I had a random thought, triggered perhaps by the tinnitus that is constantly eeeeeeee-ing in the background of everything. What if there was a Mastodon bot that just replied to every toot that mentioned it, with a string of eeeeeee’s of the same length as the message?
The second semi-random thought was that I had no idea how to even start to build such a thing.
The third obvious-in-2023 thought was that I’d bet ChatGPT could help with this somehow.
I’d intended to quickly write this post to reflect on the session, but it’s stayed in my drafts pile for a couple of weeks now so I’m going to share what I can remember. I’ll likely be misremembering some of the details of the session, but this should hit the highlights at least.
I’ve been seeing a lot of energy online about bringing the old web back, or bringing the humanity back to the web, or just trying to make some art, dammit. So, here’s my part. This blog is my corner of the World Wide Web. Of the non-corporate, non-monetized, non-advertised, non-user-tracked, human-scale online experience. I haven’t been blogging, partially because I’ve been holding back due to Not Having Anything Profound to Share™. But that’s not how the blogosphere works, so I’m going to make an effort to post more. Maybe I’ll start up the weekly recaps or something, too. Who knows? I have been pretty good about the daily photos thing though…
In Obsidian, I use a folder of notes called “Collections”. Inside Collections are various folders that act as buckets of info, in a quasi-Zettelkasten notes-as-personal-wikipedia kind of thing.
My Collections currently include (in alphabetical order):
Articles
Committees
Ideas
Institutions
Organizations
People
Profiles
Topics
Vendors
Some of these have subfolders to organize notes into smaller buckets. For example, Topics is organized by folders for:
General Tech
Higher Education
Information Technologies
Learning Spaces
Learning Technologies
Misc
Pedagogy
Processes
TI Projects
UCalgary
The folders change and I add to them and reorganize as needed. I’ve only been using Obsidian for about 4 months now, so I figure things will continue to settle as I get deeper into it…
Rambling blog post alert: there isn’t a simple, straightforward way to tell the story of how I use Obsidian. This is going to be a bit of a winding post as I start to describe my setup and workflow. And there will be gaps because a) I don’t have time to write an omnibus description of this and b) you don’t want to read that anyway. I’ve been meaning to write this for awhile, but kept getting stuck by the scale of what was needed. So, forget that, here’s a first and incomplete blog post to get it started…
Grant Potter asked a question on Mastodon, about how video games are being used for teaching and learning. I’ve done some work on this for my dissertation, and wanted to repurpose bits from a few chapters in response to Grant’s question. I’ll be writing more about my dissertation work, but am still in “pause and recover” mode after finishing it…
In the dissertation, I explored how the disciplines of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) intersect, using the specific ways in which we design, study, and evaluate video games as the point of integration. From this perspective, there are three categories that describe the use of video games to support teaching and learning:
I’m sick of ChatGPT posts, too. But I figured it was worth trying this out. I asked ChatGPT the Voight-Kampff test questions from Bladerunner. It answered some in interesting ways, but clearly failed the test overall. For now…
Prompt 1: Someone gives you a calfskin wallet for your birthday. How do you react?
I asked ChatGPT to describe the state of learning space research, and how to evaluate the design and use of learning spaces in a university context. I’ll provide my prompts and ChatGPT’s responses verbatim:
Robot classroom observation, by Stable Diffusion
Prompt:
Describe the current state of research into the design and use of learning spaces in universities. Provide examples and references.
Response
There is a growing body of research on the design and use of learning spaces in universities. Some key themes in this research include:
Flexible and active learning spaces: Many researchers have studied the use of flexible and active learning spaces, which are designed to support collaborative, student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. Examples of flexible and active learning spaces include classrooms with moveable furniture, tiered seating, and flexible configurations; maker spaces and design studios; and group study rooms. Research has shown that these types of spaces can support increased student engagement and collaboration, as well as improved student outcomes (e.g., see Clark, A. & Feldon, D. (2005). Five principles for the design of effective classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, 17(4), 423-451).
Technology-rich learning spaces: The use of technology in classrooms and learning spaces is another area of active research. This includes the use of interactive whiteboards, projection systems, and other types of digital displays, as well as the integration of mobile devices and other personal technologies. Research has shown that technology can support increased engagement and collaboration, but that it is important to consider issues such as equity, access, and support when implementing technology in learning spaces (e.g., see Voogt, J., Fisser, P., Pareja Roblin, N., Tondeur, J., & Van Braak, J. (2015). The use of ICT in education: A review of research. Educational Research Review, 13, 17-40).
Sustainable and environmentally-friendly learning spaces: There is also growing interest in the design and use of sustainable and environmentally-friendly learning spaces. This includes the use of natural lighting, energy-efficient systems, and materials with low environmental impact. Research has shown that these types of spaces can support improved student health and well-being, as well as increased engagement and motivation (e.g., see Li, X., Li, Y., Li, Z., & Chen, M. (2018). A review of research on the environmental performance of green schools. Sustainability, 10(6), 1887).
These are just a few examples of the types of research being conducted on the design and use of learning spaces in universities. There are many other areas of research in this field, and new research is being published all the time.
