How to convert a list of items with commas to columns in an Excel File

 Just found a solution: 

https://youtu.be/4li1U2EM9Zs

(I was doing my TP visits scheduling, and needed to convert my Dynalist list to an Excel file.)

Prezi AI: Still not doing a good-enough job in creating presentation

 Just checked out Prezi's AI function 

Again, like other AI apps (for generating presentations), the main setback is that the output is not customised to one's needs enough. 

Worse still, the generated Prezi presentation is just like an unsmooth slideshow. It does not even have the features (esp zooming in and out) which have made Prezi different from other Presentation tools. 

The new Formative : many more functions now

 Just visited Formative again. It has been acquired by Newsela. 

The new Formative has many new useful functions: 

- Flashcards

- Worksheets that can be teacher-presented on top of student-self-paced; 

- the ability to create lessons. In this regard, quite like Quizizz Lesson, except that the gamification element is not strong. Many content types can be inserted. 

=====

I'm still using the free plan. The question types I can use are limited, but overall, that's good enough. Compared with the free plan of Classwork, Formative allows me to create classes and do a lot more. 

CLASSWORK VS FORMATIVE for creating digital worksheets

 No doubt, Formative has much richer functionality than Classwork. 

But for quick creation of a simple worksheet, Classwork ticks. 

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ADDING QUESTIONS: 

Classwork: Insert question spots into worksheet. 

Formative: 

1. Insert question spots into worksheet. 

2. Add questions on the right hand pane. 

CRIKK for TTS: NNo need to pay for a TTS app

 Just had a go with https://crikk.com/text-to-speech/#

Really not bad, with many voices to choose from. 

Resulting audios can be downloaded. 

Does not have many customisation functions (eg, change speed),but for ordinary uses, this app is good enough. 

My thought at the moment: NO NEED TO PAY FOR A TTS APP

Classwork.com - the former TeacherMade app

 Just tried Classwork.com, formerly TeacherMade

This is for creating a worksheet from your existing document (DOCX; PDF). After uploading the document, insert questions into the document. 

The question itself can be inserted by adding 'teacher text' 

Under the free plan, there are 2 question types: 

(1) MCQ    

After choosing MCQ , an options box (A, B, C, D) will appear in the document. Indicate the correct answer. 

(2) Blank Filling

The blank, in the form of a word box, can be inserted anywhere. As such, this function can also be used for labelling a diagram. 

+++

Then, get the Assign Link. 

When Ss open the link, they will type in their name first. After completing the worksheet, they submit. 

The teacher will then be able to see, on their dashboard, who submitted and their scores. 

+++++

BOTTOMLINE

I think ??? has similar functionality. Classwork.com seems easier to work with. 

To tidy up text output from a ChatGPT query: TidyText.cc

https://freetech4teach.classwork.com/2024/10/tidytext-fixes-chatgpt-text/

"Move to" vs 'Label as" in Gmail

Both require you to create a label first. 

The difference: 

- LABEL AS: 

The email will: 

(1) be found inside the Label in the left-hand pane, and 

(2) will remain in the main incoming email list, but will have the label added to the left of the message. 

- MOVE TO:

The email will be entirely moved to the label on the left-hand pane. It will not appear in the main incoming emails list. 

No need to pay for the AI text summariser apps

 There are several AI tools that specialise in, amongst other functions, summarizing texts. One example is Quillbot. 

https://www.notta.ai/en/blog/ai-text-summarizer#paraphraser-io 

To input the text, in addition to pasting it in, you can upload a PDF file of the text. 

the problem is that the free plan of almost all these tools is very mean: it only accepts a very short text. It won't , for example, accept a PDF chapter of a book. 

Just now, i tried a couple of ChatGPT apps: Perplexity, and Deepseek, which accepts a text file that you upload. They can summarise the uploaded text, for free. 

Hence, to me at this stage, there is no need to pay for the text summariser apps. 

Toolsaday for generating a story

 

• Toolsaday is not exactly a platform that supports the teaching of reading. But it has one function called 'Story Generator' for generating narrative texts. Users can input (1) the story plot they need, (2) the characters, and (3) the setting, (4) the text format, which can be prose, screenplay, stageplay, or poem, (5) the genre, such as fantasy, romance, mystery, and adventure, (6) the point of view, such as first-person and third-person, (7) the proportion of dialogues in the story, and (8) the story length.
• The above features make the Toolsday a useful tool for generating a narrative text highly customised for one's needs.

