Tag: writing
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Hands on with ChatGPT Canvas
Canvas is OpenAI’s latest addition to the ChatGPT interface, offering editing tools for text and code. It rolled out shortly after the release of the o1 model and Advanced Voice Mode for Plus subscribers, coinciding perfectly with OpenAI’s latest fundraising round. Although it’s far from perfect, the feature represents an important step for how AI…
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Why Writing Needs Good Friction
Technology companies aim to minimise “friction” in user experience, a concept also relevant in psychology and education. While some see friction as a valuable part of the writing process, others seek to reduce it. Diverse viewpoints from authors, educators, and AI experts generate a larger conversation about the implications of artificial intelligence and writing.
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The Myth of the AI First Draft
I write daily, often for hours at a time. I’m an author of fiction and nonfiction, and even when I’m not writing something for publication I fill notebooks with ideas and frequently illegible scribbles. I’ve also taught writing for almost two decades, and I understand that not everyone loves writing as much as I do.…
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VCE English and EAL for 2024
As we head towards the start of Term One in Victoria, many of you will be teaching VCE English for the first time. An increasing number may also be teaching it out of field, drafted in from the humanities or other subjects to fill gaps in schools. With a study design that’s only one year…
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Behind the scenes writing Practical AI Strategies
I used Gen AI to help write Practical AI Strategies, but not how you might think… Practical AI Strategies includes an entire section on GenAI policy and assessment. It is available from Amba Press It’s release day! Practical AI Strategies is officially out today from Amba Press. You can also get the print and ebook…
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Science Fiction Worldbuilding with Generative AI
It’s been a while since I made a creative post highlighting some of the creative multimodal capabilities of GenAI. It can be easy to get swept up in the drama of recent events like OpenAI’s board firing its CEO (and his subsequent possible flight to Microsoft, or return to OpenAI…). It’s also easy to focus…
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Writing against GenAI: Opposite day
This post is part of a series on Writing with GenAI. These posts offer quick ideas, lesson plans, and examples of ways to use multimodal Generative AI writing tools to augment, but not replace, writing in a variety of forms and purposes. Inspired by a post by CEO of The Atlantic Nicholas Thompson, this quick…
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Creating Texts: Stimulus Materials
Over the past few months we’ve started to see more supporting materials make their way to the VCAA Advice for Teachers pages for the 2024 English and EAL Study Design. One of the key additions has been the “stimulus materials” for Unit 3 Outcome 2: Creating Texts. The examples on the VCAA website – three…
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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…
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Teaching Writing: The Challenges
This is the second post in a series responding to feedback from my mailing list members. I asked people about the highs and lows of teaching writing: what do we enjoy the most, and what are the issues or concerns. I’ve received hundreds of responses to the surveys, and have broken them down into three…