Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Had Gemini generate a mindmap from an URL - the functionality of MagicSchool AI

The top-level dashboard of MagicSchool shows a long list of functions: 


 

The 'Filter by Category' may offer some help; still it's quite packed with functionality. 

Hence, I copied the link of the MagicSchool, went to Gemini, to see if it could generate a mindmap for me. I used the 'Create Image' function. 

MY PROMPT: 

Please create a visual mindmap showing what AI platform MagicSchool, https://app.magicschool.ai/tools, can do.


OUTPUT: 

https://gemini.google.com/share/528f72681cfe 

Here is a visual mindmap showing the key capabilities of the MagicSchool AI platform:

To break down the branches of the mindmap, here is a detailed list of what MagicSchool can do, categorized by function:

1. Planning & Content Creation

  • Lesson Planning: Generate full lesson plans, unit plans, and 5E model plans.

  • Content Generator: Create academic content, informational texts, and worksheets.

  • Rubric Generator: Instantly create rubrics for any assignment.

  • Standard Unpacker: Break down complex educational standards into manageable learning objectives.

2. Differentiation & Accessibility

  • Text Leveler: Adjust the reading level of any text to fit different grade levels (e.g., adapt a 10th-grade text for a 6th-grade reader).

  • IEP Assistant: Generate goal suggestions and accommodations for Individualized Education Programs.

  • Text Scaffolder: Add definitions, synonyms, and context to help struggling readers.

  • Multilingual Support: Translate texts and communications into dozens of languages for ELL students/families.

3. Assessment & Grading

  • Quiz Generators: Create multiple-choice quizzes, tests, and SAT-style practice questions.

  • Feedback Tools: Generate constructive feedback on student writing or work.

  • Report Card Comments: Draft personalized comments based on student strengths and areas for growth.

  • Math Story Problems: Create contextualized math problems based on student interests.

4. Communication

  • Email Responder: Professional drafts for responding to parents or colleagues.

  • Newsletters: Generate class updates for families.

  • Letters of Recommendation: Draft letters for students applying to college or programs.

5. Student Engagement & Interactive Tools

  • YouTube Video Questions: Paste a video link to automatically generate comprehension questions.

  • Chatbots (Raina): An AI tutor and instructional coach that students (or teachers) can chat with.

  • Character Chatbots: Simulate conversations with historical figures or fictional characters.

  • Gamification: Create Jeopardy-style review games, "Two Truths and a Lie," and educational songs.

6. Admin & Enterprise

  • Data Insights: Track usage and engagement across a school or district.

  • Moderation: Safety features to monitor student interactions with the AI.

  • Custom Tools: Build custom chatbots and tools specific to school needs.



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

OBSERVATIONS


1. It IS able to generate a mindmap from a URL. 
2. The resulting mindmap is not interactive; just a static image. 
3. It does not have many sub-levels. 
4. But I find the Summary Outline quite useful, though it only has 2 levesl. 


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

POSTSCRIPT


I then tried the same task with NotebookLM, but despite its built-in MindMap function, it cannot generate a mindmap from the URL. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

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。

Sunday, November 16, 2025

TENCENT AI FOR LEARNING PLATFORM

 Checked out the platform: https://ai.learn.qq.com/home

Not exactly for ELT. 

Contains a lot of, perhaps, too many, functions. 

It has built-in learning content related to other subjects. 

At this moment, the function which I like the most is the Conversation Practice function. 

To see a summary of the 6 functions that I have checked out: 

https://workflowy.com/s/tencent-ai-learning/vvwiQqq7CQjqLxew

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Workflowy trumps Padlet for Quickly Creating a Presentation

A Padlet board can be 'presented' like a slideshow. 

PLUS: A Padlet template shows the hierachical organisation of the whole presentation. This is something that PPT cannot do. 

Problem: You still have to create the cards one by one. 

