If your students are already online 24/7, do you really think another YouTube clip is going to wow them? 

This week, we’re looking at two reminders: one, tech in class only earns its keep when it does more than entertain; and two, sometimes all it takes to spark curiosity is a single sentence.

Here’s how you’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 6 minutes:

• Noteworthy News: The next big thing in learning 😮

• Tech Tool: The world at your fingertips 🤖

• Brainy Bit: What are they actually doing on their phones? 📱

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️ The Future of School’s : Google’s AI guru says the next superpower: learning how to learn

👉️ It Only Took 2 Years: 80% of students at one elite college now use AI - but not just to cheat

👉️ Love of Learning: This is how TikTok is rewriting high school for the next generation

TECH TOOL

Build a Webtool With One Sentence

Coding feels intimidating, but what if students could skip the brackets and just… type what they want? 

That’s the promise of Opal by Google: a tool that turns plain-language prompts into simple apps and websites. Think ChatGPT, but instead of creating text, it builds an entire app based on your instructions.

For middle school and up, it’s a low-barrier way to spark creativity, critical thinking, and a little “look what I made!” dopamine.

The Solution: Opal by Google

Opal lets anyone design basic websites or apps by writing instructions in everyday English. 

Want a class blog template? A simple flashcard app? A clean site to host a science project? Type it in, and Opal builds the bones for you. No coding background required.

Its strength though is in how cross-curricular it can be. 

Students can showcase research projects as live sites, design tools that solve real classroom problems, or even just practice refining their prompts until the app behaves exactly how they envisioned. 

That process alone teaches precision, iteration, and problem-solving. And for teachers, it’s a gentle bridge into tech projects without needing to learn a programming language on the fly.

Is This for YOUR Classroom?

Younger students may struggle with the abstract thinking needed to phrase prompts effectively. The apps you can build are fairly simple so they might underwhelm in advanced computer science courses. 

And like any AI tool, you’ll want to set guardrails so students don’t veer off into off-task or inappropriate uses. In short: gold for middle and high school projects, less so for primary grades or advanced coding classes.

Strategies That Work:

1. Project Hosting: Replace posters with Opal-built websites for culminating assignments.

2. Critical Thinking Prompts: Have students refine vague instructions into precise prompts until their app works.

3. Teacher Side Hustle: Mock up your own TPT store, blog, or even build an entire new app with Opal in an afternoon (and please send it to us so we can share it with readers if you do!).

Opal won’t replace learning to code, but it cracks the door wide open. With the right framing, it’s a future-ready tool that makes students excited to build - and teachers excited to let them.

Brainy Bit

Screens Are the New Hall Pass

TLDR: Pew’s latest survey of over 1,300 U.S. teens shows what most of us already suspect: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat run their world and nearly half of teens admit they’re online “almost constantly”

For teachers, that means screens aren’t shiny anymore - tech in class has to actually earn its spot.

The Study: Teens, Social Media, and Technology

Pew Research Center surveyed 1,391 U.S. teens (ages 13–17) in the fall of 2024. 

Using Ipsos’ nationally representative KnowledgePanel, researchers asked about access to devices, which apps teens use, and how often they’re online.

The team compared the data to earlier surveys stretching back a decade. This allowed them to spot not just which apps are hot today, but also how teen screen habits have shifted over time.

The Results:

• YouTube still rules: 90% of teens use it, with nearly three-quarters watching daily

• TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat are close behind: Around six in ten teens use each, and many describe their usage as “almost constant.”

• Facebook is toast: Only 32% of teens use it now—down from 71% a decade ago.

• Always online: 46% of teens say they are online “almost constantly,” nearly double the rate from ten years ago

In YOUR Classroom:

If students are already glued to devices 24/7, then school tech needs to be intentional—movie day won’t wow anyone just because it’s on a screen.

Here’s how this study might improve your classroom this week:

Strategies That Work:

• Pick tools they don’t already live in: Use apps or platforms that feel fresh in class, not just the same ones they scroll through at lunch.

• Make analog sparkle: Balance device use with low-tech options like journals, discussions, or hands-on projects.

• Reframe “engagement”: Don’t assume screen = engagement. Tie tech use to actual skill-building, not novelty.

Today’s teens live online. Classrooms can’t compete with that—but they can use it wisely. 

Purposeful tech doesn’t just add to the scroll; it helps teaching shine.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We would LOVE to hear from you!

Reply to this email, or send us a message on Instagram! We’re here to walk with you in these crazy times!

Part of what makes The PEN Weekly community so special is the fact that our readers are teachers from around the world! We’re not going to lie, we think that’s pretty darn cool!

We’ll see you again on Monday 🍎

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