The Pixel Classroom Podcast with Special Guest Jim Windelborn

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: And those watching the visual will probably let see I am getting much better at that introduction to. Well, everybody, welcome to the Pixel Classroom Podcast. I'm your host, of course, Ryan Reed here. Welcome back here for season eight. Hard to believe it's been eight seasons since we've had this done. 235 episodes. So I figured I gotta kick off episode 236. Yes, believe it or not, I'm heading back to the college. And yes, this is my former classmate. He is a CTE teacher. Parson works with medical, other things. He's shaking his head no on me. he is he this is this is a guy can tell you

Jim Windelborn: I you're correct.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: stories on me. He's known me long enough too, and he plays a mean bass and guitar. So I'd like to welcome my friend and to the Pixel classroom, Dr. Jim Windlebourne. So Jim, thank you for joining us today.

Jim Windelborn: Thank you so much, Dr. Reed. we yeah, we have known each other a long time, and it is fabulous to catch up. and it's fabulous to be here on this thing that you've built. I remember actually eight years ago when you announced I I probably saw it on Facebook, that you were gonna be doing this podcast, and I checked it out. It was great. I loved it. I just I anyway, so I I've been checking in on you since it

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Well, thank you, Jim.

Jim Windelborn: it's honestly it's just hard to believe. Although we were also talking about the fact that you have a a child in your house that drives, which that also blows my mind. So great to see you.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I know and we were too. I mean and just before we started recording this, both on the audio and the the the video version of here, we were talking about some old friends of ours 'cause it's hard to believe our thirtieth and thirtieth reunion is this year. And I'll be at it 'cause I'm in the area and everything. Jim, I don't know if you're joining us or not, so

Jim Windelborn: I I won't be able to. I'm I'm living out I should mention I work at Regis College. It's a small actually Catholic college near Boston.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm.

Jim Windelborn: And I am in the STEM program. And so as you mentioned, you know, I'm I'm I'm teaching lots of people. There are lots of stories to tell over time. but basically As I'm going through all this, actually I just lost my train of thought. Nope. That's that's that's that's

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: You've come to the right podcast.

Jim Windelborn: the you can tell from the the white beard that that that happens a lot. anyway, I'm gonna let I'm gonna throw back to you, I think.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: yeah, but that's that's actually and that's one thing too, 'cause I remember when we were I was following you on Instagram and I was watching a couple of things. I was just finishing my doctorate finally after eight years. Speaking of eight years, holy cow, I mean that was

Jim Windelborn: That was an inspiring that was also an inspiring journey to watch. But you You fought for that, man. Like that really. It was impress like that was really impress like I it was frustrating, I'm sure, to watch you be frustrated, but at the same time just that perseverance, like that is a lesson for students. That is really Yeah. Anyway. Sorry, I interrupted.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: no it is because I I I do bring up the story of my students all the time. Even the kids say, like, well doc they're like, Well, Dr. Reed, you know, you're a doctor. I'm Do we call you doctor, Mr. I was like, I will go by, but I will take the doctor because I suffered eight long years, kids. And then I'll our

Jim Windelborn: Yes.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: we're doing our our career unit right now. A lot of them don't know, which I understand. I mean they're fifteen through eighteen years old. I mean, like I said, we we we didn't quite know it exactly either too. I had ideas, but I didn't do much. But it was so funny. I was talking to them. They were talking about, well, yeah, I want to be a psychiatrist. So I said, so you're gonna be doctor so and so they're like, hold on, doctor, we don't know if I can preserve like you. I mean, you you suffered. I said, I think they'll be nicer to you, probably being a psychiatrist. and and and or want to do it. And I have a lot of w like interest in a nursing practitioner and everything. I'd say my own wife is a CNA herself. She never went to a full nursing, but you know, my my cousin Angela is you she used to be the school nurse at Sycamore, our old high school here, speaking of reunions,

Jim Windelborn: Is that right?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: that is true. she's not doing it anymore, but yeah, she was. She she was. And then of course

Jim Windelborn: Okay. I have a sister in law that did that as well, that was the the nurse at at high school. way over in Oregon, but yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: yeah, an Oregon. And it it's funny too. It a I mean Angie was a Sycamore alum. She grew up in Sycamore. She was class of eighty six, I believe, 'cause Julie, her oldest sister, my the oldest of the grandchildren, 'cause I was at the time the youngest

Jim Windelborn: I bet my I bet my older sister knew her 'cause she graduated in eighty six, so anyway.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, and then Gina was I think about eighty-seven, my cousin who passed away a few years ago from cancer. 'cause she graduated NIU back in ninety 'cause we were still in high school. I think she graduated my mom can correct me, she can tell me. I think it was ninety-four from NIU. But yeah, I mean it wa it was very interesting too. And I was actually talking to Julie just a little while ago and we were we were joking about her kids, as her kids are all grown up. She's now a grandma of three. And we were talking about Tyler driving. She's like, my my baby now has to deal with his baby driving, like I had to deal with my baby's driving. So she said, Remember, coffee and wine are your friend, Ryan.

Jim Windelborn: There you go. There you go. God.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: man. man. See this is what happens when we get old when we get old friends on you mean everybody goes back to the last episode.

Jim Windelborn: That's right.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Me and me and Anonic Rock, you know, we live in two different countries, her in Canada, me in the US, and her and I were acting like we're old we were old college roommates talking the last episode, so

Jim Windelborn: That's awesome. It's f it it's so fun though. yeah. Anyway. Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: it is. Anyhow, let's get back to what we're trying. So, you know, you work in the STEM field a lot and you definitely work a lot with the engineering, but also the medical, and there is, you know, as many people I used to be a STEAM teacher, so scientific technology educating arts and mathematics, but there is my friend Becky Souse, and she's on this, who was also now a doctor, but she did the An An Antarctica trip for National Geographic, because she's a geographical teacher, like my cousin is Peggy. and she had to do STEM S T E which was science, technology, engineering, medical and math. So, you know, that's an interesting thing. I was thinking about when you were coming on here, Jim, of how much you've helped with that part of STEM versus the traditional STEM.

Jim Windelborn: So I will say that My interaction with STEM is on the biology side. So my my PhD is in neuroscience and I've been teaching in I I I actually taught for about a decade in a biology department down in Maryland, another small college, Washington College, shout out.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: it's another great one. but this new one, it honestly is more or less it most of the faculty in this STEM department are biology. And what I was brought on to do at Regis College was to coordinate to basically direct the anatomy and physiology program. and so I I basically I'm currently finishing up putting together classes for a few instructors who are all gonna be teaching this anatomy and physiology class. And so we teach these mainly to medical, like pre-medical professionals. and so at Regis our big groups would be nursing, so lots

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: of nurses, lots of future dental hygienists, sonographers, so they'll do like ultrasound and ek

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Ooh, that that's that's a career you don't hear often. Sonographers, wow.

