宜家可離線使用

 在Google Drive 把一個檔案set 作「可離線使用」，按掣後，弹出pop up message, 說「檔案宜家可離線使用」。宜家連google 都改用粤語出notification！

All reactions:

15Teresa Wang, Anna Hung and 13 others

A very special experience: Co-teaching with a former Education student

 相信很少人有我這樣的經驗： ⑴和30年前的Education student仍有聯络，⑵今早和她及她的一位同事co-teach了一課。Monica 今天已經是滿懷教學經驗和創意的教師，我和她co-teach，已經不是師徒，而是peer educators, 大家充滿默契。況且她的學生這麼好教，今早的一課是既enjoyable 又rewarding。

Gaming in eLearning vs Gaming in Macau's casinos

 昨晚的computer assisted language learning一科談到gamification意念在製作interactive task中愈來愈流行，例如Blooket ，Gimkit, 和Minecraft，原因是"Kids, especially boys, love gaming"。但這樣說gaming (指playing computer games)，總覺得不自然，因為最初認識gaming 一詞是在澳門，是指到賭場賭錢耍樂!

A Wakelet Collection with a very interesting design

 Just ran into a Wakelet collection with an interesting design. Wakelet has 5 default page designs (mood board; columns; etc.). I still don't know how the author came up with this design: 

https://wakelet.com/@katrinamelo#alTp8-F9SRYcBjSVDdI6j

It looks like a Wakelet collection has the potential of appearing in many special formats, as long as you're creative enough. 

Getting a clip from a Youtube video

 There was a time when people could set the start-playing time for a Youtube video. If they clicked on 'Share', a 'Start at' option would pop up. They would get a URL and when they played this URL, the video would start at the pre-set time. For teachers, this was a useful function as they didn't have to search for the right starting-time during a lesson. 

Starting from about 2 years ago (?), Youtube added a 'Clip' function. Once you click on 'Clip', you can set the start-playing time and stop-playing time. You would then get a link for that particular segment. This is also useful, especially if you're sharing this segment with others. But the downside is that the maximum length of this clip is only 1 minute. 

Some people have found a workaround to get segments of more than 1 minute, as shown in this video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxQLmXGRlKs

But of course, you can also use a Youtube segmenting app like Vibby. The bottom line is that give your purpose, which strategy is the fastest for you.

Baamboozle: How it compares with other Game Apps

 Baamboozle is a bit different from the other game apps, like Kahoot and Quizizz. 

While Kahoot, Quizizz, Wordwall, Learningapps.org, etc. are mainly for students taking part as individuals, Baamboozle is better played as a team game: The teacher puts the students into teams (groups), and asks the groups to take turns to respond to the questions. 

This also means that Baamboozle is primarily for teacher-paced games. Students do not join from their devices and with a Join Code. Instead, they simply follow the teacher's pace. 

This might look traditional, but it also gives the teacher more opportunities to interact with the students during the game, give feedback, or discuss things with the students. 

Another feature is its potential for self-regulated learning. The teacher can give students the Share Link. Students then work through the questions on their own: They look at each question, think about the answer, and then click 'check'. If they get an answer correct, the question card will disappear. If they get it wrong, it will stay there, and will reappear later for the students to re-try. 

The platform has a bank of teacher-made games which can be used immediately, without signing in!

https://www.baamboozle.com/games

Visiting the Microsoft HK Headquarters

 4年前第一次取得Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert 資格時，證書由Microsoft美國以速遞寄來，之後每年renew申請成功，便只得到該年的digital badge。今年適逢Microsoft HK 和EDB簽約儀式，,於是再次收到實體證書，並有機會参觀Microsoft HK總部。

STEAM education and students' creativity

 今天Microsoft Partners in Learning 5.0 Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony的儀式中有英華書院和元朗商會中學老師分享STEAM projects, 儀式後又参觀了香港教育大學賽馬會小學的STEAM project展覽，深深體會到有創意的老師如何激發學生的創意，而學生又真的可以創意無限。雖然我是STEAM的門外漢，但聽完老師和學生的分享，令我也覺得充滿幹勁，思考這中間English Language education 可以有甚麼角色。

Saying goodbye to Schoology

 2016年開始實行flipped learning, 要找一個適用的LMS，最後選了SCHOOLOGY。多年下來，已熟習了它的運作。

不過由今年10月1日開始，再不能用它的free plan, 連肯付費也不行，因為它將會只做enterprise plan。

於是我便要把多年在Schoology 內製作或儲存的教材遷走，這是頗大又沒趣的工程。

但這也好，迫我重新檢視和update 先前的教材。

AI-generated talking-head video

 This is a typical video which is AI-generated from a script that you input. To be honest, the effect is not bad. The facial expression is quite natural. The intonation is not artificial (unlike the early days of text-to-speech functionality). Even the lip movements seem to correlate with the pronunciations. 

https://email.d-id.com/share/hubspotvideo/78600586230?utm_campaign=Sep%20Blitz%20Campaign&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=76207517&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VpweN_MXWbDnXGB-PNCXHVXgch12bUjT6jAW8g3tb4K2mgfxElkdShEsAOZ9qB3qP-zOEkGl79wKQhKyvfBnxHaQF_Q&utm_content=76207517&utm_source=hs_email

But the problem is: Why would I need this technology in teaching? Such videos have to be short; otherwise students will lose attention. Then, if I have the script already, why don't I just video-record my presentation myself? 

Two apps for creating AI videos from a script

 Below are 2 apps which can generate a video from a script or a webpage URL that you enter. 

Invideo

https://studio.invideo.io/

Lumen5

https://lumen5.com/

I have had a go with both apps. In a way, they are both very similar in that: 

- On the left-hand page, you write, or paste in, a script. Each section (can be one sentence, or a short paragraph) separated from another one by space. 

