Adam Sparks

🚨Short Answer Update Alert! During response rounds, you can now:

✅ View student writing in real time
✅ Track word count
✅ Pause students
✅ Send writing back for revision

These updates grow directly from your feedback! You can preview them here: app.arcade.software/share/uwBurV...

YouTube video by Short Answer Pen Pals Tutorial

🥳 The updated Pen Pals is LIVE in Short Answer! AI "Pen Pals" argue about student responses. Students vote for the Pen Pal they agree with, then receive personalized AI feedback. Spark discussion, improve writing skills, & build AI literacy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBLe...

Copy/Pasting Settings

📣 Teachers, did you know you can turn students' ability to copy/paste into Short Answer on or off? Keep writing practice authentic, or give flexibility when it matters. Link to walkthrough: app.arcade.software/share/B36qow...

🎉Updates to Short Answer this month:

✨ Streamlined launch modal
⏱️ Timed writing (with research in mind)
📝 Auto-submission
🎲 Random Emoji Power Paragraph w/@eduprotocols
🎯 Quick Write difficulty levels

Learn more and preview the updates here: myshortanswer.com/5-back-to-sc...

A must watch episode is coming your way! We will be hear from @adamsparks.bsky.social of Short Answer to chat about his journey in education, the story of Short Answer, and what's next 🎙️

Tune in live on Saturday, or catch it after wherever you get your podcasts 💻

www.youtube.com/live/xq06mMw...

🎉 Team Short Answer is excited to share that we have officially partnered with @eduprotocols.bsky.social! To kick things off, we've built one of our favorite EduProtocols right into Short Answer: Random Emoji Power Paragraph! Learn more and demo it today at: myshortanswer.com/short-answer...

Epic run through Texas this week with @myshortanswer.bsky.social Had a blast presenting with @humbleisd-ddi.bsky.social, keynoting and workshopping at
Region 3, and webinar-ing with Region 9/10/11 on Friday! Back to school season madness 🤪!!

Team @myshortanswer.bsky.social had a blast leading a student-facing version of our AI Workshop in TAIWAN (!!) last week! The biggest surprise of being an entrepreneur is all the unexpected places it has taken us! You can learn more about our workshops here: myshortanswer.com/professional...

Team Short Answer had an INCREDIBLE first-ever (!!) #ISTELive25! We’re leaving feeling energized and inspired. Huge thanks to everyone who joined our session, stopped by the booth, or came to our happy hour! #WriteBetterTogether

Edtech needs more dialectical thinking As the anti-edtech movement grows, our community needs to start deliberately engaging with ideas and beliefs that are contrary to our own.

We're headed to #ISTELive25 this weekend. It's got me thinking about edtech, edtech conferences, and the growing anti-edtech movement. I wrote about it this week, and why I think we need to start engaging more with those who disagree with us: adamsparks.substack.com/p/edtech-nee...

Had a blast talking all things writing in the age of AI and @myshortanswer.bsky.social at the Region 10 Metroplex Social Studies Conference in Dallas today! Attended a great @eduprotocols.bsky.social session with Stephanie Conklin!! See you all in San Antonio at #ISTELive25 next week!!

Had a blast presenting @myshortanswer.bsky.social at the #SparkSummit2025 this week with the amazing Dianna Gaines! Dianna was one of the first teachers to EVER use Short Answer, it was an honor to be represented by such an amazing educator. Such an awesome event!

explAInED: Episode 010: Writing, AI, and the Future of Student Voice: Adam Sparks Returns explAInED · Episode

This time on explAInED, we are thrilled to welcome back
@adamsparks.bsky.social, co-founder and CEO of
@myshortanswer.bsky.social to discuss how we can leverage AI to enhance student learning while preserving the unique voices that make writing so impactful.
open.spotify.com/episode/4ZFI...

Short Answer Short Answer helps K12 teachers build better writers through more gamified, social writing activities for any subject. On this channel, you’ll find quick tutorials, activity explainers, webinars reco...

📚 Planning summer PD on Short Answer? Check out the updated Short Answer YouTube channel — full of quick tutorials, classroom demos, and expert-led webinars on writing instruction, assessment, and AI:
www.youtube.com/@myshortansw...
#edchat #ela #teacherPD

Classroom safe AI tools that are both COPPA and FERPA compliant? 👀

Here's part ✌️ our 💥FAVORITES!💥

📚 @bookcreator.com
📖 @bookji.bsky.social
🌊 @wakelet.bsky.social
💭 @quizizz.bsky.social
🎮 @gimkit.com
✏️ @myshortanswer.bsky.social
💜 Seesaw

Learn more ⤵️
buff.ly/XGAG9yb

#EDUsky #AIinEDU

Had a blast sponsoring the Central California @cueinc.bsky.social end of the year social last night! Thanks to everyone at CCCUE who came out! @myshortanswer.bsky.social is honored to support California educators!

😂 I hadn't even considered it tbh! You're welcome to fly in from Vermont btw, we'd love to have you!!

So excited to be presenting at the SPARK Summit in Indianapolis next month! Come check out my sessions on all things AI and K12 writing instruction! If you're in the area, you can register FOR FREE at: www.eventbrite.com/e/spark-summ... @nadinegilkison.bsky.social

PD & Workshops – Short Answer

You can learn more about our keynotes, workshops, and sessions here: myshortanswer.com/professional...

Very excited to be keynoting @R3ESC's literacy conference this summer in Victoria! Texas educators, we'd love to have you join us for an interactive discussion about AI and its implications for K12 literacy. You can learn more and register here: www.escweb.net/tx_r3/catalo...

In true @shaunlangevin.bsky.social style, we may or may not have had AI-McConaughey talking about the importance of clear AI policy in the K12 writing classroom 😂

Had a blast presenting on all things writing across the curriculum with the amazing Melissa Legate at #NETA yesterday!

🚨 New feature alert! Students can now export their writing and feedback from Short Answer to .Docx files for further refinement in Word, Google Docs, or other tools. Explore a quick walkthrough here: app.arcade.software/share/GJQO2W...

🚀 The Quick Write public beta is LIVE in Short Answer until April 14th! Quick Write is our first AI-powered activity. Students collaborate to hit a class goal score, then reflect on AI feedback together. Preview it below and try it for free at: myshortanswer.com

Had an absolute blast at #SpringCUE this week presenting and meeting so many incredible CA educators. Leaving completely exhausted and completely reenergized!! #CUEHike

When I demo this use case, I sometimes use essays I had my social studies classes write about the pros/cons of the electoral college as the example. That said, I think it fits with many of the "argumentative writing" common core standards

One use case I like is for persuasive writing. Essentially, students use AI as a “Sparring partner” where they share their thesis and main supporting evidence and then AI tries to poke holes to deepen their thinking.

Writing Instruction for the Age of AI Workshop – Short Answer

Learn more about Alexa and I's workshop here: myshortanswer.com/writing-in-t...

Had a blast leading our Writing Instruction for the Age of AI workshop with elementary staff at Hays USD yesterday!!

Check out this great new AI in EDU pod with some amazing instructional coaches from Vermont! Really enjoyed this conversation!!