Drivetime Diaries

While trying out a new Google AI tool today, Notebook LM, I put in my lesson plans for my GRC Podcasting class and besides summarizing my lessons into a clear unit summary, it also offered me an AI conversation discussing my notes - what a tool! Listening to other "people" discuss my lesson plans was really edifying and "their" feedback reinforced my conviction that this is going to be a great class! (Go subscribe now to hear my students' work! - https://open.spotify.com/show/5HaMDWgvVSL11e8IgEEnKh One professional development strategy deployed often in schools is a "lesson study," where a teacher presents an upcoming lesson with learning objectives, activities, assessment, etc., and then sits in the room as their colleagues discuss it and give feedback. Listening to this conversation felt exactly like that! What would you do with the ability to turn any text into an AI conversational recording? Is my hobby as a podcaster dead? Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠@mrcbakerislearning⁠ | ⁠@drivetimediary⁠ X: ⁠@chuckcbaker⁠

Its a commonly held assumption that public school teachers and administrators typically lean left politically, but why? Does the culture of "indoctrination" and professional development breed liberalism, or are left-leaning individuals simply more likely to go into education? What do you think of this nature vs. nurture scenario? Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠@mrcbakerislearning⁠ | ⁠@drivetimediary⁠ X: ⁠@chuckbaker⁠

I'm teaching a podcasting class the next 6 weeks on Saturday's with The Lou's very own Gifted Resource Council. Subscribe now so you don't miss any of my students' work - they're gonna be great! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theloucast Let me know what you think! IG: @mrcbakerislearning X: @chuckcbaker

I'm back in middle school this year! teaching middle school, particularly gifted classes is special to me because my gifted class in 7th and 8th grade was a safe haven for me from the jungle of the rest of my schedule. We didn't always do things I liked, but it was always a space I knew I could fit in better - and everyone needs that! What about you? How was middle school? Let me know what you think! IG: @mrcbakerislearning X: @chuckcbaker

It's been said that teaching math in our schools is really just about problem solving - if that's true, why are we torturing kids with completing the square and geometric theorems? Isn't there SOME OTHER WAY we could find to teach problem solving? Let me know what you think? IG: @mrcbaker4math | @drivetimediary X: @chuckcbaker

It feels like lots of people I know were VERY into the eclipse this week (myself included) - are you eclipse crazy now, are is this "craze" we're observing more about having a shared cultural moment in time? Eclipses might have more in common with "where were you when the towers fell?" than only with science class. Let me know your story!

Did you know you can use AI to generate quizzes and self-assessments? I asked Chat GPT to create an ADHD self-assessment for me and then we chatted through my responses like talking to a therapist or an old friend! Obviously my results were to be taken with a huge AI sized grain of salt, but it was a helpful conversation! Let me know what you think! X: ⁠⁠@chuckcbaker⁠⁠ IG: ⁠⁠@drivetimediary⁠⁠, ⁠⁠@mrcbaker4math

In a kitchen conversation with my wife and one of my kids yesterday, I guess we figured out that I have neurotic tendencies! How would being neurotic affect me in the classroom? These episodes don't always feel like therapy, but I know this drive did! Let me know what you think! X: ⁠@chuckcbaker⁠ IG: ⁠@drivetimediary⁠, ⁠@mrcbaker4math

I have a NEW new job next year... transitioning to the "gifted teacher" classroom at our middle school. It's the same building, same front door, and same parking lot, but it's going to feel very different! Being a math teacher is a specific identity that comes with assumptions and co-identities and people make about you (and you also place upon yourself) - who am I as a teacher without all of that baggage? It's going to be another year of reflection and change!

In one of daily newsletters from NYT this week, I heard about the new "God Bless the USA Bible" being endorsed by former president Trump in a video he posted to his social media platform. The Bible is a leather bound King James Version translation of the Christian Bible and also includes the full texts of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge is Allegiance. It mostly had me wondering - who is this really for, and what's it say about that person's view of religious expression in society?

I had a moment of less than ideal action recently and it led to someone's car being stolen - and what if the stakes had been even higher and the perpetrator and been looking for more than just a joyride??

Do we reallyvalue free speech for EVERYONE, or just until your free speech makes me feel uncomfortable or is in tension with my free speech? It's a topic in schools and it's on my mind on today's drivetime.

I got an email from a student on the yearbook today asking me some questions for the spread they're doing on the new teachers for the yearbook, and I was not surprised by the questions about what did I think about the year what did I think about teaching at my school, but my interest was piqued by the last question. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I had a really good time thinking about it! The answer might surprise you!

What kind of tool/blade are you? Are you finely crafted to precision, made for professionals to craft masterpieces, or are you more of a versatile tool - slightly less refined to a specific job, but highly useful in a variety of situations? Let me tell you my story so you can share yours!

The worst best thing happened to me last week on a quiz I had to take in grad school. It was a pretty straightforward quiz that I should have gotten a hundred on because really I just had to read a document to answer the questions but I got one question wrong out of 20 which meant I no longer have 100% in that class. What that should mean for me is that I put less pressure on myself to be perfect and I enjoy my life more in the next two weeks. But how's that going? Listen to find out

We were introducing the idea of polynomials today and I had students think of words they knew that started with "poly" so we could think about what polynomial meant. Besides polygon and polytheistic (school-ish words), polyamorous and Polynesian came up. How did I respond with my freshman when "polyamorous" came up? Listen to find out!

I started grad school again in January working toward an EdS degree and administrator certification - am I a good fit??

STEM or STEAM or STREAM - whatever you call the integration of tech, engineering, science and math subjects together in the curriculum - if that's just an optional, elective class at your school, you or your student are missing out!

My students were taking the Myers-Briggs Personality test this week for their Intro to Internship class and then discussing it during academic lab and my curiosity was stirred to get my own results. To say I've been obsessed this week would be accurate. Seeking more info on my personality type, (ENFJ-A), I decided it was a good opportunity to try out the new voice chat option in the Chat GPT app. What does ChatGPT have to say about my personality type??? What's your Myers-Briggs type? You can find out at www.16personalities.com Let me know what you find out by sending me a voice message on Spotify, or DM on the socials! X: @chuckcbaker IG: @mrcbaker4math | @drivetimediary

A routine around the world - parents sitting with their childen at the kitchen table trying to finish math assignments. I got an SOS text from my wife one day this week while I was still at school asking for help on a word problem from our kid's Algebra assignment. Seriously, this problem was devilishly hard for no reason. She was feeling frustrated, so was our kid, and they both needed validation. Was I able to solve the problem?! Listen to find out!