Category: Digital
-
Hands on with Bing Image Creator: Microsoft’s image generator just got serious
This is the fourth post in a series exploring the practical and creative implications of multimodal generative artificial intelligence (GAI). The previous posts covered image generation with Adobe Firefly, audio generation for voice, music, and sound effects, and text generation with chat plus search. Over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft has upgraded their Bing…
-
Generative AI, plagiarism, and “cheating”
Back in January, I wrote a post called Beyond Cheating, reflecting on the ChatGPT bans that were rolling out across various Australian states and the “cheating” narrative that had accompanied the chatbot since its release. In that earlier post, I argued that banning and blocking generative AI would only contribute to the digital divide –…
-
Hands on with Adobe Firefly: Finally an image generator that can be used in school
Generative AI is a multimodal technology, with applications in text, image, video, audio, and code. Unfortunately, up until now, the actual usefulness of GAI in schools has been limited by technical and practical barriers. ChatGPT, for example, is easy to access but problematic in the classroom due to its obscure terms and conditions and dubious…
-
UNESCO Guidelines for Generative AI: Practical Applications for Schools
Following Digital Learning Week in Paris, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization published a comprehensive document containing guidelines for Generative AI (GAI) in education and research, and exploring the implications for policy. The guidelines are linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through Goal 4: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote…
-
AI Principles to Practical Strategies: How Schools Can Apply the National AI Framework
The draft schools AI framework for education is currently open for feedback, alongside a House Standing Committee parliamentary inquiry into Generative Artificial Intelligence in education. The draft framework represents an important step for schools trying to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of Generative AI. I’ve been working with schools on developing their own…
-
Teaching Writing with Generative AI
This post is based on a presentation I ran recently at the AATE conference. It takes the writing cycle approach from our book ‘Practical Writing Strategies‘ and applies Generative AI at various stages. One of the most pressing concerns at the recent Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) conference was the implications of…
-
Secondary School Assessment and Artificial Intelligence
When ChatGPT landed on our doorsteps in November 2022, it largely slipped beneath the education radar. By the time term 1 2023 rolled around, however, it’s fair to say that the situation had changed. Most states in Australia banned the technology in Department schools, and those bans remained in place for several months. Despite the…
-
The AI Iceberg: Understanding ChatGPT
Analogies are useful for understanding complex ideas, and there are plenty of complexities for educators trying to wrap their heads around ChatGPT. In this post, I’ll try to explain some of the features of the chatbot and the model it’s built on top of. I’m deliberately avoiding any kind of analogy that represents the AI…
-
The AI Assessment Scale: From no AI to full AI
AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have kicked the hornet’s nest in education. From articles declaring the “end of everything” (writing, the English classroom, the entire education system…) to claims that AI will revolutionise education, we’ve seen the full spectrum of hype. What we’re yet to see much of, however, are practical solutions for dealing with…
-
Teaching Writing in the Age of AI: Assessment and “Cheating”
This is the fourth post in a series on Teaching Writing in the Age of AI. The first post provided an overview of some of the changes we’re facing as the number of AI writing tools increases. Post two covered conversations about academic integrity, and the third post offered some practical advice on teaching students…