October 23, 2024

Hello Reader,

This week’s newsletter is all about preparing for the unexpected—from emergency lesson plans to new tools that spark deep conversations. Inside, you’ll find exclusive resources, including a debate lesson plan with real-world topics like AI ethics and TikTok addiction, plus a password bellringer that doubles as PD. We’re also wrapping up National Principal’s Month with tips on thanking administrators, and I’ll introduce Parlay, an AI tool transforming student discussions. Don't miss the latest episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk on self-care, plus my conversation with Dr. Tracie Anderson Swilley, NASSP Principal of the Year, in the 10-Minute Teacher podcast. Let’s dive in, reflect, and get organized—so when life throws us a curveball, we’re ready to hit it out of the park!

Table of Contents

📄 Beautifully Formatted Content from AI with Markdown

🔒 Teach Strong Passwords: Digital Security Bellringer & Quiz

💬 Debate Lesson Plan & Hot Topics from Headlines (with AI resources for teaching about the election)

🤖 CustomGPT: A Quick Lesson for Older Students

💡 5 Ways to Encourage Gratitude in the Classroom

🎉 3 Ways to Thank Administrators

💬 New AI Tool: Parlay for Student Discussions

🚀 Chrome Tip: What To Do When Your Tools Stop Working

🎙️ Cool Cat Teacher Talk: Self-Care Episode Goes Live Wednesday

🎧 10-Minute Teacher Podcast: Dr. Tracie Anderson Swilley on Leadership

💭 Closing Thoughts: Juggling Life’s Rubber and Glass Balls

Let’s dive in!

📄 1. Get Beautifully Formatted Content from AI

Did you know that you can have beautifully formatted content from your favorite AI Chatbot. AI uses something called "markdown." I'm creating a lesson for my students from the "AI Chatbot File Compatibility for Educators" written by Miguel Guhlin for TCEA. This is a must-read and must-share even if you think you're a pro.

• TIP: Dillinger Markdown Editor is a cool tool that can help you edit and convert markdown.

🔒 2. Password Bellringer: Teach Digital Security Skills

This quick and engaging bellringer helps students understand the importance of strong passwords. It’s a great activity to weave into your emergency lesson plans for upper elementary, middle, or high school students. (I've also tweaked this and used it for teacher PD.)

​Download the password-bellringer1.pdf​

• TIP: pair this lesson with Google’s Phishing Quiz to deepen digital literacy.
• For younger students use the Password Duel Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5 from Science buddies or Password Power-Up from Commons Sense Education.

💬 3. Debate Lesson Plan & Evidence Journal

I have taught debate to middle schoolers for years and thought I'd share it as a thank-you for those of you who subscribe to this newsletter. This multi-step lesson helps students build debate skills over several days. Students also collect information in their evidence journal.

• ​Debate Lesson Plan [PDF]
• ​Evidence Journal [PDF]

Some Debate Topics from the Headlines:

Use it to spark deep discussions on hot topics and here are two we're debating in my classroom:

• Should AI be allowed to kill? Silicon Valley is debating this now. (We thought landmines were bad! I believe AI should never be allowed to decide whether a human dies. This is one of those issues we should bring to the forefront of conversation.)
• ​It takes 260 videos to become addicted to TikTok - and TikTok Knows it. This might be a good article to discuss the ethics of social media design and how many videos it takes to get someone "hooked." (As well as what we do if we become addicted)

🔥MIT has a wide range of AI Literacy Units that you can use if you don't want to use a debate format and they also have an AI and Elections mini-curriculum you can use that was just released last week.

🤖 4. CustomGPT Chatbot: A Tool for Older Students

If your students have permission to use AI and are older, you can use this custom exploration tool to discuss the use of Custom GPT's. (I used this as an emergency lesson plan in my classroom last semester.)

​Understanding Custom GPT's [Word DOCX]

💡 5. 5 Ways to Encourage Gratitude in the Classroom

Explore simple ways to foster gratitude with your students. Perfect for elementary through high school. Read here.

🎉 6. Thanking Administrators: Wrap-Up of National Principal’s Month

Show some appreciation with 3 ways to thank your administrators as we close out National Principal’s Month. Listen to the podcast.

💬7. New AI Tool: Parlay for Student Discussions

I’ve been testing Parlay, a conversation-based AI tool that tracks discussions chronologically and even generates follow-up questions. This tool promotes equitable class discussions by giving every student a voice. Check out Parlay.

🚀 Chrome Tip: What To Do When Extensions Stop Working

One of my teachers recently found that Brisk Teaching stopped working—until they signed out and back into their Chrome browser. Now, Brisk is back to generating quick slides and higher-order thinking prompts.

Pro tip: If extensions stop working, try signing out of Chrome and back in. Another way to help is you can clear cookies as well.

Cool Cat Teacher Talk: Self-Care Episode Goes Live Wednesday

• This Week’s Topic: Self-Care for Educators
  • Watch it on YouTube this Wednesday: Subscribe here to get notified when it drops.
  • If you’re in Atlanta, tune in live on WDJY 99.1 FM at 4 PM for this week's episode. Stream here.
• This week's 10 minute teacher Episode: Dr. Tracie Anderson Swilley, the NASSP Principal of the Year, will join me to talk about leadership and education transformation across grade levels.

💭 Closing Thoughts: Juggling Life’s Rubber and Glass Balls

Today as I write this, my dad came home from the hospital, and I’ve been reminded how life can stop when a loved one needs you.

I want to share some wisdom I learned from Ivenue Love-Stanley, the first African-American woman architect in Georgia. She said:

Her words have stayed with me as I reflect on how important it is to prioritize the "glass" things in our lives. That’s why having emergency lesson plans ready is so important—it gives us the freedom to step away when we need to, knowing that our students are still in good hands.

I’ve also been reading Adam Grant’s book, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. One lesson that stands out is how customer service reps who used Firefox or Chrome stayed longer in their jobs and were happier—not because of tech skills but because they didn’t accept defaults and looked for better options. This insight makes me reflect on where I’m accepting defaults in my life and where I can find better ways forward. Whether it comes to workflows or teaching, I do not want to be one who settles.

My precious mentor Mrs. Grace Adkins died last week. I interviewed her in 2017 when she was in the prime of her teaching career at age 89. She's my hero.

Thank you for being here and for the incredible work you do every day. We’re in this together.

Joyfully in your service,

Vicki Davis
@coolcatteacher