Summary:
Shawn and Troy share AI thoughts, children safety, and more. Dave talks about AI (with the correct embed this time).
Jokes:
What’s the longest word in the dictionary?
- Smiles, because there’s a mile between the two S’s.
They tried to make a diamond shaped like a duck.
- It quacked under the pressure.
I went to the zoo yesterday
- The first exhibit was ciabatta
- The second a baguette
- The third a brioche
They were all bread in captivity
What do you get when you cross a rabbit with a water hose?
- Hare spray.
How does a scientist freshen their breath?
- With experi-mints!
Have you ever heard of a music group called Cellophane?
- They mostly wrap.
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
K12Science Podcast: AI and Scientific Information
I was recently reading the July/August 2026 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue I read the section “Fact-or-Faux” written by Jonathan Osborne. He wrote an article entitled “AI – Friend or Foe?.”
Can AI help in detecting misinformation? Can it sort fact from faux? Here is a three-step process to help:
1. Get it In — Put the claim into AI
2. Track it Down — Track down the source
3. Follow Up — Follow up by asking more questions of AI about the source of the claim.
https://k12science.net/ai-and-scientific-information/
Reports from the Front Lines
- Subbing – getting closer
- MDSTA Conference
- Student Support
The Social Web
Ross Carroll @rosscarroll.bsky.social
A poem for the students using AI to write their papers.
Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social
🍳 NEW Recorded Webinar: Your Brain on AI: Moving from Crutch to Catalyst – www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/10/aibr… 🤖 AI overreliance hurts critical thinking & creativity 💪 Wrestle, Rap, Reflect framework helps students learn with AI ▶️ Free webinar & resources #EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech
💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/retrieva… 🧠 Retrieval Practice Generator – Design quick, low-stakes retrieval routines such as Spaced Warm-Ups, Challenge Grids, Guided Brain Dumps, or Rapid Flash Cues
💎 New EduGem: www.edugems.ai/gem/low-floo… 🪜 Low Floor High Ceiling – Transform traditional, closed-ended, or one-size-fits-all classroom tasks into dynamic Low-Floor, High-Ceiling (LFHC) learning experiences
Tues, October 13 at 4 p.m. ET: Join middle level leaders from across the country for AMLE’s next Leadership Roundtable focused on the opportunities, challenges, and evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools. ow.ly/JcnY50ZVKTX
Check out the amazing line up of Keynote, Featured, and Rising Star Presenters coming to AMLE26, November 4-6, 2026! Stay tuned for the full schedule coming later this month! Join us for the most comprehensive conference for middle level educators in Nashville! 🎸amle.org/annual/speak…
MiddleWeb @middleweb.bsky.social
NEW: Is Being “A Nation of Readers” Still Possible? Scripted science of reading programs won’t solve the reading crisis says literacy expert Laura Robb. Listening to stories and reading real books is fundamental. #edusky #teachersky
Strategies:
Resources:
Wheel of Spins
Jatin Sharma reached out to share a resource.
Building Healthy Digital Habits: A Guide for Families
https://support.apple.com/guide/aap-apple/welcome/web
I’m a Child Psychiatrist. Screens Are Not the Problem.
AXIS: The Culture Translator
Maybe Dr. Seuss
What it is: When asked by Interview Magazine (language), “What’s the last book you read?” influencer Alix Earle replied, “I’ve never read a book. Like, maybe Dr. Seuss.”
Why people are freaking out: The response to Earle’s comment has ranged from “Being an illiterate person is not the flex you think it is” to “I had no idea she was this funny.” Earle became a TikTok celebrity by making GRWM (get ready with me) videos as a college student at the University of Miami, and her latest night routine video shows her cheekily reading Dr. Seuss before bed. The mix of outrage and apathy in the comment section feels like a microcosm of how people feel about literacy in the US. Teachers and readers are sounding the alarm after data showed less than half of US adults read a book in the last year. On an average day, 15- to 19-year-olds read for just 9 minutes, according to the 2024 American Time Use Survey. As more people turn to short-form video for entertainment over books, it makes sense that one of TikTok’s most popular creators is not a big reader.
Middle-Schoolers Are Seeking Out AI Friends Instead of Real Human Ones
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/ai-chatbot-use-middle-school-a1a77589
200 Curated Books to Excite Your Middle Grade Reader, Based on What They Already Love
https://mainedeck.substack.com/p/200-curated-books-to-excite-your
Organize Historical Events with Printable Event Maps
https://blog.tcea.org/organize-historical-events-with-printable-event-maps
Web Spotlight:
Just Delete Me
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