Doug Holton

I also don't need every link in an email hijacked and broken by Outlook

Thanks, that's very useful. From what I can tell, most models skip over images/charts in the PDFs. Looking for an AI option for making PDFs accessible. OlmOCR folks said they are working on it

Title, author list, and two figures from the paper. Title: The Aftermath of DrawEduMath: Vision Language Models Underperform with Struggling Students and Misdiagnose Errors Authors: Li Lucy, Albert Zhang, Nathan Anderson, Ryan Knight, Kyle Lo Figure 1: On the left is a math problem, where students are asked to draw x < 5/2 on a number line. The right side shows two example student responses that differ in correctness. DrawEduMath pairs each math problem with one student response, and prompts VLMs to answer questions about the student response. Figure 2: VLMs consistently perform worse on answering DrawEduMath benchmark questions pertaining to erroneous student responses. Performance on non-erroneous student responses is labeled with specific VLMs’ names; that same model’s performance on erroneous student responses is directly below.

Models are now expert math solvers, and so AI for math education is receiving increasing attention.
Our new preprint evaluates 11 VLMs on our QA benchmark, DrawEduMath. We highlight a startling gap: models perform less well on inputs from K-12 students who need more help. 🧵

Many Minds: Seven metaphors for AI If you wanted a petri dish for understanding metaphors—how they emerge and evolve and jostle with each other—it would be hard to do better than the world of AI. We talk about AI systems variously as c...

I enjoyed talking with @kensycoop.bsky.social on the Many Minds podcast about the metaphors we use to conceptualize AI.

manyminds.libsyn.com/seven-metaph...

I whipped up another learning related Skill! Smaller than Learning Opportunities, but very complementary: interactive guidance through a quick research-backed psychological intervention that helps improve learning plans, motivation and commitment



github.com/DrCatHicks/l...

A professor addresses a group of students.

Opinion | The Case for Centers for Teaching and Learning

The work of CTLs is central to higher education. https://bit.ly/4qZO3de

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

LLMs getting much better at pushing back against bullshit prompts.

“Green means the model clearly called out the nonsense. Amber means partial challenge. Red means the model let nonsense pass”

github.com/petergpt/bul...

Gemini 3.1 prompt: Generate an SVG animation of a pelican riding a bicycle. The pelican angrily shakes its fist at a passing car

tried an svg animation, didn't turn out so great

AI-assisted learning stumbles on the evidence Five months after the launch of ChatGPT, Sal Kahn, the founder of the online learning giant  Kahn Academy, predicted that, “We’re at the cusp of using AI for probably the biggest positive transformati...

AI-assisted learning stumbles on the evidence via @educationgadfly fordhaminstitute.org/national/com... #EduSky #EduSkyAI #TLSky #EdTech #AIinEducation #aisky #ai #edresearch #fordhaminstitute

A practical guide to modern teaching evaluation Dozens of institutions are piloting new ways to evaluate college teaching beyond student surveys. Here are the six steps they’re taking to fix a broken system.

Summary of efforts to reform how college teaching is evaluated engagedlearningcollective.substack.com/p/a-practica...
See TEval for some best practices: teval.net
But also these references on bias in student evaluations of teaching: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
#EdDev #Teaching #HigherEd

Test Results Reveal a Deeper Issue in Math – And It’s Not the Math Itself Burleigh: Are students being equipped with a genuine understanding of math concepts or merely trained to follow steps?

Opinion: Test results reveal a deeper issue in math – and it's not the math itself

An illustration of a man in business attire standing, with his hands on his hips, in a dark room, in front of an illuminated keyhole-shaped door he is ready to walk through.

Career Advice | Bringing Staff Expertise Out of the Shadows

Universities are set up to recognize classification, not contribution—rendering the intellectual contributions of academic staff largely invisible. https://bit.ly/4qaxtaa

#EDUSky #HigherEd #AcademicSky

Logbook Love : Metawriting A logbook (or log book) is a record used to record states, events, or conditions applicable to complex machines or the personnel who...

The logbook is the nexus of my pedagogy and practice as a writing teacher and that is why I love it.

The Learning Loop #6: Real-Time Feedback Strategies In This Issue: Stop lecturing at your students and start learning with them. Transitioning to active learning can be daunting, but this issue provides the exact toolkit you need to make it seamless. Check out these robust, low-cost alternatives to Mentimeter. Repurpose the Google Workspace tools you already own for deep classroom engagement. And, finally, don't miss this 3-step BoodleBox workflow (prompts included) designed to transform your lecture transcripts into high-impact "Exit Tickets" in seconds.

The Learning Loop #6: Real-Time Feedback Strategies

In This Issue: Stop lecturing at your students and start learning with them. Transitioning to active learning can be daunting, but this issue provides the exact toolkit you need to make it seamless. Check out these robust, low-cost alternatives…

How Teachers Can Use Google Gemini to Create Interactive Learning Objects A practical guide for K–12 educators on using Gemini’s interactive diagrams, simulations, and generative UI to design engaging, differentiated classroom content.

