Exploring the Role of AI in K12

The purpose of this chapter is to discover the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in K12. How AI, in particular robot teachers, are taking over online learning is the key objective of this study. A focus group interview was conducted online to measure the phenomenon. Findings from focus group interview indicated that the traditional method of teaching and learning had been changed dramatically due to numerous reasons, especially due to market turbulence like COVID-19. As a result, the role of AI in K12 received massive attention in society. The study contained a limited number of respondents that may affect the generalizability of the study. Future studies with mixed methodology may shed light on the undiscovered phenomenon of AI in the context of K12.

Positive Psychology

The application of mindfulness practice in education has been a growing area of interest in research. Some of the benefits of mindfulness practice in education include increased focus and concentration, decreased stress and anxiety, and improved overall well-being. While mindfulness in education has been studied in preschool, elementary, secondary, and tertiary settings, little research has been done examining the benefits of mindfulness in an online learning environment. As online learning continues to be an emerging trend in higher education, it is important for educators to consider alternative ways to support the holistic needs of online learners. This chapter explores the impact of mindfulness resources on the academic and emotional experience of the online learner.

Breaching the Paywall

This chapter informs readers of recent developments with open educational resources (OERs) as well as the various advantages and challenges to the use of open access materials and repositories. This chapter explores examples of OER usage for instruction and research and discusses digital and instructional media relevant to open pedagogy and the technology-enabled democratization of learning. Finally, the chapter concludes with suggestions for advocacy of greater open access to benefit national and international dissemination of knowledge and the increase of societal use.

Perceptions of Middle School Teachers on Technology Integration

Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this research explored how technology affects the teacher-student relationship in the middle school classroom, and in addition, investigated the middle school teachers' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship when the technology was integrated. This chapter reports on data collected from 16 middle school teachers in Grades 6, 7, and 8 within one school district in northern New Jersey. The data sources included one-to-one semi-structured interviews and a focus group consisting of 10 out of the 16 middle school teachers from the various core subjects (English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science). The data were analyzed by coding and generating themes in a qualitative approach as recommended in an interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Gaming in Education

This chapter addresses student motivation, engagement, and content acquisition through the use of gaming, digital game-based learning, and gamification, as well as clarifying the difference between terms related to gaming that are often mistakenly used interchangeably. The chapter will utilize current literature, explain theories linked to gaming in education, and offer a method for using gaming to impact the future of teaching and learning. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of how the use of gaming for emerging realities and the implementation of gaming during remote learning can be supported. Learning theories such as the theory of gamified learning, the self-determination theory, and the theory of flow demonstrate the link between learning, motivation, and goal-setting, as well as providing a basis for teacher education on the link between theory and the use of gaming in the future of technology in the classroom.

Social Media and the Future of the Instructional Model

This chapter provides the latest information on social media and its application in the instructional model. The chapter contains information on how social media enhances learning, especially at times where remote learning is necessary, such as COVID-19. It also includes problems that have been documented in schools as a result of social media. This chapter also presents information about the use of social media for professional development and how teachers are interacting and collaborating using social media.

Teaching Undergraduate STEM Students as Emerging Adults

The need to reform science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) education in the United States has been shown through both industry and educational research. Despite many suggested reform strategies including applied, active learning, most STEM undergraduate education is being delivered in large, lecture-based classrooms. In 2020, the need to deliver STEM undergraduate courses online complicated reform efforts. This chapter is focused on the need to reframe reform efforts to be more focused on designing and delivering STEM online courses to develop emerging adult learners. This would involve moving from the primary mode of pedagogical instruction to andragogical instruction designed to be more inclusive and engaging. This approach would provide opportunities for learners to become more self-regulated in online STEM education with the goal of cultivating self-directed learners that will be retained in STEM programs and ultimately be successful future STEM professionals.

Leadership and Technology

The current trends and needs in education across the globe require that leaders must think in unprecedented ways that focus on the present and future integration of technology. This requires school systems, and their leaders, to build vast technological infrastructures that include continuous hardware, software, and training updates. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, educational systems across the world seek to find ways to address the needs of their current student populations while undertaking the daunting task of preparing for future technological needs that are uncertain and constantly advancing at rates most school systems find difficult to sustain. The chapter focuses on some of the current skills educational leaders employ to navigate the advancements in technology and education that are presently in practice while highlighting how they prepare the next generation of students with the next generation of digital tools required for their success.

Extra-Curricular Activities

One of the fastest growing phenomena in the use of educational technology is online learning. The shift from traditional schooling to virtual models is a shift in pedagogy from objectivist to a constructivist model where students take more ownership over their learning. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, academic institutes have an urgency to support students in an online environment while adapting extracurricular activities to the new domain and providing an additional level of engagement, support, and community of learners for their student body. It is important to adapt distant learning to meet all the social, academic, and cognitive needs of all students. This chapter seeks to introduce readers to the opportunities virtual schools can provide to their students interested in engaging with peers outside of the traditional classroom or school setting to pursue common likes and activities.

STEM Becomes STEAM

Education has seen many changes as we move into the 21st century. Students have been traditionally educated to contribute as specialists in the STEM fields, and now the needs to be prepared for the future are changing and driving educational transformation. The procurement of employment is no longer reliant on a set of specific skills and routines; instead, people in the workforce are being asked to collaborate and innovate solutions and processes. Educators are tasked with integrating more of the design and creative processes through arts integration, which helps students learn how to be confident learners and future contributors to the modern workforce. Throughout this chapter, the author explores the historical arch of these recent changes that brought the arts into STEAM, as well as changes related to gender and innovation in the STEAM fields as society enters the 21st century, and computer science contributions to the classroom.