The AI Crutch: Are New Teachers Leaning Too Hard on Bots for Lesson Plans? (Part 1)

 

photo credit: showme.missouri.edu 

As the advancements in Ai and Web 2.0 become more and more sophisticated, we must pause and reflect on what is right for our new educators who are new the the profession. No matter if the rookie educator is in the classroom or a corporate trainer, is Ai and Web 2.0 right for them?  Or, are we doing more harm than good? 

Much of the blog, CTRL+ALT+Learn,  has been devoted to the benefits of incorporating Web 2.0 and by extension Ai into pedagogy.   I must be transparent on my bias however.  I am not new to the game.  I have been a corporate trainer for leadership skills and I am a veteran teacher who has the testing data to back up my opinions and classroom strategies. My tool belt is full of tricks and strategies that are easily incorporated on the fly if something doesn't work in the classroom or in front of the PD group.  

Without touching on the legalities and pitfalls of creating "rogue" lesson plans not associated with an adopted curriculum/ textbook, what does the research data say about Ai/ Web 2.0 curated lesson plans?

This 2 part blog will look at 6 topics that mentors and rookie educators alike need to grapple with as we head into a new era in pedagogy: (Part 1) Pedological Bias, Context issues, Reduced Professional Development, (Part 2) Diminished Critical Thinking Skills, Time vs Quality, Ai as a Tool. 

Risk of Pedagogical Bias and Outdated Approaches

Both the rookie educator and the mentor educator alike need to understand the context in which Ai are "trained" in order to offer responses to inquiry.  Ai at this moment is not creative as humans understand creativity.  Ai have to be "trained" on existing data. This data may be outdated, perpetuate myths (ie learning styles) and may not align with current best practices in education for the district/corporate entity. For example, a study in 2025 by Bodong Chen et al. (click here for article)  

"found that AI-generated content predominantly promotes teacher-centered classrooms with limited opportunities for student choice, goal-setting, and meaningful dialogue"

Lack of Contextual Awareness and Accuracy Issues

Ai does not understand who your learners are, the context in which you are requesting the plans, the adopted text book, or even the culture of the district/company you work for.  A study done in 2023 by  Jeff Goodman out of Appalachian State University (click here for article)  highlights the inaccuracies of Ai in creating science curriculum and the lessons not being suitable for grade level, student needs, and local curriculum standards. 

Potential for Reduced Teacher Professional Development

The struggle is real for new educators.  However, it is in that struggle that new educators must grapple with complexities of the craft. The act of lesson planning itself is a critical cognitive exercise that helps educators connect with the content deeply, while at the same time anticipate learner challenges to the instructional strategies. Kathleen Kennedy's article (click here for article) quantifies the potential for diminished teacher agency and the need for proper training. 

More Than Textbooks: Engaging Students with Blogs & Vlogs

 Reflecting on the Experience

As this 12 week blogging experience winds down, I pause to reflect on this experience and how blogging can be a benefit to the secondary and higher education classroom. The experience has been a journey to say the least. The journey did have its rewards tough. I once took a Microsoft Educator certification years before the pandemic, and in that set of courses it spoke of the benefits to discourse and discussion:  

"Group discussions build community, increase knowledge construction and sharing, and develop valuable communication skills for students. Unfortunately, traditional live discussions can also leave voices unheard. Traditional discussion can also create anxiety for students who need more time to consider responses or who struggle to participate in fast-paced, in-class discussions. Modifying group discussions to better meet the needs of all students increases engagement and breadth of contribution." www.learn.microsoft.com 2025 (click here for website) 

Key Take Aways

• Meet students where they are:  Whether you understand it or not, your students are already immersed in content creation and consumption, you might as well leverage their strengths. 
• Empower the Student Voice: Allow your students to move past being passive consumers of information. Give them a platform in which to authentically and safely share their ideas. 
• Motivation Through Authentic Audiences:  Unlike assignments only read by the teacher, blog and vlogs increase student motivation and the relevance of their work

While it is unlikely that a district will support an open forum blog such as the one you are reading, there are lots of classroom safe alternatives.  So, where do you start?

Start Small:  Start with a low stakes project that allows the student to acclimate themselves to the idea of blogs or vlogs.  Something that is 1 to 2 minutes long and can be posted on Canvas or Blackboard but still allows for other students to view each others work. 