Google Gemini can now create interactive diagrams and simulations that students explore, not just read.
Here’s my practical guide.https://open.substack.com/pub/davidpblross/p/how-teachers-can-use-google-gemini
Tags:
#EdTech #AIinEducation #K12 #Teaching #GoogleGemini #InteractiveLearning

The letters "AI" in blue three-dimensional font against a red background.

Career Advice | How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor

Craig E. Nelson’s concept of “dysfunctional illusions of rigor” holds new currency in our AI age. https://bit.ly/3YH9GDm

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

Check out MindScript, too, where the prompts/instructions are comments on the code: mindscript.daios.ai

Evaluating Racial Bias in LLM Reasoning: Implications for Equitable AI Use in Education: https://osf.io/ynt3h

An illustration of a chatbot icon in neon colors against a black background.

Career Advice Reminder | Ask Your Students Why They Use AI

The answer may surprise you. https://bit.ly/4pewXqU

#AcademicSky #HigherEd #EDUSky

2 in 5 college students face food insecurity – colleges are working to help As grocery prices continue to rise, many college students are turning to their campus food pantry to help make ends meet.

As grocery prices continue to rise, many college students are turning to their campus food pantry to help make ends meet. n.pr/4pkenxQ

How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking Chatbots might help you get work done faster — but at what cost? When we outsource our reasoning to artificial intelligence, we reduce ourselves to "middle managers for our own thoughts," says AI and design researcher Advait Sarkar. He examines the cognitive trade-offs of using AI at work and introduces a different kind of tool: one that encourages critical thinking, nudges reflection and actually helps you get smarter.

How to stop AI from killing your critical thinking https://www.ted.com/talks/advait_sarkar_how_to_stop_ai_from_killing_your_critical_thinking
#AIEd

Firefox folks are interested in E2EE AI, too blog.ziade.org/2025/12/05/t... They mention flower.ai does this, apparently

What the internet backlash over remedial math at UC San Diego misses Limiting students’ access to college because they are deemed underprepared does not seem to do them any favors.

Multiple articles have reported allegedly alarmingly low levels of #math prep of students at @ucsandiego.bsky.social (buff.ly/L5TlNL3 ). We need to know how this is being measured because research has shown that traditional techniques have made many errors (buff.ly/9YyhCvW). #AcademicSky #highered

Ibukunoluwa Bukola, Meagan Sundstrom, Justin Gambrell, Colin Green, Adrienne L. Traxler, Eric Brewe: Measuring fidelity of implementation of named active learning methods in physics https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17699 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.17699 https://arxiv.org/html/2512.17699

Grand-Elf Funk Railroad

💎 70 Gems! www.edugems.ai

There's now a total of 70 Gemini Gems on my EduGems site covering:
💡 Curriculum & Lesson Design
📖 Literacy & Language
🧒 Student Activities
💯 Assessment
🔑 Support
💼 Professional Tasks

Use, copy & share for free!

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #GoogleEDU

Colleges Don’t “Over-Accommodate” Disabilities (opinion) A certain genre of articles skeptical of higher ed’s disability accommodation process fuels attacks on civil rights.

I'm exhausted of pieces that bemoan the state of accommodations in #HigherEd, which thoughtful ppl then devote precious time debunking. I'm grateful that there is a cadre of folks willing to do the labor represented in this piece, but can we just please STOP?! www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

(PDF) A Scalable, Theory-Based Intervention to Influence Teachers' Student Engagement Practices Improves Academic Performance in a State-Wide Sample PDF | What can be done about the crisis of student disengagement? A theoretical analysis led to a novel behavioral intervention that motivated and... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

A Scalable, Theory-Based Intervention to Influence Teachers' Student Engagement Practices Improves Academic Performance in a State-Wide Sample www.researchgate.net/publication/...
More about FUSE (Fellowship Using the Science of Engagement): fuse.prc.utexas.edu
#EdDev #EdPsy #Teaching

Text Shot: Fear-based framing dulls the pedagogical opportunities AI tools can provide. Emerging research illustrates how generative AI can support personalized and scaffolded learning that aligns with constructivist theories and Vygotsgy’s Zone of Proximal Development. Studies by Kanont et al. (2024) and Zheldibayeva (2025) describe the possibilities for AI to act as a learning buddy that enhances listening, writing, and other literacy skills. But when institutional framing casts AI as illicit, these learning supports become off-limits. This has troubling consequences for accessibility. Students with disabilities depend on AI-enhanced assistive technologies. Kuerban et al. (2025) demonstrate how specialized AI tools can provide essential support for learners with dyslexia by blending generative AI and augmented reality. For these students, AI is not an advantage but a bridge to equitable learning. Similarly, Zhao’s (2025) work shows how L2 learners use AI to strengthen reading,…

The Hidden Curriculum of AI Syllabus Statements: How Fear-Based Framing Shapes Student Behaviour and Academic Integrity academicintegrity.org/aws/ICAI/pt/sh… #AI #education

Motivating students isn’t magic – it’s music When students see purpose, believe they can succeed and know educators care, you won’t have to pull them through the course. They’ll walk, maybe even run, on their own. Brett Jones explains how to change their tune

Give students purpose, belief and support, and they’ll drive their own learning. Brett Jones shares how to make it happen: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/motivating-students-isnt-magic-its-music #HigherEd #AcademicSky #EduSky