Caitlin
@teacherontopic.bsky.social
I am coming over here from the bird-gossip site. Under construction. Uggh I hate moving.
He's talking to me personally
Some closing thoughts for my students this semester on LLMs and learning #rstats datavizf25.classes.andrewheiss.com/news/2025-12...
December 9, 2025 at 10:27 PM
He's talking to me personally
Reposted by Caitlin
One of the many reasons AI can't produce good writing is it can't hate its own writing. It can't think to itself "Maybe I'm illiterate" during the writing process. And that's essential
December 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
One of the many reasons AI can't produce good writing is it can't hate its own writing. It can't think to itself "Maybe I'm illiterate" during the writing process. And that's essential
Reposted by Caitlin
this is similar to what I've come to think of as the "reverse turing test"
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
So similarly, when we see people who prefer ChatGPT or a similar synthetic text extruding machine as a source of medical information, that means those are people who are under-served in the current system.
December 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
this is similar to what I've come to think of as the "reverse turing test"
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
when people find synthetic text is "good enough" to complete a task (homework, business report, email) it doesn't mean the machine is smart. it means they were asked to produce something that didn't matter
it's diagnostic
I found a nice sharp pencil on the floor and I put it in my back pocket and immediately forgot about it. I remembered about it when I went to the restroom. Pulled my pants up and stabbed myself in the butt.
December 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I found a nice sharp pencil on the floor and I put it in my back pocket and immediately forgot about it. I remembered about it when I went to the restroom. Pulled my pants up and stabbed myself in the butt.
Really need to stop staying up late coding. Last night I dreamed that I had functions in my hands that I was trying to add to my cats.
December 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Really need to stop staying up late coding. Last night I dreamed that I had functions in my hands that I was trying to add to my cats.
Reposted by Caitlin
Can't remember if it was this bad before COVID but I'm seeing an alarming spreading of what I'll call Airport Behavior to other public places. Obliviousness to other people's existence, ineptitude at navigating the environment. "Is this your first time at the grocery store" type stuff
December 7, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Can't remember if it was this bad before COVID but I'm seeing an alarming spreading of what I'll call Airport Behavior to other public places. Obliviousness to other people's existence, ineptitude at navigating the environment. "Is this your first time at the grocery store" type stuff
Reposted by Caitlin
for too long, smartphone makers have been focusing on things that nobody needs (ai integration, stupid new user interfaces), instead of focusing on actually useful features:
if i take a picture of something with my phone in a dream, that picture should still be on my irl phone when i wake up
if i take a picture of something with my phone in a dream, that picture should still be on my irl phone when i wake up
December 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
for too long, smartphone makers have been focusing on things that nobody needs (ai integration, stupid new user interfaces), instead of focusing on actually useful features:
if i take a picture of something with my phone in a dream, that picture should still be on my irl phone when i wake up
if i take a picture of something with my phone in a dream, that picture should still be on my irl phone when i wake up
Reposted by Caitlin
Couldn’t Sam Altman just ask ChatGPT how to make itself profitable
December 6, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Couldn’t Sam Altman just ask ChatGPT how to make itself profitable
Holy stromboli!
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps you can guess where this is going... though it does have a bit of a twist.
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
December 6, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Holy stromboli!
My cat loves to stand on top of me and wonder why I'm not getting up.
December 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
My cat loves to stand on top of me and wonder why I'm not getting up.
as an elementary school teacher my OTHER response is to question the reliability of "engagement" as a metric for learning in other contexts as well. That something can FEEL just as engaging without actually having a lasting impact also seems worthy of investigation.
“When participants used ChatGPT to draft essays, brain scans revealed a 47% drop in neural connectivity across regions associated with memory, language, & critical reasoning.
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
Their brains worked less, but they felt just as engaged—a kind of metacognitive mirage.”🧪
December 5, 2025 at 3:40 AM
as an elementary school teacher my OTHER response is to question the reliability of "engagement" as a metric for learning in other contexts as well. That something can FEEL just as engaging without actually having a lasting impact also seems worthy of investigation.
Do not back down.
The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored all previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge
"Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states."
"Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states."
ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries
Today, the American Library Association (ALA) greeted an announcement by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants.
www.ala.org
December 4, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Do not back down.
Actually a cool thing about this is that I'm mentoring a new teacher this year, and he teaches physical education. So it's not my area of expertise, but we'll be discussing something and I'll be like, let's see what the research says, and we can find sources that
When I started the research course for grad school, I was really struggling with reading scholarly sources, especially getting lost in the weeds where they would describe methodology. But at some point it just... suddenly made more sense to me. Not perfect sense, but it was much less of a struggle.
December 3, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Actually a cool thing about this is that I'm mentoring a new teacher this year, and he teaches physical education. So it's not my area of expertise, but we'll be discussing something and I'll be like, let's see what the research says, and we can find sources that
Last night I dreamed in JavaScript.
December 3, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Last night I dreamed in JavaScript.
the hardest thing about grad school is having to use microsoft outlook
December 3, 2025 at 12:26 AM
the hardest thing about grad school is having to use microsoft outlook
My one sister lives in Maryland and I live in Ohio but the love my sister has for the teachers at her sons' school makes me feel loved as a teacher.
December 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
My one sister lives in Maryland and I live in Ohio but the love my sister has for the teachers at her sons' school makes me feel loved as a teacher.
When I started the research course for grad school, I was really struggling with reading scholarly sources, especially getting lost in the weeds where they would describe methodology. But at some point it just... suddenly made more sense to me. Not perfect sense, but it was much less of a struggle.
December 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
When I started the research course for grad school, I was really struggling with reading scholarly sources, especially getting lost in the weeds where they would describe methodology. But at some point it just... suddenly made more sense to me. Not perfect sense, but it was much less of a struggle.
Reposted by Caitlin
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
I block calls on my phone between 10pm and 6am to protect my sleep. Therefore, I did not get the snow day phone call at 5:30am. Therefore, I got up at six and started getting ready for school. My phone did not bother to show me a voicemail notification until almost 6:30.
December 2, 2025 at 11:53 AM
I block calls on my phone between 10pm and 6am to protect my sleep. Therefore, I did not get the snow day phone call at 5:30am. Therefore, I got up at six and started getting ready for school. My phone did not bother to show me a voicemail notification until almost 6:30.
Reposted by Caitlin
Libraries aren't just books. They provide gathering places, free internet, and programs like story hours and classes and films. Using your library demonstrates to your local government its importance to your community and can affect funding decisions.
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Libraries aren't just books. They provide gathering places, free internet, and programs like story hours and classes and films. Using your library demonstrates to your local government its importance to your community and can affect funding decisions.
Reposted by Caitlin
Libraries are attention infrastructure. Free internet, quiet space, programs—all designed to support focus without monetizing it. Every other place you spend attention extracts something in return. Libraries just give.
November 27, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Libraries are attention infrastructure. Free internet, quiet space, programs—all designed to support focus without monetizing it. Every other place you spend attention extracts something in return. Libraries just give.
Our local library can loan you a family pass to one of four local museums/The zoo. You get it for a week and can use the pass for four family members at those places any day that week. You should see whether your local library does something similar.
November 29, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Our local library can loan you a family pass to one of four local museums/The zoo. You get it for a week and can use the pass for four family members at those places any day that week. You should see whether your local library does something similar.
Reposted by Caitlin
His first comment is rarely expressed but truly the sharpest insight about AI. So far all these advances tell us more about what intelligence isn’t.
It’s like the old saw about the Michelangelo: “I just chisel away every bit that isn’t David.”
It’s like the old saw about the Michelangelo: “I just chisel away every bit that isn’t David.”
November 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
His first comment is rarely expressed but truly the sharpest insight about AI. So far all these advances tell us more about what intelligence isn’t.
It’s like the old saw about the Michelangelo: “I just chisel away every bit that isn’t David.”
It’s like the old saw about the Michelangelo: “I just chisel away every bit that isn’t David.”
Post something random or you'll have an awful December.
November 28, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Post something random or you'll have an awful December.
My new favorite Thanksgiving food is baklava. Happy Turkey Day!
November 28, 2025 at 2:27 AM
My new favorite Thanksgiving food is baklava. Happy Turkey Day!