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Google Tools and Activities for Art Education [Curts] + other tools to enhance your students’ creativity

On 09/29/2023, in art, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital audio, digital storytelling, education technology, Emotion, experimentation, Google, multimedia, music, platforms, play, podcasting, student-related, teachers, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Google Tools and Activities for Art Education — from techlearning.com by Eric Curts

Google tools and activities for art education

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Although there is no replacement for getting your hands dirty with finger paints, technology can offer many ways for students to be creative when making art. In addition to creativity, technology can also allow students to explore and learn about art in new and engaging ways.

Some of the best free digital art tools are those from Google that help educators and students with teaching, learning, exploring, and creating art. The wide range of tools and activities available provide nearly infinite possibilities.

Also relevant/see:

And speaking of tools, also see:

  • Soundtrap: How To Use it to Teach — from techlearning.com by Luke Edwards
    Soundtrap is the recording studio for students and teachers that could help in class and beyond

Soundtrap is a music production tool that is designed for use in education. That means a full-on mixing and sound production studio experience, but one that is accessible for students grade six and up.

Since this is relatively simple to use and is available in app as well as web formats, it is highly accessible for both in-class and personal devices.

This tool offers a way to spark creativity in students and a method to help experiment with music that can inspire those new to this world, or enable more experienced students to create complex and explorative music. 

soundtrap.com -- the recording studio for students and teachers

Also relevant/see:

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15+ YouTube Shorts Ideas For Your Next Video [Oladipo]; perhaps there are some ideas for your students in here!

On 09/29/2023, in communications, creativity, digital storytelling, ideas, media/film, story, storytelling, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

15+ YouTube Shorts Ideas For Your Next Video — from buffer.com by Tamilore Oladipo
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next short video, here are 18 YouTube Shorts ideas to help your content stand out and engage viewers in bite-sized bursts.

With more than 50 billion daily views, YouTube Shorts offers a unique opportunity for content creators to reach a wider audience, promote longer videos, and even increase subscribers.

For content creators and small businesses, Shorts can be a game-changer. Whether you’re repurposing old content, sharing clips from live streams, promoting exclusive content, or hopping on the latest trend, Shorts provide a versatile medium to engage viewers and potentially go viral.

From DSC:
Perhaps there are a few ideas in here for your students — as they continue to develop their skills in creating multimedia-based communications and presentations.

Also relevant/see:

11 YouTube Shorts Creators to Inspire Your Next Viral Video — from buffer.com by Kirsti Lang
A curated list of YouTube Shorts creators worth watching — both at the top of their game and on the rise — and how their content helps them stand out.

Short-form video is still thoroughly enjoying its heyday, due in no small part to YouTube Shorts.

The introduction of vertical, short-form videos to YouTube was a bold move for the Google-owned platform, and it’s paying off for both them and creators — 50 billion daily views is really nothing to be sneezed at.

It’s also ushered in a new wave of short-form video stars, many of whom are prioritizing Shorts over the likes of Facebook and Instagram Reels, and TikTok, with subscriber counts quickly dwarfing what it took years to amass on other platforms.

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“Experienced teachers are leaving Michigan schools. This is why.” [Miller] + other items re: K-12

On 08/25/2023, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, career development, change, digital audio, digital storytelling, education, education reform, education technology, K-12 related, Michigan, podcasting, society, sociology, story, storytelling, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Letter from the Editor: Experienced teachers are leaving Michigan schools. This is why. — from mlive.com by Matthew Miller

They talked instead about issues like pay, stress and the sense that they no longer had the solid backing of school administrators.

Sue Harper, who retired this summer from Kreeger Elementary in Fowlerville, blamed what she called “bulldozer parents.”
…
“I have never been one to quit anything, and teaching is my passion, but this is not teaching,” one teacher wrote. “This is hours of endless paperwork, this is social work, this is counseling, this is parenting, this is babysitting, this is coaching, this is everything but teaching.”

