Summary:

Shawn and Troy continue discussing ISTE, AI and more, Dave takes on High Stakes Testing. 

Jokes:

What do you call corn that joins the army?

• Kernel.

---

What did the nuclear physicist have for lunch?

• Fission chips.

---

They say “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

They also say “Revenge is sweet.”

So, basically, revenge is ice-cream.

---

I was bitten by a radioactive lawyer and ended up with the power of attorney.

---

Who is the king of the pencil case? 

• The ruler.

---

Two silk worms had a race. 

• They ended up in a tie.

---

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Consequences of High Stakes Testing

I was recently reading the May-June, 2026 issue of “Science Scope” a publication from the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the Leadership Matters column written by Amy Bekins. It was entitled “The Unintentional Consequences of High Stakes Testing on Middle School Science.”

Some ways that leaders can build science efficacy and increase achievement for all contents is to:

1. Incorporate more nonfiction texts.

2. Conduct experiments where students can practice mathematics skills, such as graphing, with real data.

3. Leverage each teachers’ content expertise through cross content teams and projects.

4. Encourage science to be an integral part of the curriculum.

https://k12science.net/consequences-of-high-stakes-testing/

The MDSTA Call for Speakers is open!  You can also register for the Fall Conference:  https://www.mdsta.org/  (Presenter link:  https://forms.gle/8mynkU3ZEaZ72iJQA)  

Reports from the Front Lines

• ISTE 2026 Part Deux
  • Books to Read:
    • Inclusive 52:  Executive Functioning – Lots of good suggestions to help kids develop life skills.  More on this next week. 
  • Stretch AI – Imagine all the articles ASCD and ISTE ever wrote all in one database to research and get coaching.  Well, welcome to StretchAI.  Right now it is by invitation, but if you ask nicely it should be a 24 hour wait to get access.  Must be a member of ISTE’s top two levels to get access.  Basic membership will get you access until September.  Advantage?  It has access to all of ASCD’s corpus of work.  Disadvantage?  It is really tied to ASCD’s corpus of work.  2000 character limit in the prompt.  No way to upload a document or lesson plan to examine and get coaching, yet.  
  • Keynotes weren’t awful, that’s the good news.  Ever wonder what it looks like behind the scenes at Pixar?  Keep wondering, no pictures allowed!  
  • Note taking:  Paper, Apple Pencil, and Apple Notes Transcription.  Which one did I prefer?
    • Best comment of the conference:  “I love your handwriting (cursive)!  I can’t read a single thing, but I love it!  You should write the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution!”  
  • Conference Packing Music:  We Came to Build Tomorrow by Frideswidel | Suno  
  • Interesting Educational Tech
    • Pen Camera  IPEVO P2V ULTRA Object Camera (Full Pack)  (Best in Show)  
    • GradeBox  gradebox.ai  
• Inclusive 52 Executive Functioning Weekly Strategies to help Learners Thrive – Using AI as an Assistant.
  • Using AI to build out the strategies in the text.  Branding?  Workflow?  Lab Assistant?  Burma Shave!!!!  

The Social Web

Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social

Are you attending #ISTELive? Add to the shared resource doc here: bit.ly/iste26-share 🎉 Mixers, Events, Meetups 🧑 Attendee Information 🗣️ Promote Your Sessions 🍽️ Restaurants & Attractions ✋ Questions 🧰 Learning Resources #ASCDAnnual #EduSky #EdTech

@isteofficial.bsky.social

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI (again), pedagogy, Moodle, owning your own stuff, and more. Dave journeys to curiosity. 

Jokes:

My driving instructor told me to wear a seatbelt or the force could throw me out of the car.

• I can’t believe he thinks Star Wars is real.

---

I don’t like it when people use the same word twice in a sentence. 

• Enough is enough.

---

What did the comedian say when robbing a bank?

• This is a stand up

---

My friend recently got crushed by a pile of books.

He’s only got his shelf to blame.

---

When I was a kid, we lived in a 3-level house. My bedroom was on the 4th floor.

• But that’s a different story

---

I’m so afraid of negative numbers, I will stop at nothing to avoid them.

---

Have YOU had to walk 500 miles?

Were you advised to walk 500 more?

You could be entitled to compensation.

Call the Pro Claimers now!

---

Top tip: If a telemarketer calls you, give the phone to your 3-year-old and tell them it’s Santa Claus.

---

What did the skeleton order at the restaurant?

• Spare ribs.

---

Technically, the borders of Finland are

Finnish lines.

---

Is a Nun in heaven called Nun of the above?

---

I never said I was interesting.

I said I was into resting.

---

What do you say to comfort a friend struggling with grammar? 

-There, they’re, their…

---

If you are being chased by a pack of taxidermists,

do not…

I repeat… DO NOT…

play dead!

---

I’m really overdrawn at the bank, and they keep calling and leaving voicemails.

I wish they’d just leave me a loan.

---

I grilled a chicken for 2 hours

• Still wouldn’t tell me why it crossed the road

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Journey to Curiosity

I was recently reading the May 20, 2026, blog from the National Science Teaching Association.

The blog was entitled, “Teaching Students to Think in Science: Where Curiosity Meets Cognitive Strategy” written by Kristen Barnes. 

