2025 ASSET CONFERENCE

"A key responsibility of a 21st century educator is to familiarize his/her students with the practical uses of generative A.I. Here to stay (and evolve into much farther reaches in the productivity of today's society), Open A.I. is a tool to be utilized responsibly to best augment curriculum in today's classroom.

As a means of introduction, participants will be asked to circulate throughout the room placing stickers in agreement or disagreement, under large poster sized post-it notes of various prompts spread out around the room. The prompts will be used as a springboard for collaborative conversations both by table and whole group re utilizing open AI in classroom instruction.

Next, I'll steer the conversation toward an explanation of generative A.I. and its relevance in today's classroom. I will include a variety of assignments I've crafted and utilized in my high school instruction, in areas including: research, writing, annotation and note-taking. I will provide samples of student portfolios.

Participants will be asked to sign up for/sign in to Chat GPT and complete a brief collaborative activity with their table. A table member will present the activity which will lead toward further analysis in ways ChatGPT can be used to further fine-tune the activity.

At the conclusion of the workshop, we will re-open our initial discussion - based on the prompts hanging around the room. Participants will reflect and discover whether their agreement or disagreement of a prompt has shifted."

"As Artificial Intelligence reshapes our world, schools are increasingly embracing project-based learning (PBL) to enhance skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, problem-solving, media literacy, and digital citizenship.

Tech Staff Developers Lauren Lavelle and Mike Davola from Garden City Schools are at the forefront of this educational evolution with their ""PBL By Design"" initiative. Integrating insights from Jon Spencer, Stanford's d.school, David Lee EdTech, among others, they have crafted a unique, structured approach that intertwines PBL and Design Thinking into the curriculum.

The “PBL by Design” Framework empowers students to create innovative solutions to real-world problems. It goes beyond traditional learning, encouraging students to apply their knowledge and skills in practical, impactful ways. This hands-on approach not only enriches their learning experience but also prepares them to be proactive, creative problem-solvers in a rapidly changing world."