Just now, I tried the previous flashcard task again, this time with Padlet TA.
The prompt was the same. It worked.
Turns out that Padlet TA's flashcards have one unique feature: Audio. Students can click on both sides of the card to listen to the sentences.
This is a very useful feature for students:
After the previous attempt (see last post), I continued the use the same prompt with Canva, POE, and Gemini.
OUTPUTS:
Canva: https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-flashcards-practice
POE Canva App: https://poe.com/preview/55lGTPR9fhyKsWQwUuHJ
Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/share/dc58d1916360
REVISELY
Use the following 7 sentences to Create a deck of flashcards to help Grade 6 ESL students practise the sentence structure 'If I were ..., I would/would not ...."
On the front of each card is one sentence in the list below. The back of the card is the correct "If I were ..., I would/would not ...' sentence.
I am not very rich, so I won't buy that car.
I am not a bird, so I will not fly high in the sky.
I am not good at singing, so I will not sing before my classmates.
I am not a doctor, so I will not help people feel better every day.
I am not a musician, so I will not write songs to make people happy.
I am not very brave, so I will not go into that cave.
I am not a pilot, so I will not fly to every country in the world.
OUTPUT
https://revisely.com/flashcards/decks/aXjs0b
1. Revisely is able to generate a deck of flashcards using sentences we provide, in this case, for grammar practice.
2. The resulting deck is interactive, but not visually appealing.
3. It has a 'Explain Briefly/in detail', which is a chatbot attached to each card. But the 'explanation' is too wordy.
4. Overall, Revisely's performance not impressive.
Uploaded materials: Book report on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
1. Unlike Quizlet and Brainscape, this attempt resulted in a deck of 10 questions about the passage, not about Vocabulary. The questions are mainly factual questions (Recall details). The expected answer is not just one word/phrase; it can be a detailed answer.
2. There is no Study mode. Just self-assessment mode.
3. There is a 'Hint' function if Ss need a hint.
4. There is apparently an adaptive learning function: "I got it right" vs "I got it wrong".
After the previous Matching task (see last post), I wanted to create a blank-filling task for students to type out the verb phrases ('would buy' vs 'will stay'). This is slightly more demanding than the previous exercise.
Instead of starting anew, I returned to Canva, and asked it to transform the matching task into a blank-filling task.
Please now turn the above matching exercise into a blank-filling exercise. The exercise will contain 6 of the above sentences, and 2 new sentences. Give students the first part of each sentence (e.g., If I were a bird,), and turn the verb phrase of the second part (e.g., would fly) into a word box for students to type in the answers. When students have finished the exercise, they should be able to check their answers.
https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-blank-filling
- Again, Canva did quite a good job.
Canva AI
A matching exercise consisting of 8 sentences for grade 5 ESL students to distinguish between 'If I ..., I will ...' and 'If I were ..., I would/would not ....' sentences. Students will match the first half of each sentence to its correct second half. Four of the sentences will begin with 'If I feel/have/ ...' (i.e., Type 1 conditional sentences), and 4 will begin with 'If I were ...' (i.e., Type 2 conditional sentences).
https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-matching
- Canva has done a good job, even with some humour.
I am using M365 Copilot for this task.
MY PROMPT:
help me write a one-minute video script to congratulate the upcoming 10th anniversary conference of the Macao Association for English Language Teaching (MAELT). MAELT is a very active professional organisation for English Language teachers in Hong Kong. It holds an annual conference every year, as well as occasional professional development workshops on specific topics. I attended their inauguration ceremony in 2017. I attended their annual conference two years ago, and I delivered the keynote speech. I am highly appreciative of the effort of the executive committee of MAELT in promoting the professionalism of English teachers in Macao. Finish the video script by my wishing them every success for their 10th anniversary conference.
OUTPUT:
Here’s a warm and professional one-minute video script tailored for your message to the Macao Association for English Language Teaching (MAELT):
---
**[Opening – Friendly and sincere tone]**
Hello everyone,
I’m Paul Sze from Hong Kong, and I’m delighted to send my heartfelt congratulations to the Macao Association for English Language Teaching on the occasion of your 10th anniversary conference.
**[Middle – Personal connection and appreciation]**
I still remember attending your inauguration ceremony back in 2017—it was a truly inspiring moment. Two years ago, I had the honour of delivering the keynote speech at your annual conference, and I was deeply impressed by the energy, professionalism, and dedication of everyone involved.
MAELT has grown into a vibrant and active professional organisation, consistently supporting English language teachers through annual conferences and targeted professional development workshops. Your commitment to promoting excellence in English teaching in Macao is truly commendable.
**[Closing – Well wishes]**
To the executive committee and all members of MAELT—thank you for your tireless efforts. I wish you every success for your 10th anniversary conference and for many more years of impactful work ahead!
---==================================================
COPILOT then offered:
Would you like help recording or formatting this for video delivery—like adding subtitles or visual cues?
I said yes, and then it gave me a script with 3 sections and screen suggestions for each secton.
++++++++++++++++++++
COPILOT THEN offered to create a PPT: I said yes.