Science instruction leans heavily on synchronous learning, individual work, note-taking and getting the ‘right answer.” However, the true goal of science education isn’t completion. Science education should focus on cultivating the lifelong journey of curiosity.

https://k12science.net/journey-to-curiosity/

Reports from the Front Lines

• ISTE Annual Conference – https://suno.com/s/0wzybziDmBSC2QHc
  • Notability
  • iPad
  • Paper
• Finishing up transition
• Moodle update
  • Developing Curriculum
  • Owning your “stuff”
  • Hosting Option (contact me)
• Book Reading
  • AI with Intention by Tony Frontier  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1956306471?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3  
  • AI Literacy by Matt Miller https://www.amazon.com/dp/1968898077?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1  
  • Lectureless – Teaching History to Engage and Empower  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1968898239?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title  
  • (June 22 Release Date) Inclusive 52 Executive Functioning:  Weekly Strategies to Help All Learners Thrive https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWS5WGKZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title  

The Social Web

‪Dublin City University‬   ‪@dublincityuni.bsky.social‬

How is #AI already affecting our lives? DCU’s Prof Alan Smeaton joined RTÉ‘s Drivetime RTÉ radio 1

to chat about how AI has actually underpinned our daily routines for over a decade. Listen now: launch.dcu.ie/4aU5ypX

‪Keep Indiana Learning‬ ‪@keepinlearning.bsky.social‬

Stop searching and start discovering! 💡 Get edtech tips, book studies, fast teacher tips, and monthly shows – all on our YouTube channel! PD that fits your schedule & interests! Check it out! youtube.com/KeepIndianaL…

‪AMLE‬ ‪@amleorg.bsky.social‬

AMLE is excited to announce Christopher Woodside as our next Chief Executive Officer! Chris brings nearly two decades of nonprofit and association leadership experience, with a strong record in advocacy and member engagement. www.amle.org/amle-announc…

Edutopia 

rpsotonSed22f224hli6lf3ui1789123gt8ah51848lum2i08tgma11cifli

3 high-energy review games: https://edut.to/4epEilH

David Njoku@davidnjoku@mastodon.world

Here’s a thing.

Ask any child what noise a train makes and they’ll probably say “chugga chugga choo choo.”

Funny thing is that pretty much no one alive today was around in the days when trains – powered by steam – made that sound.

The stories we’re told are powerful, often even more powerful than the evidence of our senses. We think trains sound like that cos we’re told they sound like that.

Stories are powerful; be careful with the stories you tell.

Strategies:  

Using AI to Enhance Project-Based Learning Units

https://www.trevormuir.com/blog/AI-project-based-learning

Resources:  

The Chaos

https://thechaos.page

Which Came First?

Wikipedia Game on iOS and Android.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wikipedia/id324715238

Drawsplat Tools

https://drawsplat.org/pages/tools

Web Spotlight: 

Shohei Ohtani used this goal-setting method when he was a freshman in high school

During Shohei Ohtani’s first two years at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan, his baseball coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, introduced him to the Harada Method.

Takashi Harada, a renowned track and field coach who developed a goal-setting system to help his athletes find motivation. He built it around an idea: Lofty goals could be achieved by breaking them down into daily, repeatable habits.

At its essence, the method involves taking one goal, writing it down, then deconstructing it into 64 smaller habits and actions to achieve that goal.

Ohtani, for example, drew a single square in the center of a piece of paper and wrote his goal of becoming the top draft pick inside it. Around that, he drew eight more squares, each one filled with one skill that he believed a No. 1 draft pick would need to master: control, physical conditioning, sharpness, pitching speed, mental strength, trickery, character and karma.

Ohtani’s 8 pillars were:

• Body

• Control

• Sharpness

• Speed

• Pitch Variance

• Personality

• Karma/Luck

• Mental Toughness

You then break down each of those 8 pillars into 8 smaller, actionable tasks or daily routines.

To improve his karma, he listed tangible actions like:

• Showing Respect to Umpires

• Picking up trash

• Being positive

• Being someone people want to support

When Ohtani came up with the eight boxes that would surround his central dream of being the No. 1 pick, some were tied directly to performance (speed, conditioning, sharpness), while others were tied to the type of person he needed to become (mental strength, character, karma).

…when Frei teaches the method, she encourages students to start with the center square and fill out only a few surrounding categories at first. That way they really take the time to mean what they’re writing down, rather than just trying to fill the boxes.

In the documentary “Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream,” Ohtani said he was embarrassed when his goal chart was made public. He wanted to keep it hidden away. Then he explained that he “wasn’t trying to think too hard” when he wrote down his goals and subgoals. He just thought about what was important to him and what he “saw as necessary.”

“In the early stage, it helps to put in writing,” Ohtani said. “People have a tendency to forget. And as you continue what you’ve written, the things you do will eventually become second nature.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7369165/2026/06/18/shohei-ohtani-goals-harada-method-dodgers

Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good

Seventy per cent of nurses and 77% of physicians, for example, are worried about losing their skills because of over-reliance on AI systems, according to a survey of US health-care workers published earlier this month¹.

Evidence suggests that AI-driven ‘deskilling’ is starting to happen in medicine, computer science and other fields. Researchers are now discussing how to preserve important human expertise in the age of AI.

Once physicians began using it, their performance dropped significantly whenever the system was unavailable.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01947-1

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI policies, summer plans, and more. Dave explains why the experts don’t always agree. 

Jokes:

My wife said that quilts are better than duvets. 

• I told her to be careful making blanket statements like that. 

---

What do you call a mute owl?

• Anything that you want, doesn’t give a hoot.

---

Someone called me, sneezed and hung up.  

• I’m tired of these cold calls.

---

I’m worried about the genetics experiments involving crabs and cheetahs.

• That could go sideways fast.

---

Someone asked me what the ninth letter of the alphabet was.

• It was a complete guess, but I was right.

---

Name a place that you’ve visited that you don’t want to go back to.

• Microsoft Teams Meeting

---

My post about rice cakes was removed.

• It was ruled as tasteless

---

Did you know that Stefi Graf has a sister and a brother?

• Polly
• Litho

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Why Experts Disagree

I was recently reading the March – April 2026, issue of The Science Teacher, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue I read an article written by Douglas Allchin. He wrote an article entitled “When Experts Disagree.” 

