Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Category: Teaching and Learning

Learning Through Technology: AI in Education
I recently had the privilege of being a guest on the Learning Through Technology podcast, where I engaged in a fascinating discussion about the legal and ethical implications of AI in education. Guesting with me was Gretchen Shipley from F3 Law, whose expertise in education law brought valuable insights to our conversation.

As educators, administrators, and members of the education community, we’re all navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology in our classrooms and institutions. During the podcast, we explored critical questions about how to harness AI’s potential while ensuring we maintain ethical standards and comply with legal requirements.

Some of the key topics we covered include:
- The current state of AI adoption in educational settings
- Legal considerations when implementing AI tools in the classroom
- Ethical frameworks for decision-making around AI use
- Practical guidelines for educators and administrators
- The importance of maintaining academic integrity while embracing innovation
I believe this conversation comes at a crucial time as more schools and districts are developing their AI policies and guidelines. Whether you’re an educator already using AI tools, an administrator crafting policy, or simply interested in the future of education, I encourage you to listen to the episode and share your thoughts.

You can find the episode on the Learning Through Technology podcast platform. After listening, I’d love to hear your perspectives:
- What has been your experience with AI?
- What challenges have you encountered?
- What opportunities do you see for the future?
Let’s continue this important conversation in the comments below. Your insights and experiences can help shape how we collectively approach AI, both in education and the workforce.

Check out the podcast episide:

Fame Host
Spotify
Apple podcast

If you found this discussion valuable, please share it with your colleagues and professional network. The more voices we have in this conversation, the better equipped we’ll be to shape the future of education.
February 12, 2025
AI + SEL = More Empathetic Leadership: Join Me This Sunday!
I’m thrilled to be a guest speaker this Sunday at “SEL Sunday—Our Monthly Online Professional Learning Community” hosted by Dr. Cynthia Sistek-Chandler of National University! Join us as we explore the fascinating intersection of AI and SEL, and uncover how these two powerful forces can work together to create more empathetic and effective leaders.

In my presentation, I’ll be discussing the AI-powered tool designed to enhance communication and foster deeper connections within teams that I’ve been developing with Google Gemini. This isn’t just about improving workplace efficiency; it’s about cultivating a culture of understanding and emotional intelligence.

Think of it this way: AI can analyze vast amounts of data, providing insights into communication patterns and potential blind spots. By integrating SEL principles, we can translate this data into actionable strategies for building stronger relationships, improving conflict resolution, and promoting genuine empathy.

Here’s a sneak peek of what I’m putting together for my talk
- Real-world examples: I’ll share a few stories of how AI-powered SEL interventions have transformed workplace dynamics.
- Interactive exploration: We’ll engage in thought-provoking activities to experience the power of AI-driven SEL firsthand.
My goal is for this presentation to offer valuable insights into the future of empathetic leadership in the age of AI.

If you’d like to join the SEL chat this Sunday at 4pm PST, send me a message and I’ll get you the information.
December 5, 2024
Efficiency vs. Elimination: Rethinking AI Automation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, promising a future of streamlined workflows and maximized productivity. But in our rush to leverage AI’s power, are we focusing on the right outcomes? Is AI truly making us more efficient, or are we simply automating tasks that perhaps shouldn’t exist in the first place?

Efficiency vs. Automation: A Key Distinction

Efficiency is about doing things better, optimizing processes to achieve more with less. Automation, on the other hand, is about replacing human effort entirely. While automation can contribute to efficiency, it may not always be the preferred approach. Why?
- AI can augment human strengths, not replace them. Tasks requiring creativity, empathy, and critical thinking still benefit from human input. AI can analyze data, identify patterns, and automate repetitive steps, but it can’t tell us the hidden story behind the data and patterns.
- Not all tasks deserve automation. Some tasks may be inherently inefficient, and automating them simply perpetuates a broken system.
Using AI to Ask the Right Questions