Then it actually created the PPT, which is immediately usable (ie, not just the text content for each slide):
The purpose of this prompt bot is to guide Ss to discover the usage for 'If I were ... I would/would not ...'. I used the same prompt with Gemini, then Canva, then POE
Please build a prompt bot for me.
You are an ESL teacher. You're guiding upper primary/lower secondary school students to learn the form and meaning/function of "If I were ..., I would/would not ..." Conduct a scaffolded conversation with the user as explained below. Use a helpful and encouraging tone.
1. Show a correct "If I were ..., I would/not ..." sentence. Ask the user whether the sentence is correct.
2. After the user has responded, show a problem sentence (e.g., "If I am Peter", or "If I were ..., I will ....) and ask the user whether the sentence is correct.
3. Repeat the above process with 3 more correct sentences, and 3 more incorrect sentences.
4. Praise the user for good attempts. Then say to user: "Let's summarise the rule for using 'If I were ... together.' Show a sentence using 'If I am ..., I will ..." correctly (e.g., "If I see Alice, I will say Hi to her"). Ask the user if this sentence is talking about something that is possible and likely to happen in the future. (Answer: yes.)
5. Show a sentence using 'If I were ..., I would/would not ...." correctly (e.g., If I were Alice, I would not go to that place). Ask the user if the sentence is talking about something that is possible to happen, or is about an imaginary situation.
6. Then show the sentence in 4, and in 5, again. Ask the user which sentence is used to talk about something that is possible and likely to happen in the future.
7. Then show the sentence in 4, and in 5, again. Ask the user which sentence is used to talk about an imaginary situation.
8. Invite the user to write a sentence beginning with "If I were ..., ...."
9. Comment on the sentence the user has written. Praise them for the good try.
10. Conclude the conversation.
https://gemini.google.com/share/0b7ee4bc0d65
https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-usage
https://poe.com/If-I-were-2?invite_code=ab91d3ec-e974-4774-a3e9-aa56d3e27625
OBSERVATIONS
1. There are some small differences between the 3 outputs, in terms of how the user should respond (eg, saying YES or NO vs typing CORRECT or INCORRECT.
2. They are all able to come up with practice sentences, though different.
2. At this moment, I like the one by Gemini the best.
昨天我說到如果是lesson planning, 我不會用AI。原因是AI不會比我更了解學員的需要和習性。
但有了一課的設計，到了製作learning resources 階段，我會盡量用AI, 就像下面的interactive sorting task, 我用Canva AI製作，不用分半鐘便完成(沒有誇張)！
https://paulsze.net/lexical-vs-function-words
所以如果善用AI, 它還是可以幫教師超大的忙。
收獲滿滿的一天，出席HKU Outstanding eLearning Awards ceremony ，除了分享得獎老師的喜悦，還感受到他們分享得獎project時的passion 和excitement, 令我聽後也感到鼓舞，要加倍努力。
當然還看到舊學生，認識了新朋友......
㊙💯😂🎁🚜
電腦就是這樣，一些潛在的功能，可能長期不知道。先前看到學員的Learning Journal 用了很多emoji,效果很好；於是上課時展示給全班看，跟著加一句：「我自己也不知道有甚麼方法在任何text box快㨗地插入emoji，也沒時間去探索。」
跟著另一學員說：只需按Windows+ fullstop。下課後我一試，原來就是那麼簡單，弹出的menu有一排排的emoji，一按便立即插入文件或text box。
原來就是這麼簡單：Windows + fullstop。以後我又多一些keyboard 玩意了。
🚇🍩💥🎂👨🏼🎓
PREPARATION
Following from the last attempt to generate a dialogue incorporating 'If I were, I would/would not' using MagicSchool AI, I put the WOULD/WOULD NOT verb phrases in brackets.
PROMPT
In Canva AI, I pasted in the above passage, and asked it to:
Please create an interactive Multiple choice exercise from the attached dialogue passage.
For each verb phrase in brackets (e.g., would follow), turn it into a multiple choice item by adding one more option that begins with 'will' (e.g., will follow). Students will choose the correct verb phrase. (The correct answer is the original verb phrase in brackets.)
Do this for all the WOULD verb phrases in the passage.
OUTPUT:
https://paulsze.net/alice-in-wonderland-dialogue
OBSERVATIONS
- Canva AI did quite a good job in following my instructions to create the interactive task.
STARTING POINT: A short reading passage in Longman LEAP, P6, Unit 5:
One day, Alice sees a talking rabbit. She follows it and falls down a hole to a vvnick halt has many doors. She finds a key. It can unlock a tiny door. Alice drinks a magic potion. It makes her small. She wants to open the door and go inside but she has left the key on the table and she is too short to reach it. Alice then eats a cake. It turns her into a giant. Alice cries bitterly and her tears form a pool of water. She swims through the water and her adventure continues. A caterpillar shows her a mushroom. It can make her shorter or taller. She has tea with the Hatter. He wears a hat and is always having tea. She also plays a game with the Queen of Hearts. The queen always wants to cut off people’s heads. When Alice argues with her, she gives an order to cut off Alice's head as well. Just then, Alice wakes up from her dream.