Respect the consensus of the relevant scientific experts. That’s the benchmark for reliable science in informing public policy or personal decision-making. But what if the experts disagree? What if there is no genuine consensus? If we cannot confidently sort fact from fiction, what are we to do?

https://k12science.net/why-experts-disagree/

Reports from the Front Lines

• End of the year
  • Closing the room 
  • Emptying the office
• Moodle Prep
• Summer Plans
  • ISTE Conference
  • Matt Miller’s AI Literacy
    • Classroom Policies
    • Syllabus
    • Co-editing
  • Music for when you’re on a Deadline

The Social Web

‪Irish Learning Technology Association‬ ‪@iltasky.bsky.social‬

Thanks to all our amazing keynotes at #edtech26 – relisten to the conversation on youtube.com/playlist?lis… #edtech #sotl #academicsky #edusky

‪MiddleWeb‬ ‪@middleweb.bsky.social‬

Review: STRATEGIES TO NURTURE CREATIVE THINKING Creativity for Learning provides all teachers with the support they need to build engaging, thought-provoking activities that encourage creative thinking. #edusky  @routledgebooks.bsky.social  #teachersky #creativity  www.middleweb.com/53499/strate…

New: HELPING STUDENTS BECOME SKILLFUL PUBLIC SPEAKERS. All public speaking has two parts: building a talk and performing a talk. In a digital world it’s vital for students to learn how to communicate with impact. #edusky #speech #literacy @erik-palmer.bsky.social www.middleweb.com/53485/helpin…  

‪AMLE‬ ‪@amleorg.bsky.social‬

Our 2026 Middle School Student Sound Off winners remind us what happens when we invite young adolescents into real dialogue and decision‑making: they rise with creativity, courage, and insight. 🏆🗣️ Join us in celebrating all our winners, finalists, and honorable mentions: amle.org/soundoff

‪Eric Curts‬ ‪@ericcurts.bsky.social‬

Join me at #ISTELive in Orlando! 🗣️ 12 sessions – bit.ly/curts-iste26 🎲 Board Game Night – bit.ly/iste26bgm 📝 Sharing Doc – bit.ly/iste26-share #EduSky #EdTech #GoogleEDU  

Resources:  

AXIS:  The Culture Translator

Under the Desk

What it is: The world’s leading social media companies are strategically trying to steal kids’ attention during the school day, as evidenced by documents in a class action lawsuit against the tech giants, reports The New York Times.  

Why it’s hurting teens: Snapchat sent phone alerts during school hours, prompting teens to “show off your classroom.” Meta created a program to incentivize teens to promote Instagram and hand out merch. TikTok opted not to disable its notifications during the school day, despite recommendations from its own safety team. Even with ongoing conversations about the negative impact that phones have on learning environments, the NYT’s review of documents revealed that the companies purposefully targeted teenagers during school hours. More than 1,400 school districts have now filed lawsuits against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube in a rising backlash against social media. One of the lead lawyers in the class action suit said, “It is so constantly tempting to these kids to be on a platform that promises endless, infinite, varied entertainment rather than actually focusing on what they should be at school to do.”

Spin the Wheel

Plethora of wheels (pre select to ensure safe for work). 

​​https://spinthewheel.app/wheels 

Animated GIF Maker

Add image frames, set per-frame delay and loop count, preview the animation, and download a ready-to-share GIF. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

https://drawsplat.org/solutions/animated-gif

Web Spotlight:

We Have a Distraction Problem. But We’ve Been Solving the Wrong Half of It.

The average time spent on any single screen before switching has dropped from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to around 47 seconds today.

Distraction is not just something that happens to learners from the outside. It is also something that learning environments create from the inside.

If we only talk about the phones and devices, we let schools, workplaces, and learning systems off the hook for their own role in the problem. We also miss the more hopeful argument that the antidote to distraction isn’t restriction. It’s actually engagement.

Research on media multitasking during learning is consistent: when students toggle between academic tasks and devices, learning becomes shallower and spottier. They understand less, retain less, and often don’t realize it’s happening because the feeling of multitasking can mimic the feeling of productivity. I often feel the same way as an adult!

A 2009 study across 27 states found that 49% of students reported feeling bored every day. 17% of those students said they were bored in every single class. More recent Gallup data suggests 74% of students report feeling bored in school regularly. The OECD found that over half of students in developed countries feel bored in at least one class daily.

This is the part of the distraction conversation that makes people uncomfortable, because it asks us to look at learning environments themselves. The compliance-based learning environments with predictable tasks and rigid curricula disconnected from students’ lives and questions fail to engage learners. They actively train learners to zone out, to wait for class to end, to find the path of least cognitive resistance.

The tech companies bear responsibility for engineering products that exploit our cognitive vulnerabilities for profit. That’s real, and it deserves real policy and design responses.

Policy makers and politicians aren’t off the hook here either. They allow tech companies to continually exploit our youth by not regulated safeguards on so many of these devices, platforms, and applications.

But schools, and workplaces, and families also bear responsibility for building learning environments where disengagement is the rational response.

Both things are true. The attention economy preys on disengaged learners, and our learning systems have been producing disengaged learners for a long time.

https://ajjuliani.beehiiv.com/p/we-have-a-distraction-problem-but-we-ve-been-solving-the-wrong-half-of-it

The High Cost of Silent Classrooms

Last year, I visited a seventh-grade math classroom in a public school in the Bronx. Twenty students sat bent over laptops, working with an A.I. tutor on story problems about converting fractions to decimals. A teacher moved around the room, checking a dashboard that tracked how many tries each student needed to reach the right answer.

On the surface, the classroom was working. Students were engaged, and most of them, eventually, were getting to the right answers.

https://archive.is/ZXueW

Screen Time Bans and Limits Are Really A Search for a Healthy Relationship to Technology

It is a quest for a healthy relationship to technology instead of the almost worshipful stance currently held by so many in Ed Tech.

Finally, a healthy relationship to technology is one where devices are not a constant intrusion and distraction; they are simply a toaster sitting in the background and used when needed  and not a device constantly beeping like a little child, demanding our attention.

https://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com/2026/06/screen-time-bans-and-limits-are-really.html

When AI Is Said to Be “Here to Stay” It is Perfectly Right to Question the Fictional Narrative

https://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com/2026/06/when-ai-is-said-to-be-here-to-stay-it.html

AI in the Classroom: Why There Are No Best Practices Yet

…we’re in such a rush to find “best practices” that research studies that haven’t been published, haven’t been peer reviewed, and haven’t even really been well read (can you say AI summaries?) are going viral. And then, in some cases, they are being retracted. The clearest example: a viral MIT paper claiming AI supercharged scientific discovery drew praise from a Nobel laureate — until MIT itself said it had “no confidence” in the data and asked for it to be pulled from arXiv. 

https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e939

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI, screen limits, end of year and more. Dave invites us outside to learn.  

