I admit I still have no idea how to say the bookstore name "Eslite." The bookstore"s homepage says the name originated from the French word "elite", but does not tell how it should be pronounced. Then, should the second syllable be pronounced as "leet", as with "elite", or should it be pronounced like the English "lite"？
到了今天，如果我要製作PPT，我一定不會立刻打開PPT. 而是先在WORD document把要present的要點打出來，這樣做好處是一眼看到整個演示的組織和發展，要修改也很容易。完成後就用WORD 的網上版打開這Word document, 加入少許格式化(主要是Heading 1 and Heading 2)，然後export 成PPT, 乾手淨腳，而且生成的PPT 的每張slide 已有很精美的設計。
以WORD 開始還有另一個好處，就是今天那麼多AI tools, 隨時可以把內容generate 成另一用途， 例如reading comprehension questions,例如Google Form, 又例如數日前我提到的Quizizz Game。總了以一個文字檔為開始，便無限用途。如果你也經常製作PPT, 不妨改變習慣：Start with WORD.
The former podcast production app (recording, and podcasting) called 'Anchor' has been absorbed by Podcasters for Spotify.
The biggest advantage is using Podcasters for Spotify is that from the same dashboard, you can record a podcast episode, add background music if preferred, and post it on your podcast homepage immediately. In other words, there is no need to first create a voice recording, and then upload the voice file to a podcasting site.
回想去年年初當ChatGPT出現時. 香港有大學即時有强烈反應，限制學生使用CHATGPT, 當然這是因為憂慮學生利用ChatGPT去抄功課。其實只要設計功學時花點心思，不要學生寫純資料性的essay,這其實不是大問題。
相反，如果学生做功課，開始時利用ChatGPT 找出基礎的資料，然後再在功課中深入發揮，這絕對是好事。
到今天，我甚至在三小時的一課中，加插一些ChatGPT任務，去代替以前我就相關知識的direct instruction。這除了作為課堂活動外，我亦想乘機培養學員的Self-directed learning 和终身學習的精神。
21世紀的教師不應只是the sage on the stage, 而更要做a guide on the side。
This is the first time that ChatGPT has somewhat disappointed me with its answer to my language question. I asked it whether it's OK to say 'I feel amazing.' Below is its answer. (Traditional grammar would distinguish between 'The story is amazing/interesting/exciting' and 'I feel amazed/interested/excited.')
All that ChatGPT needs to say is something like 'In recent years, people have started to say "I feel amazing" to mean "I feel great/good/fantastic."
We still need humans when it comes to language awareness.
Just ran into an example illustrating the trend for people to use certain verbs ergatively. A few years ago, one would say 'Work you create IS SAVED to ....'; today, it is 'Work you created SAVES to ...' (You can find many other examples in ICT jargon.)
Another example: More than 10 years ago, Amazon would tell you that 'your order has been shipped.' Today, it's always 'Your order has shipped.'
This is one thing for ESL teachers to watch out for when teaching the Passive Voice.
真是後知後覺，一直不知道Google workspace extension 有Form builder 這extension, 可以直接把Google Doc 和Google Sheet 的內容export 成 Google Form. 這當然比在Google Form中逐題打快得多，而且在Google doc中先準備好問題當然效果會更好。
Edtech就是這樣，有時一些好用的功能卻一直不知道其存在，以致浪費了不少時間。
Just found out that there 's a Google Doc/Sheet extension called 'Form Builder Plus' which can easily turn a Google Doc/Sheet into a Form.
Of course we teachers usually work with a Google Doc. What this means is that I can simply type out, or even copy and paste, my questions on a Google Doc (or covert from a WORD doc), and use this extension to convert it to a Google Form.
The other plus is that, if you dive into a Google Form and write your questions, it's not easy to maintain an overview of your poll/quiz content. Starting with a Google Doc will give you that overview, not to mention the ease to edit your questions.
I should have known about this Extension long ago; I would then have saved myself a lot of time.