Jim Windelborn: And actually there aren't many programs, so that's one that's a little special to us. But yeah, I you know, echocardiograms, ultrasounds, like all of that good stuff that they're into. And then we have others like we actually have a neuroscience major, and we have students that are interested in exercise science and they might want to go on and do things like, you know, physical therapy or occupational therapy, stuff like that. But as as we get to our age, we may get more familiar with with those professionals fixing our our broken bodies. So

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: There you go.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I mean my my niece who's my oldest niece who's getting married next summer, which I talked about in the last episode, but she's getting her dental at you know, Gainesville. You know, she's went for Gainesville now. Here she's gonna be Doctor Hammer or now my whatever Mary name's gonna be next year. But I mean it's it's w it was really interesting so she talked

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: about the journey about what they had in Gainesville for the dental programs from the x-rays to the ultrasounds and everything else too. And they had said themselves there was not a lot of programs. With this ability, luckily Gainesville in Florida did have this program. And I think that's a challenge. I think I got up is how you and you said yourself you've been very proud of this is you know, what is that like when you face a challenge like that? Cause it's like people who want to go to pharmacy school. I mean, I had a friend of mine, stagecoach. She had to go all the way to northern Wisconsin to go get her pharmacy license, you know, basically becoming doctor. Mm Melissa had an old friend. He went to six different states before he finally landed in Arizona to get one. Now if he said and I've talked to him, he said himself, if I was gonna go do it now, I would just go to Chicago, I would just go up the border to Mad Madison 'cause now there's more programs out there. So, you know, how do you help people with those programs? 'Cause they are more limited than people actually believe, despite it being almost twenty twenty seven.

Jim Windelborn: Right, so so when you're saying programs, are you you meaning academic programs?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, academic programs.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah, so you know, going through these academic programs it is a big challenge. And the thing that I think people know is going to happen but don't really understand what it means, is that They are responsible for their own success. Like, in the end. and that's something again, like, people know that, but I think college is a transition period where you get to know it personally, that you have to be proactive. So if you want something, you need to make contacts with people, you need to reach out. it it's a it's a really hard thing to do.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: Like it's nerve-wracking, it's anxiety inducing. but if you don't do it, people aren't going to do it for you. and so I mean that's not exactly the academic program, but honestly I've met a lot of different people that have done well or poorly in their first semester of college. And the thing that seems to predict who is gonna go on and succeed is that kind of behavior, like just being proactive and being responsible for your own success. and so luckily like places and and this is something I I should just mention that I I've worked at two, actually sort of three. I was an adjunct professor for a bit. I've worked at three different small colleges. That's something I never even thought of growing up. Like like honestly

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm. Well, we only had Northern and W in Kishwaki College and Wabonzi. I mean, what were what were we exposed to?

Jim Windelborn: That's yes. That's it. And so like I remember getting the all the mailings from different colleges and I'm sure I got a bunch from small colleges and I will say if I even looked at them I probably dismissed them and said I'm I'm a poor person. There's no way I can afford that.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: Like that's that's not gonna happen. What I didn't realize and maybe it was different back then, is that places like Regis offer a ton of financial support. Like

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: they will compete for you. And they will get the price much like all the sticker prices that you see online, that's not the actual price.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: No, no.

Jim Windelborn: basically you you can do much, much better than that. and so I wish I had known that, but that's just like an example where it the reason I bring this up is that If I could go back, I think I would much more consider knowing what I know now about small colleges. There is a huge amount of support built into those. just because we're we're dealing with a smaller number of students per faculty member. and so we're able to offer support. So as long as people are reaching out and letting us know what their goals are. we are going to help them reach those goals. Like we will do whatever we can to help them with that. but again, it starts with them letting us know. And so I I you didn't ask, but w I mean one thing that I think is fantastic at a high school level, and I'm guessing you do a great job at this, is building relationships with students so that they feel comfortable communicating with you. because as soon as they feel comfortable communicating about anything, then when the hard things come up, they're prepped for it. Like then we can have those hard conversations later. but But do it immediately. Yeah. In fact I I've already sent out announcements to my classes for the fall, which my my classes start next week. but

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: they they already got an email and I've already seen some proactive students because part of that email was me requesting that they please just reach out to me, send me a quick message. I gave them some things that they can say in their message. and at least probably a half dozen students have already reached out just to let me know who they are, just to say hi. Usually it's little things about I have pets and like music, whatever. I I don't know,

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: no one said they like Taylor Swift, but I bet they like Taylor Swift. Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I they're there, trust me. They're there. I I was doing I like to do my mixes as we're doing work time 'cause like I said, people always joke like, Well, Ryan, you talk like I talk a lot, I don't lecture. And when I do lecture, you can tell the kids will still do the whole like holy cow, Dr. Reed's not stopping. I I I think I wanna lay my head down and I try not to do it, so I always do interactive. I c I move around the room. Like I close my move rings before it's ten thirty. By moving around the room, I do it so much.

Jim Windelborn: Nice.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: But I've already had a lot of the freshmen's themselves say, I the one hard's like, you know, this is my favorite class, Dr. E. I really like you, but you're you're you're kind of tough at times. I said, I'm I can be tough. I said, I am a fair teacher, but at the same time, is I expect I have expectations for you. The school has expectations to you. I will be patient, I will work with you. I had a student that was emailing me here as I was getting my stuff done trying to get home here. And I said, Hey, don't worry about the grade. I will do it after I get done with my meeting tonight and a couple other things. But I said, Don't worry. And I said, I contacted your counselor where you Got that all set. I said, don't worry right now. If it's it's four weeks later, then start worrying if you're wondering what's going on. But I said, I'm working with you. I introduced what I call the the dugout because I work with the softball coach a lot. She's a friend of mine, and I've worked with her for a couple school districts. But I always say, Your if your name shows up here and you see this assignment in yellow, you're missing it. So you need to get that in. And if you don't can't turn into Canvas because it closed, you can share it to me. But I said, You gotta realize now we're coming into week three. That means we have six weeks left. We have a three day weekend coming up, too. It's gonna be quarter one over soon, and I can't take your grades. Like you can try it, but I said once you are seven days past the end of the quarter, because this is high school, that it doesn't matter. I'm like, I can maybe give you some extra credit for whatever, but it's like that ends. It's like your grade is what it is. It's like you the I always tell them the due dates are not suggestions. But I always can tell too, the following semester. I mean, here now I a year under decalb now, but I got students who I don't have as, you know, students right now. They're not in class, even seniors. And they'll say hi to me, they'll stop and talk with me. I was over at Target here. I

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: ran into four of my students, one I don't even have this year, and her mom, and she was and the mom was like this is Dr. Reed. Well, you you you I'm like, nice to finally meet. no, nice to finally meet you. I'm like, I loved having your daughter in class. I'm looking forward. We got still another year together after this. And then we were joking about so what do you get? It's like, well, it's pumpkin spice season. I want my oat milk. I need my pumpkin spice. And they were all joking with us. But then

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I was having a wonderful talk with my student, and she accidentally ordered the largest cup. And then she went, wait, I meant the grande, the next size. And we were laughing. She's like,

Jim Windelborn: Oops.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: well, I'm all right, Dr. Reed. I could drink a a Double that size at eight o'clock and still get to bed by ten. I said, I was your age once too.