Jokes:  

I asked the surgeon, ‘Can I administer my own anesthetic?’

The surgeon said, ‘Go ahead, knock yourself out.’

---

Archaeologists have discovered an oil stain that might be more than a thousand years old.

• It is Ancient Grease.

---

Did a little mechanic work today.

• Put a rear end in a recliner!

---

In a knot contest, is the score always tied?

---

Video games are great, they let you try your craziest fantasies.

For example, on The Sims, you can have a job and own your own house.

---

Hearing reports that Sting has been kidnapped.

• The police haven’t got a lead.

---

Might wake up early and go for a jog.

Might also win the lottery… odds are about the same.

---

I’ve dedicated my whole life to finding a cure for insomnia. I won’t rest until I find it.

---

A lamb, a drum, and a snake fell off a cliff.

Baa, dum, sss.

---

Marry a zombie.

They always make you dinner.

---

My cat knocked over my grandmother’s ashes. The Roomba got to them before I did, and now it beeps at me until I give it a Virginia Slim.

---

My wife asked me to take out a spider instead of killing it. Took him out for coffee. Nice guy, web designer.

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Why Learn Outdoors?

I was recently reading the March – April 2026, issue of Science and Children, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue I read an article written by Mary Starr, Jordan Sherry-Wagner, Carrie Tzou, Megan Bang, Shirin Vossoughi, and Anna Lees. They wrote an article entitled “Place Matters.”

Outdoor learning is not simply a change in instructional setting, but a shift in relationships among children, educators, families, and the socio-ecological systems they inhabit.  Outdoor learning, when historicized and relationally grounded, becomes a practice of responsibility, connection, and future-making.

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/k12science/id/41538065

Reports from the Front Lines

• 2. 5 Days
  • Shawn’s plans for the 12th
  • PD Extra Day
• Senior Walk
• Genius Week
• Apple Event
• Transition

The Social Web

‪MiddleWeb‬ ‪@middleweb.bsky.social‬

This free summer Math Summit looks great. 3 days of practical support. 30+ K-12 Math Experts (including some of MiddleWeb’s most-read contributors). #edusky #iteachmath #mtbos #mathed www.collaboratedwithjuliana.com/summit

‪AMLE‬ ‪@amleorg.bsky.social‬

Do you (or someone you know) have the vision, experience, and passion to provide strategic leadership for AMLE? AMLE is now accepting nominations for two open positions on our Board of Trustees! Learn more and apply by June 30th: amle.org/getinvolved

Nominations for AMLE’s Educator of the Year are due July 15th! Gather inspiration from Katrina Hill (2025 honoree), and review the 2026 nomination requirements: 👉ow.ly/QpVM50Z7h7x

‪AMLE‬ ‪@amleorg.bsky.social‬

Do you (or someone you know) have the vision, experience, and passion to provide strategic leadership for AMLE? AMLE is now accepting nominations for two open positions on our Board of Trustees! Learn more and apply by June 30th: amle.org/getinvolved

‪Brickfield Education Labs‬ ‪@brickfield.bsky.social‬

Moodle Tip: Replace ‘Click here’ with descriptive links like ‘Download syllabus (PDF)’. #Accessibility #BrickfieldTips

Strategies:  

Edutopia:  Increasing Engagement with Improv Games

In school, students often feel pressure to produce polished answers or perfect test scores, so improv offers something increasingly rare: permission to play, fail, experiment, have fun, and try again.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/improv-games-high-school-english

KidProv:  http://improvsmart.com/kidprov/  

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/645210.Improvisation  

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brad-Newton/author/B001KMLD4E?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1780762720&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=67592640-13dc-4614-825e-11452dd48af2   

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4szkMUKGvk&pp=ygUZSW1wcm92aXNhdGlvbiBCcmFkIE5ld3Rvbg%3D%3D  

Web Spotlight: 

Teen boys are choosing AI girlfriends over real-life relationships — with disastrous consequences: expert

https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/lifestyle/teen-boys-choosing-ai-girlfriends-over-real-life-relationships-and-effect-can-be-disastrous-expert

When Tech CEOs Make Predictions About AI, Remember They Are Trying to Dictate the Acceptance of Their Product

https://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com/2026/06/when-tech-ceos-make-predictions-about.html

The Screen Time Excuse: Why Blaming EdTech Isn’t The Solution We Are Looking For

https://www.ajjuliani.com/blog/the-screen-time-excuse-why-blaming-edtech-wont-fix-our-problems

Why School Phone Bans Aren’t About Kids

https://www.newsweek.com/school-phone-bans-nber-teachers-students-11914244

Largest-ever study of school cellphone bans finds mixed results

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/largest-ever-study-school-cell-phone-bans-finds-mixed-results-rcna343761

It’s the Teacher That Matters Most in Teaching and Learning, Not Screens, Not AI…That’s The Lesson Needed for School Leaders in All These Screen Ban Efforts

https://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com/2026/06/its-teacher-that-matters-most-in.html

AXIS The Culture Translator

Lunch Shaming

What it is: “Lunch shaming,” a form of bullying where classmates will secretly take photos of their peers eating lunch and share the images on social media, is reportedly on the rise, with 14% of elementary students and 18% of middle and high school students reporting being bullied in the cafeteria in the last month. 

