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Image generated by Canva's CanvaAI tool The title of Rachelle Poth’s book,   How to Teach AI,  says it all: AI is here to stay, so as educators, we need to understand it and learn how to use it. She argues that “AI is a game changer for education. Its capabilities can transform learning experiences and the way that teachers provide instruction for their students” (p. 49).  Poth is not alone in this argument. Do a quick search for "AI use in the classroom," and you'll find a never-ending list of resources, all overflowing with evidence of how AI can making teaching and learning easier. Informative videos, scholarly articles, and helpful lists of do's and don't's are just a few clicks away. Figure 1 shows how Education Week (2025) weighed in on the issue. Figure 1 Despite the recent buzz, AI in the classroom is nothing new. Abrams (2025) points out that “AI has been used in classrooms for years, quietly powering learning management tools” (para. 2). However,...

Weather Day As schools increasingly rely on social media to share information with students, parents, and community members, the need for strong communication skills is more important than ever. Fiore (2013) notes that the “involvement of stakeholders in school-related decisions is now an expectation. The public owns the public schools, and perhaps for the first time they realize they do” (p.3).   This is evident on social media anytime there is a threat of inclement weather in Auburn, Alabama, and Auburn City Schools (ACS) might be affected. The Storm   On September 24, 2024, AL.com predicted that after making landfall in Florida as a major hurricane, Helene could bring strong winds and up to eight inches of rain to Central Alabama (Morgan, 2024).  WVTM provided a weather update on September 25, 2024. The Update As word began to spread, students, parents, and community members began looking to social media to see how schools would be impacted. ACS is typically very delib...

Know Your Audience   Whenever we write or create, we should begin with two questions: Who is my audience? And what do I want my audience to know? These are the questions I referred to during every step of revising my introductory video. The Original  Our first assignment was to create a short introductory video, including information about myself and my use of social media. My original video was just that—a video. While it did provide a visual, like the ancient Greeks, I limited my vision to only oratory and speech (Lawrence, 2022).  Here's a short clip from my original post. In one take, while sitting at my classroom desk, I introduced myself and elaborated on both my personal and my professional use of social media. The background was my cluttered school bookshelf, and one doesn’t have to look too hard to realize that I wasn’t making eye contact with the camera because I was reading from a script on my laptop screen. My video had no text, no added visuals, and no audio ...

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels The Power of Infographics It is no surprise that infographics are everywhere.  As “visual beings,” humans have used images to create meaning since the beginning of time (Lawrence, 2022,  p. 105). Now, because they are visually pleasing and "so easy to ‘like,’ ‘retweet,’ or ‘pin,’ infographics are a steady part of the content readers consume online” (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 60). These readers include our students, who are using social media more and more each year. However, infographics are often designed to persuade. For this reason, it is essential that we empower our students by educating them on the power of infographics . Understanding Infographics From early grades to adulthood, infographics are increasing in popularity. According to Noonoo (2023), “research shows complex visuals and illustrations are becoming prevalent across children’s media, including textbooks, where graphics now convey information that, more often than not, is...

 The Role of Social Media Algorithms in Teen Social Media Addiction Photo by Pixabay on Pexels Social media use has become a fixture in the daily life of most adolescents, holding powerful influence over teens’ self-perception and social identity (De et al., 2025). Research shows that well-developed algorithms employed by social media platforms intentionally lead to increased screen time and, thus, increased addiction rates for many teens (De et al., 2025). Despite the number of studies that show a direct correlation between social media use and teen addiction, “[i]nternal mechanisms like algorithms are hidden from users” (Lawrence, 2022, p. 81). As a result, teenagers are susceptible to falling victim to decisions made by companies that may not prioritize ethical decision-making. How It Works Social media platforms employ AI-driven algorithms to increase and extend user engagement for their personal benefit. Many people do not fully understand that “these platforms survive through...