iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

We are pausing Passion Projects this week so we can start our unit on cells, but I couldn’t miss the chance to show off this awesome working motor. One purchased part. The rest cobbled together from supplies already in the room. Kids are absolutely amazing. #edusky #pblchat #geniushour

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 29/09/2026

Is there a rescue nearby that could help overwinter it? I don’t know if that’s a thing, but it sounds like it could maybe be a thing. Add me to the concerned loon baby list.

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Reposted by Katie Budrow

Lee Ann Jung @leeannjung.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

💪 Compliance is not the ultimate goal of school. We don't only want students to be able to follow rules, we want them to make informed decisions, use their voice, and SHAPE the rules. #LeadInclusion #UDL #EdLeaders #Educators #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #ATAssessment

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Matt Townsley @mctownsley.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Be sure to follow JSARD here on the 'Sky! #EdResarch #EduSky #OpenAccess #EdLeadership

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 24/09/2026

Sixth grade scientists are working on Passion Projects today. This might be the best checklist of all time. #edusky #pblchat #maybeaddsnail

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 22/09/2026

Or if anybody has any general organization ground-up change research, I would take that too! I’m now wondering if districts aren’t really doing it or are we just not studying it? Or both. Regardless, I’m doing it and want to write about it. Was hoping to see evidence from others too. #edusky

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 19/09/2026

Anybody familiar with any research out there on teachers leading educational change? Not just leading a district agenda (though that’s fine too) but teacher-driven change from the ground up. I’m looking but might not be using the right terminology. Thanks! #edusky #edresearch

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 18/09/2026

Are you kidding me, @edutopia.org!? First, you publish an article of mine. Then you send me socks!? You are all too much. Cant wait to wear them. And write my next article. Thank you!!

Picture of socks from Edutopia that say “Writing Socks” with a postcard that reads “May warm feet be with you.”

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 04/09/2026

Same thing works for “Call Me Maybe” in case you were wondering.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 03/09/2026

But that pattern tracks for kids, especially when thinking about learning new classroom routines and procedures. My 6th graders are just now starting to follow the routines. Week 3. I always think they settle in fully around Oct/Nov. But the first weeks are a lot. A lot a lot a lot.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 03/09/2026

Yes, it’s so much work!! I honesty forget too. I’ve been researching about habit building. There’s this 3-3-3 rule (but I have dug in to a source yet). Three days to introduce it, three weeks to learn it, three months before you live it. That’s for adults.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 03/09/2026

Definitely not doing it. Complete state of overwhelm here too! Though I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is week three with students, and things are starting to fall into place. If I had to project when my back-to-school hibernation would start to lift, I would say maybe next week?

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Illinois Digital Educators Alliance | IDEA @ideaillinois.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Apparently, our new Executive Director, Scott, was a little too excited for your proposals. 😅 We spoke one day too soon! IDEAcon proposals close tomorrow, Sept. 1, 2026. Submit: ideaillinois.org/IDEAcon#CallforPro… #ideail #edtech #patience_scott

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 30/08/2026

Totally understand your reluctance. It's a lot to think about. If you ever want to talk through making it work for you, I would be happy to chat! Project-based made teaching so much simpler for me (and made me a significantly better teacher) and learning so much clearer for students.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 29/08/2026

Love this. As I tell my students, tech is a tool. Humans absolutely need to be smarter than the machines. Let creativity reign supreme.

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Lee Ann Jung @leeannjung.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🛗 Just like the ramps around us that help everyone, the more universal design for learning we put into place in our classrooms, the fewer special accommodations and modifications we need to add later. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders #EduSky

Graphic with the text Universal Design creates access from the start and reduces the need for later adjustments. A building entrance with a ramp is fed by five colored paths ending in accessibility icons for sight, speech, touch, hearing, and CC, with Lee Ann Jung and leadinginclusion.org in the lower right.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 28/08/2026

Science itself isn’t the answer. Science is all about figuring out the answers. So how do you get students to do that? You get them asking questions. Really grateful for all of my inquisitive students over the years, and huge thanks to @edutopia.org for publishing this piece! #edusky #pblchat

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 27/08/2026

Oh, and I strongly recommend writing this stuff down!! I have a Google doc going back years. The stuff on it is just bananas. Like the time a kid asked to borrow another kid’s cat for their cell model project. Or the time the kid with the last name Berger decided to rename himself “Cheese”.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 27/08/2026

See, they confuse you with stuff like this. But then they have their mom crochet you a Hobbs (because you seem like the kind of person that needs a Hobbs), and you are just one big puddly mess of tears for the rest of the day. And you absolutely are the kind of person that needs a Hobbs.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 26/08/2026

Middle schoolers are the best. Ridiculous. Unhinged. Amazing. Just the best. My favorite part is that I get to be a little bit of all those things too.

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Edutopia @edutopia.org · 26/08/2026

Tired of shuffling desks around every time you change the mode of learning from whole-class instruction to groups or solo work? Educator @mrrablin.bsky.social has found a solution—and it involves caves⚒️, campfires🔥, and watering holes🌴.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 25/08/2026

Thanks for this one! Also @naemmanuele.bsky.social, I feel like this a great pairing to your baked-in support. So many things of the things we do can benefit all kids.

