Ready to Reignite Your Teaching? The STEAM Leadership Program Is Back This Summer
What if one program could change the way you teach — forever? That’s not a marketing line. It’s what educators who’ve been through the KCI STEAM Leadership Program keep telling us. And this summer, a new cohort kicks off, with spots open for passionate educators across California. What Is the STEAM Leadership Program? The STEAM…
Bringing AI into the Classroom: What Real Professional Development Looks Like
Walk into a professional development session at San Mateo Union High School District, and you might be surprised by what you see. Thirty teachers — not just talking about AI, but wrestling with it. Debating where it belongs in assessments and where it doesn’t. Redesigning lessons they’ve taught for years, this time asking: how do we…
The Teacher’s Guide to Building a Custom AI Assistant
Teachers carry more in one day than most people realize. That’s why the idea of adding yet another tool into the mix can feel like someone handing you a kettlebell when you’re already juggling flaming torches. So let’s take a breath. Because this is not one more thing. Creating a custom AI assistant (also known…
Creative Name Tags
Let Your Name Tag Bloom! Project idea & photos contributed by Rachel Okazaki KCI’s Makerspace Coordinator Tired of boring, “Hello My Name Is” stickers? Transform a simple introduction into a mini masterpiece with our Interactive Floral Name Tags. This isn’t just an icebreaker; it’s a keepsake. Whether you’re a tech-savvy crafter using a Cricut or…
Teaching in the Age of AI: Reflections from the Krause Center for Innovation
Last summer, I took the AI Capstone course at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College, and it completely reframed how I think about artificial intelligence in education. I’ve always been curious about new technology, but this course went well beyond learning how to “use” AI tools. We unpacked how large language models (LLMs)…
7 Smart Ways to Use AI to Support Literacy and Belonging (For Multilingual Students and Beyond)
This post draws inspiration from the book Artificial Intelligence, Real Literacy by Paul Matthews and Jason Gulya, whose work on AI and evidence-based literacy practices shaped much of what’s shared here. All of these strategies that support multilingual (ML) students are really just great strategies for teaching all students! What if the best way to…
From Classroom Questions to Community Solutions: Empowering Students Through Local Problems
“WHEN Will I ever use this in my life?” That is the eternal classroom question. One powerful way to bridge the gap between school and life is by connecting mandated curriculum to local problems. When students see how their learning applies to the world around them, it becomes more impactful. That belief led me to…