- Alternatively, you can enter a webpage URL. The app will generate a series of sections for you. Even if the webpage is long, the app will break it down into short sections, so that each section contains text that can comfortably appear in one scene. 

- Background music will be inserted automatically. 

- When you are happy with the sectioning (which is editable), you can generate the video. In the video, each section will appear in one scene, which is by default 5 seconds in length (but you can adject the duration of each scene). 

- From my tryouts, the sectioning ability is not bad. 

- But the visuals are mainly decorative, and most of the time have little to do with the content of the section text, though Lumen5 seems to do a little bit better in this regard (ie, the visual has more relationship with the section content). 

- Nevertheless, Lumen5 allows you to get a share link immediately, or download the video. However, InVideo requires a paid plan in order to give you a share link (though you can just play the video from the dashboard; just that you can't share it with others). 

BOTTOM LINE

1. Lumen5 is slightly better than InVideo. 

2. Don't expect the visuals will closely relate to the text content. 

3. Do not go for a long video, since the video is simply text after text (with accompanying visuals). It's simply like Reading, in a different format. 

4. Use your own text if possible, rather than use a webpage. 

SECTIONS in Padlet

 https://padlet.help/l/en/article/4hhcm0aujp-sections#:~:text=structure%20with%20sections.-,How%20sections%20work,a%20stream%20padlet%20with%20sections.

Recently, Padlet has added a new function: Sections. We can add Sections to a Padlet in order to make the cards and content more organised. 

Comparing 2 apps for creating video from text: InVideo and Animaker

In my previous post, I compared 4 apps for converting a collecton of photos to video.

Sometimes, I need to quickly create a video containing text with background music and text. Here are two such apps. 

https://studio.invideo.io/

On the left-hand pane, you just type in your text, line by line. Click create, and then you will get a video with background music that contains several slides. Each slide contains one of the sentences that you entered in the left-hand pane. The background of each slide is a picture. 

The good thing about this app is that you just type in your main text sentences in the left-hand pane, e.g., the main stages of a lesson; the main points from a lecture. 

Creating such a video is very fast. 

https://www.animaker.com/

Animaker, unlike Invideo which makes use of real-life photos, uses cartoon animations. It is less convenient than Invideo in that you have to type in your captions slide by slide, after choosing an entire video template (which contains the individual slide templates). 

BOTTOM LINE

- Invideo is faster, but if you want cartoon animation effects, then choose Animaker. 

- Neither has a video duration limit. 

- InVideo does not give you a share link, but you can just play your video from the Dashboard. 

Comparing 4 apps for creating quick video from a collection of photos

 There are now many video creation apps which can provide very elaborate editing functions. But very often, all I want is to quickly create a video using pictures that I have taken. I'm not someone who likes to spend time on elaborate video editing, so what I need is an app that can do the job turning a collection of photos into video with the lease fuss. Below I compare 4 such apps. 

Canva

With Canva, you upload all your photos, and drag them into the timeline. This process does not take up a lot of time, and then you can get a share link quickly. But Canva does not have a built-in stock of background music files. You need to upload your own background music MP3 files to Canva to use as background music. 

Animoto

Animoto is the simplest app to use given my purpose. Moreover, the resulting video will contain some animation effects and background music. But there's a catch. The free plan only gives you videos of 30 seconds in duration. That is about 10 photos only, and you can't upload more photos for a longer video unless you upgrade. 

Adobe Express 

In a way, Adobe Express works like Canva. It trumps Canva in that it contains a stock of background music which you can choose from. There is no length limit. You can also do some editing on the timeline. Hence, Adobe Express is a good choice if you're creating a video of longer duration, with more pictures. 

Powtoon

Powtoon is a little bit like Animoto in terms of the dashboard design. But though it is not as simple to use as Animoto,  Powtoon trumps Animoto as: 

- you can go longer than 30 seconds; 

- on top of your own photos, you can insert the give template somewhere in the timeline (e.g., a template with a headline and taglines), and these inserted templates have animation; 

- and of course it also has built-in background music files. 

Bottom Line

As of this moment, Powtoon is my app to go to, for turning a collection of photos into a video with backgrounnd music quickly. 

MIE EXPERT 23-24

 This year will be fantastic. So excited to be selected as an MIE Expert for 2023-2024 

#MicrosoftEdu #MIEExpert #elearningps

This year's enrollment on the Master's degree course on Computer Assisted Language Learning

 這Master's degree的Computer Assisted Language Learning 一科，由最初offer時的三十多學員選修，逐步躍升到今學年的63位學員選修，真是既擔憂又興奮，擔憂是到學期完後要在短時間內改大量的term paper, 興奮的是看見這一科那麼受歡迎。

Apps in the Google Classroom App Hub work with my personal Google Classroom

 I've just tried one the apps (Kahoot) included in  The Google Classroom App Hub I mentioned two days ago. I'm only using a personal Google Classroom. Anyhow, I went to Kahoot, and created a self-paced Kahoot assignment. When asked how I would like to share this Kahoot assignment, I chose 'Google Classroom', which was one of the destinations. 

Voila, in no time, this Kahoot Game appeared in my Google Classroom! So, it means I don't have to copy the Assign share link and post it somewhere as long as I use Google Classroom regularly. 

Puzzel.org

 Puzzel.org is like Wordwall and Learningapps.org, and is for creating interactive games. The images of the various puzzle types look interesting. But the free plan only allows for 2 puzzles. So there is no way I can tell how overall it compares with Wordwall and Learningapps.org. 

https://puzzel.org/

Becoming MIE Expert 2023-24

 新學年收到的最好的禮物，尤其是今年等申請結果等得

特別久。

The Google Classroom App Hub

https://edu.google.com/get-started/apps/ 

This webpage lists the apps that are integrated with Google Classroom.