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Lee Ann Jung @leeannjung.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

🌀 If we go to all of the trouble to create an accommodation for a student who has an IEP, let's just give that to everyone. It's not harder and supports learning for anyone who needs it. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders #EduSky

Illustrated poster of diverse children and an adult using learning supports around books, headphones, a visual schedule, and a pencil, with a blue textured background and leaves. Text reads: “Lee Ann Jung leadinginclusion.org” and “ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SOME CAN BECOME SUPPORTS THAT HELP ALL LEARNERS SUCCEED.”

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 25/08/2026

Also, “progress not perfection” is a running mantra in my head at all times. I don’t ever expect other people to be perfect. Just me. I’m working on it.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 25/08/2026

What a great post. The part about staying present and finding the joy really resonated with me. Hope you have a wonderful first day tomorrow and a great year!

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 23/08/2026

Oh, and actively teach kids both the pluses and minuses of tech as a tool. My students had a lot of fun last year busting some common AI mistakes (like 2027 coming before 2026). We always came back to the idea that humans need to be smarter than the machines.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 23/08/2026

Promethean boards. VR and AR. Computer labs/carts. Coding. 1:1 tech. Flipped lessons. AI. These are all tools. They can support learning. But they also don’t have to. Center teachers. Center learners. Let the tech be in the background as a supporting role. As it should be. #edusky

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 23/08/2026

Can ed tech help teaching and learning? Absolutely. Can we trust ed tech companies to do what is best for kids? Absolutely not. Vintage teachers (like me) have heard this song before. This new tech will be the silver bullet for teaching/learning. It isn’t. And we shouldn’t expect it to be.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 23/08/2026

Green SHOULD always be science. We’ve been stuck with black for the past several years. Greg, honestly, the rest are all a toss up to me. 😂 Just give me green!

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Edutopia @edutopia.org · 22/08/2026

Want students to think deeply when discussing class norms, and not just repeat ideas from other classes? 💭 Try asking them, “What are some of the worst possible ways we could function as a class together this year?” It works for @mrrablin.bsky.social! #EduSky

edutopia.org

Kicking Your Beginning-of-Year Activities Up a Notch

A teacher shares variations on covering the syllabus, creating class norms, and starting to build a community that he designed to boost student engagement from day one.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 22/08/2026

First week in the books. Always a whirlwind, but it’s so nice to be back! Score one for science too, as we finally got back to having the green folder.

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Tyler Rablin @mrrablin.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

@edutopia.org does a lot of things well, but I think nailing an animated version of me has to go up to the top of my list. Quite the surprise for me. Here's a short video that details how I arrange my classroom: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvFX...

youtube.com

Rethinking Classroom Seating With Caves, Campfires, and Watering Holes

YouTube video by Edutopia

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 22/08/2026

Caves were absolutely under the tables though. There’s no way any one of those six graders could say they were working in a cave without actually trying to work in a cave. 😂

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 22/08/2026

Eh, you are just taking it and making it your own? If it helps, it made sense to me! Last year’s students actually liked campfire for the whole group. The area I work in has a big summer camp culture, so that made sense to them. Small groups were just smaller campfires.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 22/08/2026

This is fantastic!!! Also, I have used caves, campfires, and watering holes with my own students and when talking to other teachers. Always resonates.

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Nick Covington @covingtonedu.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

And fundamentally, kids just need to DO MORE THINGS! In a world of worksheets, get kids to measure, manipulate, draw, build, iterate, design, embody, experience, model, present...it doesn't matter. The best way to communicate that what they're learning has value is *to do something* with it.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

Ok, you are now actually in my head because I’m leading both some project-based work and the SAMR tech balancing. Your last question about student experiences and demonstration is a driving one in all of it!! It’s going to be hard work but so so worth it.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

Thanks. I’m the lucky one. Teaching is the best job and the hardest job. And thanks again for the inspiration! Almost felt like teacher twitter for a moment there. Miss all that collaboration we all used to have.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

It’s so fun. And yep, we have had a few camping trips. Lots of construction paper campfires. Sometimes a paper marshmallow. One year, the heat went out (but the power stayed on) so we had winter camping. Not cold enough to close school. Everybody wearing coats and huddled around paper fires.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

The six-year-old just correctly used the term “epilogue”. Is that a thing that first graders usually know? When pressed, he was able to give multiple examples. Of course, we are getting zero information out of him about when he learned it.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

I’ve always thought they love the novelty (so then you don’t do it too much so it doesn’t become routine). But I need to ask now. If anything, we will have some really great convos about tech use.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

Well, and I already do “power outage” or “WiFi down” days. Unless the tech is assistive/essential, we all just pretend. Usually when there’s a thunderstorm because who doesn’t love a theme! We break out the books, find the flashlights, and turn off the lights.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

Wait, now I’m totally doing that!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Which is what I did when we went 1:1. Kids found the coolest stuff. That process can totally repeat. Thank you!!!

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

My school overall is looking at SAMR, just like we did when we first went 1:1 with devices. This time, we are looking at when to remove tech. It’s fascinating. I’m also leading that work and very curious how it will actually go! Many of our newer teachers have never taught without tech.

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Katie Budrow @katiebudrow.com · 21/08/2026

This is a big focus for me and several coworkers this year. I’ve always worked on balancing out tech—teaching PBL middle school science will do that to you. It is so empowering to make something with your own two hands.

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