For anyone who has ever had to do repairs around their home knows, a hammer is only good for certain tasks. Picture to hang – Hammer. Leaky faucet – not hammer. Besides, how many of us are willing to hold the nail while someone else is going to swing the hammer? Don’t get me wrong, hammers can be used to solve quite a few problems, but it shouldn’t be the tool that you reach for to solve all problems around the house.
The same could be said for the use of Chat GPT. In my short time using this new tool, I have found that it is great for asking some silly questions and then having some laughs around the answers that it gives. But, I have also been discovering that much like a Boolean search, the knowledge of how to seek information is almost as important as know what to ask.
Much like humans, the right questions with the right phrasing will net better results. Here are some resources that I have gathered to help guide people in the right direction:
What can Chat GPT do?
To be honest, I haven’t spent enough time with this new tool to really be able to answer the question. What I am finding out is that if it can’t answer my question, the problem probably lies in how I asked the question, or even the time of day.
For example, this is from earlier today.
Then when prompted again.
And then finally, this was asked 4 hours later.
As you can see, there are some inconsistencies in the responses and this is something that a teacher will need to talk to their class about.
The example of having Chat locate quotes for students could be quite frustrating for them, as they may be lead to believe that this ‘hammer’ can do everything for them, but in this case, they need to know how to use it effectively.
How does it work?
This link has a great list of ways to leverage Chat:
- Generate leveled reading passages.
- Create Questions based on sources.
- Language Learning
Thoughts:
- How have you used Chat GPT in your classroom?
- Are you worried about the potential use for ‘cheating’?
- Where do you see this technology being used in education?
Stretching and Sweating
So, this is technically week 4, not 3, of my major project. As I had previously thought, I had taken on too much for the time that I had/have. The goal of doing three separate projects was ambitious.
As I had picked up the leather last weekend, I was going to be using the same colour on both.
To assist with the replacement of the vinyl covering, I found multiple videos online to help better understand the process. The following video was one of many:
These videos were a great help when figuring out how to do the corners of the seats, as they can wrinkle and there can be lots of overlapping material that adds extra bulk to the bottom of the seat.
I used the old covers as a general size template for the leather before I cut it out. If I were running a business, I would definitely go bankrupt as I had a lot of waste as I was trimming the excess leather off of the bottom.
Apparently, when you do not clean your workspace/office it is difficult to find things that you need. I was able to locate my staple gun under some old leather scraps from last spring’s project for university.
I didn’t manage to take a ton of photos of the work in progress, but as I wrap up the final two chairs, I will highlight the process of doing the corners.
Overall, I am pleased with the quality of the two chairs. The leather, although cheap, feels extremely soft and much nicer that the previous covers.
My thoughts:
- This is a rather inexpensive way to upgrade the look of your chair.
- If the wood on the chair was beat up, I would not have bothered with the reupholstering.
- I am curious what the replacing of the foam would cost if I had a supplier closer.
Grocholski - An educational Journey 