• Scaffold the process
• Focus on Content over Production
• Ensure Safety and Digital Citizenship
• Feedback:  make sure you are responding and encouraging the students in a timely manner.  
• Facilitate don't Dictate
• Assess what you Expect 

Digital Citizenship Curriculum: A Reflection on Perspective

 Photo Credit: www.alternative.partnership.co.uk

Reflection

Kahyne and Bowyer in their 2019 article titled "Can media literacy increase digital engagement in politics?" (click here for article) bring up a great question to reflect on, can classroom level digital engagements lead to increased political engagements? 

It really does depend on the perspective in which we are teaching digital citizenship in the classroom. Are we teaching Web 2.0 in a positive light with emphasis on the benefits or are we making social media out to be the big bad wolf of the teen age world.  

Digital Citizenship Curriculum. 

The question of perspective really does warrant a bit of research.  How are we as teachers portraying social media to our students.  For the answer, lets look at a few of the titles associated with the accepted curriculum per the State of Florida via their third party vendor. (Click here for website) 

Here are a few of the curriculum topics per the web site CommonSense.Org.

• Digital Media and your Brain
• Social Media Digital Footprints
• Sexting and Relationships
• Responding to Online Hate Speech
• Being Aware of what you Share
• Big Big Data

This is the whole list of the required 8th grade curriculum.   Keeping in mind that this curriculum comes a year after Florida students take their state required Civics class in 7th grade. So essentially our Florida students are educated and encouraged to be Civically active in their community in 7th grade but in 8th grade when they start to want to dip their toes in the pool of online civic interactions, we in no uncertain terms go to great lengths to reinforce how horrible social media can be. 

In reflection of Kahyne and Bowyer's question of increased political engagements... the answer in the State of Florida maybe be a sad... no

Back to School, Back to the World: Google Earth for Global Learners A Teacher's Guide to Virtual Exploration

 

Photo Credit: icon-library.com

Post Summer Slump & the Promise of Google Earth

Since its inception in 1998, Google Earth has always been a spectacle of curiosity. With a new teaching year quickly coming up on teachers, maybe its time to revisit Google Earth to see what the most updated version can do for the secondary classroom.

Adventure Awaits: Subject-Specific Explorations with Google Earth

With the advent of the 1 to 1 classroom and in some classrooms the introduction of VR to the classroom tool belt its time to check out Google earth and its Virtual Adventures or Digital Field Trips. 

• Geography/Social Studies:

Virtual Expeditions: How to use Google Earth for virtual field trips to ancient civilizations (e.g., Rome, Machu Picchu), historical battlefields, or current event hot zones.

"Time Travel" with Timelapse: Showcase the Timelapse feature to observe environmental changes (e.g., urban growth, glacier melt) or historical shifts over decades.

• Science:

Ecosystem Exploration: Dive into diverse biomes and geological formations.

Environmental Impact: Visualize human impact on the environment from a global perspective.

• English/Literature:

Literary Journeys: Tracking character journeys in novels (e.g., Around the World in 80 Days, The Odyssey) or visualizing the settings of famous stories.

Setting the Scene: How Street View can immerse students in the atmosphere of a story's location.

• Mathematics:

Real-World Measurements: Using the ruler tool to calculate distances and areas, connecting geometry to real places.

Coordinate Games: Fun ways to practice latitude and longitude.

• Arts/Architecture:

Global Galleries: Touring famous architectural wonders or exploring art installations around the world.

Your Tool Kit for Success: Getting Started This Fall

Student-Led Projects:

Encourage students to build their own "stories" or "tours" using placemarks, custom paths, and embedded media (photos, videos, text).

Examples: "My Family's Heritage Journey," "A Tour of World Landmarks," "Mapping Our Local Ecosystem."

Collaborative Learning: Discuss how students can work together on shared Google Earth projects.

• Start Small: Don't feel overwhelmed; begin with one virtual field trip or a simple coordinate activity.

• Utilize Voyager: Point out Google Earth's Voyager feature for pre-made lessons and inspiration.

• Explore Google Earth Education Resources: Mention the availability of lesson plans and tutorials.