I can see that many of these apps are popular and often used by teachers (and me). 

Unfortunately, the university does not subscribe to Google Classroom, so I cannot see with my own eyes how the app integration works within Google Classroom. 

Slides with Friends

SLIDES WITH FRIENDS is an app for creating presentations that contain interactive tasks, such as polling, quizzes. 

What distinguishes it from similar apps such as Mentimeter, Pear Deck, and Quizizz Lesson is that it has 2 additional special response options: (1) Pass the microphone, and (2) Share your photo. 

A standalone stack of cards with Sway

 We can create a standalone stack of cards with Sway. Ss will then scroll through the cards to find out something. The content of each card can be either Text, or Image. 

The resulting Sway link can be inserted into a Nearpod lesson. 

Thinglink Scenario Builder: My first taste

 This is a function within Thinglink which allows you to create a branching learning unit. I have yet to learn the nitty gritties, and to look for ideas to turn into a learning scenario. So far, I have noticed that: 

- each branched block can contain Text, an external URL, and a previous Thinglink image/tour; 

- you can insert MC questions and Open-ended questions into different points in the journey; 

- at any block, you can take the learner to any other block; 

- you can award points for accomplishing something. 

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

This reminds me of two other strategies that I have tried: 

1. Padlet (not really reactive to learner's decisions or answers; no inserted questions); 

2. Symbaloo Learning Path. 

Thinglink 360 Image vs Thinglink Guided Tour

 Thinglink Guided Tour is a new function in Thinglink. In the former 360 image, viewers have to move the image around, and click on the tag to see the 'Knowledge Card'. The Knowledge Card can consist of Text Description, an explanatory Image, or an external link. 

With Thinglink Guided Tour, when you create the tour, you add 'focal points' to the 360 image. For each Focal Point, you add a text description (text description only). You can add as many focal points to a 360 image as you like. 

Then when viewers view the Guided Tour, they can: 

Either

drag the image around, and when they reach a previously focal point, the corresponding explanatory text will pop up near the bottom;

Or

there is a 'previous - next' button near the bottom of the screen. Click on 'next', and the image will revolve to the next focal point, togther with the text explanation. And so on. Hence, unlike the traditional viewing mode, this mode of viewing is sequential. (Hence, 'guided'.)

Google Forms vs Microsoft Forms: Converting a poll to a quiz

 With Google Forms, you can convert an existing Poll to a Quiz. 

With Microsoft Forms, this can't be done. To create a quiz, you always have to start from scratch. 

Obtained ScreenPal Certified Educator badge

 Completed the ScreenPal online course and obtained the ScreenPal Certified Educator badge.

ScreenPal: the new version of Screencast-o-matic

 Screencast-o-matic was the first app that I used for screen-recording. Later, Screencastify and Loom came about, and as they were Chrome extensions, they were more convenient to use. I then abandoned Screencast-o-matic in favour of Loom and Screencastify. 

Yesterday, I happened to discover that Screencast-o-matic had become ScreenPal. I tried ScreenPal, and found three important pluses which would take me back to the improved version of Screencast-o-matic: ScreenPal: 

1. I like the clear small yellow circle which accompanies the cursor movement. Screencastify has a similar function but the effect is not good. 

2. ScreenPal will give me a public share link as soon as I have finished a round of screen-recording. Screencastify allows users to export the screen-recorded video to Youtube, but the process takes too long. 

3. The free plan of Loom and Screencastify has a recording time limit of 5 minutes only, and a limit on the number of videos that can be produced. Screenpal's recording time is 15 minutes, and there is no limit on the number of videos you can make. 

https://screenpal.com/home

Google Earth Voyager

 Google Earth Voyager are like Google Earth projects, but they are exemplary curated (also created?) collections by Google. The project are presented under a few themes, such as 'Education', and 'Culture'. 

Creating a Google Earth Project

 To create a new placemark: 

1. You can of course just click on a named place on the Google Earth map, and then click on 'Add to Project' on the right. 

2. But if it is not a place which is already named on the map, then you can do 'Capture this view', or click 'Add placemark', both appearing at the bottom left corner of the map itself. The left-hand pane will then ask you to 'Name this place'. After that, it will be included as a 'Feature' in the project.

3. The 'known/named' places on the Google Map will, by default, come with a Knowledge Card (top right corner). To use your own description or images, click 'Replace' on the left-hand pane. You can then use your own description and images. 

 

One difference between Loom and Screencastify

 Loom has a more generous (25 videos) quota under the free plan, while Screencastify allows for 10 free videos only. 

But with Screencastify, you can export the screen-recorded video directly to Youtube, while with Loom you have to download it to your computer first. 

Taking a photo sphere image with my mobile phone and viewing it in Ricoh Theta

 I'm using the mobile app 'Go Street-view Camera' to take 360 photo spheres with my mobile phone.Ｉcan then open it for viewing with the app Ricoh-Theta, a desktop app as well as a mobile app. 

The result is not bad even though I'm only use a mobile app, not a 360 camera like Ricoh Theta. 

Gearing up for the 33rd, or 37th, year

 是時候收拾心情，開展在中大教育學院第33年的教學。(如果加上先前在羅富國教育學院的4年，這便是第37年從事教師教育。)能夠這麼長期從事自己喜愛的工作，這工作又可以讓我不斷學習和不斷進步，我真的非常非常幸運啊。

Padlet's 2023 summer release

 This summer, Padlet has released some new functions. The following seem particularly useful to me: 

1. Create a poll on a Padlet wall which viewers can respond to. 

2. AI-generated images. (To me, I'm not sure whether the images are really AI-generated. Do they already exist on the Web?)

