In this episode of AI Advocates, Lisa Dieker and Maggie Mosher explore how professional development is evolving and how educators can reclaim their time by taking ownership of their learning. They discuss how AI tools and peer collaboration can help teachers reflect on their practice, grow professionally, and improve classroom experiences beyond traditional workshops.

This conversation invites educators to rethink what meaningful professional development can look like in a changing landscape with AI.

Key insights include:

Self-reflection that drives growth: An app called Socrait helps teachers analyze their own classroom interactions by tracking talk time, praise, interruptions, and how often students are called on.

Personalized professional development with FLITE STEM Coaching: Lisa highlights how FLITE STEM: Coaching allows educators to tag their own teaching behaviors, reflect on video, and explore more than 770 math and science resources. Teachers can choose short, targeted learning experiences that address their specific needs.

Supporting social skills with VOISS Advisor: VOISS Advisor offers educators guidance on teaching and assessing social skills using evidence-based practices. With videos, lesson plans, rubrics, and IEP aligned goals, teachers can build instructions without adding extra stress.

Learning from peers: Lisa and Maggie emphasize that some of the best professional development already exists within schools. Short peer-led sessions, classroom visits, and shared conversations often provide more relevant learning than traditional training.

Using free AI tools and training: Educators do not need expensive programs to get started. Many platforms offer free tutorials and resources that help teachers explore AI, coding, and instructional tools alongside their students.

Resources:
Socrait - https://socrait.app/login
FLITE STEM: Coaching - https://flitestemcoaching.org/
VOISS Advisor - https://voissadvisor.org/

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