Jim Windelborn: Yep. I was just gonna say youth. I I don't I can't even do caffeine anymore. Like well no, green tea. I do green tea.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I I I do not drink it like yeah. I I mean I love my green tea too. But if people notice I'm drinking water most of the time, I joined the water club this week's this past week, which is the normal money of water. But really, if I get a pop, it's either I've had a long day and I'm out and about, but otherwise we do not keep in the house. Even with a teenage son who loves, you know, like us, you know, drink his peps, he drink his coats. We're not

Jim Windelborn: yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: sponsored, folks. but yeah, I mean he drinks it. It's just very common, but he can drink something at eight o'clock and he can be out by ten. I mean, he still has that young teenage mentality. Me now, I that that's a roll of the dice. That's I I made sun tea. We made a lot this summer and granted there was no school. I was done with summer school. I drank some at eight thirty. I was out of bed until one AM. Granted I didn't have one

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: to go, but I don't like going to bed at one AM anymore.

Jim Windelborn: No exactly. Yeah, so meh, you know, age.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: But I do like you can do that with your students 'cause that's one thing I've talked with some people who have taught college about that. And I always I always say relationships are the biggest thing, but just don't use the excuse, have you tried forming a relationship? But it is also to when students can, you know, understand it. Like you said, with your music, you play. I you you were play I always remember you like years ago, Jim, you would play the music and I always be sitting there going, Man, I wish I could play like that. I tried playing like that. And you were very talented, but it was also nice you you know, people can relate to you. Like me, I talk about yeah, I watch Stranger Things. yeah, I'm in the Spider Man a long time. I do comic review. I have a Fui Coco st marshmallow puff that got I was on clearance sale. Now he's everywhere. I have the kids that stop me, like, have you done anything new with Floy Coco? I like, look right here, I got him. Look, he's Garden the Comic Collection we're reviewing.

Jim Windelborn: Mm-hmm.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: And everybody's like, When's our next pajama day? I'm like, I'll bring Fui Coco. Now it's like if they see me without Fui Coco on a pajama day, they know something's wrong. So

Jim Windelborn: Th this style sounds very familiar, 'cause it's I

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, but

Jim Windelborn: I think I I do the same type of thing where they end up knowing a lot of things about me that sh are probably boring. so like this semester,

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Ha ha ha.

Jim Windelborn: for instance, they are gonna learn a lot about the fact that I am now a jigsaw puddler. Like I

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mmm.

Jim Windelborn: I I am loving it. I started doing it because I saw a guy in a in a little tiny convertible who was balding and he seemed like he was trying to get everyone's approval around him. Like he stopped at a stoplight

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: and then just started like looking around smiling and I I decided I needed a midlife crisis that wasn't quite so expensive. And so my midlife crisis is now Jigsaw puzzling. and so my students are gonna hear all about that and they'll love it or else.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: man. See, and you gotta share this story, my grandma Mo, my stepfather's mom, she would do sh we would get her for Christmas like five thousand piece puzzles. She'd get done like two days. Like she would be up, she'd put together, she'd s and then she'd take them apart. And then if she got bored one night, like one time there was she got snowed in, couldn't leave her apartment, she ended up doing two of them. She did two of them, put together, she got out her old Polaroid, took the picture, and then do it, and then she'd drop them off at a garage sale and then buy new ones. And we'd always get her things and by the time she passed away. I think there were some that were like thirty boxes of jigsaw puzzles, like old ones too.

Jim Windelborn: I believe it. No, it's a dangerous it's a dangerous hobby. It's one of these things where like w when you where at least when I get started, I can easily lose track of time. and like I I maybe I'll someday get to be as fast as her. I'm definitely not yet, but I'm much faster than I was at the beginning of the summer, so it it's

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: It yeah, it's a trick. Melissa and I used to do them a lot when we were first married and then later on, especially during COVID, and then now it's just like if we feel like it, but otherwise if we like the fifty one hundred puzzles, we'll do that. We'll glue them and we'll take them to our classroom. I mean it's fun.

Jim Windelborn: yeah, those are fun.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: yeah, it is. I got tons of them. Like I I I found a Gremlins one a couple months ago and I was like, yes, I am putting the Gremlins together because the new movie's coming out next year, and you know I'm a Gremlins fan, so it's like everybody's like, Where'd that come

Jim Windelborn: Heck yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: from? I'm like, It's Stripe. You is if you don't know Gremlins, you don't know Stripe.

Jim Windelborn: Is that one that you've rewatched as an adult?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I have and it's so f I've watched both. I still remember I used I s I still own I have the tape downstairs 'cause I have a small Gremlins collection. And I have the new batch. I watched that tape like every single like three months. I'd pop that in and watch it.

Jim Windelborn: You know, I that's one of those movies that I have such good memories of that I do not want to ever watch it again because I

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: huh.

Jim Windelborn: am scared to death that I will watch it and just like I'll hate it or I'll just pick it apart or I'll do something that ruins the wonderful memory. So I I don't know why, but that is one of them. One of those.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: And it's funny 'cause yeah, I know, 'cause like my wife and I we like to stream some of the old shows. Like we watched some we watched we binged watched on Cheers and Scientil. We're right now watching the Steve Harvey show and you we're talking about the different genres. But we're like, we're older now. Some of these jokes don't fly over our head anymore. We're like, whoa, whoa, wait a second.

Jim Windelborn: True.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: And like even the Steve Harvey show, even though it took place in the late nineties and he was a music teacher in Chicago, some of the jokes the kids go, I went, Wow, that feels so dated, but at the same time is I said those exact same things. at that age

Jim Windelborn: Sure.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: in ninety eight and there was a there was a reference to MySpace in the last season and I went, my god, MySpace I just like lost it.