Monsha.AI - an AI-create-resources-platform similar to Diffit

 

Monsha is similar to Diffit, in that it can create a variety of teaching resources, especially for Reading. It seems to be a smarter design in terms of requesting a resource. The smart worksheet and the Presentation slides functions are worth noting. 

AI-Created a Rubric for Marking the CUM6007 Term Essay

 https://poe.com/s/2xwjcBALyuq01T12uCZ0

My PROMPT: 

Please create a rubric, in the form of a table, for evaluating the term essays written by postgraduate students taking a course on intercultural communication in the classroom. Below are the term essay instructions for the students:

"Students will critically analyse the intercultural responsiveness of selected instructional or
assessment materials used for teaching and learning English as a second language.
The analysis should be grounded in relevant theories and models of intercultural communication.

The essay should examine the extent to which the selected materials foster intercultural understanding, respect diverse cultural perspectives, and align with the learning needs and
preferences of a specific target learner group.

Based on the critical analysis, students will provide well-reasoned recommendations for enhancing the cultural inclusiveness and effectiveness of the materials for the target learner group. The
recommendations should be justified with reference to the literature on
intercultural communication and language teaching."

AFTER ITS FIRST RESPONSE, I ASKED IT TO REVISE AS FOLLOWS: 

please revise the above rubric by (1) deleting the criterion "Alignment with Target Learner Needs (20%)", and (2) add 1 more performance level so that there are 5 performance levels.

Rubric for Evaluating Term Essays on Intercultural Communication in ESL Teaching

Criteria	Outstanding (A+ / A)	Strong (A- / B+)	Proficient (B / B-)	Developing (C+ / C)	Needs Improvement (D/F)
Critical Analysis of Materials (35%)	Exceptionally deep, nuanced analysis with strong theoretical grounding; identifies key strengths and limitations with precision.	Well-developed analysis using relevant theories; clear identification of strengths and weaknesses.	Adequate analysis but may lack depth in theoretical application; some gaps in critical evaluation.	Superficial analysis with minimal theoretical support; weak engagement with materials.	Lacks critical analysis; no meaningful connection to theory.
Examination of Intercultural Understanding & Respect (30%)	Insightful, well-supported discussion of how materials promote (or fail to promote) intercultural understanding and respect.	Solid examination of intercultural aspects, though some areas could be more detailed.	Basic discussion of intercultural elements but lacks depth or specificity.	Limited or overly general examination; little connection to target learners.	Minimal or no meaningful analysis of intercultural responsiveness.
Recommendations for Improvement (25%)	Highly original, practical, and well-justified recommendations with strong links to literature.	Clear, logical recommendations with good justification; minor areas for refinement.	Some useful suggestions, but not all are well-developed or fully supported.	Recommendations are vague, generic, or insufficiently justified.	Weak, impractical, or absent recommendations.
Academic Rigor & Writing Quality (10%)	Flawless structure, coherence, and academic style; impeccable citations.	Well-organized and clear; minor stylistic or citation issues.	Generally readable but with occasional clarity or citation problems.	Disorganized or unclear in places; citation errors present.	Poor structure, unclear writing, or major citation issues.

Scoring Guide:

• A+ / A (90-100%) – Exceptional mastery of content and analysis.
• A- / B+ (80-89%) – Strong work with minor refinements needed.
• B / B- (70-79%) – Meets expectations but lacks depth in some areas.
• C+ / C (60-69%) – Basic competence but with significant weaknesses.
• D/F (Below 60%) – Fails to meet core requirements.

Key Adjustments:

1. Removed "Alignment with Target Learner Needs" and redistributed its weight:
   • Critical Analysis increased from 30% → 35%
   • Intercultural Understanding increased from 20% → 30%
   • Recommendations increased from 20% → 25%
2. Added a fifth performance level ("Outstanding") to allow for finer distinctions in grading.

This version maintains clarity while offering more precise evaluation levels. Let me know if further refinements are needed!

ELMO CHAT IS THE BEST YOUTUBE SUMMARISER APP SO FAR

 Of the related apps I have tried so far, ELMO CHAT IS THE BEST YOUTUBE SUMMARISER APP SO FAR

It is a Chrome Extension. 

Go to the target youtube video page, and click on the chrome extension. 

