AI | Ǹ Nurture Curiosity Wed, 04 Mar 2026 20:38:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www-media.discoveryeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/de-site-favicon-2026-70x70.png AI | Ǹ 32 32 AI in Education Professional Development /blog/educational-leadership/ai-cybersecurity-educator-pd/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 20:36:01 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=209632 Key takeaways IBM SkillsBuild and Ǹ provide free, self-paced professional development in AI and cybersecurity to help teachers turn tech curiosity into classroom confidence. The program offers industry-recognized Credly credentials and practical, "classroom-ready" microlearnings designed to fit into an educator's real-world schedule. By removing cost barriers to high-quality tech training, this collaboration promotes educational […]

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Key takeaways

  • IBM SkillsBuild and Ǹ provide free, self-paced professional development in AI and cybersecurity to help teachers turn tech curiosity into classroom confidence.

  • The program offers industry-recognized Credly credentials and practical, "classroom-ready" microlearnings designed to fit into an educator's real-world schedule.

  • By removing cost barriers to high-quality tech training, this collaboration promotes educational equity and prepares students for the future workforce regardless of their ZIP code.

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Explore free PD & earn your first credential

Why Now: Turning Curiosity into Confidence

Emerging technologies are reshaping how students learn and how teachers teach. Yet for many educators, the biggest barrier isn’t interest—it’s access toclear, practical professional developmentthat fits a real-world schedule. That’s exactly whatIBM SkillsBuild, in collaboration withǸ, delivers:free, self-paced PDAI, cybersecurity, and digital literacy, complete withindustry-recognized Credly credentialsԻclassroom-ready applicationsyou can use right away.

“Educators play a critical role in preparing students for the future of work. Through this collaboration with Ǹ, ɱ’r helping teachers build practical, workforce aligned skills in AI, cybersecurity, and digital literacy that can translate directly into classroom instruction.”
Lydia Logan, Vice President, Global Education and Workforce Development, IBM

IBM SkillsBuildis designed to help youbuild confidencewith emerging technologies without adding stress to your day. Each pathway blendsmicrolearnings,real-world projects, andpractical insightsyou can bring to your classroom.

What you’ll gain:

  • Free, self-paced PDAI, cybersecurity, and digital literacy
  • Industry-recognized credentialsCredly
  • Classroom-ready lesson ideasrooted in real world applications
  • PD documentationaligned to your professional growth plans

Choose your pathway (or mix and match):

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI):Build foundational understanding, explore ethical and responsible use, and uncover classroom applications.
  • Cybersecurity:Strengthen core concepts, digital safety, and critical thinking around risk and protection—skills students need for life and work.
  • Digital Literacy:Deepen students’ capacity to evaluate information, navigate media, and use technology responsibly.

Community Impact Through Advocacy: Equity in Action

Access to quality PD is a key part of educational equity. By making these learning experiencesfree and flexible, IBM and Ǹ are helping schoolsbridge the digital divideԻexpand opportunity—so students, regardless of ZIP code, can benefit from instruction that reflects the skills of today’s world.

“Educators need and want guidance, and that’s why this collaboration offers industry recognized credentials and practical insights. Together with IBM, we are creating a powerful bridge between transformative technologies and the daily realities of K–12 instruction.”—Catherine Dunlop, Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, Ǹ

This collaboration aims to support more than 100,000 educatorsover the next two years—multiplying impact from PD to classroom to community.

Innovation Meets Accessibility: PD That Fits Real Life

Short modulesyou can complete during planning periods, after school, or whenever time allows.Clear stepsthat help you go from learning to implementation.Digital credentialsthat recognize your growth.

Here’s how it works:

  2. Create your educator profile:ǴDz Educatorwhen prompted.
  3. Verify your email:Enter the verification code to unlock content.
  4. Start learning:Begin with theǸ Pathwayor explore AI, cybersecurity, or digital skill courses in the catalog.
  5. Earn your Credly credential:Complete a learning path to receive yourdigital badge—perfect for PD documentation, evaluations, and career advancement.

“IBM SkillsBuild makes emerging technologies approachable and exciting, helping learners build confidence, creativity, and critical thinking through personalized, practical experiences.”

What Makes This Different: Practical, Portable, Proven

  • Practical:Content developed withIBM professionalsand grounded inreal-world use cases, so it’s immediately relevant to your classroom.
  • Portable:Credly badgestravel with you—add them to your portfolio, evaluation artifacts, or resume.
  • Proven:Built on a collaboration designed toscale accessand equip educators with skills aligned to the future of work.

