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Blog #6 -ExploreLearning Gizmos: A Review of Its Role in 3–12 Math and Science Classrooms

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ExploreLearning Gizmos: A Review of Its Role in 3–12 Math and Science Classrooms ExploreLearning Gizmos is an online library of interactive math and science simulations designed for students in grades 3 through 12. The platform includes over 400 virtual labs and simulations aligned with state and national standards. Gizmos are used to enhance conceptual understanding by allowing students to manipulate variables, visualize data, and explore complex systems in ways that traditional instruction often cannot provide. From modeling photosynthesis to experimenting with slope-intercept form, Gizmos offers interactive and inquiry-based learning experiences that support STEM education. One of the strengths of Gizmos is its flexibility across different learning levels and teaching styles. Teachers can assign simulations as part of direct instruction, use them to introduce new content, or implement them as part of a flipped classroom model. Students benefit from hands-on learning that encourages ...
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Blog #5 - Experimenting with AI for Engaging Lab Safety Lessons

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Experimenting with AI for Engaging Lab Safety Lessons This past year, I’ve started using AI to improve my communication with families, especially when it comes to writing emails or letters. As someone with a very direct personality, I’ve always struggled with written messages sounding too blunt or overly formal. Using AI has helped me find a more balanced tone, still professional, but with a softer and more approachable voice. So far, I’ve mainly used it to assist with parent communication, but recently I decided to branch out. Since I haven’t experimented much with using AI for lesson planning, I decided to explore ChatGPT’s Secondary Science Teacher tool to see how it might help me create more engaging lessons aligned with my sixth-grade science curriculum. I chose to focus on a unit I always begin the year with: lab safety. Each year, I mix up the activity I use to teach students the rules and procedures for working safely in our science labs. I enjoy keeping things fresh—but somet...
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Blog #4 - Voice Typing for All: Using Google Docs as an Adaptive Tool

Tool Name: Google Docs Voice Typing While Google Docs is widely used for collaborative writing and editing, one of its lesser-known but incredibly powerful features is Voice Typing, a built-in speech-to-text tool that can be used as an adaptive technology resource for students with learning differences, fine motor challenges, or language processing difficulties. How to Locate and Use Voice Typing in Google Docs: Access Google Docs by visiting https://docs.google.com and logging in with a Google account. Open a new or existing document. Click on the “Tools” menu and select “Voice typing…” A microphone icon will appear. Click it to start speaking. The tool will transcribe spoken words into text in real time. Speak clearly and include punctuation commands ("period," "comma") for accuracy. No extensions or installations are required. It’s already integrated into Google Docs and works in Chrome browsers! Google Docs Voice Typing can be a game-changer for students with d...
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Blog #3 - Using a Digital Microscope and Probe to Deepen K–12 Learning

Today’s classrooms have the power to bring the unseen world into focus—literally! One piece of educational hardware that is transforming how students observe, question, and explore the world around them is the digital microscope and probe. These tools allow learners to zoom in on everyday objects, living organisms, and chemical reactions in real time, with the ability to project images on screens or save them for deeper analysis. Unlike traditional microscopes, digital microscopes connect to a computer or interactive display, often via USB or Wi-Fi, and project magnified images onto a larger screen. Some include handheld probes that allow students to measure temperature, pH, salinity, or conductivity in real-time, making them versatile for cross-disciplinary use in science, health, and environmental education. These tools are especially useful in group investigations, student-led experiments, or even in virtual learning settings where multiple students need access to the same image or ...
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Week #1 Blog #2 - Information Literacy, Technology, and Digital/Media

This week’s materials explored the interconnected nature of information literacy, technology, and media/digital literacy in our increasingly complex and fast-paced digital world. The P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning clearly establishes that to be successful citizens and workers, individuals must exhibit "a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology" (P21, p. 5). These are not isolated skills but overlapping literacies that, when nurtured together, empower students to become responsible consumers and producers of information. Clay Johnson's podcast, Fake News & Media Literacy , really made me pause and think about my own information diet. Johnson describes our overconsumption of information, especially biased, low-nutrition content, as a public health issue. He argues that “the root of the problem isn’t just misinformation; it’s the lack of mindful consumption.” Just like eating junk food affects physical healt...
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Week #1 Blog #1 - Compare and Contrast the AASL and ISTE Standards

The article School Librarians Level Up! Transform Your Teaching by Unpacking the AASL Standards Framework and Implementing Shared Foundation V: Explore by Freedman and Robinson offers a first hand perspective on how the AASL Standards empower librarians to foster inquiry, innovation, and personalized learning through the lens of the Shared Foundation “Explore.” Using this as context, a comparison with the ISTE Standards for Students reveals both overlap and unique contributions each framework brings to modern educational practice. At their core, both AASL and ISTE standards advocate for learner agency, inquiry-based exploration, and digital fluency. The AASL’s Shared Foundations (inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage) emphasize the learner’s growth through reflection, creativity, and community involvement (AASL, 2018). In particular, the "Explore" foundation encourages curiosity-driven learning, risk-taking, and problem solving. This aligns closely with I...
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My name is Madison Frank and I live in Lake Wylie, South Carolina with my husband, our two year old son, and our cat, Nala. This is the most recent picture I have from Easter with my husband and my son. If you have spent any amount of time with a two year old, you probably know how rare it is to get a good picture with them!  This is my fourth semester in the Library and Information Science program with a dream of becoming a school librarian. I just finished my seventh year teaching sixth grade and hope to finish this program in May. In my spare time, it is rare to catch me without a book in my hand, spending time with my family, or teaching competitive dance.  If I could choose a song to play every time I walked into a room, it would be “Try Everything” from Zootopia. The lyrics, “Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up; nobody learns without getting it wrong,” really resonates with me. They remind me that mistakes are part of growth and that perseverance is key to le...
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