You will get: 

- a one-sentence summary

- an abstract which is a one-paragraph summary

- Comments: a few comments giving 'comments' (not judgmental) on the content. 

- timeline:  This is a collection of timeslot summaries of respective sections of the youtube video. 

- Mindmap: A summary in the form of a mindmap. 

What PADLET AI can create

 

• lesson plans
• discussion board (give it a topic)
• classroom activity creator
• ideas for class activities
• reading list
• timeline of events (historical)
• map of historical events
• assessment polls (give it 'topic or Lesson objectives). Result: set of MCQ
• rubric (Writing; give it a Title; What students will write; rating scale levels)
• custom board (you state your needs).

Symbaloo Learning paths is back

 The way to create a symbaloo learning path is different now. 

You start with a created webmix. 

Click 'Edit.'

On the left-hand pane, select 'create learning path'. 

Then there are two more things to do: 

1. Click the tiles on the webmix in the intended sequence to create a path. 

2. Tab the tile which will be followed by a question (MC; open-ended). Look to the left-hand pane, and click 'Add question'. 

++++++

PROS

- Can utilise existing webmixes. 

- Easy to create a path. 

CONs

- few question types. 

- in the play mode, those tiles which represent un-embeddable webpages, will not show in the play mode. 

Using Deepseek to generate a checklist for students to check their composition

 

My prompt

Please create a checklist containing eight points to help students check a composition that they have written.

The result:

Here’s a clear and student-friendly checklist with 8 key points to help junior secondary students review their compositions before submission:

Composition Self-Check Checklist ✅

1. Grammar & Spelling

   • Have I checked for spelling mistakes and corrected them?
   • Are my verb tenses and subject-verb agreement correct?

2. Punctuation

   • Did I use capital letters, full stops, commas, and question marks correctly?

3. Sentence Structure

   • Are my sentences complete (not fragments or run-ons)?
   • Did I vary my sentence lengths for better flow?

4. Paragraphing

   • Does each paragraph focus on one main idea?
   • Did I start a new paragraph when changing topics or speakers?

5. Content & Clarity

   • Is my writing clear and easy to understand?
   • Did I stay on topic and avoid irrelevant details?

6. Supporting Details

   • Have I included enough examples, descriptions, or explanations?
   • Do my ideas connect logically?

7. Vocabulary & Word Choice

   • Did I use interesting and appropriate words?
   • Have I avoided repeating the same words too often?

8. Overall Impact

   • Does my composition have a strong beginning, middle, and end?
   • Would someone enjoy reading this?

How to Use:

• Students should tick (✓) each box if they’ve checked it.
• If they can’t tick a box, they should revise that part.

Using Deepseek to generate a rubric for students to evaluate their composition

 just tried Deepseek: 

My prompt:

please create a rubric to help junior secondary students to assess a composition that they have written. This rubric should be in the form of a table. The two criteria for self-assessing are grammatical accuracy, and quality of content. The 4 performance levels of unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, and excellent. 

The result: 

Here’s a clear and concise rubric in table format to help junior secondary students self-assess their compositions based on grammatical accuracy and quality of content:

Criteria	Unsatisfactory (1)	Satisfactory (2)	Good (3)	Excellent (4)
Grammatical Accuracy	Many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, making the text difficult to understand.	Some errors, but they do not severely disrupt understanding.	Few errors; grammar and punctuation are mostly correct.	Almost no errors; grammar, spelling, and punctuation are consistently accurate.
Quality of Content	Ideas are unclear or off-topic; little to no supporting details.	Some relevant ideas, but development is weak or repetitive.	Clear and relevant ideas with some supporting details.	Well-developed, engaging, and original ideas with strong supporting details.

How to Use the Rubric:

• Students should read their composition carefully and assign a score (1–4) for each criterion.
• They can reflect on areas for improvement based on the descriptors.

This rubric encourages self-assessment while keeping the criteria simple and measurable. Let me know if you'd like any adjustments!

https://poe.com/s/Wb6IS5IjoxCxHAy2mUaH

Elmo Chat and Magicschool for summarizing a Youtube video

 Elmo Chat, a Chrome extension, can summarise a Youtube video page directly, giving you: (1) an overall summary, and (2) sub-summaries corresponding to 5 timeline slots:

https://www.magicschool.ai/  also has a Youtube summarizer. But you first have to copy the transcript of the video from Youtube first: