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Product Updates
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 6
Your Projector Can Do THIS?! The New Classroom Hack Ever have a lesson derailed by a meme? Us too. It’s episode six (…maybe seven? Meme math is real), and we’re talking about how teachers like us are keeping pace with ever-shifting trends, TikTok audios, and the attention span of a room full of students. Spoiler: you need more than just good intentions (and definitely more than just a stack of boring lesson slides). Teaching in the Age of Meme Chaos You can’t say “six” in class without five
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 5
AI Test Generator How-To + A Sneak Peek at Superboard: Smarter Classrooms Start Here If there’s one thing teaching guarantees, it’s unpredictability - and not just from students. (Wait for the bug story.) In this week’s episode, we dig into what it really looks like to innovate your classroom routines, build student independence, and use the newest AI-powered tools, even while chaos is happening all around you. Real Routines (& Real Surprises!) Back-to-school season is in full swing. Between
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 4
From Diagnostic Data to Daily Routines and AI Guardrails Back-to-school is officially real: two weeks in, and those first nine days have felt like a marathon. Nothing says "welcome back" like hours of diagnostic testing: grueling reading and math screens, 32 new personalities, routines to build from scratch - and worse, that endless feeling of “How do I reach every student?” As Joe puts it: "Nothing says welcome back to school like hours upon end of test questions that purposely get to the bo
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 3
First Week Recap & New 4 New Features (3 Are Free!) Four days into the new school year, it already feels like a marathon. Thirty-two new faces. New personalities. Endless procedures to model. "It's just a lot of talking, and I’m ready for real routines again!” But through the chaos, we get to build a brand new classroom community - and this year, we’re doing it with Instructron working alongside us. What’s New This Week and Already Making a Difference Timer: No More Juggling Tabs Teacher
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 2
Back-to-School & The Writing Center Deep Dive Summer’s Over—Back to the Classroom! * After nine glorious weeks of summer break, we (Joe & Quyen) are back in the classroom and gearing up for the new school year. * Teaching means starting fresh every year: new students, new personalities, and new chances to do things better. The Challenge: Writing Feedback Overload * Last year, we tried "mystery writing" and were excited to see students writing more than ever. * But with 32 students, gra
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 1
We’re excited to share the very first episode of our new “Instructron Unstructured” video series! True to its name, this behind-the-scenes conversation is relaxed and off-the-cuff as we celebrate the launch of our platform, Instructron. We'll post every full video, along with a summary such as this one. Meet the Team & Big Launch Day! Who are we? * Two full-time teachers (Joe and Quyen) who never set out to build a tech startup, plus a super-patient brother Khoa - the tech wizard who act
How Our Students Helped Shape Instructron
Every year during test prep season, Joe and I find ourselves doing the same thing. We walk through each question with the whole class, hoping to keep everyone on track. A few students raise their hands, some quietly get it, and others stay silent even when they’re lost. It’s hard to know who needs help in the moment, and even harder to make sure every student feels comfortable asking for it. With so many different levels in one room and the pressure to move quickly, it always feels like we’re mi
AI in the Classroom: A Rebuttal to the Doubters
There's no denying that artificial intelligence prompts strong reactions, especially in education. Concerns about privacy, depersonalization, and unintended consequences are real. But at Instructron, we designed our AI tools explicitly for classrooms, anchored in trust, transparency, and teacher empowerment. Here’s our response to the most common criticisms. 1. “AI invades student privacy.” The truth: Instructron was built to minimize the data we collect. We don’t ask for student names, email
Test Prep Burnout Is Real
Before we ever launched Instructron, we asked a simple question: What frustrates you most about test prep? The response was overwhelming! We heard from hundreds of teachers. They weren’t holding back. The messages poured in from classrooms across the country, and we started to see the same things again and again. Not just minor annoyances, but real obstacles that were burning teachers out and leaving students discouraged. One teacher put it bluntly: "It's boring, there's no feedback, and I can
What a Fourth Grade Class Taught Us About Building Instructron
Before Instructron had a name or a polished dashboard, we tested it with a group of fourth graders. They were the first students to meet Coach Tronnie and the first ones to tell us exactly what they thought—without holding anything back. Some of the kids used the tool seriously and gave us thoughtful feedback like “It should help me but not give the answer” and “I like how it tells you what you were wrong on.” One even said, “Coach chat is awesome, but don’t get some of the questions.” Another
The Pedagogy Behind a Strong PLC (And How Instructron Makes It Actually Work)
We’ve all sat through a meeting with our PLC that was anything but professional or collaborative. Maybe it turned into a data dump. Maybe it became a venting session. Maybe it was just... pointless. But when done right, a Professional Learning Community (PLC) can be the most powerful tool for improving teaching and learning. The problem? Strong PLCs require time, focus, clarity. And the truth is, most of us don’t have much of those to spare. That’s where Instructron comes in. What Makes a PL
Our Move to Privacy-First Analytics at Instructron
Why we removed Google Analytics, what we replaced it with, and how it benefits our users At Instructron, we believe that powerful educational tools shouldn’t come at the expense of privacy. Our goal is to support teachers and students through a platform that is not only effective, but also trustworthy. That’s why we’ve made a significant change to how we collect and manage product analytics. We’ve removed all traces of third-party tracking and committed even more deeply to a privacy-first appr
Why Instructron Isn't Just Another MagicSchool Clone
As of June 2025, there are more AI tools for educators than ever before, and that’s a good thing. MagicSchool continues to be one of the most well-known platforms, offering a broad library of AI tools for teachers, and more recently, expanding into student-facing supports as well. But here’s where Instructron stands apart: While others are just now building tools for students, Instructron was built for students from day one. We didn’t add student features later. We designed around them first.
The Secret to Faster, More Personalized Report Card Comments
Writing report card comments can feel like a never-ending task. You want each comment to reflect your students’ growth and personality, but with a full class list and a fast-approaching deadline, it’s tough to keep the comments meaningful and unique. That’s where Instructron steps in. Our report card generator helps teachers write thoughtful, personal, and professional comments in way less time. Real Comments That Sound Like You Instructron’s report card tool isn’t just about filling in a tem
The Necessary Evil: Why We Built Instructron for the World of High-Stakes Testing
Let’s just say it plainly: we don’t believe high-stakes tests paint a full picture of what our students know or who they are. As teachers, we’ve watched brilliant kids freeze up on a test day. We’ve seen creative thinkers, budding writers, and natural leaders reduced to a few percentage points and acronyms. And we’ve sat in too many meetings where “data” is used as the only lens through which a child is evaluated, ignoring the nuance, the growth, and the humanity that lives in every classroom.
Who’s Tronnie? Meet the AI Coach Powering Instructron
You’ve seen the glasses. You’ve seen the name. But Tronnie isn’t just Instructron’s mascot. He’s the AI-powered coach at the center of everything we do. Designed by real teachers (hi, that’s us), Tronnie is here to support both students and educators. Not by taking over, but by coaching through the process. Whether it’s test prep, writing, report cards, or lesson planning, Tronnie is the encouraging voice that keeps things moving forward. For Students: A Test Prep + Writing Coach That Doesn’t
Understanding Instructron's Privacy & Data Approach
Teachers often have questions about how educational technology handles student data, especially when AI is involved. Here's a quick overview of Instructron's approach to privacy and data security. Minimal Student Data Collection Instructron only collects a single Name/Nickname field for each student - no other personal information is needed. Teachers decide what goes in this field and can use first names, nicknames, or even anonymous codes if preferred. How Our AI Coaching Protects Privacy