Category: Assignment 3 – Final Review – Module 3-5 Blog Posts and Comments

What Generative AI Applications Have I Found Useful?

I have found that ChatGPT is an extremely useful tool. In the past, I have found it really advantageous to use this tool to help me with studying, as oftentimes I will have so many readings to do for an exam but feel like I won’t have enough time to read them all, then begin retaining the information. By using ChatGPT, I can copy my big readings or textbook chapters into the text box, and ask the AI to summarize the information in an organized and detailed way. This allows me to obtain the important points of my readings without having to get through over fifty pages of information that is likely not to be tested. This allows me to feel confident about the information that I am studying, and really decreases the density of my study load, as I often neglect reading my textbooks if I have more time sensitive tasks at hand. ChatGPT is also really a great tool to help individuals come up with study guides or plan out their learning in an effective way. Because of the lack of accuracy with AI tools that often occurs, I don’t often trust them to come up with new information for me, for fear of it being inaccurate, dated or holding biases. To avoid this as much as possible, I always make sure to feed the AI the direct and whole information I want it to work with, and just have it spit it back to me in a more efficient way. Before this class, I had only used ChatGPT, and had never branched out to other open AI tools as sometimes I get intimidated by a different technology than what I am used to and like to stick with what I know how to navigate. I had never heard of or used Stable Diffusion before, had so much fun playing around with it, feeding it different prompts and seeing what it would come up with. I was definitely pleasantly surprised, and a little shocked with how well the images were able to be done, and how you could specify details you wanted the AI to incorporate into the image. I was also surprised at how quickly it is able to generate the image!

What Apps Have You Used That Are Not in the Explore Section?

The only image creator AI I had ever used was the Bing AI chatbot, that utilises the Chat GPT 4 model – which is the one you’d have to pay for on the Chat GPT site. I love using Bing AI to play around with image creation, and had to use the site last semester during an elective I took on the History of Japanese Animation. During one assignment, we had to create an anime style character using popular features of the art genre and could use any mode of creation. Because I am not the most artistically gifted, I opted to use the Bing AI tool, and fed it specific prompts of how I wanted my character to look, and what setting I wanted her to be in. Bing AI is really useful because you can further prompt the AI after the original image is created to tweak it, add details and make it more complex over time without overloading the AI with too much information or too many details all in the first prompt.

This is the image I created! I wanted it to be cute haha, I was really impressed by the details on the fur!

“A bunny wearing a chef hat baking a cake” prompt, Stability AI, Stable Diffusion, Version 2.1, 24 March, 2024, https://stablediffusionweb.com/app/image-generator

I also tried out creating an animation from a drawing on Sketch!! I am not the most artistically talented, especially when attempting to draw something digitally but I think it turned out super cute! Let me know what you think!

What Ethical Concerns do you Have About the use of Some of These Tools?

I do think there are some ethical concerns about the use of AI tools, especially when considering the fact that many of these AI tools could be competing for the same jobs as humans who worked hard to hone their skills in these positions through years of training, schooling and hard work. I think especially in the creative sector, including writing, design, film and music, there is risk of AI replacing human effort as there is potential for the technology to save money and be more time efficient. I also think there are some concerns around the use of AI tools to aid in the completion of assignments and writing tasks in high school and University, which could cause concerns surrounding plagiarism and academic integrity.

What Might you use AI Tools for Moving Forward? What Would you not use Them for?

Moving forward, I would continue to use AI tools to help me streamline my studying and note taking, and could potentially find it useful to use AI tools embedded in sites like Grammarly to revise my writing by checking for mistakes in spelling, grammar or punctuation that I might miss by just reading my paper over. If I had to create and plan out another creative project using something like a storyboard, I also think I’d like to play around using AI to create the images for said process, rather than simply just taking pictures of my process on my phone, or using the alternative of drawing them out by hand. I would still refrain from using AI to create my work for me, as I know that other than it breaching academic integrity, there is pretty great risk for inaccurate, dated and biased information that I can easily avoid by doing my own research and writing my papers myself. I know for many students it may be tempting to use AI tools to help complete assignments faster, because we always have so much going on, but it is important to remember the risks that come from doing so.

SECTIONS Analysis of Twine:

Students- Students are easily able to access this storymaking tool conveniently and affordably! It is so rare nowadays that technologies are free for public use with no paywalls or subscriptions services, especially with the amount of features of the site, such as Javascript. It does require wifi and a computer device for the media, and while this may be a barrier to some students who may not be able to afford a personal computer or laptop, this barrier is mitigated due to the availability of public computers within university campus libraries, as well as public libraries. The use of public wifi services would mitigate this barrier as well. 

