The conversation in the newest episode revolved around the integration of AI in education, with Cindy and co-hosts sharing their experiences and insights on the potential benefits and challenges. They discussed the importance of balancing creativity and policy, and the need for hands-on guidance for teachers to understand AI's potential in the classroom. Cindy emphasized the importance of starting with personal time audits and offloading tasks to AI, and stressed the value of modeling appropriate AI use and developing prompt engineering skills in students. They also highlighted the potential of AI to improve engagement and pedagogy in the classroom, and to enhance student learning outcomes.

Resources

• School Leaders Project Podcast
• Toddle: The World’s First AI-enabled LMS
• UNESCO - Artificial intelligence in education
• UNICEF - Generation AI - Engaging stakeholders to build AI-powered solutions that help realize and uphold child rights
• The 3P’s
• provision: for basic needs such as food and housing
• protection: from abuse, from degrading punishment or arrest without a proper judicial process
• participation: to express their views on all matters that affect them and have those views taken seriously
• Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs

Mentioned in this episode:

Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Toddle

Your personal teaching assistant Now access the limitless power of AI, right inside Toddle. Elevate your teaching practice and liberate yourself from non-core tasks so you can focus on what matters most - your students! Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more about our vendor partner.

Meet Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one platform. Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more!

Learn more about Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one great platform! Learn more: https://www.toddleapp.com/

This episode covers transitioning from a public school to an independent school, as well as the impact of technology on elementary education today. Our guest introduces us to his many passions, including his professional development event, ShiftinEdu. The group addresses introducing AI to young students safely and appropriately, emphasizing inclusivity and diversity, while tackling challenges in providing technology to all students, regardless of financial background.

Resources

• Felix’s website
• St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School
• ShiftinEdu
• Photo of Felix and Luciano Pavarotti

In this episode, Sarah Enterline Roch discusses her professional journey, including her current role at St. Mark's School, and highlights the challenges elementary school students face with establishing their identities. She delves into strategies for enhancing the quantity and quality of hard-to-acquire personal data, emphasizing the need for collaboration among various roles within institutional research to achieve significant outcomes. Sarah also shares practical advice for those new to institutional research, touching on data governance, privacy policies, and the benefits of a unique identifier across multiple systems, while illustrating how effective institutional research has led to positive changes in educational settings.

Resources

• Center for Institutional Research at Independent Schools (CIRIS)
• St. Mark's School
• CIRIS Data Culture Assessment
• ATLIS360 Self-Study Guide, thoroughly evaluate how your school utilizes technology and the effects it has on the school
• Principles of Good Practice: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age, from NAIS
• Student Thrive Index Model (located lower on the page), measure how your students experience various aspects of school life

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one great platform! Learn more: https://www.toddleapp.com/

Meet Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one platform. Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more!

In this episode, our hosts converse with two longtime friends and technology leaders (and colleagues of host Bill Stites!) about their career paths and proactive strategies for driving technology initiatives. They explore the importance of disciplined, intentional approaches to today's challenges, along with thought leadership and tracking goals. The discussion also covers breaking down silos and aligning talents with tasks to foster a collaborative, innovative environment.

Resources

• New Canaan Country School
• Teachers College, Columbia University
• Columbia University School of Professional Studies
• Explain Everything, online whiteboard for teaching. Create interactive lessons, record video tutorials and collaborate real-time with your students.
• Blending Leadership: Six Simple Beliefs for Leading Online and Off
• Make Yourself Clear: How to Use a Teaching Mindset to Listen, Understand, Explain Everything, and Be Understood
• Making the Case, Substack
• Insight to Inquiry, MKA podcast
• Klingbrief, free monthly e-newsletter containing readings of particular relevance to independent and international school educators. From the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University's Teachers College
• Montclair Kimberley Academy

Mentioned in this episode:

Meet Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one platform. Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more!

Learn more about Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one great platform! Learn more: https://www.toddleapp.com/

Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Toddle

Your personal teaching assistant Now access the limitless power of AI, right inside Toddle. Elevate your teaching practice and liberate yourself from non-core tasks so you can focus on what matters most - your students! Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more about our vendor partner.

In this discussion, our hosts and guest explore AI adoption in independent schools, sharing strategies and experiences to enhance its use among teachers and students. Stacia emphasizes integrating technology to meet diverse student needs and discusses the benefits and challenges of AI in tasks like writing comments and recommendation letters. She stresses the importance of ongoing professional development and open dialogue to navigate AI's role in education. Stacia also touches on her career transition and offers advice, along with insights into cell phone policies and the broader impact of technology in education. She underscores her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in creating safe, inclusive school environments.

Resources

• St Patrick’s Episcopal Day School
• Rowland Hall
• Rowland Hall policy on AI
• NAIS Snapshot: Phone Regulation at a Glance, analysis of recent survey regarding phone regulation (NAIS members only)
• From Folding Chair to Permanent Seat at the Table, article by Stacia McFadden for ATLIS’s magazine, Access Points
• Eric Hudson episode of Talking Technology with ATLIS

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one great platform! Learn more: https://www.toddleapp.com/

Meet Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one platform. Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more!

Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Toddle

Your personal teaching assistant Now access the limitless power of AI, right inside Toddle. Elevate your teaching practice and liberate yourself from non-core tasks so you can focus on what matters most - your students! Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more about our vendor partner.

Our hosts and guest discussed the challenges of staffing, considering evolution of school technology, and strategies for developing future technology leaders. They also covered the importance of retaining technology employees through competitive incentives and offered advice for women aspiring to technology roles in independent schools.

Resources

• Stevenson School
• Lucid Charts
• Susan Baldridge episode of Talking Technology with ATLIS

Mentioned in this episode:

Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Toddle

Your personal teaching assistant Now access the limitless power of AI, right inside Toddle. Elevate your teaching practice and liberate yourself from non-core tasks so you can focus on what matters most - your students! Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more about our vendor partner.

Learn more about Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one great platform! Learn more: https://www.toddleapp.com/

Meet Toddle

Developed by experienced educators, Toddle streamlines curriculum planning, projects & portfolios, assessments & reports, and online learning - all from one platform. Visit https://www.toddleapp.com/ to learn more!

ATLIS’s Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (TLIS) certification was launched through a collaborative effort involving subject matter experts and a diverse group of volunteers. This episode’s guests shared their experiences in creating the program while describing their personal motivations and the value gained. The exam's development and validation were also discussed, along with the program's growth and impact of the volunteers’ efforts. Aspiring IT professionals were encouraged to trust themselves and have confidence in their abilities when earning the TLIS certification, as it demonstrates their knowledge and value to their community.

Resources

• ATLIS Certification
• ATLIS Certification Mailing List
• TLIS Prep Program, July 26-27, 2024; Phoenix, AZ

From a keynote panel at the ATLIS Annual Conference 2024, in Reno, Nevada, panelists discussed the importance of developing AI literacy and ethical understanding alongside traditional skills to prepare students for the future job market, suggesting that independent schools implement guard rails around AI to address ethical concerns and equip students with the skills needed to become curators of AI in their day-to-day lives. They also highlighted the likelihood of AI affecting various job types over the next decade, underscoring the necessity of preparing students with the skills necessary to navigate this changing landscape.

Resources

• 9ine, specialists in data protection, tech, and cybersecurity
• Mission Impact Academy (MIA), online education platform
• Tarja Stephens on LinkedIn
• Mid-Pacific Institute
• Paul Turnbull on LinkedIn
• Pandata, AI design and development
• Cal Al-Dhubaib on LinkedIn
• The Future of Jobs Report 2023, Word Economic Forum
• The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise, quarterly reports from Deloitte
• Brandeis Marshall, data equity strategist
• Durable Skills, website