Heads-up: I won’t be posting on this Learning Ecosystems blog until after 2/3/24. Thanks and have a good one all!
Peace be with you and with yours,
Daniel
Video, Images and Sounds – Good Tools #14 — from goodtools.substack.com by Robin Good
Specifically in this issue:
- Free Image Libraries
- Image Search Engines
- Free Illustrations
- Free Icons
- Free Stock Video Footage
- Free Music for Video and Podcasts
From DSC:
I can’t agree more with Stephen and Simon here:
I’ll never stop blogging: it’s an itch I have to scratch – and I don’t care if it’s an outdated format
Simon Reynolds, The Guardian, Dec 26, 2023
I have various blogs for different types of writing, some popular, some deliciously obscure. And there’s no such thing as an outdated format. I write about what I like to write about.
Excerpt of the article by Simon Reynolds:
Even if nobody reads them, I’ll always be drawn to the freedom blogs offer. I can ramble about any subject I choose.
…
I miss the inter-blog chatter of the 2000s, but in truth, connectivity was only ever part of the appeal. I’d do this even if no one read it. Blogging, for me, is the perfect format. No restrictions when it comes to length or brevity: a post can be a considered and meticulously composed 3,000-word essay, or a spurted splat of speculation or whimsy. No rules about structure or consistency of tone.
Two other items from Stephen that caught my eye recently. The first item below is a great little AI tool that lets you input the URL of a video and receive a nice summary of the video.
Summarize.Tech
Summarize, LLC, Dec 23, 2023
Commentary by Stephen Downes
Newspocalypse now
Mike Orren, Nieman Lab, Dec 19, 2023
Commentary by Stephen Downes
.
This is significant because trends in education have pretty reliably followed trends in media by about ten years. Closed access classes and tuition revenue may feel pretty secure right now, but in a decade the bottom will be falling out of the market and higher education will be in the same shambles the news industry is today. “We will learn that the less something looks like what we have now, the better chance it has of being the thing on the other side of death.”
The 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest Highlights the Stunning Sights Above and Below the Surface — from thisiscolossal.com
It’s Not Kansas Anymore: It’s Cinematic Thinking — from campustechnology.com by Mary Grush and Gardner Campbell
A Q&A with Gardner Campbell
Blogs are like a screenplay to a mental movie the student has made. It’s a kind of narrative, but in a way that’s more associative, the way film can be.
Grush: What about your recorded online class sessions? Do they present another path to cinematic thinking?
Campbell: Yes! A couple years ago I started describing what I did with online learning as making movies on location. That referred to the way that I really wanted each of our class meetings to be: a kind of experience, not just for students to be here as I’m lecturing, though I may be doing that, but an experience that’s similar to a live television show. Or almost like a live recording session. Of course, we’re making something that is recorded on video, and you can go back and look at it to get the flow of the experience of our time together: the way in which that story exists through time.
082 | Generating Voices — from thebrainyacts.beehiiv.com
Excerpts:
Conventional Use Cases
- Audio Document Reading:
- Accessibility:
- Training Materials:
- Document Proofing:
- Transcriptions:
- Blog to Podcast:
Unconventional Use Cases
- Voice Cloning for Client Interaction:
- Multilingual Services:
- AI-based Legal Information Hotline:
- Real-Time Courtroom Assistance:
- Engaging Jurors:
- Storytelling for Case Understanding:
Brainyacts #57: Education Tech— from thebrainyacts.beehiiv.com by Josh Kubicki
Excerpts:
Let’s look at some ideas of how law schools could use AI tools like Khanmigo or ChatGPT to support lectures, assignments, and discussions, or use plagiarism detection software to maintain academic integrity.
- Personalized learning
- Virtual tutors and coaches
- Interactive simulations
- Enhanced course materials
- Collaborative learning
- Automated assessment and feedback
- Continuous improvement
- Accessibility and inclusivity
AI Will Democratize Learning — from td.org by Julia Stiglitz and Sourabh Bajaj
Excerpts:
In particular, we’re betting on four trends for AI and L&D.