Why it’s a thing: It is a truth universally acknowledged that mid-bite, nobody looks glamorous. The Wall Street Journal reported that the shaming tends to fall into two categories: the lonely eater (caught eating alone) and the ugly mouthful. As a result, some kids have stopped eating lunch at school altogether. One 18-year-old told the WSJ that one of his good friends was biting into a turkey sandwich—then, a camera flash. After the photo circulated the school during their freshman year, they did not eat in front of anyone again for years. When one school district in Washington implemented a full-day phone ban, staff noticed an increase in the number of middle-school students eating lunch.  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy have AI tips, uses, and more. Dave cheats his way to the AI information as well.

Jokes:

I used to work in a shoe recycling center.

• It was sole destroying.

---

It’s still way too early to know what mood I’m in today.

---

I asked a gardener which herbs were snitches…

He said only thyme would tell.

---

How do I get back *on* kilter though?

---

What do you call frozen peas that fall out of the freezer?

• escapeas

---

What does Nike’s operational financials look like?

•  A shoe string operation

---

A vegan said to me people who sell meat are disgusting.

• I said people who sell fruit and vegetables? They’re grocer…

---

I know four guys that all play tubas. They have a band called…

• The Tuba Fours.

---

Rejected International sports team names:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Cannes Openers
• Amsterdam Yankees
• Czech Bouncers
• New Deli Catessans
• Buenos Airheads
• Seoul Brothers
• Taipei Personalities
• Syria Killers
• Hungary Jacks
• Doublin Mint Twins
• Prague Tologists
• Peking Toms

---

My sword doesn’t weigh much. It’s my light saber.

---

The human body is composed of Sodium (Na), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O).

You are NaCHO!

---

Who is the coolest doctor in the hospital?

• The hip consultant.

---

Unfortunately, Superman won’t be able to fight Dracula this evening…

He won’t go near the crypt tonight.

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Stop Cheating in an AI World

I was recently reading the March – April 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 “AI in the Classroom.”

The rate of cheating in science classrooms has not changed after the availability of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. The sudden alarm to do something about a problem that we have been complacent about for decades highlights some fundamental misconceptions about both why cheating happens and the role that technology plays (or doesn’t) in enabling it.

https://k12science.net/stop-cheating-in-an-ai-world/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Filters
  • Classwise
  • Adults
• AI in the classroom
  • Responsible Thinking Process
  • AI icons
• End of the year?

The Social Web

‪Dublin City University‬ ‪@dublincityuni.bsky.social‬

Ever closed your laptop after an exhausting day and thought: ‘What did I actually achieve?’ You might be experiencing ‘rustout’. In Image Magazine Ireland, Dr.  Sabrina Fitzsimons, DCU Institute of Education, explores the phenomenon wearing high achievers down. Read more: launch.dcu.ie/42Xv8X2

‪The New Yorker‬ ‪@newyorker.com‬

People are pining for old technologies—CD players, VCRs, Walkmans. What’s behind our longing for inconvenience? www.newyorker.com/culture/essa…  

‪Eric Curts‬ ‪@ericcurts.bsky.social‬

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/sorting-… 🔀 Sorting Activity – Create classroom-ready sorting activities for knowledge building, critical thinking, and application for any grade and topic.

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/google-f… 🖼️ Google Forms Header – Generate a custom image for a Google Form header based on the Form purpose and your preferred style. 

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/cra-math… 🧮 CRA Math Activity – Design Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) math activities aligned to grade level and learning targets.

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/single-p… 🎯 Single Point Success Criteria – Create a single anchor of success paired with tailored scaffolds and extensions for any grade level and content area.

‪DCU Library‬ ‪@dculibrary.bsky.social‬

It’s World Dracula Day! Why not take a break and sink your teeth into this excellent article: phsjournal.ie/article/pubi… It’s from the Policeman’s Helmet Soup Journal, a new undergraduate open access journal developed in collaboration with the School of English. 📚 🧛‍♂️#worlddraculaday

Resources:  

NCSS Position Paper on Middle Level Education

“Middle-level social studies is more than just learning facts—it’s about helping young learners understand the world they live in, their place within it, and how history, culture, and society shape their lives today. For students in grades 5 through 8, social studies is a critical part of their educational journey, where they begin to explore history, geography, civics, economics, and culture in a deeper, more interconnected way. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to see the relationships between past events, current issues, and their own lives, building a foundation for informed, active citizenship.”

https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/transformative-power-diverse-social-studies-education-middle-level-learners

Google Generative AI Course. 

As a teacher, we know your time is valuable and student needs are broad. With Generative AI for Educators with Gemini, you’ll learn how to use generative AI tools (like Gemini and NotebookLM) to help you save time on everyday tasks, personalize instruction, enhance lessons and activities in creative ways, and more.

https://grow.google/ai-for-educators

Web Spotlight:

Teachers union president calls for limits on AI and screen time in schools

“This can’t simply be a call for what should stop,” she told NBC News. “This needs to be a call for what we should be doing instead.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/randi-weingarten-teachers-union-limits-ai-screen-time-school-rcna346871

“Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation”: On the New “Learning Recession”

https://paulthomas701128.substack.com/p/talkin-bout-my-generation-on-the

Five Pillars, One Summer: A 1:1 Recalibration Plan — Not Another Viral Clip

https://andrewmarcinek.substack.com/p/five-pillars-one-summer-a-11-recalibration

Matt Miller’s Ditch That Textbook – AI Ideas

I saw Matt Miller’s post on AI literacy (https://ditchthattextbook.com/ai-cheating-considerations/)  and asked an AI on ways to make it work.  Here’s what I got:  

Matt Miller’s point is that AI can make the final artifact less useful as evidence of student learning, so the teacher should collect evidence of the student’s thinking along the way. He also argues that expectations need to be clear, not just “don’t use AI to cheat.”

1. Add a “Process Receipt” to every assignment

Instead of only collecting the final paragraph, slide, worksheet, poster, or answer, require students to turn in a short process receipt with it.

Tomorrow’s version: half sheet of paper or Google Form.

Student must answer:

1. What was the most important thing you learned?
2. What part was hardest?
3. Show one place where your thinking changed.
4. What is one decision you made that AI could not make for you?
5. If you started over, what would you do differently?