Also relevant/see:

Low pay, culture wars, and ‘bulldozer parents.’ Why Michigan’s best teachers are calling it quits. — from mlive.com by Melissa Frick and Matthew Miller

Now a change management coordinator for Fifth Third Bank, she said, “I don’t take the stress from my job home. I don’t feel guilty, like I always could be doing more for someone.”

Thousands of experienced teachers have retired or left the profession in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic first closed schools and shifted classes to Zoom.

Teachers say they’re burnt out, tired of a lack of support and lack of respect, feeling the impact of the increasingly acrimonious politics surrounding public education.

And finally:

Let’s Use ChatGPT to ‘Think Different’ About K-12 Schools — from gettingsmart.com by Kara Stern

So, in addition to asking ChatGPT to think like a school communications professional, a principal, or a teacher, what if we asked ChatGPT to think like the populations we’re serving, as a way of improving the education (or UX) we’re delivering?

Why I Keep Teaching — from edutopia.org by Rachel Jorgensen
A veteran educator explains why, despite the many challenges, she continues to try to change students’ lives, in turn enriching her own.

EVERY TIME I SHOW UP FOR WORK, A STUDENT MIGHT CHANGE MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER

EVERY TIME I SHOW UP FOR WORK, A STUDENT MIGHT CHANGE MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER

MY WORK HAS INVISIBLE RIPPLE EFFECTS

34 Ways to Quiet a Rambunctious Class — from edutopia.org by Daniel Leonard
From “Silent 20” to imaginary marshmallows, these teacher-tested strategies for all grade levels can help you snap an unruly classroom back to attention.

Per EdSurge:

‘THE MOTH’ GOES TO SCHOOL: For more than a decade, the nonprofit behind the popular storytelling podcast The Moth has run workshops in schools to help students share impactful stories from their lives. Now the group started a spin-off podcast, Grown, highlighting those student stories. Here’s what they’re learning, and why they say storytelling needs to be taught in schools.

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Grown, a podcast from The Moth
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Some interesting AI-based listings/resources

On 07/17/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, copyright/ownership/NFTs, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, education technology, faculty, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, health, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, music, productivity / tips and tricks, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, UK, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Teaching Assistants that Actually Assist Instructors with Teaching — from opencontent.org by David Wiley

“…what if generative AI could provide every instructor with a genuine teaching assistant – a teaching assistant that actually assisted instructors with their teaching?”

Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Reading Response Edition — from derekbruff.org by Derek Bruff

For my cryptography course, Mollick’s first option would probably mean throwing out all my existing reading questions. My intent with these reading questions was noble, that is, to guide students to the big questions and debates in the field, but those are exactly the kinds of questions for which AI can write decent answers. Maybe the AI tools would fare worse in a more advanced course with very specialized readings, but in my intro to cryptography course, they can handle my existing reading questions with ease.

What about option two? I think one version of this would be to do away with the reading response assignment altogether.

4 Steps to Help You Plan for ChatGPT in Your Classroom — from chronicle.com by Flower Darby
Why you should understand how to teach with AI tools — even if you have no plans to actually use them.

Some items re: AI in other areas:

15 Generative AI Tools A billion+ people will be collectively using very soon. I use most of them every day — from stefanbauschard.substack.com by Stefan Bauschard
ChatGPT, Bing, Office Suite, Google Docs, Claude, Perplexity.ai, Plug-Ins, MidJourney, Pi, Runway, Bard, Bing, Synthesia, D-ID

The Future of AI in Video: a look forward — from provideocoalition.com by Iain Anderson

Actors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, forever — from theverge.com by Andrew Webster; resource from Tom Barrett

Along these lines of Hollywood and AI, see this Tweet:

Claude 2: ChatGPT rival launches chatbot that can summarise a novel –from theguardian.com by Dan Milmo; resource from Tom Barrett
Anthropic releases chatbot able to process large blocks of text and make judgments on what it is producing

Generative AI imagines new protein structures — from news.mit.edu by Rachel Gordon; resource from Sunday Signal
MIT researchers develop “FrameDiff,” a computational tool that uses generative AI to craft new protein structures, with the aim of accelerating drug development and improving gene therapy.

