Category: Blogging

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The Benefits of Accessibility and Open Educational Resources

When creating and distributing open educational resources (OERs), it is important to consider accessibility to make sure that everyone can benefit from these resources, including those with disabilities. By designing and developing OERs with accessibility in mind, we can help make sure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from these resources.

The use of alternative formats is an important aspect of accessibility in OERs. This includes providing text in a format that can be read by assistive technology, such as a screen reader, as well as providing captions for videos and audio content. Additionally, images and other non-textual elements should include alternative text (alt text) descriptions so that users who are visually impaired can understand the content.

An important aspect of accessibility in OERs is using web standards to make sure resources are usable by a lot of different devices, including the ones used by people with disabilities. This includes making sure the resources are responsive, so they can be used on various screen sizes and orientations, and that they work with different browsers and assistive technologies.

Creating OERs with multiple types of users in mind is key! By using uncomplicated language and summarizing key points, those with reading difficulties and non-native speakers can better understand the material. Furthermore, having videos, audio, and text available allows learners to pick the best way for them to engage with the content.

Accessible OERs are essential to provide quality educational opportunities and experiences to all learners, regardless of their disability. Collaboration between OER developers, educators, and learners with disabilities is necessary to ensure that accessibility is taken into account throughout the process. Automated and manual testing with real users of different abilities should be implemented to evaluate accessibility, and accessibility guidelines and standards should be followed.

Moreover, accessibility is not only beneficial to learners with disabilities, but also to those with temporary impairments, older adults, and people with low internet connection. Furthermore, accessibility makes content more usable for all users. Thus, it is important to consider accessibility in the development of OERs to ensure that everyone can benefit from them.

Written with an assist from ChatGPT and WordSpinner.

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Reimagining Education: How Technology Is Transforming the Way We Learn

A quarter of a century ago, when we presented interactive distance learning in the public education system of Western New York State, we encountered a lot of resistance from those who had a vested interest in the status quo. Even I, as a member of the teachers union, expressed apprehension that this would result in job losses. Our initial distance learning classrooms were limited to a maximum of twelve students, when the typical class size for secondary education was twice that number.

There will always be naysayers and alarmists who forecast doom and gloom when new technologies emerge in education. I remember when an uproar arose over children carry cell phones in schools. They could call their parents without coming to the office and asking permission. Students were using video conferencing apps to communicate with each other. They were texting in class and the presumption among many was that they were cheating. Cell phones were confiscated and held in school district offices.

I thought all of this over-reaction was nonsensical and regularly lobbied school administrators to rethink their reticense and instead teach children how to use these new devices for their benefit. Eventually I was given the opportunity to do just that and in 2009 designed and implemented one of the first digital citizenship classes in New York State. Our classroom even got visited by Deputy New York State Education Commissioner John King. It was one of the high points of my career.

Here we are again at a inflection point in education with the introduction of ChatGPT and similar technologies which are deemed equally disruptive by the naysayers. “Students will cheat” they say! That’s nothing new. Students have been cheating since Christ was a corporal. Maybe it’s time to rethink how we educate and more importantly how we assess education. If your tests are multiple choice, true false and essays maybe artificial intelligence agents threaten your methods.

Maybe you ought to be testing your students at a higher level. I am licensed to drive a car. I read a book, took driver education classes and had to pass a written examination and then demonstrate that I could actually drive. I learned how to drive a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle. The dimmer switch was on the floor. Later they put those controls on the steering column. My vehicle today can steer itself and has collision avoidance (artificial intelligence agent) built into the car. When I learned to drive we used written direction and maps to navigate. Now Siri and Waze aid my navigation and I don’t want to go back. My headlights automatically dim at night.

In short we’re living in a new world and our students need to know how to navigate in that new environment. We have technologies today that translate web pages. We have intelligent devices and programs that allow visually impaired folks to read books, periodicals and newspapers. I wear digital hearing aids that make it possible for me to hear better.

ChatGPT and technologies like it are going to revolutionize our education and our environment. Our students need all the opportunities we can give them to succeed. We cannot know at this stage how these developments will impact our culture but we can be certain that they will. Are we depriving students and teachers of opportunities to learn in new and different ways?

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Unlocking the Potential of ChatGPT in Education

A few weeks ago our daughter shared an interesting and insightful story about our grandson. Our grandson is in kindergarten and despite his age he is a very good reader. He reads and writes quite well. He’s also a young man who has grown up in a home that has an Amazon Alexa which he is very familiar with. He uses it often to get weather information that determines whether he can go outside after school and even what kind of clothing he can wear. He is so proficient with the technology that he ordered a movie without his parents permission a couple of years ago. He regularly listens to music and frequently sings along with what is playing.

Like most emerging readers he still has problems decoding unfamiliar words. Our daughter told us that she heard him spelling out words for Alexa and asking “her” what those words were. We have other grandchildren who are familiar with this kind of technology and use it to gather information and play music as well. These children have never known a time when there wasn’t an Alexa or Siri to answer questions. Before Google, Amazon, Apple and others put information at our fingertips we relied on encylopedias, library card catalogs and information in books, magazines and newspapers.