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

A Workflowy Presented

Minus: Unlike Padlet, it doesn't have a variety of "appearances". Just a bulleted list. 

PLUS: 

- You can present your planned rundown for a presentation IMMEDIATELY.

-  The images inserted into a Workflowy will also show. 

- You can still draw the audience's attention back to the overall organisation of the presentation by showing the original Workflowy (original tab)

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

BOTTOM LINE: Workflowy is the best for the quickest presentation from an outline (ie, A Workflowy). 

'Learning bot' vs 'Prompt bot' : Meaning

 To clarify their meanings, I consulted a chatbot just now. 

Here is the answer by Claude: 

=

A prompt bot would be a specific type of learning bot that primarily works through providing prompts to guide student thinking. Its main mechanism is offering questions, sentence starters, or thinking cues that scaffold the learning process. For example, a prompt bot might say things like "What would happen if..." or "Can you explain why..." or "Consider the perspective of..."

A learning bot is a broader category that includes any bot designed to facilitate learning. This could include:

  • Bots that provide direct instruction or explanations
  • Quiz bots that test knowledge through multiple choice questions
  • Reference bots that answer student questions directly
  • Practice bots that provide problems and check answers
  • And yes, prompt bots that guide through questioning

So while all prompt bots are learning bots (they're designed to help students learn), not all learning bots are prompt bots. A learning bot that simply provides definitions when asked, or one that delivers mini-lectures, wouldn't really be a prompt bot since it's not primarily working through prompting strategies.

The distinction matters because the pedagogical approach is different. A prompt bot embodies a more constructivist approach where students build understanding through guided inquiry. Other types of learning bots might use more direct instructional methods. The choice between them would depend on the learning objectives and the teaching philosophy behind their deployment.

https://poe.com/s/W7jSDjD949b6spX41X2l

In other words, what I have creating to guide Ss to learn something through a process of scaffolded conversation are prompt bots, and 'learning bots' in a more general sense. 

Sunday, November 02, 2025

和40多年前教過的學生敍舊

 和40多年前教過的學生敍舊的感覺是怎樣的?


昨晚參加了當年第一間任教中學的60週年晚宴,看到很多當年教過的學生,有一些仍然認得,但經過40多年,不認得的恐怕更多。有趣的是,相隔這麼多年,今天交談時全無隔閡,這是師生關係奇妙之處。


全晚最大的發現,是原來學生仍清楚記得我當年教學的細節,例如我英文教法的activity-oriented;我對英文正確發音的堅持;我上課時如何involve每一個同學…..他們說到的很多細節,我不但很多都忘記了,甚至不察覺這些是當年自己的教學風格。


這再印證了一個格言:當老師的,不要忽略了自己的一言一行,對學生可能造成的影響。


少年時,當教師並不是我的志願,後來半意外的進入了教育界,卻成為一生其中一個最大的幸運。



HKU Outstanding eLearning Awards Adjudication



 


Saturday, November 01, 2025

AI-generating a presentation from a WORD outline: Unsatisfactory

 A moment ago, I created a WORD document in Outline mode, which I had PPT convert to a presentation. 

Then I thought: 'Since I have an outline document already, can I use an AI app to turn it into a slidedeck.'

I first tried https://app.presentations.ai/

It did allow me to upload my outline document. There was the option of keeping mostly to my outline content (vs generating new content). 

The Result:

https://app.presentations.ai/view/0X3WGXPqt4

- Text: It retains all of my outline text. But it has still added some additional text which I need to delete. 

- Visual design: Yes, it's there, but not always useful 

-CONCLUSION: Still not useful. 

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

Then I tried CANVA.AI

In the prompt box, I pasted in my outline. 

RESULT: 

- It didn't use my outline text. 

- It can only generate from a topic. 

CONCLUSION: Canva AI is not useful for generating slidedecks either. 