3. I can create Sections in all templates (except Canvas). 

4. I can embed a Padlet slideshow in another app. 

5. I tried the 'Export slideshow as PDF' function. The resulting PDF does not look great. Maybe OK if I just want to keep a record. 

I have also rediscovered that I can present a Padlet wall as a slideshow. 

https://padlet.blog/the-2023-summer-release/

The most rewarding compliment

 The most rewarding compliment a teacher educator can ever receive from a former teacher student.

教學是一個很獨特的行業

 昨天和當年初為人師時教過的學生午膳敍舊，她們有快將退休的，有甚至已經提早退休的。

感嘆歲月流逝之餘，也覺得教學是一個很獨特的行業；其他人對人的專業，例如醫生，社工，臨床心理學家，服務完結後便不能，或不宜，和服務對象繼續有接觸；但當教師，分分鐘可以和舊學生保持數十年的聯繫！

Thinglink add-in for Powerpoint

 Just realised that Powerpoint has the Thinglink add-in. After inserting the Thinglink add-in, while creating a PPT, just paste in the link to the Thinglink you want to show in the PPT. All the interactivity will appear in the PPT. 

Jigsaw Planet for creating free jigsaw puzzles

https://www.jigsawplanet.com/  is a free app for creating jigsaw puzzles. Just upload a picture, tell the app how many pieces you want to break it down into, and click 'create'. The resulting puzzle can be shared with students via a share link. 

Thinglink, 360 image, Escape Room

 In an Escape Room game, players are expected to explore the different parts of a place (on their own). It follows that these different parts should not appear in a linear fashion. 

The objects of exploration may provide the clues to the over-riding question, or sub-questions during the game. 

The above make Thinglink a suitable app for creating an Escape Room: 

1. the starting point can be the image (flat or 360) of the inside of a room; 

2. interactives are inserted into different parts of the room for students to explore. These interactives may provide information, or clues to certain questions. 

How students present their answers to the questions embedded: 

In the following example, the teacher puts (a) the Thinglink 360 image, and (b) a Google Form on one Google site. 

https://www.thinglink.com/blog/escape-rooms/

(I think the Google Form can also be inserted into the Thinglink image for students to download?)

Students explore the image to find the answers, and provide answers on the Google Form. When they are done, they submit the Google Form. 

In sum, Escape Rooms with Thinglink have the potentials of: 

1. gamifying a series of quizzes; 

2. promoting multimodal reading (the information inserted can be multimodal);

3. nurturing students as self-directed learners (as self-paced learning units). 

=========

One challenge for the interested teacher, on top of the technical skills and the time needed, is to think of a storyline to make the Escape Room feel 'real'. 

Converting a panorama pic taken with my mobile phone to a 360 image

 Just learnt that: 

1. I can convert a pano(rama) pic I've taken with my mobile phone to a 360 image using the Thinglink link: https://www.thinglink.com/pano-to-360

2. When viewed using a 360 image viewer app (such as Ricoh Theta), I can view the panorama pic in a full circle. But then of course because the original pic was not taken with a 360 camera, the top and bottom parts of this 360 image will be just blurred shades. 

Downloading a street view image from Google Maps

 Just found out that: 

1. I can download an app for downloading and saving a street view 360 image from Google Maps to my computer. The one I've downloaded is called Street View Download 360. 

2. I can also download an app for viewing 360 images saved. The one I've installed is Ricoh Theta. 

3. With downloaded 360 images, I can go ahead to find out how to create interactive 360 tours within Thinglink. 

How to download a Google Map for offline use

 Just learnt that we can download a Google Map for offline use. This is useful to me as, when I go to Macau and return on the same day, I may not want to buy foreign data connection to use in Macau just for navigating my ways around. 

How: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ADQIzc5a4

Where to find the downloaded map on one's mobile phone: 

Open the Google Maps app. Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap “Offline Maps.” Tap “Select Your Own Map.”

What should we beware of?

 Yes, fruit drops can be dangerous. But seeds?

星加坡 vs 新加坡

 剛才電視新聞報導新加坡旅遊業復甦，字幕是「新加坡」，但報導員由始至終都是讀「星加坡」。

香港人習慣說「星加坡」，但Singapore 正式的中文國名是「新加坡」，不知要再過多久，香港人才會改口說「新加坡」。

至於我，說formal speech 時說新加坡，說informal speech 時說星加坡。

(至於為甚麼「加」讀做「架」，要請教研究方言的歷史學家了。).

「灣」vs「環」

 前天談到小時候，香港人用第四聲說「銅鑼灣」的「灣」(音環)，到後來才變為用第一聲(音彎)，當時還舉了另一個「灣」讀「環」的例：長沙灣。

今天又想到另一個例：土瓜灣。

如果有三個例存在，這「灣」讀「環」應該不是巧合，問題只是甚麼原因有這變調。.

Seeing my books at the 2013 Book Fair

 很高興在今年書展中，仍然看見自己的名字出現在4本展出的書本上。(其餘的兩本應該沒有再印製了。) 驀然回首：

2022，<喜歡上學的野孩子>，收錄於《香港百人童年》，香港兒童文藝協會出版。青田教育中心印製。

2019，《芵語本色: 翻轉港式英語發音》，牛津大學出版社出版。

2015.  VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE: Narratives of Nonnative Speaking English Teachers. Co-authored with Prof Icy Lee. Published by The Chinese University Press. 