Jim Windelborn: MySpace, gosh, I do remember that. And then remember it was refreshing when Facebook showed up and didn't

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: have all of the animations in the background and didn't automatically play music? Like MySpace got to be a lot. It basically crashed my computer is what I remember.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, that that that was the thing and then all the the yeah, and I remember I would do a thing and I learned it like 'cause I I used to do HTML code, which I then taught in classrooms. I taught I would do web page one, we would do Google Sites and Canva and QuickSlee. And then I would teach the kids hard HTML and Notepad Plus Plus. And like this is how I used to code. And like technically this is what they do now for the really good website. They just use a a a app or a program to shortcut. I mean, now people will use the AI for it, but the AI is still making the code and you still gotta rewrite it because it can't catch every single code now. I mean it can sometimes find mistakes, but I threw and this is this is actually going back to you with STEM, is I was looking at a technology blueprint and I was saying, okay, I want you to redo Hello World. We'll use Google Gemini since the school uses it. And then I want you to throw in Canvas. I gave them like the premium educational count Canva. I want to see if it can find your mistake. So they they did the code, double checked it. I did I did this with middle school students. This was two years ago. And I said, I want you to throw it into those two and just see what happens. And one of the kids came back saying, it told me it was wrong on both sides, but yet the code is correct. I said, Why did it say that? And he said, I don't know. Look at it again. He's like, I have too much spacing. And because the program Gemini read it this way and Canva read it this way, so it thinks the mistakes the mistake is that. And I said, And what did you do? The code is like code HS like right, which allows you to do that spacing. But according to Gemini and according to Canva AI, You made a mistake and that's why your program's not running, even though you did it absolutely right in Code HS. So it's I'm trying to teach kids, especially now, as all the cross platform, not just cite your sources, but check it. Like I said, one thing is gonna say one thing here, but it's not gonna say this here.

Jim Windelborn: Interesting. I I will be honest, I'm still starting to explore all of these generative AI tools. So I don't know a lot about the differences between them. I I did find one that I very much liked and actually created a a project for students. So in in my classes, again, I'm teaching mainly about like how animals work. Like that's basically what I do. Not not about the technology, but I wanted some st I I wanted to do a writing assignment and felt like That was gonna be a losing battle for teaching them skills at in college because they were gonna punch instructions into a generative AI and bring back whatever it told them. and so instead I built the assignments to use generative AI, and I wanted to sort of teach them not just how to use it, but also what their responsibilities remain. Like

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm.

Jim Windelborn: That basically you can't it it it's sort of like a the way that it's hey I have experienced at least is it's it's an unreliable partner.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: and so basically and actually so the tool that I've been using is called Perplexity. it

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I have heard of perplexity, yeah.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah, and it's one that basically i it's a tool that it will it will pick the best what it thinks is the best model for the question, the prompt that you have provided. And so that's why I don't really know which which tools it's using often. I don't pay attention, but it it will feed into like open AI and gamma and sorry, Gemini and actually might do gamma too. but

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I was like saying me could do gamma, I'm thinking about that.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah, it might. but it it it picks what it thinks is best, and then delivers the results. But the assignment that I provided was basically trying to teach them that They are still responsible for the final product. And so this is one where we actually had like a consultant came and talked to us last year, and it was generally panned. but one thing that I took away that I really liked it was an analogy, a good old American football analogy. Gotta say American football now that we've done the World Cup, right? but but

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right, exactly.

Jim Windelborn: but he basically said like you can think of the generative AI as taking you to the red zone, like taking you to the ten

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm.

Jim Windelborn: yard line. You still have to get it the the remaining ten yard like you still have to get it the rest of the way into the end zone. And I really like thinking about it like that, that this is a tool that can make your work so much faster and so much more efficient. But you still have to be the that last step is what I'm basically

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: trying to teach them, which maybe it won't always be like that, but right now that's what these tools are offering, at least in the field fields that I'm touching. and so they got to go through and you know, it this will not sound like an exciting one, but I gave them an example where I I typed into perplexity. How do you how how would you measure blood pressure in a hummingbird?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Ooh, that's an interesting question. Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: random, like random question. You know, these things are tiny, like smaller than the palm of your hand. And I'm thinking, how would you ever do that? I was just interested. And so perplexity you know, it took from whichever models it was taking from and gave me a a a sourced response. Like that's what I like about perplexity is it's very source forward. So that's great. And it had a list of sources and it's like you do this, this, this, here's some options. Everything's fantastic. And so in my demo for them, we went through and I clicked on all of them. I clicked on all of the actual sources it was giving. The first one It was a blog post and I was like I'm

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Okay, makes sense. Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: like that does not count. we had asked

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Ha ha ha ha.

Jim Windelborn: it for pr we we had asked it for primary sources. It told us it gave us primary sources. It did not. So that was

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I don't think that's peer reviewed.

Jim Windelborn: Well yeah, no, that was problem number one. problem two, we went to what did end up being primary sources, where there were it gave us three different sources. And so the other two both had the same problem. Neither one showed how you would take blood pressure in a hummingbird. Like

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Hm.

Jim Windelborn: one of them wasn't even about hummingbirds. It was about a completely different type of animal. And the other one wasn't even about blood pressure. And so

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Of course not.

Jim Windelborn: So I I had to explain to them like when you're asking the generative AI to do things, it's not thinking. Like it's not it's just taking the information that's available and presenting it to you according to how you prompted it. Like It's not thinking about it, it's just saying this is likely to be meaningful. Let's present it and I'll I'll say based on their prompt, I'll put it in the context of their prompt. And so I had to basically show them this example to reveal like it's not gonna get you all the way there. Like, please,

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: No.

Jim Windelborn: please, please, please still put a human being in this process. Because if you don't need a human being for a process you don't get a job in that field. Like

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: No, and yeah, and that's just what I've been going with students right now. We're going over digital skills and we had do a bullseye map and BLS.gov and a lot of these kids like, I don't know what I want to be in. It's like, why don't you look at what's gonna be available in the next couple of years? And they did that and they broke it down little bullseye map, like here's what the job is, here's how much it'll make, blah, blah, blah. But my biggest thing is is what

Jim Windelborn: That's cool.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: digital tools do you need? And I said, like a lot

Jim Windelborn: Yep.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: of them wanted to do nursing. I said, Well You're gonna need to know spreadsheets. You're gonna need to know how to do reports. You need to type. You have to do what? They look like communicate, but you also might be on telehealth. You might have to be on a camera,

Jim Windelborn: Yep.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: like your zooming or FaceTiming mom or whatever. And you've got to put that in. And then what I did is after I was done, we did a Venn diagram. And I said, All right, on the left, put things you do now, you enjoy. I mean, if you and one kid's like, I love Fortnite. Like exactly. Put Fortnite down. Put video game. I put video games down, social media, podcasting,

