How have you found the balance of passive and active learning in this course for your learning? How does it compare to your experience in other courses?
I have found a really good balance of passive and interactive learning within this course. I think this is one of the first courses where every module has multiple interactive options to explore. The material really supplements the interactive options that I get to try out after being exposed to the topic. I have a hard time reading through blocks of text or listening to long lectures, so this has really helped concepts solidify in my mind. In my Statistics and Math classes I do get the chance to try new software, but it is usually one per class. In addition, the exploration with these types of software is extremely limited and rather boring. Instead of getting to use the software for any topic I would like in this class, our explorations are limited to what we are learning. Additionally, the programs I use in my other class are either dated or can only be used at the UVic computer labs. It’s really nice that what I have learnt in this class I can use at home and for other classes.
What was your experience of trying out H5P? Which of the activities do you think you would make most use of in your teaching context and what would you use them to do? Which ones do you think require the most resources to create?
I was surprised at how simple H5P was to use. I decided to go with a simple question set because I wanted to see how it compared to google forms which I have often used. I was happy with how simple the program was to use and how many additional options there were compared to google forms. The progress bar at the bottom can be animated, whereas in google forms it is a simple “page 1 of 3” for example. I really liked the quiz options as these are what I am most comfortable using. I think the interactive video could be really useful for a tutorial such as a science experiment where kids need to follow along. Flashcards could be good for a vocabulary quiz or simple content based studying. Sort the paragraphs would be useful for needing to know the steps to a lab or even memorizing a play.
What Generative AI applications have you found useful? What apps have you used that are not in the Explore section?
I have only had the chance to explore ChatGPT prior to this course. I have found that ChatGPT is best used for studying rather than actual coursework. It can be super useful to input a difficult chapter and have it simplified or create a list of possible essay questions on an upcoming exam.
How might the use of these tools create a more inclusive learning experience? Who might be excluded?
What first comes to mind about who might be excluded in these tools are those who have vision disabilities. Many of these tools require the ability to see the screen and navigate the platform visually. As far as I can tell, without the use of an external application, many of these tools do not provide the option for described video or text to audio. Perhaps there is a market for generative AI for those with visual disabilities. I have heard of applications that take an image of an apple for example and describes it to the user. I wonder what other uses of generative AI may help those with visual disabilities.
What ethical concerns do you have (or not have) about the use of some of these tools?
As we have learnt in the course, many of these tools use copyright protected media for the generation of the material they produce. I can see how to an independent artist this would be absolutely devastating. To make a name for yourself in such a saturated, content driven world is already extremely difficult. Then to have it recycled into something that might be considered arguably better due to the use of technology would be frustrating. This makes me wonder though if the use of such material by generative AI could be beneficial for these smaller artists. Perhaps generative AI companies could buy the rights to these smaller artists whilst also crediting them. This would allow for smaller names to get recognized and compensated for their contributions. The issue that I see with this though is that many generative AI images for example draw from hundreds to thousands of different images to create one product. It would be futile then to credit this many artists and therefore the monetary compensation would most likely be the best result from this.
Where do you think these tools will be in their evolution in 2-3 years’ time?
I think that in 2-3 years’ time generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Perplexity will be able to use the opinions of professionals such as doctors, professors, or accountants to provide advice. I wonder if the use of dieticians would be used in creating my meal plan on Perplexity. It would be interesting to see how generative AI platforms would mitigate ethical issues or lawsuits with such advice. Would a simple warning how advice should be educational only be sufficient or would they take the risk to use the generative AI as you would going to an in person doctor’s appointment?
Use of Perplexity
Recently I was told by my doctor that I would need to start a dairy free and gluten free diet for my health. I am already vegetarian so my options for food have become extremly limited. I decided to use Perplexity to help me come up with some easy meals that follow my new diet. The program is super easy to use, simply type in your prompt into the search bar and the AI will beginning generating a response.
I typed in the requirements for my meal plan and the AI did a great job of creating a week of meals that look great!
SECTIONS Analysis of Perplexity
Students: Anyone willing to learn a magnitude of things can use Perplexity. It is free to use and super convenient as long as the student has access to wifi and a device. People with vision disabilities may have issues navigating the program without additional help or applications.