Share Your Success: Take the challenge! Try one out in the beginning of school! 

The Unofficial PD: Why Teachers Can't Get Enough of Pinterest

Photo Credit: www.gettingsmart.com

 Beginning teachers are flocking to Pinterest for classroom ideas...but why Pinterest? Pinterest is  a visual search engine that allows for users to quickly browse hundreds of pins at a glance.  Many times new teachers know what they want but struggle locating the resources in their district resources. 

Pinterest as a PLN (Professional Learning Network)

Above the realm of  Pinterest being a visual search engine, Pinterest is able to provide for the beginning teacher a hold harmless networking group that the teacher can freely ask question to and received advice from other veteran teachers. 

Downloader Beware

In a recent study by Sihua Hu (click her for article) the researchers found that early career teachers (ECT) are curating articles and lesson plans at very high rates.  However, the quality and rigor of the lesson plans had a tendency to be lower level cognitive engagements. "74% of the tasks curated in lesson plans, according to Blooms Taxonomy. fell into the Remember and Understand Categories." 

Leadership: The Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

 

Photo Credit: bemycareercoach.com

So you have bought into the collaborative learning and produsage idea, a plan has been made and your team is in the beginning stages of their journey into the world of social media (Web 2.0) learning. As a leader, you will need to know what this experience could look like on an individual level. 

Four Digital Learning Personas in the Workplace

Sarah Prestridge in her 2019 article (click here for article) provides a general categorical  framework in which your new digital learning employees could fall into.  Keep in mind that these are generalizations of the characteristics that engaged users exhibit so that you as a leader can leverage their strengths and maximize the digital learning opportunities. If an employee falls outside the generalizations, they may need to be gently nudged or mentored into the right direction. 

• Info-consumer: Many employees consume corporate training materials (e.g., e-learning modules, policy documents, recorded webinars) passively. Understanding this group allows trainers to focus on clear, concise, and easily digestible content.

• Info-networker: Employees often use internal social platforms (like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or enterprise social networks) or professional platforms (like LinkedIn) to share industry news, ask questions, or discuss best practices with colleagues. Corporate training can leverage this by facilitating discussion forums, peer-to-peer learning groups, or mentorship programs.

• Self-seeking contributor: Some employees are proactive in sharing their expertise, contributing to internal wikis, creating how-to guides, or presenting on specific topics. Recognizing and encouraging these "internal experts" can foster a culture of knowledge sharing and self-generated content.

• Vocationalist: These are the highly engaged employees who actively seek out, contribute to, and champion continuous learning within the organization. They might lead training sessions, mentor new hires, or curate external resources. Identifying and empowering them can create powerful internal learning champions.

Pinterest: Post Campaign Thoughts

 

Photo Credit: www.mochee.com

Post Campaign Thoughts

After running a two week campaign to gauge user interactivity, a few things popped out at me that I was not expecting. 

As with any campaign, the content creator or business has to go where the potential clients are. According to Printiful.com in their 2025 article (click here for article) "As of April 2024, 69.4% of Pinterest users are women, while only 22.6% are men. The platform’s focus on visual content, DIY, fashion, beauty, and home decor continues to attract a predominantly female audience" With such a high rate of female users I decided to set two campaigns against each other; "Cocktails vs Mountain Getaways"

Strengths of Pinterest

According to Pinterest they are a visual search engine that provides the following strengths to content creators and businesses: 

• Drive Traffic: Pins linked to your website or blog can bring a significant amount of traffic.

• Increase Brand Awareness: Visually appealing Pins can introduce your brand to new audiences.

• Generate Leads/Sales: If you sell products, Product Pins and shoppable features can lead directly to purchases.

• Inspire Action: Since users are on Pinterest to do things, your content can directly influence their decisions.

• Evergreen Content: Unlike chronological social feeds, Pins have a long lifespan. They can be discovered weeks, months, or even years after they are published, making your content work for you over time.

The most surprising of the 5 Pinterest strengths was the "Evergreen" effect.  From the data analysis I saw that with in the 2 weeks that I ran the campaigns, there was very little drop off in engagements over the course for the 2 weeks.  This is a marked difference between Pinterest and the other social media platforms in which there is a large drop off in engagements over the same amount of time.