So gratifying!

 

grammar query tutor with Gemini's GEM: difficult to share with students

 先前在Gemini內create 了一個供自用的Gem(類似custom bot)，今早突然想到製作一個供學生使用的grammar query tutor的Gem,供中小學生當不肯定一個句子有否問題是，這Gem便通過scaffolded conversation 引導學生找出句子有沒有問題。製作過程不難，但save後，才知道要share the Gem with others涉及很複雜的subscription licence。

=========

MY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE GEM: 

You are an ESL teacher teaching grammar to junior secondary and upper primary students.  Your task is to help them clarify a sentence that they are not sure of.  

Your steps: 

1.  Ask the user to put down a sentence they are not sure of. 

2. Do not tell them whether their sentence is right or wrong, or the problems, immediately.  Then you will use scaffolded questioning (e.g., 5 turns) to guide them to the right answer. Ensure your tone is friendly and helpful. Use explanation which is easy to understand by upper primary and lower secondary ESL students. 

3. Finish the conversation by either (a) confirming the user's starting sentence is correct, or (b) inviting the user to re-write their starting sentence again for reinforcement and confirm whether their re-written sentence is correct. 

The best time to become a guide on the side

 1993年美國學者Alison King在一篇學術文章，主張大學教師應盡可能將自己的角色由Sage on the Stage (在講台上的智者)，轉變為Guide on the Side (在旁的學習輔導者)。轉眼間已是32年了。

今天有AI, 更應要把我們的角色轉化為Guide on the Side, 如何用AI輔助自己的課堂設計，如何引導學生用AI有效學習，這是我要繼續鑽研的。

Chatbots will modify their language according to users' stated English level

 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，我們也可培養高小至中學生主動問chatbot英文問題的能力和習慣啊！當然大家即時想到的，是學生未必看得明 chatbot的解釋，於是我做了一個小實驗，先問chatbot  "What is the difference between 'smart' and 'clever'?"，然後再問一次，這次先聲明 'I am a Primary 5 ESL student'，跟著比較兩個答案，原來chatbot真的會因著user的程度，調節答案的英文深度！下面就是 chatbot 給予小五學生的答案。

跟著我想，這幾年我們常說自主學習，訓練學生主動利用chatbot去解決英語疑難，也是策略之一啊！(當然我認識有些老師正在這樣做。)

Had NotebookLM generate a mindmap from an uploaded passage: 'The layers of a forest'

 Earlier, I tried using NotebookLM to generate a mindmap from a URL (MagicSchool functionality). NotebookLM was not able to do that. 

Just now, I uploaded a short passage (DOCX) about the layers of forest to NotebookLM, and asked it to generate a mindmap. This time, it has done a great job. The resulting mindmap is expandable and collapsible, and can be downloaded as a static PNG file. 

Unlike my previous attempt with Gemini, the resulting mindmap has more levels (4, this time), and is made of word boxes. 

NOTE, THOUGH: 

- Presenting the Mindmap as an expandable one can only be done from one's LMNotebook. 

- This dynamic mindmap cannot be shared via a link. 

Canva vs POE vs Gemini vs Padlet TA for creating an interactive learning app: 'If I were'

 那天用Canva AI去create一個用以供小六學生練習"If I were ..., I would/would not ...."的interactive flashcard deck, 突然心血來潮，用相同的prompt 再在POE, Gemini 和 Padlet TA照做一次，結果如下：

視覺上我最喜歡Canva AI 的output；Padlet TA的甚至可以有audio。但 Canva AI和Padlet TA 有一個死穴，就是沒有紀錄製作的History，可供須要 edit時参考，如果日後發覺生成的output有問題要 edit, 除非先前save 了prompt ，否則便要重頭開始。

Canva: https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-flashcards-practice

POE Canva App: https://poe.com/preview/55lGTPR9fhyKsWQwUuHJ

Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/share/dc58d1916360

Padlet TA: https://ta.padlet.com/flashcards/60KmyO19K7/play

Notebook LM's fantastic Audio Overview function: You can join a generated podcast discussion

 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！

Converted a text-only diagram into an interactive blank-filling task using POE and Canva AI

 Next, while still in Gemini, I wanted to see if the text-only diagram could be turned into an interactive, blank-filling task. Ss will read the passage about Layers of a Forest. They will then go to the diagram and fill in the 4 headings, which are the names of the 4 layers of a forest. 