Ease of Use – Even though I have never been that tech savvy, and sometimes find it difficult to navigate a new tool, I found Twine to be pretty intuitive to use on the basic level! Each function is effectively labelled, making it easy for students and instructors to learn what they need to do and how to add different features as they go along. It would be easy for instructors to point out and explain the functions they wish their students to use, as they are all set up to be simple to find and understand. For more advanced functions such as the addition of conditional logic or the use of Javascript, I believe additional training may be necessary for some users (including me haha), but could the extra training is easily accessible through the “Twine Cookbook” under the help button, which provides tutorials on working with HTML, Working with CSS and Javascript, as well as beginner tutorials explaining the basic functions of the site along with some story examples. I really like how it provides tutorials on the site and does not require students or instructors to search outside of the page for user made tutorials on platforms like Youtube.The site is reliable to use, and is able to be used for its intended purpose of creating a story without extra learning required. 

Cost – The site is completely free to use which is a really great factor. However, if you are setting out to make a pretty complex or lengthy story, it may cost the user a few hours of their time, as each addition of the story is added one at a time, and can take a while if you’re adding multiple pathways, then continuing onto each of those pathways. 

Teaching – The medium might not directly support good teaching, as it is a pretty niche activity to ask for students to complete, but for classes on creative writing or english I think this would be a really fun and unique way to supplement lessons and get students writing creatively in a way that isn’t just on a page or online document. I think Twine could potentially be used as low as a middle school level, as at that time students would likely be capable of utilising and understanding the functions of the online tool, and would be able to think at the level necessary to create a complex branching story.

Interaction – While this is a great tool, it does not foster a high level of interaction between students within the site, as to my knowledge there are no interactive features that allow for direct collaboration. However, students could easily collaborate on one story by working together in person and using one device together to make their story. Students can creatively interact with the given content by reworking it into their own story or pathway of connected learning concepts, which allows for increased consolidation of information. 

Organisation – I am not quite sure what is available support wise from UVIC to develop, maintain or access this technology. Before this class, I had never heard of Twine before, which may be a reflection of a lack of institutionally backed access. However, if an individual sought out library resources or information technologies they may have information about the Twine tool. 

Networking – I do not think Twine would be the best tool to use if you wished to widen networks and include more people in the course by using a medium. It works best as a creative way to process the course content or come up with new material, but does not provide functions that allow for connections to be made between people within or outside of the course. However, connections could be formed between the learners by sharing their twine stories with each other by exporting them outside of the platform into an HTML, which Twine is capable of.

Security – I am not quite sure of the security policy of twine, but it is an open platform and does not require the user providing their personal information such as an email, name or password.

What Authentic Problem Would you use to Design a Lesson Using Merrill’s Principles?

An authentic problem I thought of to use to design a lesson effectively using Merrill’s Principles could be attempting to educate youth about the importance of taking care of their mental health. This practice often happens within a school setting, but may be ineffective if the material is only covered through a lecture or guest speaker, which as we learned is not an effective way of ensuring students are retaining and processing information. I’ve been learning in one of my psych classes that transitional periods such as late childhood and early adolescence can be difficult or more stressful for many individuals. This can lead to symptoms of mental illness presenting themselves and becoming persistent if youth don’t have effective support systems in place, or don’t have effective self strategies for coping with these periods and supporting their mental well being.  

One of Merrill’s principles describes that learning is promoted when relevant previous experiences are activated, and that one of the best ways to start a lesson of a new concept is by first recognizing which past knowledge can be built off of. In this instance, activation can take place through providing a small chunk of time for students to break off into groups and discuss what mental health means to them, why it is important to take care of and potential ways this could occur. This allows for students to think back to times in their own lives where they’ve received or provided help during a difficult time and how that was beneficial.

Another principle that could be used is Merrill’s idea that learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real world problems. Because the lesson is on the topic of mental health, this is a crucial principle to remember. Instead of rattling off statistics, educators could put together case studies highlighting common mental health issues within adolescents, such as feelings of depression or anxiety, and give students the opportunity to brainstorm potential ways to help alleviate symptoms, before explaining themselves what would be best for each scenario. 

The principle that learning is promoted when the instruction demonstrates what is to be learned would also be an important one to use. As Merrill explains, it is much more effective to show than tell when providing learners with information. A demonstration could involve the modelling of ways to take care of one’s mental health, such as coping strategies that may include practising mindfulness meditations, seeking help from a trusted adult or peer or showing where to find professional resources.

What Media or Multimedia Would I Create to Support It?

For this material, I think that I would create an interactive lesson accompanied by a multimedia presentation. The multimedia presentation could help guide the principles I have highlighted above by prompting breakout periods with students and asking the class for their input on case studies while visually and audibly portraying the important material of the lesson. 