Ideas You Can Use Next Week

  • AI Vocabulary Sprint:Introduce foundational AI terms using a 15-minute microlearning and a reflective prompt.
  • Cyber Scenario Walkthrough:Facilitate a quick “spot the risk” activity and connect it to digital safety habits.
  • Media Checkpoints:Use a digital literacy checkpoint to help students evaluate sources when researching.

Each example aligns with theclassroom-readymindset—small steps, big confidence.

Start Today: Free PD That Moves with You

Your time is valuable. If you’re looking forfree PDthat’sflexible,credentialed, andclassroom-ready, IBM SkillsBuild is ready when you are.

Explore More Engaging Resources from Ǹ

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]]> Screenshot 2026-02-25 at 1-14-59 PM de-ed-insights-2025-2026-lightbulb-icon Unlocking Potential in 2025: A New Era of Ǹ /blog/de-news/unlocking-potential-in-2025-a-new-era-of-discovery-education/ Tue, 08 Apr 2025 19:34:33 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=186447 For over 20 years, Ǹ has empowered educators to inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. As education evolves—shaping how students learn, increasing demands on teachers, and adding complexity to classrooms—we have evolved too, continuously innovating to meet these changing needs. This year, ɱ’r introducing updates designed to make teaching more effective, engaging, and […]

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For over 20 years, Ǹ has empowered educators to inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. As education evolves—shaping how students learn, increasing demands on teachers, and adding complexity to classrooms—we have evolved too, continuously innovating to meet these changing needs. This year, ɱ’r introducing updates designed to make teaching more effective, engaging, and personalized—ensuring educators have the support they need to create lasting, meaningful learning experiences. And while many of these updates support educators, others are designed for students, nurturing their natural curiosity and joy in learning.

With every advancement, improvement, and new offering we bring, one thing will remain constant: our commitment to being the most trusted learning partner, equipping educators and engaging students to succeed in a dynamic world. We’ve listened closely to students, teachers, school leaders, district administrators, and the broader educational community as they have shared their challenges, celebrations, and concerns, and these meaningful conversations have informed our work for the back-to-school season.

Innovative Tools to Enhance Teaching and Learning

Teachers tell us they spend countless hours on assessments, lesson planning, and differentiation. In fact, 94% of educators seek tools that give them time back to focus on students. ±’r helping streamline these tasks with new enhancements in Experience, including:

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Personalized Content Recommendations

There are thousands of amazing, standards-aligned resources in Experience. Now, finding the perfect resource for any lesson is even easier. Our new Curriculum Aligned Resourcesfeature allows educators to quickly access handpicked content to enhance their core curriculum. Teachers can also get recommendations based on their unique profile and preferences to suggest relevant resources specifically curated for their classroom.

AI TeacherTool | Assess

Our new AI-powered assessment generator allows educators to create standards-aligned assessments in minutes. Teachers can easily customize by reading level, question type, and Bloom’s Taxonomy—all while leveraging Ǹ’s trusted, cross-curricular resources.

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Improved Integrations

With the new Google Add-on, Ǹ Experience now integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom, making access to quality content easier and more efficient for educators and students. The new integration offers simplified assignments, more focused access for students, and time-saving workflows for lesson planning.

Enhancing Math Engagement and Support for Educators

Over 90% of teachers believe that personalized instruction can improve learning outcomes, such as test scores, learning retention, and academic performance. As educators work furiously to address declining math scores, ɱ’r making sure they have the right support to differentiate math instruction and drive student outcomes.

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Improved Accessibility

DreamBox Math lessons now integrate assistive technology, keyboard navigation, and multiple modalities to ensure all students can engage independently. Learn more about these updates HERE.

Enhanced Engagement

We are rolling out updates to some of the most popular lessons in DreamBox Math to make it easier for students to start, play, and complete lessons successfully. Students will find clearer, always-available instructions, updated scaffolding, enhanced visuals, easier interactivity, and added real-world context for mathematical concepts.

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Refreshed Middle School Math Environment

We know that students will feel more engaged and excited about algebra readiness when they can work in an age-appropriate environment. The new middle school environment has a sleek new look and introduces an upgraded lesson chooser, making it easier for students to navigate assignments and personalized lessons. Check out the new middle school experience HERE.

Helpful Curriculum Guide

The new in-product interactive curriculum guide enables educators to explore and align lessons with state standards for targeted instruction. Learn more about the curriculum guide.