Ease of use: Perplexity is very simple to use. The search bar is easy to find and prompts can be written as sentences or simplified. Digital literacy skills needed for this are very limited as the user only needs to be able to type the sentence in. There are some limitations with what the program can actually produce and the user must be aware of this.
Cost: The monetary cost to the student is free for Perplexity. Students will not have to spend much time to find answers that they wish through Perplexity, as long as it is within the limitations of the program.
Teaching: Perplexity can be abused by students and used as a way to avoid learning material and completing their own work. It can also be a great tool for simplifying complex topics, creating essay questions, or improving grammar and spelling. As long as the student and instructor are aware of how the program can be abused/used, guidelines can be made around what is acceptable.
Interaction: Perplexity is best used for the interaction between student and content. I wouldn’t say that it allows for much additional interaction between student and instructor, but it may allow for more quality conversations when the student has access to a program that can simplify difficult subjects.
Organization: Policies from the institution will need to be provided regarding privacy, security, and use of generative AI if Perplexity is used at a University.
Networking: Perplexity doesn’t really allow more people to join a course; there are certain requirements and barriers to entering a university level course and Perplexity cannot change this. I would say that it does however improve the quality of education that people receive in a course though through simplifying difficult subjects, finding sources, and creating additional study materials.
Security: As far as I can tell, Perplexity is secure. There is an option to use the program as a guest and as long as you do not enter personal information, it is fairly anonymous.
Use of Dishgen
In addition to Perplexity, I decided to use Dishgen to find some recipes that fit my new diet. The platform was super easy to navigate and I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to find some more ideas on meals to make. The program allows for three free uses before paying for a more advanced version. When entering the prompt you wish for the recipe you can be as detailed as you want, from a simple gluten free dessert recipe to a sugar free crustless apple pie for eight servings.
After entering the prompt that you wish, the AI will generate a recipe for you with simple step by step instructions and ingredients. The recipe I got looks delicious!
Sources
“Create a meal plan that is dairy free, gluten free, and vegetarian” prompt. Perplexity, 29 Mar. version, 30 Mar. 2024, perplexity.ai.
One of the most meaningful learning experiences I have heard was during a conversation about my anxieties about the future with the sister. I am lucky to have a sister who is four years older than me and a great role model who I can often take inspiration and advice from. Since she is four years older, I was able to see her go through high school, her undergraduate degree, masters, and then career right before I did.
I expressed to my sister not too long ago about my worries about the future after realizing I no longer wanted to pursue my original career plan and not knowing which direction to go in. We had a conversation over my interests and possible career plans, but I still was feeling fairly stressed out over the uncertainty. My sister described her own anxieties with the uncertainty around applying to medical school and having so many factors and possibilities out of her control. She told me about how uncertainty is something we have to accept and to focus on what we can control. She described how she has learned to grasp the idea of change and control her anxiety with distraction, exercise, and surrounding herself with supportive people.
This story was so impactful for me because it was so personal and related to what I was saying that I was able to apply so many of her own lessons that she had learned to my life. I was able to reflect on how she has changed over the past few years with regards to her anxiety and gave inspiration to brainstorm what could help my anxiety. The senses that appealed to me were mostly physical when thinking about not only the anxiety she went through, but also the relief she found. The storytelling techniques that I noticed she used was focusing on the learning incomes but keeping her story relevant to mine, using a conversational and personal tone, and including active learning to help me come up with solutions to my anxieties.
My Storytelling Techniques
The storytelling techniques that are instinctive to me are using a conversational tone, including active learning, and adding visual elements. Whenever I am telling stories I have to pull up a picture of what I am talking about either on Google or in my photos. I believe this is because I am quite a visual learner and want to keep my listener engaged. I additionally don’t think that having a friendly, conversational tone is difficult for me and I honestly prefer avoiding formal language in conversation unless necessary. I find that people try to use larger, more advanced words when they speak formally, and this can be a barrier to those who have auditorial processing issues.
I definitely have to think about keeping my stories short and relevant to the topic at times, especially when I am excited about the topic. I tend to have disorganized stories at times which can make my stories a little all over the place, but I usually find my way back to the topic after a couple minutes. I find that having a plan for the story, such as a mental sort of storyboarding, helps me stay on topic and voice the key points I was wanting to make.
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