MY PROMPT: 

Please now turn the above chart into a web-based, interactive, exercise for students to fill in the 4 headings. That is, the 4 headings will become blanks. Students will study the whole chart and fill in the 4 blanks. When they have finished, they should be able to see their correct and wrong answers. 

OUTPUT: 

Initially, I was still in the 'generate image' mode in Gemini. The response said it couldn't create the interactive task directly, but it gave me the HTML code for creating one. I copied the HTML code, switched to 'Canvas' mode, and pasted in the code. 

It then proceeded to generate the following interactive task: 

https://g.co/gemini/share/1a839ae19197

So, Gemini succeeded. However, the visual effect was a bit dull. So I copied the same HTML code and went to Canva AI's 'Code for Me'. It then created the following interactive task for me: 

https://emotion-adjectives-match.my.canva.site/layers-of-forest

which is much more visually appealing. 

===========================================

TO RE-TRACE MY PREVIOUS FEW ATTEMPTS: 

1.  In Gemini, I had the text of 'The layers of a Forest' converted to an infographic. 

2. I had Gemini change the infographic to a text-only diagram. 

3. I had Gemini Canvas convert the text-only digram to an interactive, blank-fillin, task. 

Used POE to create an audio script from a PPT

 app used: POE's GPT-5

STEPS: 

1. I uploaded a recent PPT. 

2. PROMPT: Create a three-minute audio script based on the following powerpoint.

OUTPUT:

https://poe.com/s/D1Tyg6uDkfVQUZYedPvu

Below is a three-minute audio script based on “S4: The Syllable and Word Stress.” It’s written for a single narrator, with brief pauses and simple cues you could keep or remove before recording. Approx. 420–480 words.

— Script Start —

[Music fade in, then out]

Narrator:
Welcome to S4: The Syllable and Word Stress. Let’s warm up.

Pause.

First, imagine you’re listening to a short recording in an unfamiliar language. Ask yourself: What language is that? And does it sound closer to English or to Chinese? Keep that intuition in mind as we dive into how English syllables and stress work.

Pause.

A syllable, phonetically, is a speech unit with a center—usually a vowel. Consonants may come before it, after it, or both. Try this quick count with me: ray… one syllable. pray… one. prayed… one. spray… one. sprayed… one. Notice how complex the edges can be, even when there’s still just one vowel core.

Pause.

There are two common ways to describe syllable structure. Approach one: onset and rime. The onset is the initial consonant or consonant cluster; the rime is everything after it. Some syllables don’t even have an onset—like air, oh, and it. Approach two: onset, nucleus, coda. The onset is still the beginning consonant or cluster. The nucleus is the vowel, the heart of the syllable. The coda is the final consonant or cluster. In shorthand, that’s V, CV, VC, CVC, and so on.

Pause.

English allows many shapes. Listen: V—“awe.” CV—“saw.” VC—“ought.” CVC—“sawn.” CCV—“draw.” CCVC—“drawn.” CCCV—“straw.” And even CCCVCCC—“strands.” For “sixths,” you can hear a cluster like CVCCCC.

Pause.

Try analyzing these: “see”—CV. “sway”—CCV. “swipe”—CCVC. “stand”—CCVCC. Not every cluster is visible in spelling. For example, words like “new,” “music,” and “few” begin with a palatalized or labialized glide in many accents, effectively a cluster in the onset.

Pause.

Now to multisyllabic words. In Chinese, words are typically monosyllabic. In English, words can be mono- or multi-syllabic. Count with me: chime—one. protest—two. synonym—three. moderator—four. invigilator—five.

Pause.

Word stress is the contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables. Stress is typically realized with higher pitch, greater loudness or muscular energy, and slightly longer duration. In transcription, we mark the stressed syllable with a stress mark before it. For example: address as a verb—/əˈdres/; formal—/ˈfɔːməl/. “Butter” is /ˈbʌt.ə/ or /ˈbʌt.ər/; “ago” is /əˈgəʊ/.

Pause.

Try these: contain—/kənˈteɪn/. ticket—/ˈtɪk.ɪt/. Notice the schwa in unstressed syllables: because, contain, police—/pəˈliːs/.

Pause.

Some words have both primary and secondary stress. In words like “examination”—/ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/—the last stressed syllable usually carries the primary stress.

Pause.

Be cautious with patterns. Many compounds stress the first part: hamburger, newspaper, rainforest, typewriter. Watch noun–verb stress shifts: a REFund versus to reFUND; a PROtest versus to proTEST; a DIScount versus to disCOUNT; a SURvey versus to surVEY. Some words allow alternatives: applicable, pianist, princess—depending on dialect and convention.