I don’t do resolutions. I mean, I sometimes make them, but they don’t seem to necessarily turn into anything after that. So, some intentions.
Get healthier. I’ve been working really hard to build up cardio and some strength, and that’s made a world of difference as I continue to recover from cancer and treatment. I want to keep going, to make sure I’m as strong as I can be when it comes back. I’ve also been trying to figure out a fun cardiac arrythmia thing, and have been cutting out every possible risk factor (no alcohol or coffee since June, 2022, and using a CPAP machine to prevent sleep apnea) - but I seem to have doubled-down on eating garbage comfort food and sweets. I need to rein that in a bit. I’ve gotten into better cardio shape, but have put on a bunch of weight since summer 2022 and I want to lose that again. So. Keep exercising daily, but eat better. I’m also planning to become more active in social groups like joining BCC and to stop finding excuses to join our merry band of nearly-geriatric cyclists. And to commit to riding in the Cancervive fundraiser again in 2023.
Don’t be cocky about the pandemic. It’s still going on. I had COVID twice in 2022, within 6 weeks. I was pretty sure I had it a third time over the holiday break, but tested negative several times so maybe it was just a really bad cold. But I got cocky. I wore masks less often than I should have. I waded into the campus food court to grab food (which is where I am 100% convinced I contracted COVID (at least) twice). I’ll be wearing masks more, and will be bringing my lunch more. My immune system is still kind of hot garbage, and I need to be more responsible.
Figure out a healthier approach to my work. I have had a pattern forever of trying to Solve The Problems, rather than just working on the parts of things that I actually have control over. It’s good to understand where things fit in the broader context, but I think this has been the root cause of burnout for a few years now - putting me into a Quixotic role of trying to change things that I am not responsible for and having no way to actually make the changes, while perhaps neglecting some of the things that I am able to change that might contribute to addressing the bigger challenges. So I carry the stress of Big Problems That Need Solving, and the frustration of not being able to solve them. Part of this pattern has been to take on tasks because “if not me, then who?” rather than “who is the most appropriate person to be doing this, and if we don’t know who, what does that tell us?”. I need to stop taking on tasks because that just papers over structural and systemic issues. I’m also hopeful that wrapping up 6 years worth of work on a PhD will leave me with some time and space to rethink this stuff.
Be a better partner, friend, and colleague. I’m hopeful that I’ll feel this after working through the other things on this list. But I know I’ve been distant and withdrawn from social and professional circles for at least the last couple of years. Yes, there have been extremely valid reasons/excuses, but I want to break out of this pattern too.
Make some art, dammit! I’ve been pouring everything into my research projects and writing the dissertation. Now that that’s wrapping up, I will have more time. Pick up the guitar and play it again. And explore photography again. And who knows what else?
I don’t know if they’re resolutions, but there are a few things I want to actively work on in 2023. That’s a start.
Thanks to a nudge from Alan, I jumped back into the 365photos project for 2022. I put together a quick video of the 365 photos - it’s kind of surprising just how much happened this year! I’ve been doing this project since 2007, but I’m not sure if I’ll keep it going in 2023.
The album for 2022 is available online (as well as albums for each year of the project). (the photo gallery script seems to be acting up. awesome. I’ll have to fix that when I have some time…)
I gave a graduate seminar to the Faculty of Science and Taylor Institute for Teaching & Learning today. It was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to talk about the dissertation research projects that make up my dissertation. I also got to share the framework that I developed to describe teaching and learning using concepts adapted from the formal analysis of video games.
The dissertation became a description of a way to integrate the disciplines of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning). I’ll be able to share the full dissertation after the oral exam in January and whatever embargo delay is required by the university. In the meantime, here’s a recording of my grad seminar, and the figure representing the framework.
I thought I’d try ChatGPT to see what it would do with my dissertation topic.1 I gave it the prompt:
Explain the ways in which “Scholarship of Teaching and Learning” and “Human-Computer Interaction” can be integrated using research methods adapted from the formal analysis of video games.
And it returned:
The scholarship of teaching and learning is an approach to education that focuses on studying and improving teaching and learning processes in order to enhance student learning. This can be done through a variety of research methods, such as classroom observations, student interviews, and surveys. Human-computer interaction, on the other hand, is a field that focuses on the design and evaluation of computer systems and technologies that are easy and effective for people to use.
One way in which these two fields can be integrated is through the use of research methods adapted from the formal analysis of video games. Formal analysis is a method used in the study of video games that involves the systematic and rigorous examination of the game’s design, mechanics, and player experience. This type of analysis can provide insights into how the game’s design and mechanics affect the player’s experience, which can be useful for improving teaching and learning processes.
For example, the formal analysis of video games can be used to study how different game mechanics and design elements affect player motivation and engagement. This can help identify best practices for designing educational games and other interactive learning tools that effectively engage students and promote learning. Additionally, the formal analysis of video games can be used to study how players learn and adapt to new challenges and mechanics in the game, which can provide insights into how students learn and adapt to new material in the classroom.
Overall, the integration of the scholarship of teaching and learning with human-computer interaction using research methods adapted from the formal analysis of video games can lead to the development of more effective and engaging educational technologies and teaching practices.
Robot classroom observation, by Stable Diffusion