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: whatever. But then on the right it says, What is the job and what is the requirements of that? Now I said, Now look at the two things you do. now as a regular person every day in school and look at what you're thinking of being in school and where does that merge and someone like well I would have to do online I do game streaming with my Fortnite friend so I have to learn how to do streaming because I I'm thinking about being you know a counselor. I said right and you might have virtual health. So there we go. You got your Venn diagram. And then I put it on a final just two cards with one which just said, you know, give me the digital skills you're learning now that you feel like you're gonna have to have right now like what we're learning class, what you have now And then on the right, tell me what is your mindset? What is the mindset of why you want to do this? And I told him, you know, what I wanted to do. I said, guys, I wanted to be an actor. I even did voice work for the museum of science industry. I was in TV pilots. I got paid. I didn't go anywhere. And I said I'd be happy in an office job. And for several years, I thought I was gonna be in an awesome job. Then I ended up in healthcare for four long years. I was doing food for 10 years. I've now been a teacher and educator for almost 17 years, and I'm not going back. So you know, it's like I said it's not a straight road, but at the same time, I've taken things like when I talk about health insurance and medical stuff. My hospital years when I talk about, you know, people who want to be professional writers or actings or say, I really would like to be a fashionist I okay, let me tell you my theater world and what I did. I said my undergraduate is in theater. Here's what I learned in costuming. And they're like, And really? And you what I used to say every day when I would see a play, I was involved with costume, like what, Doctor Reed? Please don't fall apart. Please don't fall apart. Please don't fall apart. But I said, I got less that 'cause I learned to sew better.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. All right. Yeah. I I mean that's a

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: But yeah. But that that's what I'm trying to do, yeah.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. I I think that is an underappreciated thing about most most fields that most careers is is how much you are going to rely on technology. so like learning any tools, just going through the process of learning the tools is going to help you. Like I I I mean just to get broader, like rather than specific tools, like I'm looking for students who want who have like broad skills, which I mean unfortunately get called soft skills, even though what they really are is they're yeah, they're universal skills. Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right. We were going through that today. Soft skill versus hard skills. Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: It's it's universal. And so like when The truth I I think the truth is like we don't know what software and what technologies are going to be important five years from now. Like I think things are moving so quickly right now that like I I don't know.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: and so What I hope my students have is the ability to explore the tools. So like if it sounds like you're teaching them a process, like identify what's important, figure out how to use that particular tool, how do you integrate it into your workflow?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: Like that's like that's a really, really vital skill. And that's gonna, I hope, enable them, whatever the the tools are in the future, I hope they can. pick them up and adapt.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, I that's my best hope I have every say I've told them every day. I'd like I try to give you as many tools, my door is open. You gotta choose to walk through it, but I I do hope I do have several students that come back to me. I run into random. I actually have ran into one random I had almost she's been out of school now for close to six years. What she's done in some of the tools. And I was talking with one of my current students and they she was saying, So what's doctor E teaching you? He's teaching me this and she's like, You're still teaching that I said, Yeah and then she turns to the

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. That's something I have done.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I was like, thank you, Gracie

Jim Windelborn: You know, I did that once in the past and I don't know why I haven't gone back to it, but I I had former students record video testimonials about like y what was the most valuable thing they learned, like what are the things to not ignore, that kind of stuff. and I think that I've yeah, I don't know why I haven't gone back to that. Anyway, yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, but it it's an idea. I mean you you you you've got a thing, you know, you always take those I I always tell people I learn every year. Sometimes I have semesters and classes that go swimmingly and some ones I'm like I had a plan for about two weeks and I had to go back to the pacing guide and update it because of whatever reason.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: And sometimes I just take that note and do the old spark note, like, Okay, let me put in the let me put in what worked for the lesson and now let me put in what didn't work for the lesson and then go from I remember kids, I get no praise though.

Jim Windelborn: but I was basically saying like what you were describing before was another example of adaptability. I remember it you were talking about the fact that, you know, sometimes you have big plans for it for a class. And then within a week or two you realize that's that's not happening and you have to pivot and do something new. And aga it like that adaptability is so vital. And I feel like it's getting more vital as technologies I it maybe it's because I'm older now, but it feels like the progress of technology is faster and faster.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: and so I you know, that adaptability is I feel like that's gonna be one of the most important skills. And I know it is at the college level. Like a a lot of students come in, and so I, you know, nursing, dental hygiene, like all of these different programs, and for some of those students, it's not gonna work out. And so some students unfortunately take that as a sign that they are failures, which is not true at all.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: Instead Other students, it's it's a much happier ending because they pivot. They

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: they've some somewhere along the line they've learned that adaptability and they see this just as a bump. And so like again, like when you were talking about all of the different weaves that you took through your life, through different careers, like that's what it's like for most people. like you have a plan and then somet whatever doesn't work out, you have to weave. Like it's just getting good at that is I I just as I look back on life, like that is one of the most important skills I I think most people can have. Just adaptability. So I hope I

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, I and

Jim Windelborn: hope they have it.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: yeah, and like I said, I see it too well and like I said, our good pivot and everything. So I I'm seeing more adaptability these days than I think I've had in the last couple of years. But yeah, I mean that was one thing I was I o I always had to adapt to things and everything else. I mean that I I mean many people have heard my stories through various episodes or me on other podcasts, but I I was always adapting in life. You know, there was always interesting things, you know, took a wrong thing, lost a job here, suffered a bad breakup, had a program going great, then all of a sudden it was taken away. And like I said, I I've told people too, like I I really had to adapt. I said I always I always think 'cause you know this, Jim, I worked in a movie theater for four long years. In fact, I've been writing a little fanfiction kind of dark comedy.

Jim Windelborn: Really?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: that yeah, I really is called Multiplex. I've been r I've throwing in my speaking of a yeah, I've been throwing that in poking up. I mean we've just done the characters, but it's based

Jim Windelborn: That's good.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: off of things that happened and it's so funny. I mean, people were talking about what happened with the Minecraft movie a couple of years ago with them trashing the theaters and I went You think that is bad. I have stories that will horrify you and and so forth. But I always I said the one thing about adaptability, and this was something even my former managers told me, like, Ryan, the popcorn machine could be on fire, and in three seconds, not only did you adapt to the situation, you figured it out. You either not only got it down, you merely got people done and you would think You know, the broom broke. Well, guess what? You ended up grabbing the broken end of the whisk broom and actually still used it as a sweeper to get it done. And if worse comes or worse, you popped up the number, grabbed putty cash, ran to Walmart, bought new brooms, and then we sent it to, you know, corporate so they would reimburse the money. But that was one thing they always said I was very good at adapting. And that's something I I think I've gotten a little too well at it sometimes because some days I can walk

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: wake up and I adapt like nobody's business. And it's really funny. And I sometimes people say, Where did you get that from? Like, I don't know. I I really don't know. I said my parents gave me the ability to communicate with me. People said for years my dad could have a conversation with that rock, and apparently you would actually think he was having

Jim Windelborn: Mm-hmm.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: a con that rock was talking back to him and he'd still have a conversation. but at the same time is, you know, it's like here, it's just like here. My computer went out a couple days ago. Here I had all these podcasts, and here somehow I got, you know, stuff here, got the new streaming camera, plugged this all in and hoping the power lasts. So that was adapting for us to do it. Same thing here with our talking here. I've had to be double checking here some of our sound qualities before the final edit so I get any background noise up. But I'm just like I'm back here, just like okay, let's adjust that, let's adjust that. But I I I kinda try to stay adaptable.