Why it works:
The product may be polished, but the process receipt reveals whether the student actually understands the work.

Teacher move:
Grade the final product lightly and grade the process more heavily.

Example:

• Process receipt: 10 points
• Evidence/accuracy: 5 points
• Final product neatness/completion: 3 points

This tells students: “I care more about how you thought than how shiny the final answer looks.”

---

2. Use a 90-second “Defend Your Thinking” conference

As students work, the teacher walks around and asks quick questions. This can be done with 5–8 students per class period.

Teacher says:

“Show me the part of your work you are most confident about.”

Then ask:

1. Why did you choose that?
2. What evidence supports it?
3. What is one thing you changed or improved?
4. What would you still fix if you had more time?

Why it works:
A student can turn in an AI-generated answer, but he usually cannot explain the choices, evidence, and revisions unless he actually understands the work.

Tomorrow’s version:
Keep a clipboard with student names and mark:

• ✅ Can explain thinking
• ⚠️ Partly understands
• ❌ Cannot explain yet

A student who cannot explain the work does not automatically “fail.” Instead, the teacher says:

“Good. That tells us this needs revision. Go back and make it yours.”

That keeps the focus on learning instead of turning the class into an AI-policing game.

---

3. Build the assignment in three visible steps: Think → Draft → Reflect

Do not let the final product be the first thing the teacher sees. Break the task into three quick checkpoints.

Step 1: Think first
Students write their first ideas without AI.

Examples:

• three bullet points
• a claim and two pieces of evidence
• a quick sketch
• a rough outline
• a vocabulary prediction
• a “what I already know” list

Step 2: Draft or create
Students make the product.

Step 3: Reflect before turning it in
Students answer:

“What changed from my first thinking to my final product?”

Why it works:
The teacher now has a trail. Even if AI helped somewhere, the student has to show growth from first thought to final work.

Tomorrow’s classroom example:

For a short writing assignment:

1. 5 minutes: Write your claim and two pieces of evidence.
2. 15 minutes: Write the paragraph.
3. 5 minutes: Underline one sentence you improved and explain why.

That turns the assignment from “submit a paragraph” into “show me how your paragraph was built.”

---

Best simple rule for tomorrow

Tell students:

“Your final answer matters, but it is not the only thing I am grading. I need to see your thinking, your struggle, your changes, and your explanation. AI can make a product. Only you can show me your process.”

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy are back to talk about seventh graders, writing, AI and more. Dave talks about Mercury Hazards.

Jokes:

I’ve only got two, maybe three MoTown puns left. Four tops. 

---

This morning I saw my neighbor talking to her cat; it was obvious the poor woman thought the cat understood her. When I got home, I told my dog… we laughed a lot.

---

Writing poetry about cats is purr verse.

---

Do you know where you can get chicken broth in bulk? 

• The stock market.

---

Three years ago, my doctor told me I was going deaf.

• I haven’t heard from him since.

---

Why is Peter Pan always flying?

• He neverlands.
• I like this joke because it never grows old.

---

You can summer in places and winter in places, but you don’t fall in places or spring in places.

---

What internal organ is located on children’s legs but not on adults?

• Kidneys.

---

For a town whose motto is “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” they sure sell a lot of souvenirs.

---

I got fired on my first day as a car mechanic after I was asked to change a tire.

• They didn’t like that I went missing for an hour and came back in a three-piece suit.

---

A man asks another man to lend him $10 until next payday. The second man says, ‘Sure, here you go. When’s payday?’ 

• ‘I don’t know. You’re the one with the job!’

---

Even Bob Marley seems concerned about this…

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Mercury Hazards

I was recently reading the April 10, 2026, NSTA Blog, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this blog I read an article written by Ken Roy. He wrote an article entitled “Mercury Spills in the Science Instructional Space: Hazards, Risks, and Safety Actions.”

Use of mercury in high school and middle school science classrooms and laboratory instructional spaces has well-known safety and health hazards and risks. Bottomline is don’t take any chances with safety and health-even to learn important science.

https://k12science.net/mercury-hazards

Reports from the Front Lines

• Subs
• How Many Days?
  • 25 days
• Break
  • Shawn’s Podcast Vacation
  • Troy’s Travel
• Email catch up
• Workflows

The Social Web

Susie Dent@susie_dent

Word of the Day is ‘frobly-mobly’, meaning ‘indifferently well’ – essentially the 19th-century version of ‘meh’. 

‪Eric Curts‬ ‪@ericcurts.bsky.social‬

EdTech Links for the Week of 4-27-26 – www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/05/LOTW… ⭐ Constellation Draw 📜 Talkie – AI from 1930 👀 Seek-and-Finds 🛟 TeachAid 📰 What’s New in Google 🧳 Google Takeout for Schools 💎 New EduGems #EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #GoogleEDU

‪Dublin City University‬   ‪@dublincityuni.bsky.social‬

Is it just a busy semester, or is it burnout? Writing for Wonkhe, Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons DCU Institute of Education explores the specific reality of educator burnout, moving past the “eye-rolls” to address a serious occupational phenomenon. Read more: launch.dcu.ie/3QDt0R8

‪Susie Dent‬   ‪@susiedentwords.bsky.social‬

A question: what are the things you wish there was a word for? And have you come up with your own word to fill that gap?

‪MiddleWeb‬ ‪@middleweb.bsky.social‬

REVIEW: A Human-Centered Approach to Using AI in Writing Instruction. Vogelsinger’s book models productive, reflective approaches to using AI, where student voices are centered & human thinking trumps artificial intelligence, writes teacher Michele Haiken. #edusky www.middleweb.com/53356/a-huma…

Strategies:

What’s Going On in This Picture? | April 27, 2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/learning/whats-going-on-in-this-picture-april-27-2026.html

Resources:  

AXIS The Culture Translator

Slang of the Week:  “You the Birthday”

The phrase “you the birthday” (also spelled “you da birthday”) can be used to refer to someone who has made themselves the center of attention—like it’s their birthday—either for a flattering or an unflattering reason. The phrase started because of the rapper Hunxho’s song “Birthday Girl,” where he says, “She eat, she the birthday girl,” with just enough space between the words “birthday” and “girl” that some listeners thought he was calling someone “the birthday.”