MAGICSCHOOL RAINA
I uploaded the WORD file above, and asked Raina in MagicSchool to:
Imagine two primary 6 ESL students have read the Alice story. They are talking about the things that Alice did in her dream. Please write a short dialogue of about 80 words between the two students. One of the two students, Annie, is more timid. She is not brave enough to do what Alice did in Adventureland. So in the dialogue, she begins her sentences with 'If I were ....., I would/would not ...' 3 times. The other student, Sam, is a brave boy. In the dialogue, he begins his sentences with "If I were ...., I would/would not .....' two to three times. This dialogue is to be read by primary 6 students to illustrate the use of 'If I were ..., I would/would not ....'. Please write the dialogue.
OUTPUT DIALOGUE BY RAINA:
Annie: If I were Alice, I would not follow a talking rabbit down a hole. That sounds too scary for me.
Sam: Really? I think I would! If I were Alice, I would follow the rabbit right away. It’s such an exciting adventure.
Annie: Hmm, maybe. But if I were Alice, I would not drink that magic potion to make myself small. What if I got stuck?
Sam: I get that, but if I were Alice, I would try the potion. It’s cool to change size!
Annie: That’s brave! But if I were Alice, I would not argue with the Queen of Hearts. She sounds very mean.
Sam: I know, but if I were Alice, I would stand up to her. You have to be brave in adventures!
OBSERVATIONS
1. The first output was a bit contrived as it contained 6 sentences not linked to each other. I then asked Raina to make it more natural and interactive between Sam and Annie.
2. The second output above was good enough for further use.
Explainer Video by Mike Lam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPA781kdYb8
My attempt:
1. I used an interactive blank-filling task previously made with Gemini:
https://g.co/gemini/share/3f4818fdcd93
2. I followed the procedures explained by Mike Lam, and created the following one-page Google site which contains the interactive task:
https://sites.google.com/view/consonants-review-blank-fillin/home
=============
OBSERVATIONS
1. As Gemini allows users to share a created interactive game via a link, the above procedures are strictly speaking not necessary.
2. Nevertheless, it's good to learn about the 'embed code' function in Google Sites.
MY PROMPT:
- I simply used the 'Topic' option, and typed in 'Means of Transport'.
OUTPUT:
https://app.edcafe.ai/share/flashcards/means-of-transport-68e360ebf7672d72e271ee0c
============
OBSERVATIONS
1. Output quite multimodal and detailed, not just the definition. For each item, it generates the pronunciation, and an image as well.
2. Output shareable via Link.
3. Not sure how many such sets the Free Plan allows for.
TOOL: PADLET TA's grouping task
INPUT:
A WORD File: Summary of Types of Elision, by NoteChatGPT. The Summary had been based on the Transcript of a podcast episode generated in NotebookLM. The source input for Notebook LM was from the Workflowy Session Rundown.
Summary of ELISION by NoteGPT.docx
OUTPUT:
https://ta.padlet.com/sorting/ZRKMw9QMjA/play
OBSERVATIONS
1. The WORD file I uploaded was rather long. But Padlet TA was able to extract the target content from the WORD file.
2. One major issue: Padlet TA does not provide the Answer Key to accompany the generated interactive task. I had to try it a few times to get the Answer Key.
3. Canva AI may be able to create something similar. But PADLET TA has more appealing visual design.
Explainer Page by Ha Sir: https://youtu.be/UkLGPtkVlRg?si=Tw-zUdBY7Rwb0d8C
AI app: GPT-5
Original Image:
convert the image content, which is an english reading comprehension exercise, to Google
Apps Script, for creating the same document in Google Docs
RESULT:
Google Apps Script failed to generate the expected Google Doc.
==========
GPT-5 offered to provide a new javascript which will produce a text-only Google page. I complied.
RESULT:
==================
OBSERVATIONS
1. The method is good for converting images which may mainly include text.
2. The resulting Google doc will retain much of the formatting of the original text image.
3. However, if the text image contains graphic organizers, this method may not work.
4. If the text in the source text image can be copied, then it may faster to just use copy and paste to create the Google doc, unless the text contains a lot of content.
昨天談到用NotebookLM 的podcast overview功能 生成一個audio podcast episode, 當然也可以選擇video overview生成video, 但這次的學習內容適合聆聽。多謝劉華先生提示，如果用 Substack平台分享podcast 的連結，學生聆聽時如果有需要可以打開實時Transcript，幫助理解。
NotebookLM 的generate audio podcast功能也很好玩，可以base on你upload 的material 生成podcast, 可以是單人的presentation, 但我更喜歡生成二人的討論，因為更lively和 interactive。
我聲明聽眾是 secondary-school ESL teachers in Hong Kong, 它在討論中也「整色整水」提及香港的英語教師。
它第一次生成的對話是用American English, 我請它用British English 再generate一次，它也照做。最精彩的，是它完成生成一個interactive discussion的podcast後， 聆聽時你可以join 這個discussion ，就是隨時加入，問問題和發表意見，而他們也似模似樣的回應！
我們從事English Language teaching的同工，今天利用chatbot去clarify一些language issue(例如"My favourite fruit is apples'是否OK)，已經是家常便飯；那天突然想起，我們也可培養高小...