Google’s medical AI chatbot is already being tested in hospitals — from theverge.com by Wes Davis; resource via GSV

Ready to Sing Elvis Karaoke … as Elvis? The Weird Rise of AI Music — from rollingstone.com by Brian Hiatt; resource from Misha da Vinci
From voice-cloning wars to looming copyright disputes to a potential flood of nonhuman music on streaming, AI is already a musical battleground

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Actors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, forever [Webster]

On 07/14/2023, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, business, career development, change, changing business models, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, media/film, television, United States, vision/possibilities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Actors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, forever — from theverge.com by Andrew Webster
The reveal came as SAG-AFTRA actors confirmed they were going on strike.

When asked about the proposal during the press conference, Crabtree-Ireland said that “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation. So if you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again.”

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Animation Tips for eLearning [Brandon]

On 07/14/2023, in animation, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital storytelling, elearning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, story, storytelling, tools, training / L&D, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Animation Tips for eLearning — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Excerpt:

Why use animation in eLearning? Many people may think of animation in terms of entertainment value alone. Animation is far more valuable for its ability to engage learners, explain or illustrate ideas, and improve recall of complex relationships, such as cause and effect.

Look up these specific animation types for use in your projects:

  1. Whiteboard animation: Not necessary to be able to draw the characters. Multiple brands.
  2. Stop-motion animation
  3. Animation programs for beginners
  4. Free animation software

Also relevant/see:

Be an eLearning Storyteller With Style and Confidence — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Excerpt:

Humans are good storytellers, and humans respond well to stories. We know this from our own experience. Not only that, people remember stories for a long time, far longer than we remember a lot of teaching. Do you recall stories that someone in your family told you? Why don’t we remember lessons from school as long or as vividly? Stories are powerful if we know how to use them. In this article I will introduce you to a way to use stories to achieve outcomes.

Any time you are designing a course, a learning experience, or just pitching an idea to your boss or an L&D stakeholder, it’s a story. Even if it does not seem like one, a successful production—whether it is an animated presentation, a virtual supporting example or other content—is based on some fundamental storytelling tactics. It doesn’t have to begin “Once Upon A Time,” it just needs to be constructed the right way for your purpose – To make it a memory.

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Virtual Production Primer [Allen]

On 06/28/2023, in A/V -- audio/visual, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, graphics, media/film, multimedia, story, storytelling, by Daniel Christian

Virtual Production Primer — from provideocoalition.com by Damian Allen

Excerpt:

…use this handy guide to educate yourself on the terms and technologies at play in Virtual Production.

An example of ICVFX using Unreal Engine and an LED volume

On somewhat related tangent, also see:

Below is an item regarding the upgrade to Midjourney, which is an example of generative AI that can convert natural language prompts into images.

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Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro AR headset is finally here [Heater]

On 06/06/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, tools, United States, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, Web3, webinars, workplace, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro AR headset is finally here — from techcrunch.com by Brian Heater

Image of the Vision Pro AR headset from Apple

Image Credits: Apple

Excerpts:

“With Vision Pro, you’re no longer limited by a display,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said, introducing the new headset at WWDC 2023. Unlike earlier mixed reality reports, the system is far more focused on augmented reality than virtual. The company refresh to this new paradigm is “spatial computing.”

