|
$$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
|
Issue 47 • Date November 12, 2025
|
|
I just returned from my 15th trip to the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC)! I was first invited as a Featured Speaker in 2008, and I’ve been coming back almost every year since. I absolutely adore this event, the organizers, the presenters, and the amazing educators who attend. A warm welcome to the new readers who joined the Learning in Hand newsletter after meeting me at GaETC! This year I put my 3D printer to work. I designed and printed a light box to promote this very newsletter. Using MakerWorld’s MakerLab, I simply uploaded my design, and the Lightbox Maker generated the 3D file for me to print. Inside, an LED light strip makes it shine. The light box is one of my favorite things I’ve ever printed!
|
3D Printed Possibilities ⚙️
|
|
I presented my first-ever session about 3D printing, titled “Printspiration: 3D Ideas You’ll Want to Copy.” I shared dozens of prints I’ve made over the years that connect to classroom life and learning. We explored ideas for printing classroom supplies, manipulatives, fidgets, prizes, and stencils. What I enjoy most about 3D printing is the ability to customize every creation. Beyond choosing filament colors, I can add text to existing designs or upload an image to make my own keychains, signs, and lightboxes. If you’re curious about my printer or the projects from the session, visit my Printspiration handout page. GaETC even had The Sketch Effect create a visual summary of my session, and the artist did an amazing job capturing many of the printed pieces I featured.
|
|
The room I usually present in at the Georgia International Convention Center is long. Like, I need binoculars to see the back row. As a presenter, I prefer when people sit up close, but in this room, anyone who chooses a back seat might as well be on another continent. Over the years I’ve put up signs encouraging attendees to move closer to the front. A few brave souls make the trek, while others ignore the signs and settle way back. This year I tried something new. I 3D printed mini floor signs and tiny traffic cones, which I placed on the aisle seats in the back. The little signs read, “This is your sign to sit closer.”
|
|
The strategy worked and more people sat near the front, but not everyone took the hint. While I want everyone to sit where they feel comfortable, it’s nice when we’re at least in the same time zone. 😉
|
Plugged into Podcasting 🎙️
|
|
Between sessions at GaETC, I squeezed in a podcast interview with Dr. Greg Walkup and David Miller. Talking with them was such a blast! We chatted about my background in educational technology and some highlights from my GaETC presentations. You can catch the episode on YouTube.
|
|
The best part of doing this podcast was discovering Greg and David’s middle school show, Bulldog Bites. It’s a video podcast hosted by students, and they do an incredible job communicating and running the production. Greg described how the student hosts sit at desks facing each other, each with a mic and camera, while one student runs the video switcher to jump between shots. It’s so well done, and it’s amazing to see how classroom podcasting has evolved. Check out the latest episode.
|
|
Another session I debuted at GaETC was Vibe Coding: You Describe It, AI Creates It. Vibe coding is an approach to coding where you describe the app or tool you want to make in plain language, and AI generates the code for you. You can then preview it, test it, and ask the AI to refine what it built. I love to vibe code, and I use general chatbots to do it. I’ve created with Canva AI, ChatGPT, and Claude. My newest math game, Angle Ace, was coded with Gemini. Angle Ace is a quick, brain-boosting geometry game where players test their angle estimation skills. In Guess Mode, you see an angle and type how many degrees you think it is. In Draw Mode, you’re given a target angle and try to draw it yourself. The closer your guess or drawing is to the correct angle, the fewer points you score. There’s even a 2-Player Mode, where friends compete on the same device to see who gets closest. The game works right in a web browser on computers, tablets, and phones. While I could have shared Angle Ace from my personal Google account, I chose to download the code as an HTML file and host it on my own website. That removes the Gemini branding and gives it a simple URL: tonyv.me/angleace Had I used Canva AI to code Angle Ace, it could be published as a Canva Site, which is free and school-friendly. Teachers could use vibe coding to create custom learning tools, randomizers, or quick practice games that fit their own lessons. I’m still discovering what’s possible with vibe coding, and I plan to share more vibe coded apps in future issues of Learning in Hand.
|
|
Canva just added a set of new features. A favorite is Style Match, which lets you change one illustration to match the art style of another. This is perfect when you want different elements to look cohesive without hunting for a matching set. How to copy an art style Select a graphic element. Click Style Match in the top toolbar, then choose Copy art style. Click a different element to apply the style. Style Match uses AI, so it may take a moment to generate the result.
Where it works
From what I can tell, Copy art style works on graphics from Canva’s Elements library. It does not copy styles from your own images. I was able to import my own SVG files and apply a style to the SVG, but I could not copy a style from the SVG to other elements.
|
|
Another route to a cohesive look
Select an image, click Edit in the top toolbar, and scroll to Style Match. You can choose built-in looks like Scrapbook, Watercolor, Cartoon, Sketch, Pixel Art, Lineart, 3D Art, Plush, and Pop Art, among others. This is a quick way to give a whole set of elements a similar vibe. Canva offers a short practice activity where you copy the style from one picture and apply it to others. It is a handy way to get the feel for how Style Match works.
|
|
Since September 2024, I’ve been serving as the AI Coordinator for the Council Bluffs Community School District, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to help local teachers use AI to enhance their teaching. We’re building confidence, creativity, and curiosity around this technology, both for educators and students. This year, every CBCSD middle and high school student and teacher is exploring AI literacy during advisement. It’s exciting to see classrooms learning not just how to use AI, but how to understand it. The latest issue of the district’s Achieve Magazine spotlights our progress with AI and highlights how our AI Workgroup helped develop practical, teacher-friendly guidelines for responsible AI use. As I connect with educators in other districts, I’ve found that our approach of forming a small team to explore AI and make thoughtful recommendations is becoming a popular and effective model. It’s worked well for us here in Council Bluffs, and it’s inspiring to see others take similar steps.
|
|
As part of my role as AI Coordinator, I’m hosting office hours in school buildings over the next couple of weeks. Of course, I had to 3D print a lightbox for the occasion! When I set up in conference rooms and libraries, my “Let’s Chat AI” sign shines brightly as an open invitation for teachers to stop by and talk with me.
|
|
Subscribe at learninginhand.com AI gave me a hand with brainstorming, drafting, and polishing this issue. Of course, I reviewed and adjusted everything before sharing it with you.
|
|
|
|