終於決定這一期的Nearpod Gold 到期後不再subscribe, Nearpod 有很多獨有的interactive 功能，例如Time to Climb, 但問題是：⑴太慢， （2）太貴。
Nearpod 的主要alternatives有Kahoot Lesson (不是Kahoot game), Pear Deck. 和Quizizz Lesson (不是Quizizz game), Kahoot Lesson 要付費，而且functionality 不算超卓。 Pear Deck 的賣點是在Google Slides install Pear Deck extension 後，便可立即加插interactive slides, ,而且它的Lesson management slides我頗喜歡，可以培養學生的self directed learning 的素質，但它的interactive functions 太少，連MC quiz 也沒有。
最後我決定由Nearpod migrate 往Quizizz Lesson, 它的free plan 已很不錯，可以無限create interactive lessons, interactive task functions 也不少，雖然最酷的interactive functions 仍然paid plan 才能用，但它的free plan 仍可以embed external links, 我只要將我的Wordwall, Bookwidgets, Blooket, Learningapps.org， Thinglink, Genial.ly, Formative， Classkick........已有的interactive tasks的share link embed 入Quizizz Lesson, 便可以製作既精美又engaging 的interactive lesson,而且不用花費分毫。
這樣計算好像有點那個，問題是我要自費subscribe to各種eLearning app, 如果太疏爽，可以是不小的開支呢。
昨晚Computer Assisted Language Learning一科，主題是blended Learning, 我談到促成Blended Learning 盛行的其中一個原因，是今天製作digital Learning resources以供學生作knowledge acquisition的部分,易如反掌。
課後回家途中，回想當年初為人師時是怎樣製作教材。當天用以分發的教材，主要是講義，要印製講義，先把一張蓝色的蠟紙插入打字機，然後打字，但如果打字有錯，便要用特別的白油塗在錯字上，待白油乾了才再打入正確的字，你可以想像這過程有多繁複！打完後，便把蠟紙交给工友去印製。這方法維持了很多年。
今天的教師製作digital resources,要文字有文字，要聲音有聲音，要圖畫有圖畫，要video 有video。要分發教材有Google Classroom, 有Microsoft Teams, ...他們很難想像當年的原始狀況。
但我仍慶幸出生於pre-IT年代，一來有得比較，令我有很多特別的經驗和回憶，二來當日後資訊科技和互聯網出現後，便覺得很有趣和很好玩，成為我終身學習的重要部分。
愈來愈愛ChatGPT, 我不玩computer games, 對gaming 的jargon一無所知，但因著一個project, 我要知道兒子以前喜歡玩，由兩隊在森林對壘以赢得一個quest的computer game 的統稱。以前做google search, 只會得到一系列的連结。現在一問chatGPT便得到肯定的答案。
每年L and T Expo, 最大的得益其實不是內容，因為那麼多的講座，那麼多攤位展覽，一時之間不易消化。最大的得益：⑴看到學與教的最新發展，例如今年的AI in Education, (2)被同工的創新和專業精神所激勵，提醒自己要繼續學習。
The mobile app called AIMagic which I checked out, also has a function for oral AI-generated chats. I tried it, and below are my comments at the moment.
1. It differs from other AI-Chat tools in that this one is for ORAL converations with the app.
2. One can choose between BrE and AmE.
3. The interlocuter is a penguin.
4. Most of the time, the user has to initiate something to say. Otherwise, the penguin will remain silent.
5. As for the content, it's mainly casual chatting. You can't ask the penguin a substantial, content-laden, question.
6. Even if you ask the penguin to tell a story, the story is sketchy. And it doesn't help if you invite 'him' to elaborate on a point.
Conclusion:
1. It's only OK for casual conversations.
2. The user (e.g., a school student) has to be able to initiate things to say.
3. The interlocuter is a penguin; it cannot take on other roles (e.g., a schoolteacher; a boss; a doctor).
I visited the L and T Expo 2023 today. The main theme of this year's Expo is on AI in Education.
I ran into a mobile AI app called AIMagic, which, amongst other functions, can turn a handwritten story into a picture book.
