Tech-Neill-ogy #67 - 29 September 2024

Your Weekly Guide to Leveraging Technology in College Counseling

Author

Jeffrey Neill
September 30, 2024

Welcome to Tech-Neill-ogy #67!

An interesting week (LinkedIn) to say the least! A bit sluggish with two broken ribs! Slow improvement…

In any case, for this week’s non-tech article, I admit this is a pseudo-tech-free article. It is unfortunate that the author chose to come down hard on AI instead of suggesting the ways in which students might choose to use it effectively and responsibly. Nevertheless, I appreciated most of this article.

Non-Tech

In any case, enjoy this week’s newsletter!

Should Digital Literacy Be Its Own Classroom Subject?

Given the proliferation of technology and social media, it is time to focus on teaching digital literacy and citizenship just like any other classroom subject.

www.techlearning.com/news/should-digital-literacy-be-its-own-classroom-subject

Why social media should be a part of every counsellor’s job | Times Higher Education

Social-media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok have transformed how students understand and access information, compare opportunities and present themselves.

www.timeshighereducation.com/counsellor/sector-trends/why-social-media-should-be-part-every-counsellors-job

The Intelligent Age: A time for cooperation

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain have propelled us into the Intelligent Age. If managed cooperatively and mindfully, this revolution can enhance human potential. Social, geopolitical, technological and environmental intelligence will be fundamental to success in the Intelligent Age.

www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/09/the-intelligent-age-a-time-of-cooperation

Is Math the Path to Chatbots That Don’t Make Stuff Up?

Chatbots like ChatGPT get stuff wrong. But researchers are building new A.I. systems that can verify their own math — and maybe more.

www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/technology/ai-chatbots-chatgpt-math.html

The chatbot becomes the teacher

On The Vergecast: NotebookLM, AI podcasts, and the future of learning.

www.theverge.com/24249388/notebooklm-google-steven-johnson-vergecast

PaperGen | AI-Driven Writing Assistant for Business & Academia

Unlock your writing potential with PaperGen, an AI-driven assistant for business and academic writing. Enhance productivity and improve your work with smart suggestions and personalized support.

www.papergen.ai

Akiflow | Time-Blocking Digital Planner & Calendar

The Productivity game-changer for founders and managers. Tasks and Meetings in a single place, automatically.

akiflow.com

BeforeSunset AI

Focus on completing your to-do’s while BeforeSunset AI plans the perfect schedule for you. Daily planning has never been easier.

www.beforesunset.ai

Sequel

Converse with your database using natural language

sequel.sh

Here’s a new one for you. Perhaps you’ve seen my posts on using ChatGPT to produce initial drafts of counselor letters of recommendation? See here for a video illustration, and see here for the prompt I use at my current school. One thing I’ve found is that in the “Leadership, Initiative & Dedication” section (extracurriculars), the bullet points produced are often (though not always) merely listing the students’ extracurricular activities with no analytical perspective. As such, now that I’m rolling with my current seniors’ letters, I’ve been using this secondary prompt a bit to produce more effective commentary. 

Revise the "Leadership, Initiative, and Dedication" section to emphasize the ways in which his character, especially his character strengths, are revealed through her contributions.

If you have any great prompts or ideas, please share! Send me a note at [email protected].

Webinars & Live Events Page

Look here for upcoming webinars and other events (and recorded ones) by the College Essay Guy! New events are happening all the time…

www.collegeessayguy.com/webinars-live-events

I have struggled sometimes with accessing certain websites (often with an .ai extension) at my school. I did some digging, and it was explained to me that schools often block websites that use blockchain technology on their networks. Something to keep in mind if you struggle to access an AI site!

I hope you enjoyed the newsletter, and I hope you have a great week!

Happy counseling,

Jeff