Pause.

Compound stress varies: paper clip and walking stick typically stress the first element; but City Hall and apple pie often stress the second. Meaning can also change: an English teacher—teacher of English—versus an English teacher—a teacher who is English.

Pause.

Finally, stress can shift in connected speech. A word’s pitch may be different in isolation compared to a sentence. Compare: “I had a coffee at a Starbucks.” versus “I went to a Starbucks for a coffee.” Or: “I helped as an invigilator.” versus “The invigilator went to the wrong place.” Listen for which syllables carry the main pitch movement.

Pause.

That’s your overview. Keep practicing: count syllables, mark stress, and check pronunciations in a good dictionary. Your ears—and your speech—will thank you.

[Music sting out]

— Script End —

==============================

POSTSCRIPT: I could listen to it using ElevenLabs below the generated script, but didn't have enough credits. 

Created a video overview with NotebookLM using capped pictures: How to use Diffit to create a Reading lesson pack

 看了夏Sir解釋如何把cap圖利用NotebookLM 製成video overview,很想試試。https://youtu.be/Ekk0SHDT-WI?si=Q059Y7U8BvWRfllW

但打開幾個自己現成的PPT後, 發覺內裏的插圖不多；跟著想起自己近年喜歡用Workflowy 製作explainer page,供學員参考如何使用某些elearning app, 這些explainer page都會包含cap 圖。

於是我選了其中解釋如何用Diffit 去 create 一個供教reading 的lesson pack的題目(https://workflowy.com/.../how-to-use.../fPs3OkcA9Drg5UoE), 先把这explainer page儲成pdf,然後跟Ha Sir 的建議，用I love pdf把這pdf convert成由jpg合成的pdf (因這樣NotebookLM 才會看到upload 後pdf中的圖片)。

跟著的步驟就和一般用NotebookLM generate video overview一樣，而生成的video, 果然用了我要它用的圖片(否則生成的video會以文字作為畫面為主。)

當然如果要學用Diffit, 学員看我的Workflowy explainer page會比看生成的 Video 更直接；但經過這次練習，將來遇到圖片佔重要角色的解釋，便懂得如何製作了。

https://youtu.be/SQ4zFSGwBSc

Using Quillbot AI Dialogue Generator to create a Dialogue for presenting language items

 tools: Quillbot AI Dialogue Generator

https://quillbot.com/ai-writing-tools/ai-dialogue-generator

Target Language Items: Adverbs of Frequency: never, seldom, sometimes, often

MY INITIAL PROMPT: 

Two lower secondary students, both male, sharing their own after-school activities with each other. The dialogue is not more than 120 words in length, and should include these adverbs of frequency: never, seldom, sometimes, often. This dialogue is to be used in a lower-secondary ESL lesson for presenting the adverbs of frequency. 

GETTING A SECOND VERSION

The first output is a bit too short, and contrived as each utterance is too short. I asked the app to revise by lengthening it a bit, and extend some of the utterances. Below is the output: 

OUTPUT: 

Tom:

Hey, Jake! What do you usually do after school? I’m curious because I want to try some new activities.

Jake:

Hi, Tom! Well, I often play basketball with my friends. It’s a lot of fun and helps me stay active. Sometimes we play for hours if the weather is good. What about you? What do you like to do?

Tom:

I sometimes go to the library to read books or do my homework. I seldom watch TV on school days because I want to finish my tasks first. But on weekends, I often relax and watch shows.

Jake:

Interesting! I never go to the library because I find it a bit boring, but I know it’s useful. I prefer playing outside or riding my bike. It’s more exciting for me.

Tom:

That’s cool. Do you sometimes do your homework right after school, or do you wait until later?

Jake:

I often do my homework before dinner because then I can relax without worrying about it later. But sometimes, if I’m really tired, I wait until after dinner. What about you? How do you manage your homework?

Tom:

I sometimes do it right away, but I often take a short break first to rest. It helps me focus better. After that, I usually finish everything before dinner.

Jake:

Sounds good! It’s nice that we both have different ways to spend time after school, but we still get everything done. Maybe we can play basketball together sometime after homework?

Tom:

 That’s a great idea! I seldom play sports, so it would be fun to join you and learn. Let’s plan for it soon!

Created an Irregular Verbs Game using Canva AI

 (Actually, there are a few such apps on POE.)

