Summary:
Shawn and Troy talk about talk about AI, time traveler, resources and more. Dave stresses High Quality like he always brings.
Jokes:
Why did the iPhone go to the dentist?
He had a blue tooth.
I needed detergent and a news magazine. I took too long to get to the store, and when I made it, both were sold out.
Time and Tide wait for no man.
A thief tried to steal the paintings at the Louvre in Paris. He was caught two blocks away when he ran out of gas. He said: I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gogh. But I tried because I had nothing Toulouse.
Will glass coffins ever become popular?
Remains to be seen.
If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?
I’d choose someone who likes to pick up the tab!
My friend is a professional sleepwalker.
He is living the dream.
Walking past a farm, I saw a sign that read ‘Duck, Eggs.’
I assumed it was an unnecessary comma…
Then it hit me.
What do you call a bunch of rabbits walking backward in a single-file fashion?
A receding hare line.
Purple is my favorite color!
I like it more than blue and red combined.
What was a more important invention than the first telephone?
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
K12Science Podcast: HQIM – High Quality Instructional Materials
I was recently reading the July/August 2026 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue I read an article written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled “HQIM in Practice.”
Over the last decade, U.S. researchers have linked high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and positive student learning outcomes. Examples include:
Open SciEd
Amplify Science
Smithsonian Science for the Classroom
Inquiry Hub
HMH Science Dimensions
HQIM – High Quality Instructional Materials
Reports from the Front Lines
“The Innovators”
Thinking about making a local hosted AI . . . Podcast 711 – Next Show
AI Literacy
Michigan Legislature votes to extend certification deadlines for CTE teachers.
Shawn’ PD
The Social Web
Dublin City University @dublincityuni.bsky.social
How can Ireland’s curriculum reform succeed if principals have no time to lead? New research from Dr. Sabrina Fitzsimons and Prof Catherine Furlong reveals high burnout among school leaders. Read the opinion piece in The Journal: launch.dcu.ie/4xgybXC #DCUResearch
Dublin City University @dublincityuni.bsky.social
Is cursive handwriting still worth teaching in a world of laptops and touchscreens? Dr Sinéad McCauley Lambe from DCU Institute of Education joined Newstalk to explain why putting pen to paper remains essential. Listen to the full interview: launch.dcu.ie/4xlKPoe
Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social
What’s New in Google for Schools? Join us online for our monthly GEG-Ohio meeting Monday, August 31st at 1pm ET Latest GoogleEDU updates Helpful tips & resources Q&A Details here docs.google.com/document/d/1… #EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #GoogleEDU
Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social
Fantastic day at Leland Public School sharing my “Wrestle Rap Reflect” framework where students: Wrestle with content independent of AI Rap with AI to enhance & extend learning Reflect on their use of AI to incorporate it All of my PD resources: bit.ly/curts-pd
Resources:
Stretch AI
Example Interaction:
Your Prompt:
I am interested in your ideas in strategies that integrate engagement-focused practices to replace objective posting in my classroom.
Stretch’s Answer:
Focusing on engagement-focused strategies that move beyond posting objectives can invigorate your classroom by making learning more student-centered, relevant, and meaningful. Here are some research-backed approaches you can integrate to spark authentic engagement:
Start with Essential, Open-Ended Questions or Problems
Rather than displaying specific daily objectives, introduce lessons with compelling “big questions” or real-world problems tied to student interests and current events. This invites curiosity and cognitive engagement, encouraging students to explore and wrestle with ideas rather than aiming solely to meet a posted goal (Three Ways to Engage Students in Any Lesson; New Thinking About Student Engagement).
Example: Instead of “I can identify the Bill of Rights,” open with: “How do the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights shape our everyday freedoms today?” then let students investigate, discuss, and create responses.
Give Students Choice and Voice in How They Learn and Demonstrate Learning
Empower students to decide on how they want to explore a topic or show their understanding—through digital storytelling, debates, art projects, or coding challenges—to increase ownership and motivation. Flexible pacing, learning spaces, and paths allow learners to connect what they learn to their own interests and strengths (The Techy Teacher / When Students Drive the Pace, Space, and Path; Yes, You Can Motivate Your Students).
Example: For a history unit, students might choose to create a podcast, develop a graphic novel, or lead a multimedia presentation on the same content.
Focus on Collaborative, Authentic Learning Experiences
Build lessons around tasks that have an authentic audience or real-world application, such as presenting to peers, authentic stakeholders, or publishing work online. This creates relevance and social motivation. Collaboration encourages behavioral and cognitive engagement through peer dialogue and shared inquiry (Three Ways to Engage Students in Any Lesson; What Students Have to Say About Improving Engagement).
Example: Have students debate modern issues related to constitutional rights, then share reflections or solutions with community members or via classroom blogs.
Use Reflective and Metacognitive Practices to Develop Engagement
Invite students to reflect on their interests, learning strategies, and progress, encouraging self-regulation and deeper cognitive engagement. Instead of passively absorbing objectives, they monitor their own growth and set personal goals (New Thinking About Student Engagement; Yes, You Can Motivate Your Students).
Example: Use exit tickets or journals where students reflect on what questions they still have or where they want to dig deeper.
