Doug Holton

Logbook Love : Metawriting A logbook (or log book) is a record used to record states, events, or conditions applicable to complex machines or the personnel who...

The logbook is the nexus of my pedagogy and practice as a writing teacher and that is why I love it.

The Learning Loop #6: Real-Time Feedback Strategies In This Issue: Stop lecturing at your students and start learning with them. Transitioning to active learning can be daunting, but this issue provides the exact toolkit you need to make it seamless. Check out these robust, low-cost alternatives to Mentimeter. Repurpose the Google Workspace tools you already own for deep classroom engagement. And, finally, don't miss this 3-step BoodleBox workflow (prompts included) designed to transform your lecture transcripts into high-impact "Exit Tickets" in seconds.

The Learning Loop #6: Real-Time Feedback Strategies

In This Issue: Stop lecturing at your students and start learning with them. Transitioning to active learning can be daunting, but this issue provides the exact toolkit you need to make it seamless. Check out these robust, low-cost alternatives…

How Teachers Can Use Google Gemini to Create Interactive Learning Objects A practical guide for K–12 educators on using Gemini’s interactive diagrams, simulations, and generative UI to design engaging, differentiated classroom content.

Google Gemini can now create interactive diagrams and simulations that students explore, not just read.
Here’s my practical guide.https://open.substack.com/pub/davidpblross/p/how-teachers-can-use-google-gemini
Tags:
#EdTech #AIinEducation #K12 #Teaching #GoogleGemini #InteractiveLearning

The letters "AI" in blue three-dimensional font against a red background.

Career Advice | How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor

Craig E. Nelson’s concept of “dysfunctional illusions of rigor” holds new currency in our AI age. https://bit.ly/3YH9GDm

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

Check out MindScript, too, where the prompts/instructions are comments on the code: mindscript.daios.ai

Evaluating Racial Bias in LLM Reasoning: Implications for Equitable AI Use in Education: https://osf.io/ynt3h

An illustration of a chatbot icon in neon colors against a black background.

Career Advice Reminder | Ask Your Students Why They Use AI

The answer may surprise you. https://bit.ly/4pewXqU

#AcademicSky #HigherEd #EDUSky

2 in 5 college students face food insecurity – colleges are working to help As grocery prices continue to rise, many college students are turning to their campus food pantry to help make ends meet.

As grocery prices continue to rise, many college students are turning to their campus food pantry to help make ends meet. n.pr/4pkenxQ

How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking Chatbots might help you get work done faster — but at what cost? When we outsource our reasoning to artificial intelligence, we reduce ourselves to "middle managers for our own thoughts," says AI and design researcher Advait Sarkar. He examines the cognitive trade-offs of using AI at work and introduces a different kind of tool: one that encourages critical thinking, nudges reflection and actually helps you get smarter.

How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking https://www.ted.com/talks/advait_sarkar_how_to_stop_ai_from_killing_your_critical_thinking
#AIEd

Firefox folks are interested in E2EE AI, too blog.ziade.org/2025/12/05/t... They mention flower.ai does this, apparently

What the internet backlash over remedial math at UC San Diego misses Limiting students’ access to college because they are deemed underprepared does not seem to do them any favors.

Multiple articles have reported allegedly alarmingly low levels of #math prep of students at @ucsandiego.bsky.social (buff.ly/L5TlNL3 ). We need to know how this is being measured because research has shown that traditional techniques have made many errors (buff.ly/9YyhCvW). #AcademicSky #highered

Ibukunoluwa Bukola, Meagan Sundstrom, Justin Gambrell, Colin Green, Adrienne L. Traxler, Eric Brewe: Measuring fidelity of implementation of named active learning methods in physics https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17699 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.17699 https://arxiv.org/html/2512.17699

Grand-Elf Funk Railroad

💎 70 Gems! www.edugems.ai

There's now a total of 70 Gemini Gems on my EduGems site covering:
💡 Curriculum & Lesson Design
📖 Literacy & Language
🧒 Student Activities
💯 Assessment
🔑 Support
💼 Professional Tasks

Use, copy & share for free!

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #GoogleEDU

Colleges Don’t “Over-Accommodate” Disabilities (opinion) A certain genre of articles skeptical of higher ed’s disability accommodation process fuels attacks on civil rights.

I'm exhausted of pieces that bemoan the state of accommodations in #HigherEd, which thoughtful ppl then devote precious time debunking. I'm grateful that there is a cadre of folks willing to do the labor represented in this piece, but can we just please STOP?! www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

(PDF) A Scalable, Theory-Based Intervention to Influence Teachers' Student Engagement Practices Improves Academic Performance in a State-Wide Sample PDF | What can be done about the crisis of student disengagement? A theoretical analysis led to a novel behavioral intervention that motivated and... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

A Scalable, Theory-Based Intervention to Influence Teachers' Student Engagement Practices Improves Academic Performance in a State-Wide Sample www.researchgate.net/publication/...
More about FUSE (Fellowship Using the Science of Engagement): fuse.prc.utexas.edu
#EdDev #EdPsy #Teaching

