Prodigy

Prodigy is an incredible math game that integrates common core math for grades K-8 into a fantasy style game that students love playing. As they navigate through games and levels, they earn points and unlock specialty items. Prodigy allows you to choose which grade level you are at and because it is aligned with the local school's curriculum the math problems presented in the game will reinforce what they have learned in class. One thing I love about Prodigy is that it is adaptive. It keeps track of the areas the student excels at as well as the areas they are struggling with and personalizes the problems presented to a specific student based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. Prodigy is free to use and can be accessed on smart phones/devices via downloading the app or you can just go to the prodigy website and play from there. Each student gets a unique log in which allows them to play not in only in the classroom but at home as well. Another great thing about this tool is that it keeps track of the child's progress and sends those progress reports to both the teacher and the parent if they so desire. These reports make it easy for a teacher to see what areas specific students are succeeding in and which areas they need more instruction in. This really helps teachers plan future lessons and know which students may need a little extra practice. Parents have access to these reports as well so they can see their child's progress in real time. The tool is safe to use as there is no chat feature or ability to play online against strangers. Best of all, Prodigy is free to use. There is a paid membership option available that unlocks more games and in-game features but it isn't necessary for students to play, learn and grow their math skills. My daughter has used this app in each of her classrooms since she started school and math has never been a struggle for her. She plays Prodigy for her math homework some days and to her it doesn't even feel like work. She enjoys the game so much, that she asked for the membership for her birthday. She even plays it just for fun sometimes. I love that there is an app that makes math fun and engaging for students. It is so important that we keep students interested in learning and Prodigy is a great game to incorporate in the classroom to do just that! 

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Alzehimer’s, A.I. and The Potential of A.I. for Students

My grandmother used to remind me, “You cannot prevent waves from rolling but you can learn to sail those waves.” I found this inquiry extremely relevant when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017. This condition affects memory typically with the elderly that immobilizes them causing symptoms including trouble focusing or communicating, difficulty with everyday life and trouble with mobility.

Unfortunately, due to the degrading mental state of those afflicted with Alzhemer’s, those affected tend to revert back to the state more or less of that of a child. Someone who needs to be dependant on someone or something, varying on the stage of the disease.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon all the cool tricks my Alexa could do and I was amazed by how organized I was able to become with having artificial intelligence in my life. By integrating artificial intelligence into my grandmother’s life, who has Alzheimer’s, my grandmother was reminded when to take her pills, was able to ask the time (as many times as she needed to ask), was able to set a scheduled routine, as well as call people from the artificial intelligence. This benefited her life immensely in the beginning and middle stages of her Alzheimer’s because she was given the ability to live independently (with a little help from Alexa). We even programmed it to let us know when she left the house with other technology connected to the door.

I believe the same principals that I integrated into my grandmother’s life can be integrated in the classroom. The vast potential that artificial intelligence has can reach limitless possibility in the classroom. For example, providing a calming chime set to go off at a specific time such as snack time or end of snack time may benefit in providing a steady routine and a calmer environment by having smoother transitions.

Using artificial intelligence can provide the human approach for students outside of the classroom as well. A lot of students as well as parents that struggle with homework would be able to access various lessons needed to apply themselves to the work that needed to be done. It could also help parents stay on track with their child’s educational journey. This can be done through multiple Amazon apps specifically targeted and constructed around teachers and their student’s needs.

In all, the concept of modern artificial intelligence may seem so boundless that it may feel a little unattainable. We are living in a time surrounded by technology where our youth will be raised submersed in that technological world that we are still becoming accustomed to. These advances have benefitted those who need assistance no matter what the age. With that said, the capabilities to target different learning types, creating an organized environment and assisting the teachers in creating a fun and engaging classroom are just a few of the amazing ways this type of technology has the potential to do.