ATOMENCY

A browser-based chemistry platform for high school students and teachers. 12+ interactive simulators, a full assignment builder, and real-time feedback — all aligned to NGSS, AP Chemistry, and IB standards.

Atomency started as a personal frustration — the chemistry tools available at school were either locked behind expensive licenses or too simplified to be useful. So I built something better. This is how it happened.

https://atomency.com

Web Spotlight:

We’re Training Students To Write Worse To Prove They’re Not Robots, And It’s Pushing Them To Use More AI

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/06/were-training-students-to-write-worse-to-prove-theyre-not-robots-and-its-pushing-them-to-use-more-ai/

A Big False Assumption About AI In Schools

https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-big-false-assumption-of-ai-in-schools.html

Slang Added to the Dictionary in the Last Five Years

https://wordsmarts.com/new-slang/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI, AJ Juliani, Conferences, note-taking, getting “Clipped”, and more. Dave is out of this world this week. 

Jokes:

Imagine if you walked into a room and there was a long line of people waiting to take a swing at you. – That’s the punch line.

---

Cleaning windows is a pane.

---

Last night a cinema near me was robbed of over $1,000.

• The thieves took one large bag of popcorn, two large drinks and a pack of Skittles.

---

Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.

---

When I was 6, my dad took me into his workshop and said, ‘Son, someday, this awl will be yours.’

---

My grandfather invented the cold air balloon.

• It never really got off the ground.

---

And the award for best neckwear goes to…

Well, would you look at that! It’s a tie!

---

People make such a big deal about vegans, but I don’t get it. I’ve never had beef with one.

---

Light travels faster than sound.

• This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

---

A quarter-acre of undeveloped land may not seem like much to some people, but to me, it’s a lot.

---

I bought a new pair of gloves today, but they’re both lefts.

• Which, on one hand, is great, but on the other, it’s just not right.

---

I was 16 minutes late for my first math lecture, 8 minutes late for the second, and 4 minutes late for the third. 

• At this rate, I’ll never be on time.

---

A friend of mine has a bank account purely for buying raisins. 

• It’s a current account.

---

What’s the difference between a literalist and a kleptomaniac? 

• A literalist takes things literally. A kleptomaniac takes things, literally.

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Artemis II

I was recently reading the April 2, 2026, NSTA Blog, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this blog I read an article written by Christine Anne Royce. She wrote an article entitled “A New Dawn on the Lunar Horizon: #WeAreGoing.”

On April 1, 2026, the Space Launch System engines ignited, lift off occurred, and Artemis II headed to the moon. It carried the first four humans to venture into the deep-space proving ground in over a half century.  

https://k12science.net/artemis-ii/

Reports from the Front Lines

• A.J. Juliani
• Conference Notes

The Social Web

‪Eric Curts‬ ‪@ericcurts.bsky.social‬

EdTech Links for the Week of 4-6-26 – www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/04/LOTW… 📓 NotebookLM Webinar 🗯️ Graphic Novels Webinar 🎲 AI Games & Activities Webinar 📜 Poetry Projects 💎 New EduGems 🚦 Traffic Lite 🏫 SchoolAI Extension ⚛️ Atomency 🚨 Factile 

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/gallery-… 🏛️ Gallery Walk Activity – Design engaging, interactive Gallery Walk activities where students move around the classroom to explore bite-sized texts, images, and primary sources

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/reading-… 🎚️ Reading Level Analyzer – Determine the reading level of a text and help adapt the material as needed to make it appropriate for your students

💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/pbl-gene… 💡 PBL Generator – Design Project-Based Learning (PBL) units that prioritize student agency, sustained inquiry, and real-world connections

🎲 Upcoming Webinar: AI Games, Interviews & Activities for Student Learning www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/04/webi… 🔠 Games, interviews, debates, CYOA, more! 🧒 Whole class or individual 🏫 Any grade or subject 🗓️ Apr 21 @ 3pm ET ▶️ Live-streamed & recorded ✅ Register at link above

‪Ron King‬ ‪@mthman.bsky.social‬

Good morning from the #PNW #pnwonderland

‪AMLE‬ ‪@amleorg.bsky.social‬

Dive into AMLE’s SMS Course! The series lets you explore foundational, research-supported middle grades best practice in a flexible, self-paced, virtual format. Get real results with exercises & reflections throughout to help you embed these principles into your daily practice: amle.org/smsonline  

Resources:  

The Reason You Study Wrong (and why the system never told you)

The strategies that produce the strongest feeling of knowing are frequently the strategies that produce the weakest actual retention.

https://www.ajjuliani.com/blog/the-reason-you-study-wrong-and-why-the-system-never-told-you

AXIS The Culture Translator

Slang of the Week:  Clipped

Getting “clipped” has a few definitions, but we’re going to focus on the idea of someone candidly taking a bad photo of you. With the ubiquity of camera-equipped smartphones, there’s always the threat of someone snapping a picture when you’re mid-hamburger bite, with bad posture, or asleep on an airport bench. “Clipping” is often a harmless way to lovingly poke fun at each other, especially in a world with a “camera-ready” veneer, but, of course, it could also be used to bully someone.

I’m not a Regular Pimple, I’m a Cool Pimple

What it is: Pimples, a longstanding and infamous insecurity for young people, have evolved into an unexpected opportunity for accessorizing. 

Why people are putting stickers on their faces: Pimples are par for the course for teens. Now, instead of crossing their fingers, hoping nobody would notice their blemishes, young people are decorating them. Brands like Starface and Hero Cosmetics rose to popularity during the pandemic, but when in-person rhythms resumed, the patches remained— perhaps because it is easier to resist picking at your skin when you have a nice little sticker on it. And it’s not just teens—adults at the airport, grocery store, or even at work will rock them. While the trend has its haters, it also has influencers cashing in, including Hailey Bieber. Her brand’s newly-announced hydrocolloid patches, debuting next week, come in fun shapes like mushrooms, jelly beans, and bubbles, and retail for $16.  