2015，《英文秘道: 踏上學習英文的成功路》，牛津大學出版社出版。

2012，《中英大不同2:錯了就爆的語法問題》，與歐陽偉豪合著，青桐社出版。

2011，《中英大不同:語法解密》，與歐陽偉豪合著，青桐社出版。

Technology and the ability to write in Chinese

 不要說青少年，連我也發覺自己寫中文字時愈來愈記不起筆劃，用手機或手寫板書寫時，會彈出幾個筆劃相近的字供選擇，於是令我更不在意正確的寫法。到今天有時候還要依賴google 的語音輸入才記起原來的筆劃!

https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e7%a4%be%e8%a9%95/article/20230718/s00003/1689617302475/%e7%a4%be%e8%a9%95-%e6%9b%b8%e5%af%ab%e6%96%87%e5%ad%97%e5%8a%9f%e8%83%bd%e6%bc%b8%e5%87%8b%e9%9b%b6-%e6%96%87%e5%8c%96%e5%82%b3%e6%89%bf%e5%8a%9f%e8%83%bd%e9%a0%97%e5%a0%aa%e6%86%82

A school that highly values good teaching and learning

 今早因著賽馬會Blended Learning Project, 再次到香港道教聯合會圓玄學院第二中學觀課，再次被該校對學與教的重視，和老師們的教學熱誠所感動。他們有很有組織的同儕觀課計劃，今早觀課時有多位老師一同觀課，包括非英語科教師和負責SEN的教師，連校長也為了表示支持，兩節不同的課也全程参與觀課。授課的老師也習慣了同儕觀課，課室中坐了7位觀課者也揮灑自如。至於學生，"more able" class 固然主動積極回應，"less able" class也專注和投入。課後的debriefing, 老師們的認真程度令人敬佩。

這樣的精神，對我也是一種激勵呢!

AI for generating visual designs

 試完Microsoft Designer，再試另一個AI-powered 的Picsart，已經差不多可以結論人工智能generate visual design, 相對於generate essay的chatGPT, 效果仍然有一段距離。

useful little functions in eLearning apps

 一個eLearning app有時用了很多年，也沒有發現當中一些有用的小function,例如我用了Wordwall幾年， 那天觀課，我才發現那麼容易加插pronunciation 和picture, 還可以選theme去改变版面!

2 Questions I've been asking myself all these years

 Tomorrow is the last session of the MA course on 'Professional Development in English Language Teaching." I will end the course by sharing my own answers to the following 2 questions that I've been asking myself all these years. 

Q1: Would I still be so enthusiastic about teaching today if I had not started out as an ENGLISH teacher? 

--- In other words, what makes English Language teaching so fascinating? 

Q2: What kind of person would I be like today if I had not started out as a teacher? 

--- Because teaching has shaped the person that I am today.

Pure listening, or listening while staring at the screen

 今早的課堂我做了一個實驗， 我把學員要聆聽的audio file拆做兩部分，上半部上傳到Spotify 作為純聆聽的podcast episode (Option 1),下半部我用video editing software,加入audio file,然後插入幾張教室的image, 但內容和audio file的內容無關，最後把完成的video 上傳至YouTube （option 2)。

當學員聽過純audio 的option 1, 和聽過embed 入video 的option 2, 我問學員喜歡哪個聆聽的模式，我原本也猜測有学員喜歡option 2, 但結果比我預料的更一面倒：83%學員喜歡option 2。

我不是第一個有此觀察的人，至於為甚麼今天的人，就算畫面和內容無直接関係，也喜歡盯著畫面去聆聽多過純聆聽，這究竟是social habit （YouTube, Facebook Shorts)，抑或有心理學原因，或甚至是neuroscience, 我便不得而知了。

AI apps for creating resources

 早在兩個半小時的課，已經用了4件AI-generated的教材。後來我告訴學員哪些教材是來自AI, 他們也很詫異。

我說笑我快將失業了。但其實省下製作教材的時間，教師有更多時間設計interactive的課堂和高階思維活動。到最後，關鍵還是我們怎樣運用科技。

https://www.questionwell.org/?fbclid=IwAR39w-WWFCf0LsgN85CBAi9q372oGsvEExq3oywDqgotlKJDtLHZAHs0hSePQ

AI-generated slide decks: When are they useful?

 

in a previous post, I said that all the AI-tools for generating slide decks that I have tried are not satisfactory. This is because:

(a) these apps will not give me a slide deck which fully captures my line of thinking; in a presentation there are usually certain points that I'm driving at, and

(b) I like to use my own examples for illustration.

But I've found that if I simply need a mini presentation for introducing an idea, then such apps can be useful. The other day, I was planning for a lecture on using case studies for teacher professional development. I wanted to start the lecture by mentioning the 3 disciplines that use case studies as an established teaching method and for professional development. Then I wanted to cite one example: The Harvard Business School's use of the case method. I just needed a mini introduction to that.

I went to Canva, a wellknown app for creating visual materials, and used their new AI 'Magic Write' function to get a short presentation on the Harvard example. In less than 30 seconds, they gave me the presentation below, which exactly answered my need.

If I had to create this presentation from scratch myself, searching for the information, distilling the information into main points, creating a presentation with the main points, dealing with the slide deck design, how much time would that take me!?

My tentative conclusion: AI-tools will not give me an immediately usable custom-designed presentation for a whole lecture/lesson, but they are useful for creating short presentations for introducing an idea or topic.

(BTW, I'll be using the above slide deck tomorrow morning. After the short presentation, I will ask the teachers whether they have suspected something about the slide deck.)

The question set export function in QuestionWell

This morning I explained how I use QuestionWell, an AI app, to generate a set of MC comprehension questions from a text. The question set can then be exported as DOCX, or as a Microsoft Excel file. The app allows me to generate two versions: Version 1 with the questions only, and Version 2 with the Answer Key as well.

