TechVention: Technology + Intervention

Image created with Gemini AI Okay, so let’s be real — teaching percentages and tax calculations isn’t exactly the stuff students get wildly excited about. “Yes! Let’s calculate tip percentages!” said no seventh grader ever (even if I include a little bit of six-seven in the mix). But that’s the fun part of lesson design: turning something traditionally dry into a real-world experience that actually feels like life outside the classroom. That’s where Universal Design for Learning (UDL) really shines — and why Basham, Smith, and Satter’s (2016) article has been stuck in my head since I read it. Their study, Universal Design for Learning: Scanning for Alignment in K–12 Blended and Fully Online Learning Materials , digs into how we can build digital learning spaces that actually meet learners where they are — not where we wish they were. They argue that too many “digital” lessons just slap tech on top of traditional instruction. You know the type: a digital worksheet pretending to be inno...

  In this episode of Trying Technology I Have Never Used Before , I explored Magic School , a website many educators and schools have adopted. While it certainly has potential, my initial experience was mixed. Specifically, I tested the Lesson Plan Generator and AI Tutor features to evaluate their usefulness for classroom application. 1. Lesson Plan Generator has Room for Improvement Using the Oklahoma Academic Standard 7.A.2.2 (“Solve multi-step problems with proportional relationships, such as percent increase or decrease, discounts, tips, unit pricing, mixtures, and similar figures”), I asked the generator to focus on tax and tip —a concept with real-world relevance. I also requested integration of ISTE Standards and the Triple E Framework . The lesson plan generated technically aligned with the Oklahoma standard, but it lacked depth and rigor. The plan suggested posing a question, demonstrating a formula, and assigning a worksheet. That approach, while functional, resembled...