Jim Windelborn: I yeah, yeah, it's it's been incredibly important. so I I'm I'm glad that you're you're instilling that into your students. I like on a more specific note, when you mentioned you know nurses need to know how to use spreadsheets and need to know how to

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: use word processing programs, like those are those are vital and what I have noticed like I have colleagues that like to talk about, you know, the the students that we teach being digital natives. I hear that

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yes.

Jim Windelborn: term a lot. and to some extent I agree, but I also find that in a lot of ways they are much worse at using technologies that are the ones that are most important for professional settings. So

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: for instance, an actual computer like using an actual

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: computer. I had a breakthrough one year, and this was years ago now, when I had the realization that students were having a difficulty with an assignment that I was pro giving them, not because of the assignment, but because they didn't know what a file was. Like

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: And this is this is an ongoing thing. Like this every semester, every time I teach a class, there are at least a few students who don't really get the concept of a file. Like that because I'm asking them, you know, we work in like a learning management system. So I think you've mentioned you use Canvas or something like that. I use I use one called Moodle. and so yes, it it's

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, we do and yeah. yeah, I know Moodle very well. My master's program was all on Moodle.

Jim Windelborn: amazing. So you've you've gone through the pain. Yes. but you know, so basically we're asking them to create something in one software and then deliver it to a different software. And that kind of move, that's something that many of them have not practiced. So I

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Now

Jim Windelborn: always hope so many more get classes like yours where they're learning to understand these things that like maybe in their everyday life they're not using that much. Like in everyday life it's all about, you know these phones in our hands and using apps

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: and it makes it very easy. Yeah, exactly. But in in a professional setting it's not gonna be like that. it you will have to figure things out. And so that that's just a an example of something I was surprised by and I wish more people had classes like yours, honestly.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, and that and that's a big thing we do. I mean, 'cause like I said, we have you know, we mostly have Chromebooks, but we do have PC labs and they're kinda a little bit both, but there's also enough to where you can do simulations or programs like one we used to, where they actually do have to go through Microsoft. Now, granted it it's on a Chromebook, but it's actually walking you like a three thing and it even do it. And I will always get students that will watch the videos like to the thing, and then they'll be like, Dr. Reed, I I'm having a problem. It it said I got this this part of the exercise, I was like, what does it say? It says save the program like aha and it says save as. So I hit save. I'm like, no, no, no. It said save as. It wants you to save that exact same program or file, whatever it was, but under a new name. And that's what it's asking you. If you go to save as, you can rename it. I said when we go to Google, when you hit the it auto-saves, but I said, if you were making a copy right now, what would it ask you to? It says it says copy of and then whatever I want to name it. I said, exactly. What happens when you have 15 files that I'll say copy of unknown file? And he went, wow, that's really gonna mess up my files. Like, because you're not gonna know. I said, Will you look at the dates? Sure. But you're not gonna know if you know what was written on September 14th. Is the same other unknown copy file that was also written it two hours later? You have no idea if those are out. You got to look at the time and the place. I said, That's why you name your files. We go into Canva. I said, unless you're using a template, if this is the right thing, you get right in there. We're naming it right now, and this is what I want you to rain it. Or we're working on the semester project. Said, make a copy of it, get rid of copy up, put your last name. I said, I don't care if it's your first or last name, put your name there. So then you're not turning around in nine weeks when we're trying to finish this all up and turning it in for 20% of the grade. You can't find it 'cause you just know it's copy of something. Cause how many copy of's of?

Jim Windelborn: That is something I I feel like you have a a camera or microphone in my classrooms because the this one I I happen to know that

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I'm spying on you, Jim.

Jim Windelborn: in in in Microsoft Excel the default is to name it book one. and

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, it's always booked.

Jim Windelborn: so they would have all of their files named book one, book one parentheses one, book one parentheses two, and would never be able to find anything. And we had a project where in class together we would take data from a table and transform that into a chart in Excel, basically. That's how

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: to visually how to graphically represent your data. And that's great. We did it together. I went around, I checked people's, and then I would get the final assignment, and it would not look anything like like what we d all they had to do was copy and paste it. So they what it turned out was they lost the file. They didn't know how to find the stuff we had done together. And so from then on, now I I make sure our part of our in it's similar to what you do, part of our in person process is all right, now we're gonna name the file. Be name it whatever you want, but make sure you know how to find it later. it it's Really simple things like or things that seem simple to me but I realize are not intuitive. Like you expect you open software and you'll just find what you need, because that's how apps are built. But it again with professional software it's just I don't know, maybe it'll get there someday. It's not it's not like that. So

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah, and I try to and I always try to throw sh keyboard shortcuts. I always do the basic, you know, control C, but I also then will throw other ones up. But I said, guys, you have to cre I want you to cite the source, so you need the web address. But I said, here's the easiest way to do it. I said hit control L and I went, Whoa, it it it highlighted the the the the information on the website. I said, Yeah, now hit control C. But I said that will help you every single time. But I said it doesn't work in L same. I said years ago I got to help a course where we had a Chromebook, a Mac, and a PC. And you would give them a scavenger hunt and you would put it down there and you had to figure out which ones were universal, which ones were completely different, because control P on Word will create a new page. Control P on Chrome on a Google

Jim Windelborn: Yes.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Doc will make a page break. You do CMD P on a Mac and it looks at you like, okay,

Jim Windelborn: Okay.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: print.

Jim Windelborn: Right, exactly. I was gonna say the the control L is not a familiar one to me. I I do the control A. Yeah, okay. Really? Well

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: That is universal though, luckily. It doesn't matter if it's Chrome, ec no edge or Safari. You do c you know, on a Mac it would be command L, but that highlights the web address. Like if I I know I can't show you here, but if I do it right now on the P Sue, there

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. interesting. All right.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: it is. Yeah, if you did it right now on your web browser, it would do it. Like just did that, like, you

Jim Windelborn: I just did it.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: sure? And I just did it and then I would control A it. I mean control C it and then do the Yeah, see, see see I'm

Jim Windelborn: Now I have a new skill. that's kind of amazing.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I'm teaching the more higher education teacher here right now.