At this point, I can share Version 1 with my teacher students. They will then read the text and then mark the correct answers on their copied DOCX document. But this afternoon, I decided to go one step further, by turning the question set into a Google Form quiz. I converted the DOCX document to a Google Doc. I then opened the Google Doc extension called Automagical Forms, and had it convert all the questions on the Google Doc to a Google Form quiz. Within 5 seconds, I had the Google Form quiz ready to send.

Imagine if I had to type out the Google Form quiz myself!

Of course one thing I don't understand is: Despite all these time-saving AI apps, why am I still so busy?

(BTW, QuestionWell will also allow you to export the question set as an Excel file, which you can then import into Kahoot or Quizizz immediately to create a quiz game.)

Using QuestionWell to help students focus on their reading

 Yesterday, I said that QuestionWell was by far the best AI tool for generating reading comprehension questions from a reading text. The only concern was that it could only generate MC questions which asked for specific information in the text (in other words: no HOT questions). In other words, don't expect the app will give you all the questions that you need for a full-fledged reading comprehension lesson. (https://www.questionwell.org/

Nevertheless, QuestionWell is still useful for generating a short MC quiz to accompany a short reading activity to help students focus. In an upcoming class session, one of the activities is for the teachers in my class to read a case story, and then get into groups to discuss the case. In order for the teachers to benefit from the case discussion, it is important that they read the case story carefully first. I went to QuestionWell and input the case story. The app generated 22 MC questions for me. I chose 8 of them, and would use them this Saturday to prepare the teachers for the case discussion. It would take me a lot of time if I were to come up with the questions myself. 

In other words, do not rely wholly on these AI tools to create teaching materials for us, but if used with discretion, they CAN save us a lot of time. 

QuestionWell for generating MC question from a reading text

 QuestionWell is by far the best AI-powered tool for creating reading comprehension questions from a reading text that I have tested. The pluses: 

- It can generate a long list of MC questions for you to select the ones you want to use. 

- It tells you the key questions among the ones generated. 

- It also generates a list of learning objectives embededed in the generated questions. 

- You can then export the questions as a spreadsheet, which you can then import into Kahoot, Quizizz, or Blooket immediately, or as a docx file. 

Of course, like the other AI tools for generating reading comprehension questions, QuestionWell is only good at creating questions that ask for specific information. 

https://www.questionwell.org/

However, of the 6 AI-powered tools for creating slidedecks I have tried so far, none of them is good enough. So maybe I can conclude now that as of today, AI technology is good at generating Reading Comprehension materials, but not at creating presentation decks. 

https://www.questionwell.org/

No Hawking vs No Hawkering

 "No hawkering", or "No hawking"?

Strictly speaking, they should say 'No hawking'. The word 'hawking' already exists in English: Hawking is what hawkers do, just like busking (not 'buskering') is what buskers do; teaching (not 'teachering') is what teachers do; painting (not 'paintering') is what painters do ...

But on second thought, 'hawkering' is not necessarily wrong. It can refer to people who like to play hawker once in while - as amateur hawkers. Just this morning, I saw an English-speaking girl gleefully buskering in Citygate Town Square under the supervision of her mum. She was doing a Chinese dance; no one put money in her box; she didn't mind, as she was simply having fun buskering, she was not really busking). 

BTW, I googled 'No hawkering'. The expression IS used in Malaysia and Singapore. 

Veed.io for editing video

 Veed.io is a web-based video editing app. It's simple and quite easy to use. You can export the created video as an MP4 file, or just get the Share link. 

https://www.veed.io/

Balabolka for converting texts to audio files

 Just tried a couple of Web apps for converting texts to audios: Murf.ai, and Speechify: 

Plus: 

- the resulting speech sounds quite natural

Minus: 

- once you want to download the audio to your computer, it asks you to upgrade. 

+++++++

I then tried Balabolka, a desktop app: 

Plus: 

- It's open-source; it's free to download the generate audio

Minus: 

- the resulting speech is not natural enough

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

I finally got back to my Spotify episodes, which are converted from my Wordpress blog via postcaster.spotify.com (formerly Anchor.fm). 

The audios are natural enough, but the steps for downloading an episode as an MP3 file are slightly complicated. 

True/False interactive format in Wordwall

 I had been using Wordwall for a few years, but I had never touched the 'True/False' interactive format because I thought it was just like the traditional True/False quiz format. The other day during a lesson observation, the teacher used a Wordwall interactive format which I found quite exciting. He had several statements moving from one side of the screen to the other continuously, and near the bottom of the screen were the words 'True' and 'False'. As the sentences were moving from right to left continuously, each sentence would appear on the screen for about 3 seconds only, and within 3 seconds, students had to decide on the answer, and then the next sentence would show up. 

After class, I asked the teacher which Wordwall interactive format he had used, and he said it was 'True/False.'

Later, I gave it a try, and indeed, it was not the traditional 'True/False' I had had in mind. 

So, I've created this one for an upcoming class. The task is to decide, for each of 8 teaching issues, whether it is more suited for action research or for a case study. Give it a try if you're interested: https://wordwall.net/resource/55011264

GotFeedback for generating feedback on students' writing

 

GotFeedback is another tool that has jumped on the AI bandwagon. It claims to be able to provide feedback on a piece of (student) writing. At the moment, there are 4 default areas of feedback (e.g. narrative structure), but users can also use their own custom prompt (i.e., tell the AI system what you want it to comment on). If this AI system works well, it will of great help to ESL teachers. 