To further involve the students in this learning experience, after the multimedia presentation, an interactive practice of a mental wellness strategy could take place. A great way to include this could be for students to settle into their seats and close their eyes, focusing on their breathing. The teacher could find a guided meditation online, or write one themselves. These meditations often involve the vivid description of a serene, calming place, and asks the individual to picture themselves there and think of how they’re feeling. This is a great grounding and calming strategy that is super accessible, as students once they learn about this method of mindfulness are able to find similar ones on free sites such as Youtube or Spotify.

My Lesson Plan:

What Was Your Experience Trying Out H5P?

I had a really positive learning experience trying out H5P’s interactive learning tools. The instructional module was extremely helpful as it was clearly laid out and provided useful step by step instructions of how to set up the technology within wordpress. The site offered many more options than I was initially expecting, and provided a multitude of great teaching materials with so much variety to ensure that one would likely fit into each educator’s unique lesson plan. Each tool was customizable in a really intuitive way, and I found it easy to figure out what to do even though it was my first time. I chose to use the interactive image feature that was provided, which allows for students to learn from an image in a way that is more immersive. This feature is perfect for complex images with multiple important features, diagrams and graphs. 

My H5P Interactive Learning Object! Let me Know What You Think!

For my H5P interactive learning object, I chose to create an interactive image that learners can explore. Because this module was so focused on the psychological and cognitive reasonings behind why individuals fail to retain information in an effective way when learning occurs passively, I wanted to lean into those concepts a little bit in my interactive learning tool. With this in mind, I decided that I wanted to make my interactive learning tool a diagram of the human brain. By using simple language and phrasing allow for learners from a wide range of ages and past knowledge banks to gain some insight on the different parts of the brain and their basic functionings. I had a lot of fun figuring out how to use this learning tool.

How Have I found the Balance of Passive and Active Learning in This Course? How Does it Compare to My Experience in Other Courses?

I have found that the balance of passive and active learning in this course has been really beneficial, and feel that there have been few other courses I have experienced with this much emphasis based on active learning. I have found it much easier for me to remember the course content in detail, as there is such an emphasis on truly understanding the material and showing that understanding through the assignments and reflection questions each module. Oftentimes in my classes, I find myself mindlessly trying to memorise all the information for assessments, which I then immediately forget as soon as the midterm is complete. In the majority of my psychology courses, and even in most of the electives I have taken, course material has been delivered to students as they sit silently in a massive lecture hall, as a professor clicks through a powerpoint and explains the slides. We sparsely have a few minutes of time in a class to discuss what we’re learning with a partner or group. 

What Learning Experience Does a Branched Narrative like Twine Provide for Learners?

A branching narrative like Twine provides an interactive experience for learners that can act as an enriching addition to a lesson or learning experience. This can often increase engagement with learning material and allow for learners to feel that they have some agency over their learning experience as they make choices in the branched narrative. Branching narratives also provide the challenge of allowing learners to practise decision making and critical thinking skills, as they are presented with multiple decisions that lead to varying quality of outcomes. They must evaluate the decisions and attempt to understand which would lead to the best outcome, weighing different options they’re presented with. It also provides them with a fun environment to practise learning from mistakes and trying new processes when something doesn’t work the first time around. 

Where Else do you Come Across Branched Narratives?

One of the most popular examples I thought of for other branched narratives was the choose your own adventure books I used to read as a kid. Based on decisions you made within the story, you would have to jump to different parts of the book to continue the plot you’ve chosen for yourself to continue. Another popular example would be some story based video games.

In The Reading This Week, 7 Storytelling Techniques Used by the Most Inspiring TED Presenters, Which of the Presenters did you Find Most Compelling? What Technique(s) did you Recognize in Their Talk?

The “7 Storytelling Techniques Used by the Most Inspiring TED Presenters” article provided great insight and presented many compelling presenters who utilized effective storytelling elements. One of the presenters I thought was the most compelling was Richard Turere, who told a captivating and inspiring story about his homeland of Kenya, and the problem that his community faced. He told the story of how the lions in the area around his village would attack and kill the livestock his people depended on as one of their main sources of food, and that the solution before his invention was to kill the lions. I noticed several storytelling techniques Richard used to inspire his listeners and grab their attention. First, he was effectively able to immerse his audience into the story, by using imagery and simple language to make the story easy to understand and immerse yourself in. He was able to effectively use visual aids that captured attention and evoked emotion in listeners even though they were sometimes graphic, like the half eaten carcass of a cow. This was a personal story which portrayed the triumph against adversity, which made listeners emotionally invest themselves into what the presenter was saying. I also noticed that Richard was able to create suspense by providing the story in chronological order, presenting the conflict in a way that conveyed its importance, and created a tale of triumph as he described figuring out the solution to protecting their livestock and avoiding killing the lions. 

To use the link copy and paste it into google!! Its not working when you just click:( Here’s the link to play my twine story! I had so much fun making it let me know what you think!

https://amiraelhafi.itch.io/edci-337-twine: Blog Post 3: Storytelling and Creating Video