Hurdles of a Teacher

  What is Instructional Design? Instructional design is the intentional process of planning, creating, and evaluating learning experiences to help people reach a specific learning goal. It involves deciding what learners need to know, how to teach it, and how to determine whether they understand. Knowing that we can explain what an instructional designer does. It is someone who creates learning experiences that help people develop specific knowledge or skills. They consider who the learners are, what they need to learn, and which teaching approaches will help them succeed. Why it is important for instructional designers to be able to describe and explain the philosophical foundations and theoretical bases of the field? I think instructional designers need to understand the philosophical foundations and theoretical bases of the field because these ideas influence how we define learning, choose teaching strategies, and evaluate success. Brown and Green (2016) describe instructio...

When I first read the term knowledge management , I thought it mostly meant keeping documents organized in a computer system. After researching it, I realized that it involves much more than storing information. To me, knowledge management means making sure that the information and experience within an organization are shared in ways that people can understand and use. It includes knowing where to find an answer, who to ask for help, and how to keep useful knowledge from being lost when someone leaves an organization. IBM (n.d.) explains that knowledge management involves identifying, organizing, storing, and sharing information. Its discussion of explicit and tacit knowledge helped me understand this concept better. Explicit knowledge includes things that can be documented, such as lesson plans and instructions. Tacit knowledge comes from experience and can be harder to explain or write down. For example, a teacher might have a lesson plan that another teacher can follow, but knowing ...

Learning academic content while developing English proficiency can be challenging. English language learners may understand a concept but struggle to express their ideas or follow unfamiliar vocabulary. I believe AI can help teachers provide support that allows these students to participate more confidently. One beneficial capability is AI-powered translation. Teachers can use it to draft bilingual vocabulary lists, translate directions, and provide explanations in a student’s home language. For example, during a science lesson about energy, a teacher could provide key terms in English and Spanish alongside examples of cooking food or charging a phone. Students could connect familiar experiences to new English vocabulary while working toward the same learning objectives as their classmates. As a Spanish-speaking adult GED teacher, I see how language affects access to instructional materials. This experience helps me recognize the value of home-language support for students learning Eng...

As a graduate student and a GED teacher working with Spanish-speaking adults, I see both the benefits and challenges of educational technology. Technology helps me create materials, translate information, and explore different ways to explain concepts. However, having a tool available does not automatically mean it meets students’ needs. The barriers I encounter include time, language accessibility, and the challenge of choosing technology that supports learning. One barrier is the time required to learn new tools and adapt their content. As a student taking online classes while teaching, I have to balance learning technology with completing assignments and preparing lessons. My experience comparing Canva and Gamma showed me that an attractive presentation can still need significant revision. I have to check whether the wording is clear, the information is accurate, and the layout is easy to follow. Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK framework connects technology, pedagogy, and content ...

  Teaching Students to Question Confident Answers: AI and Trust The trend I chose from the 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report is “AI is reshaping trust in information.” Robert et al. (2026) explain that AI can generate convincing text and visuals without making their authorship, sources, or reasoning clear. This makes it harder to judge credibility by appearance alone. For educators, this trend raises a question: how do we help students evaluate information when an inaccurate answer can look polished and authoritative? As a new GED teacher, I see potential benefits in using AI to support this kind of learning. I could present an AI-generated explanation alongside a reliable source and ask students to compare them. For example, students studying energy could identify whether both explanations accurately describe the difference between energy transfer and transformation. This activity could strengthen science knowledge while teaching students to support conclusions with evidence. AI can a...

 For this discussion, I chose to learn about Diffit, an AI-powered tool that helps teachers create and adapt instructional materials. Teachers can begin with a topic or existing resource and generate materials suited to different reading levels. They can also adjust vocabulary, translate content, and add visual supports. As a GED teacher working with Spanish-speaking adults, I was interested in how these features could help me make lessons more accessible while maintaining meaningful learning goals. Engagement Diffit could support motivation by helping me provide material that challenges students without overwhelming them. CAST’s UDL Guidelines emphasize choice, relevance, and a balance between challenge and support. My GED students bring different levels of reading experience, so giving everyone the same passage may create unnecessary frustration. I could use Diffit to prepare accessible versions of a reading while keeping the same central concept. For example, a science lesson ab...