- Rapid content production
- Personalized content
- Detailed, continuous feedback
- Learner-driven exploration
In a world where only 7 percent of the global population has a college degree, and as many as three quarters of workers don’t feel equipped to learn the digital skills their employers will need in the future, this is the conversation people need to have.
…
Taken together, these trends will change the cost structure of education and give learning practitioners new superpowers. Learners of all backgrounds will be able to access quality content on any topic and receive the ongoing support they need to master new skills. Even small L&D teams will be able to create programs that have both deep and broad impact across their organizations.
The Next Evolution in Educational Technologies and Assisted Learning Enablement — from educationoneducation.substack.com by Jeannine Proctor
Excerpt:
Generative AI is set to play a pivotal role in the transformation of educational technologies and assisted learning. Its ability to personalize learning experiences, power intelligent tutoring systems, generate engaging content, facilitate collaboration, and assist in assessment and grading will significantly benefit both students and educators.
How Generative AI Will Enable Personalized Learning Experiences — from campustechnology.com by Rhea Kelly
Excerpt:
With today’s advancements in generative AI, that vision of personalized learning may not be far off from reality. We spoke with Dr. Kim Round, associate dean of the Western Governors University School of Education, about the potential of technologies like ChatGPT for learning, the need for AI literacy skills, why learning experience designers have a leg up on AI prompt engineering, and more. And get ready for more Star Trek references, because the parallels between AI and Sci Fi are futile to resist.
The Promise of Personalized Learning Never Delivered. Today’s AI Is Different — from the74million.org by John Bailey; with thanks to GSV for this resource
Excerpts:
There are four reasons why this generation of AI tools is likely to succeed where other technologies have failed:
-
- Smarter capabilities
- Reasoning engines
- Language is the interface
- Unprecedented scale
Latest NVIDIA Graphics Research Advances Generative AI’s Next Frontier — from blogs.nvidia.com by Aaron Lefohn
NVIDIA will present around 20 research papers at SIGGRAPH, the year’s most important computer graphics conference.
Excerpt:
NVIDIA today introduced a wave of cutting-edge AI research that will enable developers and artists to bring their ideas to life — whether still or moving, in 2D or 3D, hyperrealistic or fantastical.
Around 20 NVIDIA Research papers advancing generative AI and neural graphics — including collaborations with over a dozen universities in the U.S., Europe and Israel — are headed to SIGGRAPH 2023, the premier computer graphics conference, taking place Aug. 6-10 in Los Angeles.
The papers include generative AI models that turn text into personalized images; inverse rendering tools that transform still images into 3D objects; neural physics models that use AI to simulate complex 3D elements with stunning realism; and neural rendering models that unlock new capabilities for generating real-time, AI-powered visual details.
Also relevant to the item from Nvidia (above), see:
Unreal Engine’s Metahuman Creator — with thanks to Mr. Steven Chevalia for this resource
Excerpt:
MetaHuman is a complete framework that gives any creator the power to use highly realistic human characters in any way imaginable.
It includes MetaHuman Creator, a free cloud-based app that enables you to create fully rigged photorealistic digital humans in minutes.
How to Use Logic Pro X: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners — from soundswow.com by Donovan Sharpe; with thanks to Yana Mogyla for this resource. Yana is the content manager at SoundsWow — “a resource blog dedicated to helping individual musicians build home recording studios.”
Excerpts:
Logic Pro X is one of the best DAWs for music creation and production. It’s an extremely capable tool that provides you with everything you need to make music professionally in any way you can dream up.
With all this power at your fingertips, getting started with Logic Pro X can be challenging if you don’t have any experience. This guide was written with beginners in mind and will direct you through all the first steps to using the app.
.
How Does Your Firm Stack Up When It Comes To Legal Tech? A Look Through the 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report — from jdsupra.com
Excerpt:
The 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report measures current legal technology trends. How does your firm compare to the rest?