Adopt Engaging Language and Interaction Patterns
Shift your teacher talk from compliance-oriented phrases (“Be ready to show me…”) to engagement-oriented ones (“Be ready to share your ideas…”), encouraging authentic participation and ownership (Small Shifts in Teacher Talk Make a Big Difference; Your Words Matter).
Integrate Student Passions and Relevant Technology
Connect learning to student interests (e.g., gaming, social media, pop culture) and use tech tools that facilitate creativity and collaboration. This relevance boosts motivation significantly (Three Ways to Engage Students in Any Lesson; Engagement is Everything, Especially Now).
These strategies emphasize authentic, dynamic learning experiences that foster behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement without relying on static posted objectives. They help students see learning as relevant, social, and self-directed—key elements for motivation and achievement.
Which of these approaches resonate most with your classroom style or current challenges? I can help you break down any into attainable steps or scaffold them for your specific content area.
Privacy reminder: When discussing classroom examples or student work, please avoid using any personally identifiable information.
Key Sources:
Kathleen Reardon (2018). Three Ways to Engage Students in Any Lesson.
Catlin Tucker (2017). The Techy Teacher / When Students Drive the Pace, Space, and Path.
Douglas Fisher (2021). New Thinking About Student Engagement.
Bryan Goodwin (2021). Yes, You Can Motivate Your Students.
Mike Anderson (2021). Small Shifts in Teacher Talk Make a Big Difference.
Anthony Rebora (2021). Engagement is Everything, Especially Now.
Diana Neebe (2022). What Students Have to Say About Improving Engagement.
Mike Anderson (2020). Your Words Matter.
You can find Stretch AI over at stretchai.iste.org.
Time Traveler
When was a word first used in print? You may be surprised! Enter a date below to see the words first recorded on that year.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler
Reading Maps
Journeys from fiction drawn on the real world
https://readingmaps.com
AXIS The Culture Translator – News
Australia’s much-touted social media ban for teenagers is falling apart (paywall) as state authorities find it impossible to outsmart the tech prowess of fifteen-year-olds. Naur!
China’s big box office winner this week was made on a shoestring budget. The plot is a dream about a cow, or a dream of a cow, or perhaps a cow’s dream. The movie was praised for its “craftsmanship.”
According to data from Eventbrite, events advertising shared hobbies (think mahjong or birdwatching) as “meet cutes,” or chances to meet potential romantic partners, increased by 117% over the last year.
Fanfiction publishing platform Wattpad, a longtime haven for teens experimenting with fanfiction, updated its content guidelines. Some users were convinced (incorrectly) that Wattpad would no longer host sexually explicit content and fled to another platform called AO3.
Mathsy Puzzles
https://puzzles.mathsy.space/
I Study Successful People. They Have One Habit in Common.
Most people understand the importance of asking for help in a life-or-death crisis. We know we should wave to the lifeguard during a riptide or call 911 if our house catches fire. But in our personal and professional lives, Americans are encouraged to pursue rugged individualism over interdependency.
You might think I’d love the image of the solo striver triumphing over every challenge. After all, I’m a psychologist who wrote a book called “Grit” about the necessity of passion and perseverance for achieving long-term goals.
Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for success. Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.
Studies show that knowing when to ask for help is an essential skill for children’s learning and achievement.
From an early age, we suffer from what cognitive psychologists call the illusion of self-sufficiency, overlooking how much we owe our skills to other people.
Being a successful self-starter doesn’t mean pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. It’s raising your hand and asking a teacher to explain, once again, a concept you still don’t understand. It’s calling up a former boss for advice. It’s announcing to your team that you’re stuck on an important problem and need their collective brain to solve it. It’s not just stoically making the best of a bad situation — it’s proactively making your situation more supportive. Don’t assume you’re being a burden when you reach out asking for help. Research shows we consistently underestimate how happy it makes others to lend a hand.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/opinion/successful-people-help.html?unlocked_article_code=1.81A.zyqa.NqJBufICo-dN&smid=nytcore-ios-share&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Web Spotlight:
Bill Gates was an AI optimist. Now he’s scared of what could go wrong.
For years, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said he was optimistic that the world would become a better place thanks to artificial intelligence. He imagined the technology freeing people from work and speeding up inventions that would fight diseases and climate change.
https://archive.is/esGtO
The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical.
When I first learned about computers at age 13 I was fascinated by the idea of making them more intelligent and able to perform things that, at the time, only humans could do. Although the term “AI” was used from around the time I was born, the technology has only made significant progress in the last decade. It is now incredibly capable and it is continuing to improve at a mind-blowing rate. AI for the first time can replace and even exceed human cognition.
https://www.gatesnotes.com/work/make-ai-work-for-everyone/reader/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make
Modern Sumerian
The goal of Modern Sumerian is to help revive the language as a living means of expression. By building on the surviving texts and introducing new vocabulary for the modern world, the project aims to make it possible to use Sumerian not only to understand the past, but also to communicate ideas about life today.
https://modernsumerian.org
Report of MIT’s Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training
In January 2026, MIT charged the Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training, to assess how instructors and students are currently using generative AI, identify innovations it allows and challenges it presents in teaching and assessment, and propose an AI use policy.
AI and Education
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