Reflections from Scott Belsky re: the Vision Pro — from implications.com

Apple WWDC 2023: Everything announced from the Apple Vision Pro to iOS 17, MacBook Air and more — from techcrunch.com by Christine Hall

Apple unveils new tech — from therundown.ai (The Rundown)

Here were the biggest things announced:

  • A 15” Macbook Air, now the thinnest 15’ laptop available
  • The new Mac Pro workstation, presumably a billion dollars
  • M2 Ultra, Apple’s new super chip
  • NameDrop, an AirDrop-integrated data-sharing feature allowing users to share contact info just by bringing their phones together
  • Journal, an ML-powered personalized journalling app
  • Standby, turning your iPhone into a nightstand alarm clock
  • A new, AI-powered update to autocorrect (finally)
  • Apple Vision Pro

Apple announces AR/VR headset called Vision Pro — from joinsuperhuman.ai by Zain Kahn

Excerpt:

“This is the first Apple product you look through and not at.” – Tim Cook

And with those famous words, Apple announced a new era of consumer tech.

Apple’s new headset will operate on VisionOS – its new operating system – and will work with existing iOS and iPad apps. The new OS is created specifically for spatial computing — the blend of digital content into real space.

Vision Pro is controlled through hand gestures, eye movements and your voice (parts of it assisted by AI). You can use apps, change their size, capture photos and videos and more.

From DSC:
Time will tell what happens with this new operating system and with this type of platform. I’m impressed with the engineering — as Apple wants me to be — but I doubt that this will become mainstream for quite some time yet. Also, I wonder what Steve Jobs would think of this…? Would he say that people would be willing to wear this headset (for long? at all?)? What about Jony Ive?

I’m sure the offered experiences will be excellent. But I won’t be buying one, as it’s waaaaaaaaay too expensive.

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“ChatGPT is the shakeup education needs” + “Why L&D should be at the forefront of the AI revolution” + other AI-related items

On 06/06/2023, in adjunct faculty, art, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, business, career development, change, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital storytelling, digital video, disruption, education, education reform, education technology, emerging technologies, global / globalization, higher education, instructional design, intelligent systems, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, lifelong learning, media/film, professional development, skills, society, story, storytelling, training / L&D, UK, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Why L&D should be at the forefront of the AI revolution — from managementtoday.co.uk by Bill Borrows
AI means that 50% of all employees will need reskilling or upskilling by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum.

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Ernst and Young dug a little deeper. “Today’s disruptive working landscape requires organisations to largely restructure the way they are doing work,” they noted in a bulletin in March this year. “Time now spent on tasks will be equally divided between people and machines. For these reasons, workforce roles will change and so do the skills needed to perform them.”

The World Economic Forum has pointed to this global skills gap and estimates that, while 85 million jobs will be displaced, 50% of all employees will need reskilling and/or upskilling by 2025. This, it almost goes without saying, will require Learning and Development departments to do the heavy-lifting in this initial transformational phase but also in an on-going capacity.

“And that’s the big problem,” says Hardman. “2025 is only two and half years away and the three pillars of L&D – knowledge transference, knowledge reinforcement and knowledge assessment – are crumbling. They have been unchanged for decades and are now, faced by revolutionary change, no longer fit for purpose.”

ChatGPT is the shakeup education needs — from eschoolnews.com by Joshua Sine
As technology evolves, industries must evolve alongside it, and education is no exception–especially when students heavily and regularly rely on edtech

Key points:

  • Education must evolve along with technology–students will expect it
  • Embracing new technologies helps education leverage adaptive technology that engage student interest
  • See related article: AI tools are set to impact tutoring in a big way

Welcome to the new surreal. How AI-generated video is changing film. — from technologyreview.com by Will Douglas Heaven
Exclusive: Watch the world premiere of the AI-generated short film The Frost.