Yesterday New York City decided to ban ChatGPT in its public schools. This is a technology that’s just an extension of smart devices which many school children carry in their pockets. Are these folks so naive that they think that the children in their school system are not going to use these technologies despite their Luddite like approach to educational governance.

Just today I read that Microsoft is partnering with OpenAI (the founders of ChatGPT) to build a better search engine that uses this technology. Wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to students about the ethics of artificial intelligence?

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Imaginative uses of AI in the classroom and beyond

Recently a friend of mine suggested I use ChatGPT to write a breaking news story about a leaf falling from a tree. I followed his suggestion and the result was hilarious. We read and hear lots of breaking news stories but rarely ever think about how they are written and how they might sound featuring mundane topics as leaves falling from trees. Writing prompts are great way to inspire creativity and that is one of the many things I love about ChatGPT and the future of artificial intelligence and machine learning in education.

Following the same line of thought I thought of using ChatGPT to generate an conversation between two imaginary characters with the intent of having them discuss their life in the forest. My writing prompt for ChatGPT was “Write an exciting dialogue between Herbert the squirrel and Leslie the deer.” Here is the result of some of the dialog that was generated.

Herbert the squirrel was running through the forest, darting from tree to tree and chattering away to himself. Suddenly, he spotted Leslie the deer standing on the path ahead.

“Hello there, Leslie!” Herbert called out. “What brings you out to the forest today?”

Leslie turned to Herbert and smiled. “Oh, just out for a leisurely stroll. The weather is so beautiful today, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to enjoy it.”

“Absolutely!” Herbert agreed. “This is the perfect day to be outside and explore. I’ve been chasing after acorns all morning.”

Try it yourself at ChatGPT

Imagine your class completing the dialogue and or incorporating it in some other way into their own writing. I see a bright future for this technology in the classroom.

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Managing your money on Linux

GnuCash is a popular open-source personal finance or small business accounting for Linux users. It is a full-featured double-entry accounting system that supports multiple accounts, investments, and currency conversions. The app also provides a variety of helpful financial tools, including budgeting, reporting, invoicing and more. GnuCash is a great choice for users who are looking for a comprehensive and powerful financial management solution. GnuCash is my own personal favorite that I have been using everyday for over six years. GnuCash can be installed from the command line or as a Flatpak depending on your distribution and/or personal choice. GnuCash is licensed with Gnu Public License. GnuCash is also available for MacOS and Windows users too.

Homebank is a free, open-source personal finance app for Linux, Windows and MacOS users. It easily imports files from Quicken, Microsoft Money and other software. It also imports from popular bank formats OFX/QFX, QIF and CSV. The source code for Homebank is freely available and licensed with GPL v 2.0. The project provides information about how to download and install on your distribution or operating system.

KMyMoney is a cross-platform double-entry bookkeeping system for personal finance management built on KDE. It’s similar in operation to popular proprietary personal finance applications. KMyMoney also supports multiple accounts and currencies, making it a great choice for users who need to manage their finances in multiple countries. It’s latest stable release was June 2021. It is licensed with Gnu Public License. The project provides download images for Linux, Windows and MacOS.

Skrooge is open source and available for download and install on Linux and BSD. It’s also available on Windows and MacOS. You can import accounts from many sources including AFB120, QIF, CSV, MT940, OFX, QFX. According to their website Skrooge is able to import directly transactions from all your banks web sites in one click. Skrooge provides excellent documentation too.

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What is an AI Writer?

An AI writer is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can generate written content. AI writers are powered by natural language processing (NLP) and natural language generation (NLG) algorithms that enable them to understand and generate written content. AI writers can be used to create content for a variety of applications, including content creation, automated news reports, and automated social media posts.

Natural Language Generation (NLG): NLG is a type of AI technology that enables machines to generate written content from structured data. NLG algorithms are used to analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a type of AI technology that enables machines to understand written content. NLP algorithms are used to analyze written content and extract meaning from it.

AI writers learn by analyzing large amounts of data. They use machine learning algorithms to identify patterns in the data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

AI writers use machine learning algorithms to generate written content. Machine learning algorithms enable AI writers to identify patterns in data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

AI writers can be used to create content for a variety of applications, including website content, blog posts, and articles. AI writers can generate content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for content creators.

AI writers can analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for news organizations.

AI writers can be used to generate automated social media posts. AI writers can analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for social media marketers.

AI writers can be prone to bias if they are not trained properly. AI writers can learn from the data they are given, so it is important to ensure that the data is unbiased and representative of the population.

AI writers are limited by the data they are given. AI writers can only generate content that is based on the data they are given, so it is important to ensure that the data is accurate and representative of the population.

AI writers are a powerful tool for content creation, automated news reports, and automated social media posts. However, there are some challenges with AI writers, including bias and limitations. It is important to ensure that AI writers are trained properly and given accurate data in order to ensure that the content they generate is both accurate and engaging. Despite these challenges, AI writers have the potential to revolutionize the way we create content and communicate with each other.

This blog post was created by HyperwriterAI.

