Summary:
Shawn and Troy talk about going back to school, AI in education, and more. Dave takes the kids out, er, outside.
Jokes:
What kind of trousers does a ghost hunter wear?
- Just a paranormal jeans
What do you call a man with 3 eyes?
- Seymour
Jokes about defection aren’t usually my favorite, but they are a solid #2.
If you’re attacked by a mob of clowns…
Go for the juggler.
Never challenge death to a pillow fight.
- Unless you’re prepared for the reaper cushions.
The Energizer Bunny just got arrested.
They charged him with battery.
The robbers took everything from my house, but I’m most upset they took my mirror. I can’t see myself without it.
I’m never again donating money to anyone collecting for a marathon.
They just take the money and run!
Did you know there’s no official training for a garbage collector?
They just pick it up as they go.
Did you know that 10 plus 10 and 11 plus 11 equal the same thing?
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
K12Science Podcast: Taking Students Outside
I was recently reading the May/June, 2026 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue I read an article written by Gregory MacDougall. He wrote an article entitled “Taking Students Outside: A Framework for Making Science Real.”
Gregory shared a four-part framework for outdoor science instruction:
1. Explore the school grounds with purpose.
2. Connect standards to outdoor phenomena.
3. Plan specific student actions using the science and engineering practices.
4. Extend learning through reflection and action.
https://k12science.net/taking-students-outside/
Reports from the Front Lines
“The Innovators”
Substitute Application
RSS Feeds
Orientation
School Start
Vibe Coding Options
The Social Web
Dublin City University @dublincityuni.bsky.social
Transitioning back to school can feel overwhelming for neurodivergent children. Dr
Leanne Connolly of DCU Institute of Education
shares tips on using visual schedules, adjusting bedtimes, and practising everyday skills to ease anxiety. Read in Irish Examiner: launch.dcu.ie/4bU81kS
MiddleWeb @middleweb.bsky.social
REVIEW: TOOLS TO BUILD STUDENTS’ MATH AGENCY Rather than prescribing one way to teach, Kristen Smith offers smart ideas & practical frameworks teachers can match to their own contexts, says Amy Leach. #edusky #iteachmath #math @routledgebooks.bsky.social #mtbos www.middleweb.com/54039/cultiv…
We are proud to announce the 2026 Class of AMLE Schools of Distinction! 🎉Gather ideas for successful middle school best practice in our mini PD library at amle.org/sod. We can’t wait to celebrate these schools at #AMLE26: The Annual Conference for Middle Level Education in Nashville this November!
Brickfield Education Labs @brickfield.bsky.social
Resource spotlight: Accessible images, by WebAIM There are many additional accessibility principles and techniques regarding images. Explore some techniques on how to create accessible images Visit: webaim.org/techniques/i… #BrickfieldTips #Accessibility
Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social
New PD Session – AI Prompts for Language Arts – www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/08/ela-… ✨ Loads of AI prompts for literacy, reading, writing & language 📄 Free resource document 💻 Free slideshow #EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech
Strategies:
ACE in Math: Three Questions That Show Real Understanding
Here is a simple way to use ACE during conferring, tutoring, or homework help:
| ACE Step | Ask This | Listen For |
| Articulate | “What is this problem asking?” | The student can explain the situation in plain language |
| Connect | “Why did you use that operation?” | The student can give a reason, not just name a rule |
| Extend | “Can you make up a problem like this?” | The student can use the idea in a new situation |
https://blog.tcea.org/ace-in-math-three-questions-that-show-real-understanding
Resources:
MyNotes: Cognitive Surrender
https://mguhlin.org/blog/2026-07-14-mynotes-cognitive-surrender
Students are anxious – and it’s no surprise, since we are teaching them to be that way
The Rithm Project
Showing parents and students the relationship between humans and AI. The Spark Project has resources to use with both parents and students. The AI Effect is a resource game to play with students to get them to talk about evaluating the use of AI in schools.
https://www.therithmproject.org/products and https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q3dXSuMKPGApjIapxFga1UBwGxJme9kl/view?usp=sharing for their free AI Research Conversation Cards.
Scriblit
My Short Answer is now Scriblit. Same AI writing support activity with some new features and still district level purchase only for the full suite of tools.
Documentary Heaven
Brainrot Posters for Middle School
Social Studies based posters addressing middle school brainrot . . .
Web Spotlight:
What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing?
Stop Defining Human Skills by What AI Cannot Do
Every list of essential human skills I have read in the last three years was assembled the same way. Someone looked at what the current AI models could not do, wrote those things down, and called it a framework.
- In 2023 the list included long-form writing. Then it did not.
- In 2024 it included coding. That one is going fast.
https://www.ajjuliani.com/blog/stop-defining-human-skills-by-what-ai-cannot-do
Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career
This study uses difference-in-differences models to evaluate the impact of early social media use on academic performance among children aged 7–16 years. A dataset comprising 5,227 students from northern Italy was constructed by merging data from a questionnaire on lifetime digital media habits with longitudinal standardized test scores in Italian, English and mathematics. Participants who created a personal social media account in 6th, 7th or 8th grade were separately matched with late adopters who initiated their first social media account in the 9th grade or later. The findings provide compelling evidence that early engagement with social media adversely affects learning outcomes. Additional findings on the effects of early social media use on other academic outcomes for which we do not have longitudinal data are in line with our main findings. We also find supporting evidence that a substantial part of this negative effect is mediated by students’ smartphone pervasiveness in key moments of the day.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-026-02522-4
‘I hate what AI is doing to the minds and happiness of the young’: Katherine Rundell on the view from the classroom
Education is at a crossroads, argues the author and academic. Should we embrace new technology in the name of efficiency, or is it time to fight back?
Facebook Billionaires Walkout on Impoverished Students
The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education
Using 30 months of panel data on 26,811 Chinese students in grades 7-12, we study how generative AI affects homework productivity and learning. The data combine monthly closed-book exams, high-school and college entrance exams, and homework scores and completion time across nine subjects. We exploit staggered AI adoption in a difference-in-differences design. AI adoption raises homework scores by 18% and reduces completion time by 30%, but lowers monthly exam scores by 20% within six months. High-stakes entrance-exam scores fall by 18 and 24%, with the full penalty emerging only after about two years. The losses are largest in social science subjects, followed by STEM and languages, and are especially large for junior students, high-achieving students, and boys. The learning losses are concentrated among roughly 80% of AI users whose behavior is consistent with homework outsourcing, as indicated by exceptionally short homework completion time coupled with high homework scores. AI users who maintain similar homework completion time as non-AI users experience small learning losses.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6868618
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