Hi everyone,

I've missed writing to you. I was doing something more important. I was spending my dad's last days with him. I wrote about this season on my blog.

Today, I'll give you a quick round up of useful tools and topics to help you in your classroom. Also, I hate to tell you, "I told you so" but the Alpha school that boasted AI and just a few hours of schoolwork needs a closer look with this article from Wired.

Language Teaching is Being Improved with AI Pronunciation Practice. If you teach a language, first, second, third or more, you'll want to read about the AI pronunciation feedback tool, Speakable, and how my friend Dawne Beck has used it to improve her Spanish 2 classroom. She also talked about it on my 10 Minute Teacher Podcast today.

Keeping Kids Safe from AI. We all need to pay attention to the wrongful death suit against ChatGPT. The teen involved started using ChatGPT for homework and it encouraged him not to tell anyone about his struggles and even told him how to tie the noose. This is every parent (and teacher's nightmare) and we have to be talking to kids. In this show I share the slides, words, and conversations about this topic that I have with students, parents, and colleagues.

Math Fact Ideas. Two remarkable educators, Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams and Dr. Gina Kling, share how to teach math facts with fun and games (but how time tests are not helpful.)

Teaching Tips and Tricks. I have four awesome interviews in this Cool Cat Teacher Talk Show:

• Dr. Barbara Blackburn talks about rigor in the classroom and in our lesson plans.
• Dr. Desiree Alexander shares productivity tips for teachers (a must listen to for beginners or those struggling with organization)
• Barb Flowers shares three ways to stress less
• Mari Beasley shares ways to have AI help you be more productive

In some news of note I'm sharing with my students:

• ​Deloitte was caught using AI (that wasn't checked) in an expensive report given to the Australian government resulting in hearings. Discuss: The importance of checking AI and the typical error rates of many different AI tools.
• The Atlas browser from Open AI is fantastic in many ways. It is not if you think about a student now being able to highlight text, open the chat in the browser and get a quick answer. However, for me typing checklists, sub plans, and other content, I find it incredibly useful.
• The Comet browser is from Perplexity but I don't find it nearly as useful as Atlas, perhaps because I've used ChatGPT more.
• Yet again, be direct and not polite with AI for better results, the research says so. I've never said please and thank you to any AI tool. I don't thank my vacuum cleaner, either.
• Adobe rolled out so amazing AI art tools. Adobe Firefly is a full creative AI studio now. Adobe Express has so many amazing student projects in their education version. We've been creating animated videos and so many fun activities. If your school has it, you'll want to go in and try some of the fun activities during the holiday season.
• Canva also rolled out new features. Lots of AI. I think the most useful features are their new video features which clearly compete with Capcut and don't put watermarks on the videos - for free!

Cool Cat Teacher Talk Expands

After some great trends in the first year of Cool Cat Teacher Talk, more FM and public access television stations have picked up Cool Cat Teacher Talk and we'll also be coming to a streaming platform near you. Here's the current info on where you can find the show:

🎙️ Where You Can Hear Cool Cat Teacher Talk on FM Radio

Tune in to Cool Cat Teacher Talk on these FM and HD stations across the U.S.:

• WDJY FM 99.1 — Atlanta, GA (Wednesdays 4–5 PM)
• Denver 92.9 FM / 89.3 HD3 — Colorado (Twice weekly)
• KPFA 94.1 FM — Berkeley, CA
• Texas Public Radio — San Antonio, TX
• WZQR FM — Florida Panhandle

You can also listen anytime online or through partner station streams.

📺 Watch Cool Cat Teacher Talk on TV Nationwide

Catch Cool Cat Teacher Talk each week on community and public access television across the U.S.:

• PAC 8 Community Television — New Mexico
• Fairfax Public Access (Channel 10) — Washington, D.C. Area
• California Channel 26/27 — San Francisco, CA
• New York Channel 77 — New York City, NY
• NCTVNH (Channel 18) — Newport, NH
• Urbana Public TV (Channel 5) — Urbana, IL
• DCTV — Washington, D.C.
• CNJN — New Jersey
• NCTV — Newington, CT
• BronxNet — Bronx, NY
• TV18 — Detroit, MI

This has been so exciting! Check your local listings. Did I just say that? I'm so glad that so many people are interested in classroom teachers and what all of us teachers are doing to reach kids every day! We need positive stories of what works as well as wise uses of technology to be spread. Thank you to all of you supporting the shows and this newsletter.

In Conclusion

This has been a tough season but a sweet one. I've kept teaching with the support of my family but there were some days -- that last week of Dad's life where I had to miss. And I have no regrets.

I'm grateful for an amazing dad (and mom). I'm still here. I'm moving forward and doing my best.

One of the last things I promised my Dad was to tell the truth even when it is hard just like he did for farmers, I'll do for teachers to the best of my ability. I don't know everything but I sure have gotten to meet a lot of remarkable teachers.

I hope this week is amazing for you!

I remain joyfully in your service,

Vicki Davis
@coolcatteacher