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An intelligent approach to eggs

I’m not a fan of eggs in the morning so the rising prices will not effect my breakfast. But I am a fan of cookies, cakes, casseroles and breads that do use eggs. The rising cost of eggs will affect baking and many food items that use eggs. Many Americans are not aware that there are ingredients that can be substituted for eggs and the cost of the items they’re making will be reduced and maybe they’ll have lower cholesterol as well. Eggs are a wonderful ingredient but maybe there are other ingredients that are even better. I asked ChatGPT to supply a list of egg substitutes that can be used in baking and cooking. Here are five possible solutions to your baking woes:

  1. Applesauce: This can be used as a substitute for eggs in many recipes, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio (i.e., 1/4 cup applesauce can be used in place of 1 egg).
  2. Banana: Mashed bananas can also be used as a substitute for eggs in many recipes, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio.
  3. Flaxseed meal: Mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water can be used as a substitute for one egg in many recipes.
  4. Commercial egg replacer: There are many commercial egg replacer products on the market that can be used as a substitute for eggs in cooking and baking. These products are typically made from a combination of starches and other ingredients, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio.

It’s important to note that not all substitutes work well in all recipes, so it’s best to experiment and see which ones work best for the specific dish you’re making.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve been experimenting with artificial intelligence solutions to improve my own writing and research. I used ChatGPT and HyperWrite in this blog post.

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Using ChatGPT

Earlier today I decided to begin using ChatGPT. Curiosity got the best of me. I asked ChatGPT to draw a square with Python. I’m very familiar with the ‘turtle’ module in Python and regularly use it in classes I teach for middle school students. The solution offered by ChatGPT was not one I had ever seen nor demonstrated for students. I was impressed and shared this on Fosstodon.org . Later I asked ChatGPT to draw and ‘isosceles’ triangle. I expected that it might use the ‘turtle’ module again but instead this time it used ‘matplotlib.’ Another unique solution. A response to my post on Fosstodon stated that the AI powered solution was merely repeating information that could be found with a ‘Google search.’ I liked the response and didn’t disagree. Fast forward six hours and I used ChatGPT to draw a circle with ‘C++.’ The code appeared once again. This time AI provided two possible solutions. I asked it to give me a Python program that would write haiku. Once again the answer was a code snippet I would not have thought of. 

import random

haiku = [
    "Autumn leaves fall gently",
    "As the cool breeze blows softly",
    "Nature's symphony"
]

print(random.choice(haiku))

I ‘Googled’ the same request and yes the answers were there but I had to sift through a couple of blog posts to find the code examples. I think AI is going to significantly change how we interact with knowledge from the internet and other databases that are connected to these learning engines. What are your thoughts?

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Walking along the Allegheny

I like to walk every day. I’m fortunate today to be walking on one of my favorite trails along the Allegheny River near the campus of St. Bonaventure University. Ten days ago it appeared as though we’d have an early onset to our winter here in southwestern New York State. Now we’re having a respite from the snow and cold and I can easily stroll along with it fear of slipping or losing my balance on ice or snow. I love coming here and sitting next to the river. There’s a lot more water in the river today than the last time I was here three weeks ago.

I’m drawn to peaceful spots like this. It’s a tonic for my soul.

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Giving with intention

The holidays are upon us for another year and with that comes the need for many folks to purchase and ship gifts to friends and family around the region or world. In previous years I’ve sent Amazon gift cards, money or sometimes gifts that I thought had meaning at least for me to the person(s) on my gift list. Some on my list have food allergies. Giving a fruit cake or even cookies to a person who’s gluten sensitive or has some other allergy is not a good idea. Earlier this fall I received a gift from a person who had made a donation in our names to a historical foundation. That invited me to begin to explore what other possibilities there were and in the process I found two new B-Corporations who have great gifts that demonstrate care for the recipient but at the same time are good for the planet.

Who Gives A Crap is one corporation that caught my eye. They sell toilet paper, paper towels and more. Some of their items are made from bamboo and others are made from recycled paper. They learned that 2.4 billion folks didn’t have access to a toilet in 2012. That number has decreased in part due to their efforts. They delivered their first product in 2013 and they have been going strong ever since. They donate 50% of their profits to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.

Another eye catcher is Lula’s Garden. Their specialty is selling small succulent gardens. The business was born out of a love of succulents and a belief that a gift should serve a higher purpose. That grabbed my attention because that is exactly what I wanted to do this year. Gift giving ought to be something that impacts the recipients wellness throughout the year. They believe that better gift giving encourages better living. There will at least a couple of folks on my list who will get a succulent garden this year. Each garden sold provides six months of safe drinking water for someone in the developing world.

One of my favorite B-corps is Greyston Bakery. They make brownies for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Besides making the best brownies I have ever eaten they create job opportunities for folks who are traditionally discriminated against in the labor market. I’ve sent many brownies to friends and relatives in the years since I first learned of Greyston.

Finally, for the folks on my gift list who can eat, bread, peanut butter, biscotti and more I recommend Monks Bread which I eat nearly every day for lunch. Trappist monks at Abbey of the Genesee have been making delicious bread since 1951. They’ve diversified their baked goods in recent years to include biscotti and cheese crisps. You can also purchase products from other Trappist communities whose items they also sell in their online store.