatars — brought to life behind the scenes by trained actors.
“The wonderful thing about using mixed reality simulations is that I can provide immediate feedback and coaching while the pre-service teacher is practicing the teacher behavior,” said Kera Ackerman, Ph.D., assistant professor of special education, UK College of Education. “We can pause the simulation to provide a correction, and then restart the simulation to practice the behavior again. We always say that it is the place to make a mistake because there is no impact on P-12 learners.”
11 Dec2023
By North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Digital Teaching and Learning in North Carolina’s public schools will benefit from a new round of competitive grants that were approved on December 7, 2023, by the State Board of Education.
Up to $1.25 million in grants funded by the General Assembly through the state’s Digital Learning Initiative will be available to school districts, charter schools, lab schools, and regional schools during the 2024-2025 school year. Over the past seven years, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) Digital Teaching and Learning Division has committed more than $10 million in similar grants to help schools and districts develop and strengthen digital-age learning initiatives.
“This agency has had a long history of prioritizing and securing funding for Digital Teaching and Learning grants, and I’m excited to see us continue these efforts today,” State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said. “As our world continues to become more interconnected, technology embedded within North Carolina classrooms will better help our students prepare for the wide range of opportunities upon graduation. I look forward to the creative proposals that will be put forth by schools across the state and seeing how they will enhance teaching and learning for all students.”
05 Dec2023
By Erin Mote
EDSAFE AI Alliance, which AACTE is a part of, is opening nominations for the Women in AI Fellowship and AI Catalyst Fellowship, which are two, year-long programs that support exceptional and impact-minded individuals by providing an outstanding platform to learn and work on questions of AI in education. Fellows have the opportunity to work with world-renowned experts in AI safety, ethics, and policy. They also participate in a rigorous seminar series, where they learn about the latest advances in AI research and discuss the potential impacts of AI on society.
04 Dec2023
By Nicole Dunn
We asked AACTE faculty members how ATLAS (Accomplished Teaching, Learning, and Schools,®) a tool developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), has helped their pre-service teachers.
“If you are interested in directing your students to see better the actions teachers take to structure learning environments, then I encourage you to give ALTAS a try,” said Cam McComb, Ph.D., associate professor of visual art education at Eastern Michigan University and co-leader of the art teacher certification program.
28 Nov2023
By Tonya Lowentritt
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has awarded a $1.67 million contract to Northshore Regional STEM Center, led by Southeastern Louisiana University in partnership with Northshore Technical Community College and LaSTEM.
Appropriated by the Louisiana State Legislature, the funds will be used to develop and deliver 40 hours of computer science Praxis exam training through multiple cohorts to 1,000 6th-12th grade teachers statewide. The project will be led by the Northshore Regional LaSTEM Center Director Wendy Conarro, Southeastern Interim Computer Science Department Head Bonnie Achee, and Dean of the College of Education Paula Summers Calderon.
As part of the LDOE initiative to “Ignite, Inspire, and Energize” computer science education across Louisiana supporting education and industry, the training will be held virtually in March and April, with a hybrid cohort in June.
20 Nov2023
By Angela Curley
This blog article is part of the Global Education Faculty PLC Professional Development Series, sponsored by the Longview Foundation. The writing series aims to elevate the perspectives of international scholars, including teacher educators, graduate students, and alike, to offer insights into how Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) can integrate intercultural understanding within their programs. AACTE members interested in participating in the series should contact Brooke Evans at bevans@aacte.org.
On October 12, AACTE presented the webinar, Leveraging Technology and Digital Advances to Develop Global Competencies in Teacher Educators and Candidates. The moderator was Lin Wu (Western Oregon University), and the panelists were Michael Kopish (Ohio University), Iveta Silova (Arizona State University), and Yong Zhao (University of Kansas, University of Melbourne). Attendees learned ways technology can be used to develop global competencies for both teacher educators and their students.
In Scotland, we are in the process of reviewing our awarding of qualifications and assessments to improve educational outcomes. Interestingly, much of what was discussed by the three presenters in this webinar aligned with the Scottish (June 2023) report: “It’s Our Future — Independent Review of Qualifications & Assessment.”
Zhao spoke about the divisive nature of many education systems. His reference to the decline in reading age PISA scores is completely relevant and something that needs to be addressed. However, many educational systems can feel deflated by a decline in data, particularly when it is not tangible, not something seen in school at an interface-level when the socio-economic context (financial divide) is more visible and pertinent. Zhao takes cognizance of the divide, by indicating that we should be preparing children to “create our future” and “serve humanity.” He also refers to the wide spectrum of learners and abilities by stating that education systems have “limitations,” but we need to ensure that learners “achieve equally well but in different ways.” This perspective is outlined in the Scottish review under the chapter “Changing the Culture of Education in Scotland,” where the model of change supports that of integrity: Are we shaping our system to serve all stakeholders, or are we at a global competency level, not confident to acknowledge the systems and practices which require change?