Jim Windelborn: You you can't you can't help yourself.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I can't. I saw I do this podcast still. I like teaching people and then I like learning from them. And like you were just saying with the AI say, that's a great idea. I think I can incorporate that somewhere. Like you were just talking about the hummingbird. I think that's good. We're we're gonna be talking about AI in I think about five weeks, we're gonna do a quick little mini AI thing too. But like I said, I was having students that were looking through their information and I was saying, I'd like I'm understanding you're gonna use Gemini, but you gotta watch it. I said, I'm not gonna say I use A2. I said I write. I will type in the character and and and parenthesize their dialogue and I will tell it too or I'll do my I'm work I one of these days I'm gonna get this book done. I know Dave is probably knocking at my door like Ryan where's my where's my manuscript because I keep getting off but I pop in the information and it corrects it but it does a hyphen here. It spaces out here. It writes up I said I didn't say create this in APA seventh edition format. I'm not writing a new dissertation or paper here. And I'm like and what is with the hyphens like AI, it doesn't matter what it is and it can be it can it can be gem and I forgot the program my my brother in law uses But he says himself sometimes too, is like, Would you get rid of the stupid hyphens? I just wanna like I know it's like it wants to do an uncomplete thought. And it always thinks of like, and this is what this character says. Sean says blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He's talking to Angela. Angela says blah blah blah. Okay, now write the script and then once in a while you'll get some added dialogue, which is funny. It's like, that's a fun little humor. But sometimes I'm like, Why did you do that? Why did you sp I put that word in there for a reason. So I'm trying to teach them a little bit that it's not gonna overdo it. Is it gonna be a time saver? That's my biggest idea. AI can be a time saver, but there's too many people that are investing in AI to be replacement or do this. And I'm like, that's when you're making the mistake. And you know, if they want to email me after this episode, go right ahead. But that's my only thing is too, it it's not gonna be replaceable as you think. I mean, unfortunately, we're not gonna have the Cylons or data from Star Trek coming in and everything else, too. It's just it doesn't work that way. It can't complete that process.

Jim Windelborn: I I mean I have another AI example actually that I just thought of based on what you were just saying. so one thing that I found it incredibly useful for is organizing question banks within our LMS Moodle. So Moodle

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm, yes. Yes.

Jim Windelborn: is is not a friendly LMS. and so to organize question banks is a really, really painful process. Whereas I can download a question bank put it into at at Regis we use Copilot. So we have like the

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: the enterprise version where supposedly we're our data

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: aren't being used to train anything. It's kept private. and so I can I can give it

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right. It's pri it's private it's privatized, yeah.

Jim Windelborn: yeah, I can give it my question bank and ask it to organize it in a particular way. And it'll do it in I mean that one might take fifteen or thirty seconds, but you know, it it does it. hours and hours faster than I would have. that kind of thing has been really valuable. Where I ask it to, for instance, I have done things like asking it, I'll I'll give it a set of questions and ask it to create multiple versions of each question. and when it comes back, that has never actually been a time saver for me.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: Because it has little errors. And unfortunately with exam questions, little errors are a no-go. It it

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right.

Jim Windelborn: doesn't work. And so I I end up spending a massive amount of time editing what it created when I could have just written the variations myself in just as much time or less. so it it's just

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah. It that is a problem.

Jim Windelborn: and I know it's It's partly on me. I have to learn the prompts, but like I I'm sure I could prompt it somehow. but I I have a job. I I c I've and it doesn't and it doesn't involve learning the perfect prompt for perplexity or Gemini or whatever you're using.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right. And like I said, I've gotten better for me. Like I'll use like I I use Gimkit for my reviews and I do it for formative too. But sometimes when it's time saver, I'll either ask it for a set of question blanks or like, well, here's the template I have in a spreadsheet. And I just basically say, Here's the template, I'm uploading it. I want, you know, fifteen questions, blah, blah, blah. They and then I'll pop them in there, but then I'll go through it and be No, I'm not using that question. No, it's a repeat. No. You want a suggestion? Actually, I think that's a good suggestion. Let's throw a blind question

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: in there. And then I'm done. You've saved me an hour, but at the same time is I can't just say, and I'm doing it and I'm done. No, it it doesn't. I I've used Wayground in the AI with a PDF and sometimes I just look at it like why is that even in there as a question? And I have to go out and weed it out.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. Again it's it's it's not thinking. It's taking your prompt and trying to please you is basically what it's doing. It at least that's my my outlook on on the generative AI. it it's trying to do what you asked it to do, but it's not really

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah.

Jim Windelborn: thinking about it. It's just giving you its best guesses, which are very based on a lot of data. So their guesses are often quite good, but

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Right. It it's like the

Jim Windelborn: Sometimes it's off.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: there's a meme out there, it's been around for a couple of months, but it's a guy goes to a pizza place and he says, I want a pizza and he says, Well, what kind? He's like, I'll take this pizza. And it comes out like, see, I understand AI, but at the same time, is it's like he gave the prompt of I want to order whatever sixteen inch pizza and he's either gonna like it or not, but it apparently he just said, like, I want a pizza and I want it to be the number fourteen. And I said, That's actually a good way to put it. You got a prompt, and the prompt is I want this. Cook it good, give me a 14 inch pizza, give me extra cheese. I'm done. You know, versus I could actually go in and say, Give me a pizza with these ingredients and tell me which if it would taste good or not. It's like, well, it would depend on your taste buds, but that would be a really salty pizza. So if you have low sodium, this is the pizza for you.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. Yeah. I mean this is I feel like this goes back again. We were talking earlier about just like learning tools, but not just learning the tools, but when they're appropriate to use, when they're not appropriate

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: to use, like getting that adaptability in there so that if it doesn't work, what are you gonna do now? like I don't know, staying problem focused I guess. Like w what is what are you trying to solve right now? And you know, if generative AI is the best tool for that, fabulous. If it's

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm-hmm.