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Building Future-Ready Classrooms

Students crave access to content that excites and inspires them. And, when educators spark connections showing how daily lessons apply inside of class and beyond, they can make learning meaningful. In fact, 80% of students believe that content that connects to real-world experiences is essential for their day-to-day learning.

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Career Connect Available to All Experience Partners

Career Connect brings industry professionals right into classrooms, allowing teachers to request virtual visits from employee volunteers. The feature provides experiential knowledge that reinforces educational concepts as it relates to real-world problem solving and innovation.

New Career resources in Experience will help educators show students the real-world relevance of their daily learning while building career awareness, exploration, and preparedness. These resources provide a strong connection to K-8 instruction, ensuring that career readiness begins early and empowers students to imagine endless possibilities beyond the classroom.

New, Exciting Lessons Across Our Programs

  • New Experience Lessons: Experience’s vast library of curated educational content continues to grow to meet the needs of modern K-12 classrooms. For back-to-school, educators will find even more instructional resources with an Enhanced Instructional Strategy Library and Model Lessons. Students and teachers will also have access to new K-2 civics lessons, ELA Fix-It Models for middle school, and new DE Original videos for ELA and social studies.
  • DreamBox Reading Expands to Grade 5: DreamBox Reading’s adaptive engine, already providing personalized reading instruction for PreK-2 students, will now support literacy development for grades 3-5. New lessons include foundational phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies, helping older students master essential reading skills.
  • More Mystery Science Fun: Mystery Science will feature new resources, including open-and-go lessons and vocabulary supports on topics like matter and water. Plus, ɱ’r updating Anchor Layers on all units.

Get an in-depth look into the exciting updates coming for the 2025-2026 school year!

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]]> Personalized-Content-Recommendations-High-Res-scaled.jpg AI-TeacherTools-Assess-High-Res.png GoogleAdOn2.png a11ytenframe-smaller.gif too-soon-1.gif lesson-chooser-screenshot.png Curriculum-Guide-Home-Domains-MD-Partial-Products-wArrays.png 03-CC-Educator-Connector-Profile-011025.jpg Balancing Human Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence /blog/educational-leadership/balancing-human-intelligence-with-artificial-intelligence/ Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:33:50 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=182925 The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a useful technology with many possibilities has led to questions around how to use AI in the classroom. Educators and students alike are curious about the applications of AI in teaching and learning and recognize the importance of balancing the use of AI with existing (and budding) human […]

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The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a useful technology with many possibilities has led to questions around how to use AI in the classroom. Educators and students alike are curious about the applications of AI in teaching and learning and recognize the importance of balancing the use of AI with existing (and budding) human skills. Read on to learn more about AI’s potential and consider how to pair this exciting technology with human skills for maximum impact.

Understanding AI's Potential

One overwhelming part of Artificial Intelligence is its seemingly endless potential. There is a wealth of opportunities for AI use, but at its center, AI should be viewed the same way we consider other technology—as a support for human work. When considering implementation in the classroom, AI can support both educators and students, and should be introduced thoughtfully. For example, generative AI can help create thought starters and inspiration for projects, or it can help refine work in the later stages of a project. While it may not be immediately obvious to educators as to how and when to introduce AI into their classrooms, starting with a clear list of options for AI use is step one.By considering practical, and ethical, uses of AI, educators will then be prepared to take advantage of its supportive uses, and pass those learnings on to their students.

Emphasizing the Importance of Human Input

Technology evolves to assist humans in working faster and more efficiently, and its use should be filtered through the lens of how it can support and pair with human efforts, not replace them. The same way a word processing program helps speed up writing long reports, AI should be viewed to work and think faster, not a way to stop thinking. Generative AI can help someone gather information, but without human analysis, reflection, and fact-checking, the information can be rendered useless. Dr. Tim Hudson, Chief Learning Officer at Ǹ, explains in his new eBook on AI, “Regardless of whether students are analyzing an AI-written article, or an article written by a human, they need to have the skills to assess the validity of that content and respond appropriately.” AI can be a great time-saver in the research and information-gathering process, but it can’t replace human judgement when it comes to analysis of results or steps for editing and presenting these results.

Education frequently adopts new technologies to enhance learning experiences for students and assist educators in efficient lesson planning. AI is the latest addition to a growing collection of technology tools educators may consider adding to their classroom practices, and like any new tool, its implementation calls for consideration and support.

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