Take a Minute: Appreciation, Apology, Aha!

Appreciation, Apology, Aha!

Question: Can you improve classroom culture in just a few minutes a day?

Check out this 60-Second Strategy for a quick, low-key way to build community in your classroom on a daily basis.

Take a Minute: TUMS at the Door

 TUMS at the Door

Question: How do you connect with each student every day?

Check out this 60-Second Strategy for a simple greeting at the door to forge a strong teacher-student bond.

Take a Minute: Respond, Reflect and Review

Respond, Reflect and Review

Question: How do you help kids get comfortable with peer feedback?

Check out this 60-Second Strategy to help students practice giving and receiving feedback--and get them out from behind their desks!

Take a Minute: Framing the Lesson

Framing the Lesson

Question: How do kids know what you want them to learn?

Check out this 60-Second Strategy to help make your teaching and learning goals clear to your class. When you do so, every activity has a purpose and every student understands what they’re doing.

Take a Minute: Shout Outs

The theme of this year's blog, Take a Minute, is meant to provide you with teacher-tested strategies to support a variety of classroom practices for every grade level. Each week, I'll be sharing a "60-Second Strategy" from Edutopia--literally, a one-minute video that may provide inspiration on topics like students' social-emotional well being, cooperative learning strategies, classroom management techniques, assessment strategies, teaching practices, and more! Although a given video may be geared toward a particular grade level, most, if not all, of the strategies can be modified to suit your specific classroom needs. 

Shout Outs

Question: How do you build Community in the Classroom?

Check out this 60-Second Strategy to nurture a positive, supportive atmosphere in your classroom with fun and fast peer shout-outs!

Summer 2024 Professional Learning Recap

Welcome back to school! If you didn't get a chance to attend the Summer Professional Learning Summit on July 17th, you are welcome to check out this link for a re-cap of the event. The link contains the full line up with workshop titles, descriptions, and links to the various slide decks that were presented. To be perfectly candid, I have never seen so much enthusiasm for a Summer PD event! We had over 100 educators in attendance with 30 sessions to choose from. A special debt of gratitude is owed to our teacher-leaders for stepping up and sharing what works in the classroom! Feel free to check out the slide deck below for some of the feedback and celebrations from a great day of professional learning!

New AIdeas: Unleashing the Power of AI Voices with ElevenLabs

(Audio made with ElevenLabs; Video made with HeyGen)

In today's multimedia world, engaging audio can be a powerful tool for enhancing learning. This week, let's explore ElevenLabs, an AI platform that allows you to generate realistic, versatile, and contextually-aware AI audio. Imagine crafting personalized audio lessons, bringing historical figures to life with their own voices, or creating engaging audio activities – all with the help of ElevenLabs!

ElevenLabs: Your AI Audio Studio

Think of ElevenLabs as your personal AI voice acting team. It allows you to create high-quality audio in over 29 languages using a vast library of existing voices or by uploading your own custom voice samples.

Here's a glimpse into what ElevenLabs can do:

• Effortless Voiceovers: Craft captivating audio narrations for presentations, documentaries, or even student projects. Choose from a variety of AI voices or upload your own recordings.
• Personalized Learning: Generate customized audio lessons with different voices and accents to cater to diverse learning styles. Imagine a science lesson delivered in a captivating science fiction narrator voice!
• Historical Immersion: Breathe life into historical figures. Upload a transcript of a famous speech and have it narrated in the voice of the historical figure themselves, fostering a deeper connection with the past.
• Language Learning Boost: Create engaging audio exercises in different languages, allowing students to practice pronunciation and listening comprehension.

Limitations to Consider

While powerful, ElevenLabs has some points to keep in mind:

• Cost: ElevenLabs offers a freemium model with limited credits for audio generation. Paid plans unlock extended capabilities and higher output limits.
• Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, experimenting with different voices and finding the ideal settings might require some practice.
• Content Quality Matters: The quality of the generated audio highly depends on the quality of the text you provide and the chosen voice sample.

ElevenLabs vs. the Competition:

Several AI audio generation tools exist, but ElevenLabs stands out due to:

• Focus on Context: ElevenLabs strives for contextually-aware audio, ensuring the generated speech adapts to the tone and style of your text.
• Extensive Voice Library: The wide variety of pre-existing voices and the ability to upload custom voices offer exceptional flexibility.
• Multilingual Support: ElevenLabs caters to diverse classrooms by offering audio generation in over 29 languages.

Why Should Teachers Embrace ElevenLabs?

Here's how ElevenLabs can transform your teaching:

• Boost Engagement: Captivate students with dynamic audio presentations, lessons, and learning activities.
• Promote Accessibility: Offer audio resources alongside text-based materials to cater to diverse learning styles.
• Personalized Learning Made Easy: Create audio experiences tailored to each student's needs and preferences.
• Spark Creativity: Elevate your classroom projects by incorporating unique and engaging audio elements.

Getting Started with ElevenLabs:

Ready to explore the audio possibilities with ElevenLabs?

1. Head over to https://elevenlabs.io/: Sign up for a free account and explore the platform's features.
2. Experiment with Text-to-Speech: Choose a pre-existing voice or upload your own sample, then type in some text to hear the AI-generated audio.
3. Explore Different Voices: Play around with the vast library of voices and discover the perfect fit for your learning objectives.
4. Integrate with Your Lessons: Once comfortable, start incorporating ElevenLabs-generated audio elements into your presentations, assignments, or learning activities.

AI is Here to Amplify Your Voice!

ElevenLabs offers more than just AI voices; it offers a creative toolkit to enhance your classroom audio experience. From personalized lessons to engaging activities, ElevenLabs can help you transform your teaching and make learning exciting!