Monday, October 20, 2025

Padlet TA's unique feature for flashcard decks: Audio function

 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:

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

Created the same flashcard deck using Canva, POE, and Gemini - Canva the best result

 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

==============================
TAKEAWAYS

1. All three tools can create flashcard decks directly. All trump Revisely.

2. Overall, I like the one by Canva the most. 

Created a flashcard deck for grammar practice using REVISELY - "If I were ..., I would/would not"

 REVISELY

https://www.revisely.com/


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



TAKEAWAYS

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. 






Created a flashcard deck with Padlet TA from an uploaded passage (Charlie and Chocolate Factory)

 TOOL: Padlet TA

Uploaded materials: Book report on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


Further Instructions: 



OUTPUT: 





OBSERVATIONS

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". 

Sunday, October 19, 2025

Transformed the matching task into a blank filling task using Canva

 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. 

MY PROMPT: 

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. 


OUTPUT

https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-blank-filling




OBSERVATIONS

- Again, Canva did quite a good job. 

Created a Matching ex with Canva for distinguishing between 'If I were' and Type 1 "If I ...' sentences

 TOOL: 

Canva AI


PROMPT:

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). 


OUTPUT

https://paulsze.net/if-i-were-matching



OBSERVATIONS

- Canva has done a good job, even with some humour. 

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Asked Copilot to draft a congratulations speech for me and to generate a PPT to go with the speech

 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):

https://gocuhk-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/r/personal/paulsze_cuhk_edu_hk/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B98FAAC8F-2CE4-430D-B58D-07585C6D1DDC%7D&file=MAELT_10th_Anniversary_Message.pptx&action=edit&mobileredirect=true



Created a prompt bot for 'If I were' usage using Gemini, Canva, and POE

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


MY PROMPT: 

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. 


OUTPUT

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. 


Friday, October 17, 2025

I use AI for creating learning resources, but not for lesson planning

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。

Attended HKU's OUTSTANDING E-LEARNING AWARDS CEREMONY

 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......


https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19sgrqYZSg/

A simple shortcut key for inserting emoji's

 ㊙💯😂🎁🚜

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。

🚇🍩💥🎂👨🏼‍🎓

Created an interactive awareness-raising task with CANVA AI for 'If I were ..., I would/would not ...'

 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. 

Created a short dialogue with MagicSchool Raina for presenting "If I were ..., I would/would not"

 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. 

Tuesday, October 07, 2025

Created a one-page Google Site for an interactive blank-filling task made with Gemini

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. 

Sunday, October 05, 2025

Created: A flashcard set on means of transport using Edcafe AI: Quite Multimodal

 


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. 

Created: An interactive grouping task using Padlet TA: Types of Elision and Examples

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. 

Using Google App Scripts to turn an exercise image into a Google doc: Pluses and Minusus

 Explainer Page by Ha Sir: https://youtu.be/UkLGPtkVlRg?si=Tw-zUdBY7Rwb0d8C


AI app: GPT-5


MY ATTEMPT: 

Original Image: 


Prompt: 

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. 

==========

SECOND ATTEMPT: 

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. 



Saturday, October 04, 2025

Created my first podcast episode on Substack: Realtime transcript a useful feature

 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。

我把NotebookLM 生成的podcast episode 下載後,再將audio file上傳至Substack .打開這episode立刻看到Transcript。當然也可以把audio file利用Capcut一類軟件轉换成video 然後上傳到 Youtube,「觀看」時也可看到實時transcript, 但過程太轉折,不及上述用Substack 簡單快㨗。
Substack平台這自動生成realtime transcript 功能,對英語教師設計和執行listening activity 時,應該很有幫助。

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!



Created a role playing bot using Canva AI: Conditional Sentences Tutor

  先前用Gemini Gem 製作Socratic bot, 好處是立即可以得到share link 和其他人分享,用者甚至不用log in;但11月17日Gem 全面變為Skill 後,便主要用作自用,非分享。於是我回到Poe, 製造了一個roleplay bot後,取得sh...