I tested it with a few essays. It doesn't work like Grammarly, which highlights problems with individual sentences. Instead, it provides general comments with respect to one of the 4 default areas or on users' custom prompt. The generated comments will cite examples from the essay. To me, the comments are still a bit too general and not concrete enough. Sometimes, it gives me the impression that it has jumped to those feedback conclusions. But maybe that's because the essays I tried are not terrible ones. If I get to find a pre-intermediate ESL learner's composition with lots of problems, I will test this AI system again to see how it performs. 

https://feedback.gotlearning.com/

ChatGPT style

 For me, these ChatGPT-generated essays have a certain ChatGPT-style so that once you're accustomed to such essays, it's not that difficult (for a human) to tell whether an essay is ChatGPT-generated or not. (For example, they like to beat about the bush; they like to talk around an issue instead of developing a thesis; they like to finish with a play-safe counterpoint.) But then that will probably be ChatGPT's next mission - to rid itself of its ChatGPT style.

Test-driving SlidesGPT

 Just had a go with SlidesGPT. The result looks more like a slide deck, in that the content of each slide is in point form (unlike tome.app). You can then download it as a PPT or Google Slide deck, and use those slides which are useful. Overall, the resulting slide deck is still talking around the topic, and is lacking in depth or a coherent development. This seems to be a weakness common to all AI tools at the moment. 

AI apps for generating slidedecks

 Just tried another AI app for generating a presentation slidedeck, called tome.app. Again, the result is disappointing. The text content of each slide is apparently replicated from a corresponding summary essay. The visual that accompanies each slide has nothing to do with the text content. 

I think I can now draw this conclusion: As of today, AI apps are still not useful for generating slidedecks from a topic command. (In case you have come across a useful one, do let me know.)

It's imperfections that make us human!

 最近因貪玩喜歡把上課時部分內容用AI app 製成talking head 的video, 我對學員說我邀請了某專家就這課題作分享。但學員很快便看出video中present的不是真人，不是因為這talking head太假，反而是他/她無論聲調和表情太過完美！真人說話是不會這麼完美的。

於是我突然有這個epiphany：這些年我被self-help 書籍洗腦，覺得凡事都要力求完美，We should forever strive to be our best self, 卻原來It's imperfections that make us human!

Trying out Conker.ai's other input mode

 Then I tested Conker.ai with the other input option: I gave it a topic and asked it to generate 5 MC questions for me. The topic was 'action research for teacher professional development'. 

The resulting questions are not bad. Of course, again, they are all about specific information. But I can use the quiz in the lead-in stage of a lecture (e.g., as an entry ticket), in order to motivate interest, or assess students' prior knowledge. 

One plus with this app is that the generated quiz can be assigned to students immediately, or exported to Google Forms. 

Test-driving Conker.ai

 Conker.ai is an AI system for generating quizzes. You can starting by either (a) giving it a topic, or (b) providing it with a reading text. It will then proceed to generating the number of questions (so far, MC questions only) that you have requested for you. 

I tested it with input (b). I provided it with a reading text, and asked it to create 5 MC questions for me. 

The result: 

1. Not bad; the MC distractors are sensible. Hence students do have to read the text to get the right answers. 

2. The questions all involve 'looking for specific information.' None of the questions tap higher-order reading skills (e.g., inferencing). 

Test-driving Curipod's AI lesson generation function

Curipod is like Nearpod, Pear Deck, Quizizz Lesson, and Kahoot Lesson: an app for creating Interactive Lessons. But what distinguishes Curipod from the rest is its Al lesson-generation functionality: Give it a task (e.g., a topic), and it will generate an interaction lesson for you.

I couldn't wait to have a go, asking it to create an interactive lesson that elucidates the difference between WILL-future and GOING TO-future in English. Luckily, the result is disappointing.

The major problems with the AI-generated interaction lesson:

- The content slides are just beating about the bush, rather than addressing the heart of the matter.

- The activity slides rely too much on open-ended drawing, which do not stimulate meaningful thinking or learning.

- It simply doesn't know how to scaffold learning.

Hence, we English teachers won't get to lose our jobs too soon

Playing with AI-generated video

 最近貪玩，把上課的部分內容製成AI-generated video供學員觀看，代替我的解說或學員的即時閱讀，下面便是一例：Fukuko 在述說當初如何開始 Team Teaching (45 seconds)。

除了表情頗真實外，她的嘴形和發音的高度配合，令人驚異。這樣下去，我快無工可做了。

https://youtube.com/shorts/lfpSg77QQXg

Using the 'Connect to a post' function for a short presentation

 Padlet 的Canvas template，內有Connect to a post功能。昨天用這功能做一個五分鐘的展示，解說9個attribute與兩個概念的關係，發覺效果不錯。好處是同一個post可以connect to 多過一個概念，不是簡單的非此即彼，而且展示的過程很吸引眼球。

Just observed an excellent lesson

 今早就著Jockey Club Blended Learning Project觀了很精彩的一課，還意外發現中一學生製作video (how to make egg tarts)的能力我自愧不如。除了三位同校英文老師也一同觀課外(這是很好的professional development活動)，連校長也全程一小時在座，以表示對老師的支持。

生命影響生命: It goes both ways

 我們說教育事業是生命影響生命，一般是指教師的生命影響學生的生命。但對我來說，這是相向的，教師的生命亦會被學生的生命影響。

就像前晚和70年代後期的學生敘舊，她們述說當天我的一言一行，我的課堂活動， 我曾經說過的話，甚至我用過的教材，這大部分我已經忘記了，但是她們到今天仍記得這麼清楚。

於是反過來，她們的記憶提醒我要對教學工作負責，要繼續努力，做一個有熱誠的教育工作者。

我又再想起Make a Difference movie裏，Ms Thompson對Teddy不離不棄，Teddy日後成為出色的醫生，他在婚禮裏感謝Ms Thompson: "Thank you for believing in me. Thank me so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference." Ms Thompson卻說: "Teddy, you have it all wrong. YOU were the one that taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