Lawyers are rarely accused of rushing into change, but current legal technology trends show a few glimmers of hope that (slowly but surely) law firms are realizing the significance of incorporating technology into their litigation practice to remain relevant and competitive. The 2022 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report: Vol. 5 – Litigation Technology & E-Discovery reveals that law firms went through a belt-tightening phase in 2020 and 2021 but then made investments in 2022 to improve their litigation offerings.
ChatGPT Writes Our February 2023 FPI Newsletter Blog Post — from .law.upenn.edu by the Future of the Profession Initiative (FPI) at Penn Carey Law
Excerpt:
For our February 2023 FPI Newsletter, we used ChatGPT, the advanced chatbot, to help us write this blog post. Below, our prompts are in bold, with ChatGPT responses following.
Write the introduction to a newsletter focused on the legal implications of ChatGPT. Include implications for legal education, law firms, and clients.
Trends and Highlights from the 2023 Midsize Law Firm Priorities Report — from lawtechnologytoday.org Taylor Young
Excerpt:
Earlier this month, Actionstep released the results of the 2023 Midsize Law Firm Priorities Report, an inaugural survey of legal and administrative staff from midsize US law firms focused on identifying their key priorities, challenges, goals, and opportunities heading into 2023.
Trends and insights that rose to the top…
23 Legal Tech Insights for 2023 — New Report with Input from Industry Experts — from lawtechnologytoday.org Taylor Young
Excerpt:
If you are in legal tech, change is constant. This means staying on top of emerging trends (yes, even beyond the latest ChatGPT craze) is vital — not because you need to sign up for every new, shiny thing, but because you want to harness the advantages technology creates and prepare your organization for the future. That’s why tech-savvy practitioners will soon be heading to the ABA TECHSHOW.
As you head into conference-mode to dig into the latest in legal technology at TECHSHOW, our team thought this is the perfect time to share trends and industry insights to give you some food for thought and areas to investigate at the show.
Last year, we shared 10 legal tech trends driving success in the legal industry. Because what we shared was so well received, we’ve expanded the content with our latest report, 23 Legal Technology Insights for 2023, which includes thoughtful analysis of major trends, comments from industry experts, and tips to help you make the most of the tech in your organization. Here’s a snapshot of some of the key technology trends for 2023.
Blogs are back baby — from blog.edtechie.net by Martin Weller
Excerpt:
The conclusion I take from all this (which I carefully assembled so I could draw the conclusion I want), is that there is a desire to have a core place on the net, that is not subject to the whims of billionaires, institutions or markets, where you can engage in a range of dialogue, from personal to professional, and that you enjoy revisiting. Ladies and gentleman, I give you, the blog.
From DSC:
I hope you’re right Martin!!! I still really appreciate blogs, as readers of this Learning Ecosystems blog might have guessed.
4 Tips for Choosing Accessible WordPress Plugins — from boia.org
Excerpt:
WordPress plugins can change how your website operates — typically, that’s why you want to install them in the first place. If you need to add a form or a video player on your WordPress site, you’ll probably look for a plugin before attempting to code your own solution.
But unfortunately, some plugins can alter your content in unpredictable ways and create accessibility barriers. Needless to say, you’ll want to avoid those issues if possible. Fortunately, WordPress is a fairly accessibility-friendly platform — and by following a few simple tips, you can reach a wider audience.
Are Hamburger Menus Bad for Accessibility? — from boia.org
Excerpt:
In web design, a hamburger menu is a button — usually with three horizontal lines — that typically opens a navigation menu. The icon vaguely resembles a hamburger (or any other sandwich), hence the name.
Like many trends in web design, hamburger menus are controversial: They can cause accessibility issues, depending on their implementation, and they might obscure important navigational information. However, they’re extremely common — and while they pose a few potential issues for users with disabilities, sidebars can be accessible with appropriate markup.
Addendum on 10/18/22:
- How Web Accessibility Can Benefit People with Dyslexia — from boia.org