After the visit, I installed the app and tried it out using a story I wrote up quickly. Unlike the sample resulting story book hard copy shown in the Expo, the story book generated from the ad hoc story which I had written displays a few problems:
1. It sometimes changes my wording. Unless this is for correcting the grammatical mistakes in the original draft, it is not a good idea to change the writer's use of language (e.g., a school kid). We want the writer student to have a strong sense of ownership of the story.
2. But more crucially, it's the pictures being generated. They are not consistent in terms of the looks of the characters in the story. In my ad hoc story, there were three characters: Peter, Paul, and Mary. The resulting picture book spanned about 12 pages, but in the 12 pages, Peter, Paul, and Mary assumed different looks in different pages.
3. There are other additional characters that appear in the picture, even though the story script has focussed on a certain number of characters (in my case, three). This is not only distracting, but will also affect the storyline.
All in all, while the idea behind the app is laudable (to encourage kids to write, as they can easily convert their handwritten stories into picture books), the technology is not mature enough.
因著一個PD project,在三天內在一所中學內觀了15堂英文課和進行每一節課的課後debriefing, 不算輕鬆,但我可能是最大的受益人，除了在老師身上獲得教學靈感，看到他們的課室技巧外，最大的收獲是深深被整個英文科團隊的專業精神和水平所感染，他們有這麼多繁重工作，仍然可以有這樣的專業表現，教學設計這麼有創意，我還可以鬆懈嗎?
況且他們把英文教學和social and global issues 甚至學科知識結合起來，而不是為教英文而教英文，這正是我最喜歡的approach!
有時我也懷疑以香港教育界的生態，是否真的可以達至優質的教學，謝謝這團隊再次reinforce我對優質學與教的信念。
第一次接觸chatbot, 是2003年，是我的computer assisted language learning 師傅David Coniam 介紹我玩。這第一代的chatbot, ,名字是Alicebot, 以女兒身出現。但你不能問她一個factual question, 只能和她閒談，而且只要你較認真問她一個問題，她便會反問你怎麼想，或覺得怎樣，所以很快我便對「她」失去興趣。
當時怎會想到有一天，可以問chatbot那麼實在的問題，而它又可以给你很實在的答案!
復常後的第一次PGDE畢業禮，氣氛很好。第一次這麼多畢業同學帶同爹地媽咪，男朋友女朋友出席，令我這個英文組「班主任」開心不已。其中一位嗎咪，還是我教中學時教過的呢!現在她的女兒也成為英文教師了。
1993 年美國學者Alison King 以From Sage on the stage to Guide on the side為題的學術文章，探索高等教育教師的角色。
這標題後來成為著名的quote, 亦是我對自己的提示。
這幾年我已愈來愈少用PPT去說課，除非必要。今年出現ChatGPT, 我便更加經常在課堂中提出問題，然後請學員用ChatGPT即時找出答案。
於是我備課時，大部分時間花在設計各式學習活動，上課時，我便由sage on the stage, 變成guide on the side。這樣的approach, 備課更花時間，對教與學要更加認識，在學室中的技巧要求更高。但今天的教學，還可以像以前製作一個兩小時的PPT, 以後拿它重覆講十年嗎？
有趣的是，有時候反而是有些學生不習慣這樣的學習模式，尤其是大班，他們寧願坐在lecture theater 最後的位置，靜靜的一動也不動坐足全堂。課堂後他們學了甚麼，便天曉得了。
Nov 24, 2023: HKU Award Presentation Ceremony of Outstanding eLearning Awards
A most fruitful afternoon meeting eLearning-fanatic friends, being fired up by teachers' passion for eLearning and teaching, catching up with the latest developments in eLearning, picking up ideas for my own teaching, being inspired by teachers' creativity....
When I spotted the MS-Powerpoint function withn Poe.com, a ChatGPT platform, I decided to give it a try.
I asked this question: What is self-directed learning?
It quickly generated a 7-slide essay for me, with each slide numbered. But the product is not really in powerpoint format. You need to copy the content of each slide and paste it into a real PPT.
But what is more discouraging is the fact that the content of each slide is a long paragraph, one that would make up an AI-generated essay. Not bullet points for a speaker's presentation. No presenters would be happy with such a PPT!
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...