MY PROMPT

I am an ESL teacher. Please create an interactive game for junior students to practise the past tense, and the past participle, for irregular verbs in English. When the game starts, a random irregular verb will appear. Below the irregular verb are two boxes for students to type in its past tense and past participle. Below that is a 'Check Answer' box for students to check their answer. Then there is a 'Next' box for students to try the next irregular verb. And so on.

For the students' answers, when there is a difference in spelling between British English and Amercian English (e.g., 'got' and 'gotten' for the past participle of 'get') accept both spellings.

OUTPUT:

https://paulsze.net/irregular-verbs-practice

A Classroom Activity Idea: From Chatbot Inquiry to Interactive Quiz

 An idea for one of my SCT sessions: 

• ACT 1a: Do a Chatbot inquiry:
  • Example prompt: What are some factors that may make Speaking difficult for ESL students?
• ACT 1b: Take part in an interactive quiz
• ==========================

WHAT I DID:

1. I did the chatbot inquiry myself (using Perplexity).

2. I copied the output, went to Quizziz, and generated a quiz.

3. I used the generated quiz for classroom task 1b.

MagicSchool's Prompt Assistant is useful but the group work generator is ... meh

 MagicSchool has one function that I find useful: Prompt Assistant.

Example:

- I was using the Groupwork Generator to create a group speaking activity

- My original prompt (after specifying the target grade level, and time available): 

A speaking activity for ESL students to practise the following Speaking skills: Present information, ideas, and feelings clearly and coherently - convey ideas and information in conversations or discussions - use words and expressions appropriate to the context - use appropriate discourse markers

- I then clicked on 'Prompt Assistant', which gave me: 

Design a speaking activity for ESL students aimed at enhancing their ability to: 

1. Present information, ideas, and feelings clearly and coherently. 

2. Engage in conversations or discussions by effectively conveying ideas and information. 

3. Utilize context-appropriate vocabulary and expressions. 

4. Apply appropriate discourse markers to facilitate smooth communication. 

Please specify the topic or theme for this activity.

- Of course, I can edit the 'Improved Prompt' if I want to. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the above case, I accepted the Improved Prompt, and got the following idea which, though detailed, I don't quite like: 

Group Work Task: ESL Speaking Activity

Topic: Environmental Conservation

Objective:

Students will enhance their speaking skills by presenting information about environmental conservation, engaging in discussions, and using appropriate vocabulary and discourse markers.

Group Structure:

• Group Size: 3 Students
• Roles:
  • Researcher: Gathers information and prepares the presentation.
  • Presenter: Delivers the oral presentation to the class.
  • Discussion Facilitator: Leads the conversation and engages classmates after the presentation.

Task Duration: 20 Minutes

Task Breakdown:

1. Preparation (10 minutes)

   • Researcher:
     • Find at least three key points about environmental conservation (e.g., reducing plastic use, recycling, protecting wildlife).
     • Write down important vocabulary and expressions related to the topic.
   • Presenter:
     • Organize the key points into a clear and coherent presentation format.
     • Prepare to present ideas clearly, using appropriate discourse markers (e.g., "First," "Additionally," "In conclusion").
   • Discussion Facilitator:
     • Prepare questions to engage classmates in conversation after the presentation, such as:
       • "What are some ways we can reduce plastic use in our daily lives?"
       • "Why is recycling important for our environment?"

2. Presentation (5 minutes)

   • The Presenter shares the key points with the class, clearly articulating information and using the prepared vocabulary and expressions.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

   • The Discussion Facilitator engages the classmates by asking prepared questions and encouraging them to share their thoughts and experiences related to environmental conservation.

Expected Outcomes:

• Each student will improve their speaking skills by presenting and engaging in discussion.
• Students will practice using context-appropriate vocabulary and effective discourse markers.
• The group will collaboratively enhance their understanding of environmental conservation while developing their communication skills.

Materials Needed:

• Paper and pens for notes
• Access to digital devices for research (if available)

Post-Activity Reflection:

After the activity, each student should reflect on their role and contributions, discussing what they learned and how they can improve in future speaking activities.

Used Canva AI to create a Galaxy Typing Challenge: 10 minimal pairs.

 In the following video, Ha Sir demonstrated how to create a Galaxy Typing Game using words from Integrated Science: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lX8w3ot9Co

The essence of this game is that there will stars falling from above, and students have to type out the target word before the star reaches the bottom. 

I followed his idea, and created the following Galaxy Typing Challenge using Canva AI. I used the same 10 minimal pairs I used recently. 