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The Future Of Education – Disruption Caused By AI And ChatGPT: Artificial Intelligence Series 3 Of 5 — from forbes.com by Nicole Serena Silver
Here are some ways AI can be introduced at various age levels

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12 recent AI developments that are not just reshaping the industry, but our everyday lives [Barsee]

On 06/02/2023, in 21st century, 3D, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, bots, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, digital storytelling, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, NVIDIA, story, storytelling, tools, training / L&D, universities, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I also wanted to highlight the item below, which Barsee also mentioned above, as it will likely hit the world of education and training as well:

Also relevant/see:

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Some conventional and unconventional use cases for AI in relation to voices/speech

On 05/31/2023, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, accessibility / UDL, blogs / blogging / vlogging, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, digital audio, digital storytelling, languages and translation, Legal operations, legal technologies, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), podcasting, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, training / L&D, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

082 | Generating Voices — from thebrainyacts.beehiiv.com

Excerpts:

Conventional Use Cases

  1. Audio Document Reading:
  2. Accessibility:
  3. Training Materials:
  4. Document Proofing:
  5. Transcriptions:
  6. Blog to Podcast:

Unconventional Use Cases

  1. Voice Cloning for Client Interaction:
  2. Multilingual Services:
  3. AI-based Legal Information Hotline:
  4. Real-Time Courtroom Assistance:
  5. Engaging Jurors:
  6. Storytelling for Case Understanding:
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Lore Issue #29: AI Video and The Future of Hollywood [lore.com]

On 05/09/2023, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, creativity, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, media/film, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Lore Issue #29: AI Video and The Future of Hollywood — from lore.com

Key Insights:

  • Writers’ strike could hasten AI adoption in film.
  • AI video soon viable for games, film B-roll, and marketing.
  • Long-term: anyone could create their own movies; film budgets will drop.
  • Actionable Takeaway: Consider exploring AI-generated video in your industry. Educate yourself about what is currently possible.

Relevant Companies:

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For students interested in podcasting: Check out this challenge from NPR!

On 04/23/2023, in colleges, communications, digital storytelling, higher education, K-12 related, podcasting, story, storytelling, by Daniel Christian

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“There Is No A.I.” [Lanier] + “35 Ways Real People Are Using A.I. Right Now” [Paris & Buchanan]

On 04/23/2023, in 21st century, 3D, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, data related items, design, digital audio, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, Europe, privacy, the downsides of technology, tools, United States, by Daniel Christian

35 Ways Real People Are Using A.I. Right Now — from nytimes.com by Francesca Paris and Larry Buchanan

From DSC:
It was interesting to see how people are using AI these days. The article mentioned things from planning Gluten Free (GF) meals to planning gardens, workouts, and more. Faculty members, staff, students, researchers and educators in general may find Elicit, Scholarcy and Scite to be useful tools. I put in a question at Elicit and it looks interesting. I like their interface, which allows me to quickly resort things.
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Snapshot of a query result from a tool called Elicit

 

There Is No A.I. — from newyorker.com by Jaron Lanier
There are ways of controlling the new technology—but first we have to stop mythologizing it.

Excerpts:

If the new tech isn’t true artificial intelligence, then what is it? In my view, the most accurate way to understand what we are building today is as an innovative form of social collaboration.
…
The new programs mash up work done by human minds. What’s innovative is that the mashup process has become guided and constrained, so that the results are usable and often striking. This is a significant achievement and worth celebrating—but it can be thought of as illuminating previously hidden concordances between human creations, rather than as the invention of a new mind.

 

 

Resource per Steve Nouri on LinkedIn

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Adobe’s AI Generator Firefly Looks To Reimagine Video and Audio Workflows [DeLateur]

On 04/18/2023, in Adobe, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, media/film, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, by Daniel Christian

Adobe’s AI Generator Firefly Looks To Reimagine Video and Audio Workflows — from provideocoalition.com by Michelle DeLateur

Excerpt:

What if you could create storyboards, change the color of a video, and generate relevant sound effects just by working with an AI Generator? It may be on the (generated sunset) horizon sooner rather than later: Adobe hopes to transform these processes through their AI product Firefly. As shared today at NAB Show 2023, Adobe looks to expand and innovate Firefly’s ability in the creative sphere, including font changes and effects, script analysis, color changes, generated music, storyboard edits, and more.

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