Gorge STEM Connection

As AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini become part of everyday life, families are finding themselves on the frontlines of questions like: Is this safe for my kids? How do I set boundaries? What should my child know before they start experimenting with AI tools? The reality is that unsupervised AI use can carry risks. A recent insight piece by Clara Hawking is a heartbreaking reminder of how dangerous it can be when kids interact with chatbots without guidance. We’re thankfully seeing positive steps in response to this and similar tragedies: OpenAI just announced parental controls will roll out within 30 days, giving families new tools to manage access and conversations. So what can parents do right now? ✔️ Learn the basics of what AI is (and isn’t) * ✔️ Talk with kids openly about both the opportunities and the risks ✔️ Use trusted resources like - Gorge STEM Hub Family Resources - Common Sense Media’s Parent Guides - Parent Guide to AI Usage (John Williamson). ✔️ Explore at home lessons with their children We’ll be unpacking these conversations further at the AI Leadership Summit in October, where one session is dedicated to Engaging Families in the Age of AI. Families are a critical part of preparing students for the future — they are our partners in education. Together we want to make sure they have both the knowledge and the tools to navigate this moment. 💡 Question for you all: What questions are you hearing most often from parents about AI? What resources (articles, guides, conversations) do you share when these questions come up? * This is my favorite "AI in a Nutshell" video that everyone seems to love! Generative AI in a Nutshell - how to survive and thrive in the age of AI

A new school year is the perfect moment to spark curiosity and purpose in your students. Two free tools can help you do just that: • Oregon Employability Skills makes it easy to weave in the professional skills students need—like communication, teamwork, and adaptability—with ready-to-use lessons and activities. • My Next Move invites students to explore career options through a short interest quiz and a clear, student-friendly database of more than 900 occupations. Together, these resources give you simple ways to connect what’s happening in your classroom to the skills and futures your students care about most. Try them out as part of your everyday routine—you may be surprised how quickly they spark conversations and engagement. 👉 Explore the tools today: Oregon Employability Skills + My Next Move

It’s a new school year, and if it feels like AI has changed again since June, you’re right! Summer 2025 was packed with updates across the tools many of us use daily. Let’s take a moment to catch up together. 🌟 New Models Everywhere From chatbots to our favorite edtech tools, it seems like every platform rolled out a new model this summer. New features, faster responses and the “wow” factor keeps growing. You likely stumbled on one of the biggest education updates already: Google added AI tools directly into Google Classroom. These tools are designed to help with lesson planning, feedback, and differentiation... and for those of you with Google Classroom, they are free! Our favorite price.  👉 Question for you: Has your favorite edtech tool changed? Did you notice an upgrade - or maybe even swap to something new for the enhanced features? I’d love to hear what’s earning a spot in your toolkit this fall. 🤖 ChatGPT is Just “5” Now One of the shifts I love is that OpenAI dropped the “GPT” numbering - now it’s simply ChatGPT 5. Under the hood, your prompts are routed automatically to either a reasoning model (for deeper, multi-step tasks) or a quick model (for fast, efficient responses). You can "force" the model via the "+ Commands", but generally speaking this change should mean less need for carefully crafted prompt engineering and more focus on what you want to do. • Leon Furze has a great explainer here: ChatGPT 5: What You Need to Know. • I did a walkthrough of new and improved features in my recent PD: In-Service Session 2: Enter the Chat. 👉 Question for you: Do you use ChatGPT in the classroom? Have you noticed these upgrades in your own use? 🌍 The Energy Story Behind AI One piece I haven’t given the airtime it deserves and have had come up a couple of times lately: the environmental impact of AI. The good news is that the cost of running these updated models is dramatically decreasing - not just in dollars, but in energy and carbon footprint as well. Ethan Mollick wrote a fascinating piece including some great information on this shift: Mass Intelligence. It’s a reminder that the conversation around AI isn’t only about capability - it’s also about sustainability. 👉 Question for you: Do you think the environmental costs (and savings) of AI should be part of how we teach and talk about it with students? 🍌 Nano-Banana in Google’s AI Studio Another exciting development is the introduction of Nano-Banana (officially known as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Generator), a smaller, faster model available in Google AI Studio. This reflects the broader trend addressed in Ethan Mollick's article toward models that are more lightweight and efficient, with reduced costs making them accessible to a wider audience for free use. This will be a favorite tool for all of us cranking out images for various educational materials - the results are faster and, well... better! than anything we've seen to date. You know I had to give it a shot: 🍌Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Generator in action! 👉 Question for you: Have you tried Nano-Banana? Do you see it fitting into your classroom or workflow? ✨ That’s plenty for one post - it was a busy summer!😅 I’d love to hear from you in the comments: • What tool surprised you most this summer (or this fall when you walked back into the classroom)? • How are you feeling about the ChatGPT updates? • Do you think the environmental side of AI should be part of how we teach and talk about it with students? Here’s to a year of explorations and conversations about AI.