Jim Windelborn: if you I d if you understand it and you understand like that it's maybe not the best, now what? so I don't know. I again back to that. I'm I'm hard on my students about that. Like if if something gets a a barrier comes up in class, I'm I'm gonna say, okay, what do we do now? like that's what's that's what's gonna come next. and we'll see. We'll see. I don't know.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Yeah. I think that's the best way to put it too is like what is gonna come next and everything else. And I think, you know, like I said, as you're getting ready to start your new school year, yeah, it is it's what's gonna come next, what is gonna bring those prompts? And I think something I'll definitely say, something you've definitely done from like I said, I've been following you and you know, chatting back and forth with our social media over the last several years too. But I think

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: that's one thing you as an educator, Jim, I have always noticed is your you know, your your your students definitely you you get to think. You really get to think and problem solve. in their careers. I mean, we definitely need them, especially in the STEM field this day and age, and getting them there as you originally said in your prompt. But I think it's one thing is is making them think problem solved. And as I try to teach mine is to adapt to them. So you know it's trying to learn them to adapt to those pieces. So I mean, like I said, my biggest struggle for the last two years is teaching a student how the difference is between logging into the PC the same way they do their Chromebook. The only difference is they don't have to put their whole email, but at the same time as they know it's Gmail, but they don't understand No, our school address is this. It is a Gmail program, but it's not at Gmail because then it looks at them like that's not the right password. So it it's learning about how to adapt and to work through multiple functions because like I said, they can pull out the phone, go do their social media, TikTok, or even whatever, Snapchat. But then sometimes I said, Did you save your files? Yeah, I can't find the files. It's under my view. I said, Now go try to find now try to upload it. You have the Google Drive folder for your video for your elevator pitch. how do I upload it to canvo canvas? And they're like, Well, you taught me to put it in Google Drive and I access it in Google Drive. It's like, Well then do it. Email it to yourself. Teach them those skills to get I said, If worse comes worse, eat mail it to me. I will grade it. I gotta be adaptable as well.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah. yeah, and that goes I mean that's back to I I think previously we were talking about, you know, accountability and responsibility. Like you're responsible for yourself and like if you need to turn an assignment by a certain time and it didn't work the way you hoped it would, find another way. So maybe that's emailing your instructor or maybe I I don't know. It email to let them know that it's coming, at least, that kind of stuff. yeah, that still comes up in college, definitely. that's you know, students miss a deadline. And I think I don't know if they believe that's the end for them. but usually there's something that can be done as long as you communicate with your instructor. So yeah. Show that you've done the work, be responsible, be accountable, good times.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Exactly. Wow, I know I'm about to say that's a mic drop right there. You're done done.

Jim Windelborn: Good times.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: man. Actually, Jim, this has been great. Our little talk beforehand and this little talk about school. This has absolutely been on the Pixel

Jim Windelborn: Absolutely. Hopefully not too too rambling. I hope not it was rambling, but that's

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: classroom, us rambling? Nah, I better go talk I better go Exact

Jim Windelborn: But we grew up together. This this is our training. We we were trained we were trained to ramble. And honestly, if

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: man, you

Jim Windelborn: if a if a doctor it doesn't do anything else, it teaches you how to ramble.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: It's like when Matt Aldous and I were on the one hundredth episode. man, Matt and I were just going the field and we were talking about graphic

Jim Windelborn: I'm sure.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: design and him and I got so off track. Same thing with Jill McCoy.

Jim Windelborn: he's another one. He's such a talker. Yeah, I remember I loved yeah, Matt's great. Anyway.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Well, and I can't believe his oldest daughter, she started fifth grade. It's like yeah, I I know. It's like she's like she's going

Jim Windelborn: I don't like that.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: to middle school next year? What? Huh? It's like, wait,

Jim Windelborn: Mm mm Lord

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: what? man, it's just thing. But yeah, I it it is fun. But it is funny when I tell like I had Jill McCormick on and Jill and I both work for Decal. She works in the middle school, still does choir, but man,

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: her and I got on here and And if you want to go talk

Jim Windelborn: I'm sure.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: to her, go back to episode thirty nine, folks, you can Miss McCormick and I joke.

Jim Windelborn: I'm going to, I think.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: But I I I got I'm trying to talk I'm I'm still trying to drag Carol Schultz on here too, because I mean she's done teaching and she's like, I don't. And I'm like, you're gonna get on the podcast one day. And if I have to put you in the studio, I said we live twenty minutes away. We we will make this happen one of these

Jim Windelborn: yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: days. I'm like, I'd love you to talk about science, agriculture, since you've been a farmer all your life, you know, Jaden becoming a teacher or oldest, you know, and Drake, you know, going to, you know, like I said, school too. It's just like I I think we could really just have a lot of fun just talking about that.

Jim Windelborn: Yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Cause it it it it it all keys back together.

Jim Windelborn: Sure, exactly. I mean there are lessons in everything, so that's yeah. Even even nostalgia.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: It is. Well it Exactly. Nostalgia. And speaking of stuff, and Jim, if anybody wanna f follow your amazing trips there in the wonderful world of the Boston area, Massachusetts area, how c how could they contact you through through any any possible ways here?

Jim Windelborn: I mean there are a couple of ways that I think are gonna be easiest. one is through LinkedIn. So

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: yeah.

Jim Windelborn: if if you find me on LinkedIn, it's James Windlebourne, staying professional, on LinkedIn. otherwise, if if you look me up at Regis College, you will find my my email address there is James.windlebourne at regiscollege.edu. It is quite a mouthful. But that's another one. If you reach out, I I will probably be ecstatic. and then otherwise hopefully maybe you'll see me wandering around. I'm I'm up here at at six foot four. I usually look taller than than people, yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: He's hard to miss, folks. He really is.

Jim Windelborn: and so if you see me walking around the streets of Boston, stop by, say hi.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: He may or may not have his bass in hand, you know? Look look for the college

Jim Windelborn: yeah, exactly.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: professor 6'4 with the bass in his hand.

Jim Windelborn: Ha ha ha.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: We'll play a little we'll play a little bit of Blues Brothers music. I know I'll I'll be talking to Steve here in a few weeks too. I I

Jim Windelborn: heck yeah.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: think Steve and I are gonna have a field day with that too. That's who I was th

Jim Windelborn: is he coming on soon?

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: I I think I I I think I think he is coming to the reunion. I was talking to Theo on that, so I think he's coming. I think I d I would

Jim Windelborn: That's great. That's great.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: actually like Ryan Bjorn to come. Speaking of adaptability and early computer stuff, Ryan was always doing that on his computer at home. And he's in

Jim Windelborn: Absolutely. yeah, he's his

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: media and radio now, so I mean

Jim Windelborn: Exactly, which radio is that he's had ups and downs in that, so I'd I bet that would be fascinating. Yes, exactly.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: Mm hmm. Speaking of adaptability, yeah, exactly. I mean, I was trying to get him on the podcast, I think about three years ago and just schedules were just not cooperating. But I thought it would be really interesting considering our platforms and how that would work, especially with what he did and you know, being a drumber drummer all those years too. So but yeah. Well, Tim, thank you so much for being on the Pixel Classroom podcast here. I mean, this has been a this has been a great time. This has been a great time.

Jim Windelborn: Been a pleasure, definitely. I I've loved it, so thank you.

Ryan -The Pixel Classroom: All right. It it it has. And everybody else watching us on both the video and the in and the audio thing, thank you so much and we'll talk to you later. It's outro time.