🙋♂️ Detecting ChatGPT, observant kids, and ad blocking in Chrome – Of bits and bytes for August 19, 2024
Internet Travels
Of bits and bytes is my weekly round up of interesting links and ideas I discovered on the internet. It is published on Mondays for the previous week
Whoa, students start at our district on Wednesday! The beginning of the school year always sneaks up on me, especially when there are a million things that have “Day 1 Priority”. On the other hand, things will hopefully slow down starting Wednesday, giving the tech department a little breather and a hope in catching up!
So what’s been happening? Let’s get to it!
Learn21 is a proud sponsor of Eduk8me and the Of Bits and Bytes newsletter. Read more about their mission at Learn21.
Apps
OpenAI has developed a watermarking tool to detect ChatGPT-generated text. Despite the potential benefits, internal debates persist as the company worries about the impact on its bottom line and user experience, with nearly 30% of surveyed users stating they would use the software less if watermarking was implemented. OpenAI continues to explore alternative methods, such as embedding metadata, though these are still in early stages and unproven. The watermarking effort is 99.9% effective, but concerns remain about easy circumvention by rewording and stigmatizing non-native speakers.
The way the watermarking works is having the words in the response be in a predictable order, where the OpenAI tool can recognize the pattern as ChatGPT generated. The watermark can’t be removed through copying and pasting, only through re-wording. I fully believe but have no proof that OpenAI is using the tool when it imports new content into their AI model to weed out AI generated text.
Google Sheets has introduced a new feature that makes it vastly easier to create and format tables with just a click. The latest update includes “intelligent suggestions” that show a “+” button when you select data, allowing for quick formatting with alternating colors and sortable, filterable headers. Google has also added a feature to quickly add rows and columns by hovering on the edges, and introduced automatic column categorization to effortlessly format data like currency or dates. These updates streamline the process of creating tables, saving time and making data management much simpler for teachers.
Google Classroom has evolved significantly in its ten-year journey.. With over 800 updates, it has transformed into a comprehensive platform that enhances teaching and learning. Moving forward, Google Classroom is set to expand its interoperability with more EdTech tools and enhance features such as reading practice support in additional languages and improved analytics for teachers.
- New Google Meet features: Spotify, stackable effects and more
- Microsoft is reportedly working to merge Teams text chat and channels with a new UI – Neowin
Pedagogy
Kids are remarkably observant, often catching on to more than adults realize.. They notice how adults feel about their partners and other caregivers, which can impact their own sense of security and emotional well-being. Children also pick up on our attitudes about body image, values, self-compassion, eating habits, and even how we talk about them to others. These observations shape their self-esteem, relationship with food, and their own value systems.
- CURMUDGUCATION: Yes, Classmates Matter
- 7 Ways to Integrate Curiosity into the Classroom – John Spencer
Technology
A security breach in the Mobile Guardian platform has resulted in the remote wiping of 13,000 devices issued to students in Singapore.. The incident affected iPads and Chromebooks used in 26 secondary schools, erasing all notes and data. This is the second security breach for Mobile Guardian in four months, with the previous breach exposing data of over 89,000 individuals from various schools. In response, the Singapore Ministry of Education has decided to remove Mobile Guardian from all its devices and is implementing additional security measures.
Gleb Tsipursky discusses how the advent of AI is transforming the role of creativity in education.. Instead of focusing primarily on generating original content, educators and students are now increasingly tasked with curating existing materials. This shift emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and discernment in selecting and organizing information, thereby adapting to the evolving landscape of creative work enhanced by technological advancements.
- Limit of 3 hours of weekly screen time for kids has ‘positive effect’ on behavior, mental health: study
- More toddler screen time brings more tantrums, study finds
Tips
Google Chrome’s latest updates are phasing out support for Manifest v2 extensions, which directly impacts ad blockers like uBlock Origin.. Users are warned to transition to other ad blockers or the available uBlock Origin Lite, a pared-down version compatible with the new Manifest v3 standard. As the changeover progresses, any remaining MV2 extensions will eventually be disabled, urging users towards MV3 alternatives. This transition aims to wrap up for general users by early 2025, with special provisions extending into mid-2025 for enterprises.
Google has a setting in the Google Admin panel for education and business customers to enable support for Manifest v2 extensions for a little longer. A few of the extensions we use, like GoGuardian, requires us to have it enabled, but those companies are going to need to release a Manifest v3 extension eventually.
The loss of uBlock Origin is going to be rough. It is one of my favorite extensions, not only making the web usable, but also making Youtube useable. For personal use I’ve switched to Firefox, but there is also Brave. It is based on Chromium, the engine of Chrome, and they are working on ways to support some Manifest v3 extensions.
Potpourri
The article draws a parallel between marathon training and fostering creativity, using the example of Eliud Kipchoge, a renowned marathon runner whose rigorous and consistent training has led to extraordinary achievements.. It argues that just as Kipchoge’s daily, disciplined practice makes him successful in marathons, incorporating daily creative activities can help adults reclaim the imaginative capacities they often lose as they grow older. The piece emphasizes that creativity should not be an occasional act but a regular practice to build up the mental stamina needed for significant creative challenges. By making creativity a daily habit, we can achieve greater success and innovation in our personal and professional lives.
- 4 Science-Based Strategies for Creating Killer Arguments | Psychology Today
- Scientists Identify Neural Network Vital For Creativity in The Brain : ScienceAlert
- Why Bootstrapping And A Growth Mindset Go Hand-In-Hand
- What Adults Lost When Kids Stopped Playing in the Street – (Archive Link)
- 7 Odd Behaviors That Point to an Extremely High IQ – New Trader U
Extra Credit
Here are extra links that I found interesting that may or may not be education related or interesting to you and I didn’t want to lose them.
- cables – Create multimedia art in the browser
- Should artists be terrified of AI replacing them? | Life and style | The Guardian
- Gamification gets drivers to put down their phones, study finds | Ars Technica
- A Cure for Our Anxious Young People – The Atlantic
- Google.org and Selena Gomez announce new effort to support teen mental health
Thank you!
Major props if you’ve made it this far, you are a rockstar! Feel free to contact me with questions, ideas, concerns, or my thoughts on the next Marvel movie. In fact, I love to discuss about any topic and then wonder how it intersects with education.
“Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” – OOgway, Kung Fu Panda
By design, the vast majority of Of Bits and Bytes readers never pay anything for the links, commentary, and tips it provides. But you made it all the way to the end of this week’s edition — maybe not for the first time. Want to support more journalism like what you read today? If so, click here.
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and join your fellow educators on the Eduk8me email list!