Text Shot: Fear-based framing dulls the pedagogical opportunities AI tools can provide. Emerging research illustrates how generative AI can support personalized and scaffolded learning that aligns with constructivist theories and Vygotsgy’s Zone of Proximal Development. Studies by Kanont et al. (2024) and Zheldibayeva (2025) describe the possibilities for AI to act as a learning buddy that enhances listening, writing, and other literacy skills. But when institutional framing casts AI as illicit, these learning supports become off-limits. This has troubling consequences for accessibility. Students with disabilities depend on AI-enhanced assistive technologies. Kuerban et al. (2025) demonstrate how specialized AI tools can provide essential support for learners with dyslexia by blending generative AI and augmented reality. For these students, AI is not an advantage but a bridge to equitable learning. Similarly, Zhao’s (2025) work shows how L2 learners use AI to strengthen reading,…

The Hidden Curriculum of AI Syllabus Statements: How Fear-Based Framing Shapes Student Behaviour and Academic Integrity academicintegrity.org/aws/ICAI/pt/sh… #AI #education

Motivating students isn’t magic – it’s music When students see purpose, believe they can succeed and know educators care, you won’t have to pull them through the course. They’ll walk, maybe even run, on their own. Brett Jones explains how to change their tune

Give students purpose, belief and support, and they’ll drive their own learning. Brett Jones shares how to make it happen: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/motivating-students-isnt-magic-its-music #HigherEd #AcademicSky #EduSky

Pause Before You Prompt Empowering Students to Evaluate AI Tools in a Values-Based Framework

New in The Important Work, Maggie Boyd writes about working with colleagues to create a tool to help students think about the choice to use AI and shares her experience using the tool to help Writing Center tutors talk to students about AI. theimportantwork.substack.com/p/pause-befo...

How Google’s Gemini 3 Could Revolutionize Project-Based Learning and Assessment in K–12 Google’s newest AI model, Gemini 3, may not be sparking joy for every classroom teacher — but that might change. I put the model through three classroom-centric tasks and found one function that left ...

Tried out Gemini 3 for real classroom tasks. Two were fine. One was jaw-dropping. Think time-stamped video feedback grounded in YOUR rubric.
Full blog post here: open.substack.com/pub/davidpbl...
#Education #GenerativeAI #ProjectBasedLearning #Gemini3 #EdTech #PBL #formativeassessment #assessment

Open Source Generative AI Index: openness leaderboard Evidence-based assessment of Generative AI openness: a comprehensive index comparing LLMs, text-to-image models, audio, and other Generative AI models

More open models on this EU open source generative AI Index osai-index.eu/the-index

Universities 'refusing to use AI checkers' are a light in the darkness for me, as it means that FOR ONCE they want to actually tackle a problem, not throw money at a flawed solution because it means they can get it off their list & stop thinking about it.

Navigating AI generated assessment and academic integrity standards Tertiary education has received a shake up since the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, challenging educators to rethink what truly constitutes student work and academic honesty. While AI-generated responses pose new questions about integrity, meaningful assessment design and deeper student engagement remain key to authentic learning. Discover strategies for defending against AI-produced submissions, fostering higher-order thinking, and nurturing ethical digital citizenship in today’s classrooms.

Consider the reasons why student may be driven to submit AI generated assessment: Are they overburdened with content? Do we explicitly describe the value in the development of the skills? Is the assessment aligned to the learning outcomes? Is this made apparent to the students? #AcademicSky #EduSky

Ludovic Petitdemange, Salom\'e Nashed: Enabling Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals to Pursue Careers in Science https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.17620 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.17620 https://arxiv.org/html/2511.17620

Thanks for sharing, I'll check it out. Try the open source Vibe app for whisper-based transcription. I've only used it on Windows, but it has Mac and Linux versions: thewh1teagle.github.io/vibe/

Text Shot: I encouraged this student to share his story at our next class meeting, which he did. Inspired by his bravery and honesty, soon other students began opening up. The stories students have shared across my classes have been revelatory to me. A student with aphantasia uses AI to generate diagrams and mnemonics in organic chemistry, compensating for the fact that she cannot form mental images. Another battling anxiety builds confidence by generating practice tests with ChatGPT, rehearsing so she no longer freezes at exam time. A commuter student turns dense readings into audio so she can review them while driving. One student identifying as on the autism spectrum told me she uses AI for social insights, such as how she could contribute to a group project without sounding “pushy.” A first-generation student told me she relies on AI to figure out what she needs to do in college: How to email a professor, what office hours are for, what an annotated bibliography is. A…

The Case for AI as Accommodation (opinion) www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/… #AI #education #accessibility

Researchers call for more conversation-rich learning as AI spreads Generative artificial intelligence could result in a renewed emphasis on conversational approaches to teaching, researchers say, as chatbots make it easier to bypass recall-based learning and test the...

Researchers call for more conversation-rich learning as AI spreads via @physorg_ @cambridge phys.org/news/2025-11... #EduSky #EduSkyAI #TLSky #EdTech #AIinEducation #aisky #ai #conversationalAI #socraticmethod

The Role of Prior Knowledge in Effects of Embodied Pedagogies on Learning: https://osf.io/qyjp9

This is a cool paper showing that first-gen college students don't realize a lot of unwritten rules that lead to success (the value of internships, student clubs, letters from professors).

But giving them access to an LLM for guidance significantly closes the gap. mgcuna.github.io/website/JMP_...

(PDF) How Faculty Fool Themselves about Teaching and Learning PDF | Last month I wrote about how students fool themselves into thinking they have learned concepts when they really haven't. This month I focus on how... | Find, read and cite all the research you n...

My essay for The Teaching Professor, "How Faculty Fool Themselves about Teaching and Learning" now freely available at ResearchGate
www.researchgate.net/publication/...