Instead of simply automating existing processes, AI can help us ask better questions about the processes we are looking to streamline.
- Is this task truly necessary? Could AI help us streamline processes or even eliminate unnecessary steps altogether?
- Can AI augment human capabilities? How can AI assist us in making better decisions or perform tasks more effectively?
- How can we ensure responsible AI implementation? Clear guidelines and human oversight are essential to mitigate bias and ensure ethical use.
The Future of Work: A Human-AI Partnership

There’s a lot of fear about the future of work, and whether or not the dystopian Terminator and iRobot movie society will come to be. I truly believe that it isn’t about humans vs. machines. By leveraging AI for true efficiency, we create opportunities to focus on the high-value tasks while AI handles the mundane. This not only increases productivity but also fosters a more engaging and fulfilling work environment.
April 24, 2024
WHY WHY WHY… Keep asking WHY.

In a former life I was an Ed Tech Director. One day, my boss asked me to form a committee to develop a plan for a refresh of our classroom technology. He wanted to know what new classroom technology to buy, at what cost, and and on what timeline.

I responded. “Sure, but before I do, I have a question for you. Imagine you walk into a classroom and think to yourself, ‘Wow, THIS is the best example of teaching and learning I have ever seen. If only every teacher and student could have an engaging experience like THIS, the learning for students in our district would be off the charts fantastic.’ Can you please describe for me what it is that would make you think that?”

Why ask that question?

Technology is not the driver of learning. It seems ridiculous to have to say that, but I do.

I am part of a Facebook support group for teachers that use a specific technology product. A question was posed to the group:

Quickly teachers chimed in to offer ideas.

Here’s the thing…

The initial question didn’t ask what technology tools do teachers use to check for understanding or to provide for collaborative learning space. The question asked for “activities” that work for engagement. “Activities” signifies that the response should be a verb, but the responses were nouns.

Why is that?

Before I answer that, let’s look at Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle.

Source

Sinek’s Golden Circle asks people to start by defining the WHY. It’s what drives us to do what we do and how we do it. In education, people may define the WHY as standards, or high stakes testing, or maybe college and career readiness (the new buzz phrase) but it’s deeper than that. The WHY is (or should be) something along the lines of providing students with the skills, knowledge, and capacity to lead a meaningful life.

Once we have an idea of what those skills and knowledge should be (WHY), we connect it with the standards we are told to teach (WHAT) and develop objectives and lessons (HOW) that guide progress towards achieving the WHY. Without the WHY, we’re back to the old factory model of “Open head, pour in content, move to next grade” education system.

So what’s this have to do with that Facebook post?

The teacher asked for ways (i.e. activities) to engage students in a virtual context. I would have expected responses like this one:

“I post a photo of a Renaissance painting to facilitate student-led conversations using the Step Inside Thinking Routine so that students can explore the historical era through a persona perspective. I have them share their responses in breakout rooms so that they can engage in authentic conversations which my students seem to enjoy. They then share a summary of the conversation when we reconvene.”

This type of answer engages in WHY. I can see from it that the teacher’s WHY includes: collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, open dialogue, and reflective thought. It also shows the WHAT by connecting to world history and art standards. And there’s even some HOW in the explanation of the activity steps and the use of breakout rooms.

Technology products aren’t what create engagement or learning. People do that. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) defines engagement as the WHY of learning. It is how learners get engaged and stay motivated through challenge, excitement, or interest. Because engagement is the affective domain of the brain, “some learners are highly engaged by spontaneity and novelty while others are disengaged, even frightened, by those aspects, preferring strict routine. Some learners might like to work alone, while others prefer to work with their peers. In reality, there is not one means of engagement that will be optimal for all learners in all contexts; providing multiple options for engagement is essential” (UDL Guidelines).

“Some learners are highly engaged by spontaneity and novelty while others are disengaged, even frightened, by those aspects, preferring strict routine. Some learners might like to work alone, while others prefer to work with their peers. In reality, there is not one means of engagement that will be optimal for all learners in all contexts; providing multiple options for engagement is essential.”
UDL Guidelines

For every product that was shared on that Facebook question as an engagement method, I can list ways in which that tool could also be used to disengage students from learning. The tool is just a tool. A hammer is great, but not when I need to loosen a screw.

