MSM 708: Gradual Release in Middle School
Summary:
Shawn and Troy talk about AI, learning, executive functioning, and more. Dave builds literacy. (*Note there is a short time of scratchy audio, not the whole show)
Jokes:
I before e except after c has been disproved by science.
Believing in 12.5% of the Bible makes you an eight-theist.
My friend lost her job as a set designer…
She wasn’t very happy about it, but left without making a scene…
I said to the gym instructor: Can you teach me to do the splits? He said: How flexible are you? I said: I can’t make Tuesdays.
Teacher: Give me a sentence using the words defense, defeat, and detail…
Me: When a horse jumps over defense, defeat go before detail…
If the Internet had a boat, where would they park it?
- In Google Docs.
Just saw a guy running down the road with a cape on, so I shouted, ‘Hey! Are you a superhero!?’
He yelled, ‘No, I didn’t pay for my haircut!’
Can you believe it says in the Bible that men should make their wife’s coffee every day?
Yep, it’s right there in Hebrews.
I blame Mother Earth for all earthquakes.
- It’s her fault.
What do you have if you meet a cranky sheep and cow?
- Animals in a Baaaaaad Moooooood
This space is for puns only. Anyone posting videos of themselves playing music with friends should consider themselves banned.
When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you’re just sitting there, staring at carpeting?
Ever caught yourself wondering…
How much does a Grecian earn?
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
K12Science Podcast: Building Science Literacy
I was recently reading the May-June, 2026 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue, I read the Science 101 column written by Matt Bobrowsky. It was entitled “Q: How Can I Build Science Literacy for Lifelong Learning (Using Thermal Insulation)?”
We can build science literacy by teaching students that science is a process of asking questions, testing ideas, using evidence, and explaining results — skills they will use far beyond the classroom.
https://k12science.net/building-science-literacy/
Reports from the Front Lines
ISTE 2026 Part Trois
Interesting Educational Tech
Pen Camera IPEVO P2V ULTRA Object Camera (Full Pack) (Best in Show)
GradeBox gradebox.ai
Viewsonic TD3207 Touchscreen monitor. https://www.viewsonic.com/us/products/monitors/touch-screen-monitors/td3207.html
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!!!!
Starting the think about Return to School
Calendar
Computer Associations/Curriculum Associations
Dues
Reasons
How many?
World Wide Web Day
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
Bernie Goldbach “topgold” @topgold.ie @kolebri.bsky.social
while watching students write with AI, some researchers saw their subjects seek out red threads of personal outlines, discarding AI suggestions theconversation.com/college-stud…
MiddleWeb @middleweb.bsky.social
NEW: Imagine Teacher Sharing Across 5 Generations When one generation of teachers dismisses another, both lose the chance to listen, learn, and grow in our intergenerational workplaces, writes Dr. Debbie Silver. #edusky #edleadership #teachersky #principalsky www.middleweb.com/53842/imagin…
Larry Ferlazzo @larryferlazzo.bsky.social
This Week’s Free & Useful Artificial Intelligence Tools For The Classroom larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2026/07/28/t…
As the new school year approaches, invest in yourself with AMLE’s virtual experiences for middle level educators. You’ll find opportunities to learn, connect, and stay engaged on the AMLE Events Calendar: amle.org/events
Resources:
Google Earth & Nano Banana
Take images on Google Earth and transform them using Nano Banana 2. For example, go to the Roman Forum in Rome and use the Nano Banana integration to take it back to 4 BC. Keep in mind that it modifies the current image, not recreate the Earth so that it is an exact historical representation of the Roman Forum in Rome in 4 BC.
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/earth/nano-banana-google-earth-image-generation
Buzz – Slack for Agents
“Buzz is a free, open source team workspace built by Block (Jack Dorsey’s company) and released on July 21, 2026. It looks like Slack: channels, threads, DMs, voice. With one fundamental difference: AI agents aren’t integrations or bots. They’re team members with their own cryptographic identity, their own permissions, and their own audit trail. It also ships code repositories, which puts it in competition with GitHub too.”
https://4geeks.com/en/blog/ai-powered-learning/what-is-buzz-jack-dorsey-slack-alternative
National History Day 2027
“The theme for National History Day® (NHD) 2027 is Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change. Innovation goes beyond creating new tools or devices to finding new ways of thinking, organizing, and influencing society. To put it simply, innovation, at its core, is about change and the impact of that change.”
https://nhd.org/en/contest/theme/
Web Spotlight:
The “August-Ready” Digital Cleanout: Organize Your Teaching Files This Summer
https://blog.tcea.org/the-august-ready-digital-cleanout-organize-your-teaching-files-this-summer
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