=======

FIRST PROMPT: 

reate a typing challenge game, where 20 stars will fall from the sky very slowly one after another. The 20 stars represent the 20 words below. When each star falls from the sky in the order of the words below, it will be accompanied by its British English pronunciation two times. students, who are studying in primary school, listen and they are required to type the word in a box at the bottom of the page, to remove or explode the falling star. Please create a galaxy style background for the game. Show the scores on the screen at the end of each round, as well as the incorrect words typed. The 20 words: sit, seat, cod, cord, bet,

bat, pull, pool, men, man, cut, cart, live, leave, pin, pan, bull, ball, heart, hot

================

 I went thru 3 to 4 revisions before I made do with the following output:

https://paulsze.net/galaxy-typing-minimal-pairs

==================

OBSERVATIONS

- Getting the desired accent (in my case, BrE) could be a problem. Even though I specified BrE., the pronunciations did not always match my expectation.

Tried using Gamma to create a Website

 Gamma has one AI function which is to generate a website. Actually, it's a webpage, as it is just one single page. 

This time, I tried copying and pasting in part of an outline from one of my lectures. The outline is in bullet points. 

The output is one single webpage consisting of a number of cards (the number of which I could specify when I started) from top to bottom. As such, the webpage still looks like a series of slides strung together.

The webpage can be shared with others immediately.  

Gamma does not present the contents of my outline slavishly. It does quite a good job in assmilating my points and re-presenting them in the 'cards'. 

The webpage has quite appealing visual effect. 

One encouraging thing is that the URL in my original outline becomes a clickable embedded link in the generated webpage. https://master-the-tonic-syllabl-hl8cxsr.gamma.site/ 

Tried Gamma to create a presentation slidedeck

 MY PROMPT:

A topic: Teaching ESL Listening to secondary school ESL learners

OUTPUT: 

Default: a 10-slide slidedeck

https://gamma.app/docs/Teaching-ESL-Listening-to-High-School-Learners-Strategies-Resourc-al65dceen07umjl

==============================================

MY OBSERVATIONS

- Like other AI tools for creating presentations, to me, the output is: 

(1) too texty

(2) too general in content; not contextualised enough for my own use; OK for general introduction

Tried using Google Gemini to create an interactive Listening game

 For this attempt, I used the same story text and prompt for creating the 10-sentence listen-and-match game. When in Google Gemini, among the 4 options inside  the prompt box, I chose 'canvas'. 

OUTPUT: 

https://g.co/gemini/share/a15aae917247

HOW IT COMPARES WITH POE AND CANVA AI

1. It works. 

2. The resulting task can be shared via the share link. 

3. There is no 'publish' vs 'preview' distinction. 

4. The resulting task works in Opera immediately. But in Chrome, users need to log in to their Google account first. 

5. The audio for each sentence takes a bit of time to follow. In this regard, it is not as good as POE and Canva AI. 

Created with Canva AI: A listen-and-match game for KS1 - Colin's story

 MY PROMPT: 

Please create an interactive Listen-and-Match game for lower primary ESL students to practise Listening. On the left of the page are 10 play buttons, numbered from 1 to ten. On the right of the page are the 10 sentences in random order. Students will click on the first button, listen to the sentence, which is said in British English accent, and match it to the correct sentence on the right. Then they click on the second button, listen to the sentence, and match it to the right sentence on the right. And so on until they finish trying the 10 sentences. Then show students the number of correct answers they have got. 

Below are the 10 sentences to use in creating this game: 

One morning, Colin, a six-year-old boy, went to the park.

He wanted to play on the swing.

But the swing went too high, and his hat flew off!

Colin ran after the hat, but it landed on a dog.

The dog barked and ran around with the hat.

Colin laughed and chased the dog.

Then he tripped and fell on the soft grass.

When he got up, he saw a butterfly on his nose!

The dog finally dropped the hat.

Colin went home smiling, with his hat and a funny story.

====================

OUTPUT: 

https://paulsze.net/listening-game-colin-story

Created with Canva AI: A Listening Game for Phonics/Phonetics practice - Vowels

MY PROMPT: 

Create a Listening game. This game consists of 10 questions that correspond to the following 10 pairs of words. When each question is shown, the two words in each pair will be shown to students. One of the two words will be pronounced two times. Students listen to the pronounced word, and click the one which is being pronounced. Then the next question will show up, and so so. 

The 10 pairs of words to be used: 

sit, seat

cod, cord

bet, bat

pull, pool

men, man

cut, cart

live, leave

pin, pan

bull, ball

heart, hot

====================

OUTPUT: 

https://paulsze.net/listen-and-choose-vowels