As teachers, we need to be careful not to get caught up in the edu-glitter of Ed Tech tools. Today it’s JamBoard. Before that it was a SmartBoard. And a white board. And way before that, a chalkboard. The tools shift, but our focus on the WHY should not.

Oh yeah, back to my story…

I never got a response from my boss. And so he never got a refresh plan from me.

February 6, 2021
Yes, the Kids ARE Falling Behind

I keep seeing this making the rounds and figured I’d break my self-imposed blog break by going on the record as dissenting to this claim.

This type of statement screams privilege.

There are millions of marginalized students NOT learning these so-called life skills right now. Millions! And not only are they not learning life skills. They aren’t learning at all. Some have disappeared completely from the system. Some are struggling to access even the most basic of technology services. And some are more concerned with food and safety needs than figuring out why their mic isn’t working on Zoom.

(Source)

Consider the teenagers who have chosen to work rather than return to school virtually – a trend particularly prevalent among low-income Latino families – who are now at greater risk of dropping out altogether from school (Source).

Consider the students with special education needs whose parents aren’t always equipped to help teachers fulfill their children’s IEP. If parents need to work, their child misses classes and meetings with specialists, which not only hurts academic progress, but essential life skills attainment as well.

There are many more groups of marginalized students who are also not learning right now.

So how exactly are these students learning the life skills mentioned by this “Bored Teachers” statement?

They’re not.

But you know who is?

The students from higher socioeconomic families that are not only learning those life skills, but may also be getting private tutors or extra parental support because their parents could take time off work or readjust their schedules. They’re continuing to plow ahead with the learning the millions of others aren’t getting.

So let’s not try to fool ourselves, or others, into thinking that all the students are just fine … that there’s no falling behind.

Look, I know 2020 is hard (unprecedented/impossible/etc), and the demands being placed on teachers is … well… there is no word for how crazy the demands are right now.

I get it.

But that doesn’t give us permission to ignore the reality of the situation, even if we are tired of hearing it. Because the truth of the matter is, there ARE millions of students falling behind.

November 28, 2020
Still Don’t Know Anything…

Still ruminating on my May post, entitled “I Don’t Know What I’m Doing“

Remember when we were teenagers and knew everything? My youngest daughter is there now. She’s 18, about to start college in a month, and knows it all. Until she doesn’t. And then she seeks me out, with her hands full of anxiety and doubt, and wants me to figure it out for her. Unless it’s cooking. She knows not to ask me about anything kitchen related. That’s a grandma question.

Even if it’s not cooking-related, I can’t always figure it out for her. Sometimes I can, but oftentimes I’m searching for the answers with her.

So when I see these books being published about how to teach during a pandemic, I’m quite honestly flummoxed. Even those of us who have been teaching via distance learning, independent study models for years don’t necessarily know how to teach during a pandemic.

Yes, I’ve taught college online for 12 years now. Yes, I’ve built and taught high school classes online. Yes I taught middle school in a 1:1 blended learning model. But those were all to people who either chose to learn in that environment, or were supported through trainings and tools before being expected to fully learn that way. Not people who were thrust there while also being worried about sickness, job loss, and bandwidth reliability.

I’m sure there’s many of us who have been in the exact same position as this kiddo!

So if you’re beating yourself up because you don’t have all the answers and you think others do, stop. Don’t buy from the snake oil salesperson. We’re all struggling, children and teachers and parents alike. It’s called “unprecedented” for a reason!

As I said in earlier posts, do the best you can and give yourself grace. Take care of your mental health by stepping away a bit. Call a friend and don’t talk shop (or do, if that helps!). Watch silly Tik Toks for a while. Pet a furry animal (as long as it isn’t rabid!).

Remember, none of us have all the answers. But I’m here, as well as thousands of others on Twitter, Facebook, etc., if you need someone to listen to your questions and ideate some potential responses or just to listen.

August 26, 2020