13 Nov2023
By Christi Mathis
This article was originally published by Southern Illinois University.
Split-second decisions frequently determine the outcome of a game, a medical procedure, a military battle, or a law enforcement situation. Scott Boatright, a doctoral candidate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is conducting research to see if people can train with simulation and extended reality to make judgments more quickly and effectively. His work has already garnered national recognition along with a $10,000 scholarship from the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA).
Boatright, of Tampa, Florida, has been working on the project in the School of Education’s Organizational Learning, Innovation and Development (OLID) program with Peter Fadde, OLID professor of learning systems design and technology.
“The goal is to systemize and speed up the training and learning experience,” Fadde said. “We asked ourselves, how we could take the seemingly intuitive decision-making process used by experts and capture their methodology and expertise and train others to use it faster and faster.”
Boatright said getting to work on this innovative research using video-occlusion technology, a form of virtual reality, with Fadde and other SIU faculty is what drew him to SIU.
“I developed a keen interest in applying my classroom knowledge to the real world. Specifically, the application of innovative training methods and technologies, such as extended reality, to improve human performance in dynamic, high-pressure environments,” Boatright said.
07 Nov2023
By Tyler Pointer
InnovateEDU is reviving the EdSAFE AI Alliance to promote the responsible use of AI in education on a global scale. As a founding steering committee member, AACTE joins the EdSAFE AI Alliance alongside fellow education and learning partners to foster AI policy, collaboration, and best practices for PK-12 education.
Originally convened in 2020 and operative through September 2023, the newly revived alliance will continue its mission based on its core philosophy, the SAFE Framework:
- Safety: data privacy and security and a “do no harm” approach;
- Accountability: clear stakeholder responsibilities;
- Fairness: bias-free equity and ethics; and
- Efficacy: demonstrable learning outcomes from the use of AI technology.
The working goals of the EdSAFE AI Alliance’s mission include guiding responsible policy development, crafting initiatives to bring such policy to fruition, publishing white papers, supporting district and state policy labs, and creating special fellowship programs.
More information is available at EdSAFE’s new website.
07 Nov2023
By Kiersten Greene, Liz Kolb and Christie Terry
The ways that teacher education programs in the United States address educational technology have changed significantly over the past twenty years.
2000 – 2010: Literacy Phase
In the early days of internet-connected classrooms, teacher preparation programs treated educational technology as a non-essential “add-on.” When technology was included, most programs replaced a single “overhead projector” course with a class on basic technology literacy skills.
- Over half of the universities taught educational technology through standalone courses, and most programs had a “test out” option. (Gronseth et al., 2010)
- Students primarily learned “point and click” skills with software tools (Foulger et al 2012).
07 Nov2023
By Nicole Dunn
With the fall semester coming to an end and preparations for the spring semester quickly approaching, education faculty can make the most out of AACTE resources when needing to provide classroom observation experience for their teacher candidates. ATLAS (Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools®) is a video library that provides video cases and analysis tools of accomplished teaching practices indexed to common teaching and learning frameworks across various classroom settings. Observations with ATLAS are made even more valuable because they include insights into behind-the-scenes instructional decision-making.
AACTE has partnered with the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, Inc. (‘NBPTS’ or ‘The National Board’) to offer individual and institutional access to ATLAS at a reduced cost for AACTE members who are new subscribers.
AACTE members who sign up for a new ATLAS subscription before the end of 2023 will receive a 20% discount on institutional or individual subscriptions. Both institutional and individual subscription options are available for both one and three-year terms, and those selecting a 3-year term will be eligible for the 20% discount.
06 Nov2023
By Jenna Somers
This article was originally published by Vanderbilt University.
ChatGPT is here to stay and educators need to adapt to their students using it — at least, that is what news headlines have suggested for almost a year following ChatGPT’s unveiling. Much of the coverage has given voice to worries about the possibility that AI will hinder learning by doing students’ work for them. But the AI revolution has just begun, and some experts are seizing on AI’s positive potential to augment teaching and learning.
A growing number of those experts are faculty at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development, including Scott Crossley, professor of special education, Bethany Rittle-Johnson, professor of psychology and human development, and Kelley Durkin, research assistant professor of teaching and learning. They have teamed up to launch data science challenges that will leverage the power of AI to advance K-12 education in writing and math. Supported by several private foundations, they will lead two challenges focused on improving student writing and one challenge to model students’ math misconceptions. Teams will compete to integrate AI models into automatic writing evaluation systems to better provide feedback to students. The math challenge aims to provide teachers and students with early feedback on probable misconceptions.