If you are interested in using A.I. in the classroom or are interested in more of what that entails, here are some links to get you started:

https://www.theedadvocate.org/how-to-use-artificial-education-in-the-classroom/

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/5-examples-artificial-intelligence-classroom/

https://elearningindustry.com/artificial-intelligence-in-the-classroom-role

The Osmo Pizza Company App

The Osmo Pizza Company App

The Osmo Pizza Company app is a fun and engaging app that teaches children ages 6-12 real world math, money and social skills. It also introduces students to the idea of running and growing a business and becoming an entrepreneur. What I love about this app is that it is hands on and requires more than just tapping a screen. With this app, students get a cardboard pizza, toppings and money. When a customer walks in, their order pops up on the screen and the student has to assemble the cardboard pizza with the correct toppings as quickly and efficiently as possible. If they make the pizza correctly, the customer is happy and gives a good review, if they make it incorrectly or not fast enough, the customer gets grumpy and can give a bad review! This helps students learn nonverbal communication based on the customer's facial expressions which improves their social skills. Once the pizza has been made, you slide it in front of the iPad's camera to capture it and the customer then gets in a separate line to pay. The student then has to swipe the iPad to the left to go to the register, where customers will give them money for their pizza. Here students engage in math while they make change for each customer. They slide the correct change in the iPads view and again the customer will either be happy from receiving the correct change and give a good review, or be upset from receiving the wrong change and give a bad review. This also improves their mental math skills as they will have more customers lining up for pizza during this time and they will need to quickly make change and move on to making the next pizza. As they continue on and gain positive reviews, students have the opportunity to use their profits to improve the business and work their way up to being the boss! This is a great introduction to business management and entrepreneurship. I have observed student's using this app and they had SO much fun with it that they didn't even realize they were learning. I think apps like that are important with young children. Being interested and engaged in an activity is the first step to understanding new concepts, and with this app student's are instantly engaged. The only negative thing I can say about the app is that sometimes the camera does not capture the pizza, or it can lag and throw your whole game off. When it works properly (which it does most of the time), it really is a great learning tool for students! I even tried my hand at it, and I was surprisingly having just as much fun as the students were, maybe even more! 

Click here to get the app! 

Speech to Text in Education

In today's society, technology is becoming evermore present not only in our daily lives, but also in education. Students come into the classroom anticipating that their teachers will be on the same page with them regarding technology that they use in their everyday lives, but sometimes teachers need to make the call on whether or not the technology is helping or hindering students' learning. Today, a large debate is forming on whether or not speech to text is appropriate for students to use in the classroom. Speech to text is a technology that allows people to talk into the phone, computer, or other device, and the technology translates what they say into text.

Blogger Susan Fitzell argues in this article that speech to text is a great tool for students who have trouble articulating their thoughts into writing. However, she also acknowledges that many standardized tests require students to demonstrate this skill. The general consensus seems to agree with Fitzell's thoughts that speech to text is a great tool for students who may have difficulty with language whether that is english language learners, students with learning disabilities, or for students with visual disabilities.  Not only does speech to text increase accessibility, but it can also improve efficiency in outputting quality work that accurately represents students' thoughts. many students become frustrated with writing and give up before they even begin, this technology encourages them to push forward while developing their critical thinking skills.

 However, it is also important to consider the ramifications of utilizing this technology in your classroom. As noted above, current standardized test formatting does not accommodate speech to text usage during the test. Furthermore, it can be very difficult to rationalize to students why some students get to utilize a technology, but not everybody (if you choose to only allow struggling students to use it). Also, in consideration of the your own sanity, keep in mind that your classroom will be significantly louder when all students are talking rather than writing or typing. You also need to know whether or not your school has the funding to support this technology in your classroom. If you plan on self-funding the project, it is critical that all of your students have equal access to the technology, and bills can add up fast if you do not find free resources that can be utilized. It is also important to acknowledge that speech to text technology is not a perfect science; students will not be able to rely on the spelling, grammar, and overall accuracy of the translation. This leads us to the larger question: if students solely rely on speech to text technology, will they even be capable of proofreading the output of the technology?

Think about it, let it simmer, and consider all of the pros and cons before rolling out this technology in your classroom. Some of the free apps available today are: Google Gboard, Transcribe,  Dragon Dictation, and Evernote.