Welcome to Something to Read, to Watch, to Hear, a monthly newsletter by me, Katie Novak, with a focus on inclusive practices, education news, helpful resources, and life! I'm so glad you're here.
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Onward.
Hi there,
Here are a few things to kick off your week.
📖 Something to Read:
Many of you may already be back in the classroom. Others will be kicking the school year off in the next few days. As you set up your classroom for the new year, remember to involve your students in co-creating classroom expectations (Here are some tips!) This will set the tone of authenticity, engagement, and expert learning. Even if you've already shared your classroom norms, having students unpack what they look like in practice is never a waste of time.
🔊 Something to Listen to:
I am a big fan of Sheldon Eakins and his podcast Leading Equity. In his latest episode, he talked with one of my forever work besties and co-author, Kristan Rodriguez, about how to implement MTSS and UDL for equitable student success. One of my favorite parts of the episode is around the 23-minute mark when Sheldon and Kristan discuss getting staff buy-in when it comes to making changes.
📺 Something to Watch:
If you're kicking off the year and need to explain why UDL is necessary to your colleagues, check out one of these quick and dirty videos about UDL. All are 3 minutes or less!
Every day, there seems to be a new AI tool that can make our lives a little more efficient. I know there are mixed feelings about the tools, but as I say to my kids, they are at least worth a "No, thank you" bite (just like asparagus!) The tools will never replace a teacher's ability to connect with students, provide targeted instruction, and create a community that is joyful and rigorous, but they can pinch hit as a personal assistant, a brainstorming partner, and a muse for all things education. Here are two new tools to try out.
Magicschool.AI has a rubric generator, a syllabus builder, and a lesson planner, and those are just a few of the many tools they offer. Think of it as a ChatGPT designed just for educators.
Two colleagues of mine developed Ludia, a UDL chatbot to help you create success criteria for firm goals and to identity potential barriers and eliminate them through design. Meet Ludia here.
😄 Something just for fun!
As I collaborate with schools to kick off the new year, I am always enamored by the themes - sailing, baseball, etc. When I spoke in Tucson, the administrators were thrilled I got the memo and dressed like a sailor. Hilariously, I did NOT get the memo. Guess I'm just always ready for yacht rock chic! Would love to see what other fun themes you have in your school - please share them with me!