多謝每一個令我不要忘記教學工作重要性的學生，你們的生命，也影響了我的生命。

https://makeadifferencemovie.com/index.php

Becoming a Symbaloo Certified Educator

 The latest e-Learning qualification I have obtained:

TTS apps that claim to be able to clone your voice

 Text-to-speech app雖然可以把输入的文字轉化成audio file,而且技術日趨成熟，但是narration 的聲音仍然要由app預設的選取。我曾經夢想有一天只要我輸入我自己聲線的樣本，TTS app便會採用我的聲音去generate audio narration。

最近一些AI app 聲稱可以這樣做，我試過Resemble AI,和Eleven Labs,結果都不滿意，完全不像我的聲線。如果你試用過這類app而效果滿意，有勞告知。

Another one using my own voice

Just did another one, this time using a recording of my own voice. The fantastic thing is how the avatar's facial speech movements are fully synchronised with my speech.

https://studio.d-id.com/share?id=a9d1142e38219283fe7ea813a8dc87ec&utm_source=copy

AI-generated Narrated Video

Text-to-speech technology used to produce oral narrations which somehow sounded robotic. But like all technologies, they got better and better. Below is an AI-generated video which I created from a script. (I gave the app the script; it then gave me the narrated video.) You will see that if you close your eyes and just listen to the audio, there is no way you can tell whether it's from a robot or a human. Well, perhaps you can tell it's from a robot, because a human won't sound that perfect. (She made a slip of the tongue: peer --- observation, because of my typing mistake in the script.)

https://studio.d-id.com/share?id=21b66a4b217a681138da3763f9b93ea0&utm_source=copy&fbclid=IwAR3OfkpAsXmQgnmMAtdQRXTT6816bLtdpV8JsvB30nEs58PuDwxVmadxCAE

AI generated avatar-videos

 And then had a go with https://studio.d-id.com/, which is used to generate an avatar-presented video from a script that you input. 

I made one from a personal biodata script. 

I think such videos have to be short. Otherwise, viewers can get bored by looking at the same avatar for too long, not to mention the fact the oral narration will still sound a bit robotic. 

https://studio.d-id.com/share?id=29aad4508d59bf44c8759bd0a732fa0f&utm_source=copy

Generating a slide deck from an AI tool.

 Just had a go with https://slidesgpt.com/index.html. 

The result is not bad, though it's unlikely it will give you 100% of what you have wanted. The picture that does with each generated slide often makes no sense. 

On other other hand, each slide is accompanied with Speaker Notes!

I think it can still be of some help, as you can pick those generated slides that suit your purpose. 

AI and teachers' role in the 21 century

https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E5%89%AF%E5%88%8A/article/20230226/s00005/1677346276815/%7b%E5%89%B5%E7%A7%91%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E9%81%94%E4%BA%BA%7d%E6%9C%B1%E5%AD%90%E7%A9%8E-%E5%B0%8F%E6%99%82%E6%8B%86%E9%9B%BB%E5%99%A8-%E9%95%B7%E5%A4%A7%E9%91%BD%E7%A0%94%E7%A7%91%E6%8A%80-%E6%93%81%E6%8A%B1chatgpt%E8%BF%8E%E6%95%99%E5%AD%B8%E6%96%B0%E4%B8%96%E7%B4%80?fbclid=IwAR1piqCkLcTWguyo_9k7nbZP2Le_4AH-8ClKE443sQGGR9qn6f6Fsk3DxgI

朱子穎校長說得對，人工智能不會淘汰老師，但如果教學，或利用AI  於教學上，仍停留於純知識(其實很多時甚至不是知識而只是information)的單向傳授，那就很沒意思了。21世紀的教師，更要思考如何增强a guide on the side的角色，而不是繼續做the sage on the stage。

這亦是為什麼今天當我看見一些教師教grammar時，仍停留在單向解釋那些其實不可靠的grammar rules，然後期望學生「學會」時，我那麼大感觸。

https://www.facebook.com/paulsze/posts/pfbid02bHbyXhc4PBdJjdSFLHY8hYnTxtM2fEXNzWnhrqVpLaUpZ7wB6oJtjm7VrJE9Meptl

How do you pronounce 'refresh' as a noun?

My occupational habit (or disease) at work:

Yesterday when I saw this poster in an Ikea store, I did not ask myself whether I needed a refresh or not. Instead, I started to wonder: "When 'refresh' is used as a noun, how should it be pronounced?"

"Should we continue to put the stress on the second syllable, like we do when we use 'review', 'report', and 'retreat' as a noun? Or should we put the stress on the first syllable instead, like we do when we use 'recap', 'recount', and 'refund' as a noun?"

When I got home, I immediately looked up a few online dictionaries to find out the answer, but to no avail. I continued to google something like 'how do you pronounce refresh when it is used as a noun', and finally found one answer:

https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-noun-for/refresh.html

To my amusement, this answer confirmed what I had suspected: Put the stress on the first syllable when 'refresh' is used as a noun.

But still, can I count on just one answer from the Internet?

to accustom someone to do something?

 

These two slogans from the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department are using the verb 'accustom' (1) in the Active Voice, and (2) in the structure 'to accustom someone to do something'. 

This reminds me of another usage error which was once quite common in Hong Kong: 'to look forward to do something', as in 'I look forward to see you soon.' This error is less common now. But most of the time, teachers simply tell students that after 'look forward to', they have to use the -ING form, as if it is just an arbitrary case. 

But there is also semantics behind. We look forward to something, and that's why the -ING form is used if what we look forward to is represented by a verb phrase. Similarly, we do not accustom someone to do something. The semantics behind is that 'we accustom someone to something', which is often expressed in the Passive Voice.