3-Read Friday #91

Mini-whiteboards, AI tutoring, and in-class devices

Before we begin, you may want to check out my brand-new 16-part book series, The Tips for Teachers guide to… here. Book 9 on The Do Now is now available.

Here are three blog posts that I found interesting this week.

1. Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter) by Anna Sutton

I am the world’s biggest mini-whiteboard fan (I have a book about them). However, they are not without those challenges. In this blog, Anna confronts some of those challenges and shares some practical ways to overcome them.

2. The Algorithmic Turn: The Emerging Evidence On AI Tutoring That’s Hard to Ignore by Carl Henrick

We recently released our first paper on our collaboration with Google DeepMind, which explores supporting human tutors with AI hints, so AI tutoring is very much on my mind at the moment. Carl takes a deep dive into the subject, highlighting key considerations for those designing or considering using the technology.

3. Few Americans Question Use of Computers in Classroom Lessons by Larry Cuban

Larry highlights how the use of laptops, tablets and other digital devices in U.S. classrooms has become so normalised that very few teachers, administrators or parents question whether they actually improve learning outcomes. Meaningful data showing improved academic achievement remains lacking. I see parallels with many of the schools I visit!

Have a great weekend.

Craig