Blog - Page 2 of 49 - Spencer Education

Oct 29 2025

Using AI to Spark Deeper Learning

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast No Comments

AI represents both a dream and a warning for education. On one hand, it offers personalized feedback, instant support, and creative possibilities that can make learning more dynamic than ever. On the other, it tempts us toward speed over depth, efficiency over understanding, and convenience…

Oct 21 2025

Empowering Students to Self-Select the Scaffolds

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 2 Comments

When I was a new teacher, I had a goal of differentiating instruction for every student. I would provide additional directions, project sheets, tutorials, and small group instruction for any student who needed help. I kept a list of specific strategies I would use in…

Oct 14 2025

Students Need to Explore the Nature of AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast, Technology and Media Literacy 5 Comments

In 2014, Microsoft launched a hugely successful AI bot named Xiaoice in China. With over forty million conversations, users often described feeling as though they were interacting with a real human. Microsoft founder Bill Gates described it this way, “'Xiaoice has attracted 45 million followers…

Sep 30 2025

A Few Years In: The Unintended Consequences of Generative AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Creativity 2 Comments

With the widespread adoption of generative AI, we need to explore how these platforms are changing our world. In my latest article and podcast episode, I share six unintended consequences that are beginning to emerge. We Can't Predict How AI Will Change Our World As…

Sep 17 2025

Rethinking How We Use AI for Writing

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast No Comments

We keep talking about AI in schools like it is either a miracle or a menace, and that either-or mindset steers us into two dead ends. One path hands the wheel to the tool and mistakes novelty for real learning. The other path locks everything…

Sep 10 2025

The Surprising Element for Empowering Your Students in Collaboration

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Empowering Students, Podcast No Comments

Collaboration is one of the most powerful forces in learning. Yet it can also be one of the hardest things to cultivate. Too often, students struggle to share ideas, listen to one another, or take creative risks. At the center of this struggle is something…

Sep 02 2025

10 Creative Risks to Take With Your Students This Year

By John Spencer Innovation, Mindsets, Podcast 2 Comments

As the year begins, we are all thinking about the idea of building a classroom community. Although I am no longer at the K-12 level, I am reminded of the power of community as I think about the cohort I lead that's now in their…

Aug 22 2025

How Deeper Learning Can Address Summer Learning Loss

By John Spencer Creativity, Depth Advantage, Podcast One Comment

Every year, we hear news reports about the "summer slide," or the summer learning loss. Students arrive to school behind where they left off in May or June. This is a real challenge. But there's more to the story. So, in this week's article, I…

Aug 07 2025

How Will AI Transform the Teaching Profession? Four Trends to Consider

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast 6 Comments

Machine learning is changing our world in profound ways. It will impact the way we learn and the way we teach. In today's article and podcast, I want share a few big ideas on what that might look like. I'll share some questions we might…

Jul 29 2025

Back to School in the Age of AI

By John Spencer Artificial Intelligence, Podcast One Comment

Throughout this summer, I've had the opportunity to lead professional development on ethical AI integration throughout the United States. In some cases, it's been a keynote and customized sessions. In other cases, it's been a deep dive 1-3 day workshop. The audience has ranged from…