Z.ai GLM 5.1 Open Source LLM 

GLM-5.1 is our next-generation flagship model for agentic engineering, with significantly stronger coding capabilities than its predecessor. It achieves state-of-the-art performance on SWE-Bench Pro and leads GLM-5 by a wide margin on NL2Repo (repo generation) and Terminal-Bench 2.0 (real-world terminal tasks).  

https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.1

Download at Hugging Face:  https://huggingface.co/zai-org/GLM-5.1  

Web Spotlight: 

Charcuterie

A visual explorer for Unicode. Browse the character set, discover related glyphs, and learn more about the scripts, symbols, and shapes that make up the standard.

https://charcuterie.elastiq.ch/#1D4E6

How to Deal With Teacher Burnout (Without Quitting Right Away)

https://truthforteachers.com/how-to-deal-with-teacher-burnout-without-quitting-right-away

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI, yes again, vacation, and more. Dave celebrates Citizen Science Month. 

Jokes:

What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?

---

So a duck walks into a pharmacy and says “Give me some chap-stick… and put it on my bill”

---

What do you call a romantic dinner on a hot air balloon?

• An update.

---

Don’t buy anything from a blacksmith!

Everything they have is forged!

---

I like the buzz I get swimming a mile off shore. 

• It’s pretty far out.

---

I thought about going on an all-almond diet. 

• But that’s just nuts.

---

It’s difficult to say what my wife does, she sells sea shells by the sea shore.

---

To be Frank, I’d have to change my name.

---

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

K12Science Podcast: Citizen Science Month

I was recently reading the April 1, 2026 NSTA Blog, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this blog I read an article written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled “Spark Curiosity This Spring.”

Citizen science refers to public participation in science. Opportunities for students to participate in authentic science practices can deepen their understanding of the world. One way to provide such opportunities is by incorporating citizen science experiences in the classroom and schoolyard during Citizen Science Month, this April.  For more information about Citizen science, visit the following websites:

https://scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth

https://scistarter.org/citizen-science

https://k12science.net/citizen-science-month/

Reports from the Front Lines

• “Vacation”
  • Math
  • Social Studies – 5th Grade
    • Michigan Open Textbooks – 5th Grade
    • Question Banks
    • Notebook LM -> Explainer Videos
    • American author: Phillis Wheatley
• Student Decisions
• Security
• Screens in Schools
• Artemis

The Social Web

AMLE@AMLE

Final Call! Today is the deadline to participate in this year’s global Middle School Student Sound Off: submissions must be completed by 11:59 p.m. ET.

Presentation proposals are now being accepted through April 10th for the 53rd Annual Conference for Middle Level Education. Do you have what it takes to present at the largest and most impactful conference for middle level educators in the world?   https://t.co/h1J5TlRMZm  

CETLUWI mona@CETLMONA

Join us for our upcoming workshop: “If This, Then What? Designing H5P Branching Scenarios ”  Build “choose your own adventure” style learning experiences, where student choices lead to different outcomes! Register here: https://tinyurl.com/4y7983uh See the flyer for more!

CETLUWI mona  @CETLMONA

Introducing our “Let’s Deal With It: Teaching Emphasis Series!”   Official Launch: April 1, 2026  12:00PM – 1:30 PM  Kickoff includes: H5P Page Tool Webinar “Teaching with AI” Libguides Exhibition  Happenings all throughout April & May: workshops, seminars & more!

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

As an aside, an unspoken rule in English known as ‘ablaut reduplication’ means we never dally-dilly on the way to a game of pong-ping while the bells go dong-ding. Nor, sadly, do we ever eat a KatKit.

‪MiddleWeb‬ ‪@middleweb.bsky.social‬

Review: CREATE A CLASSROOM OF MATH PROBLEM SOLVERS Word Problem Workshop offers a structured, daily routine that makes math problems less scary by building confidence, connections & wonder into each session. #edusky #iteachmath #mathED @routledgebooks.bsky.social www.middleweb.com/53257/creati…

Strategies:  

8 Ways to Squeeze Writing Instruction Into a Few Minutes

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/quick-writing-lessons

Resources:

Best Deaf Awareness Lessons & Activities

The following free deaf history and awareness lessons and activities highlight the accomplishments of deaf people in the arts, education, sports, law, science, and music.

https://www.techlearning.com/news/best-deaf-awareness-lessons-and-activities

Scholastic TV

Watch Scholastic TV

Now Free to Stream

https://www.scholastic.com/site/ScholasticTV.html

AXIS The Culture Translator

MeaningMaxxing

What it is: Teens are adding the suffix “maxxing” to anything and everything—why?

Where the trend came from: The concept of looksmaxxing, or maximizing one’s looks, was born out of the incel (involuntary celibate) community in the 2010s. What started in a niche online community has now spread far beyond it, and the original meaning of “maxxing” has evolved in the process. What is actually a sinister idea—spending all of one’s resources to fixate on upgrading one’s appearance—has given rise to adding “maxxing” to everything: Chinamaxxing. Matchamaxxing. Friendshipmaxxing. Boyfriendmaxxing. Fibermaxxing. Jestermaxxing. Yogurtmaxxing. You could be drinking a 16-ounce latte and call it “coffeemaxxing,” and nobody would correct you. Which means this suffix is doomed to the fate of most slang these days—to mean nothing at all.  

Web Spotlight: 

“Write In English” Is A New & Free AI Tool I Created That Is A Rough Approximation Of Something That Could Be Very Effective In Helping ELLs

https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2026/03/27/write-in-english-is-a-new-free-ai-tool-i-created-that-is-a-rough-approximation-of-something-that-could-be-very-effective-in-helping-ells/

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download