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Straits Times
4 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Deaf teacher hopes to build bridge between the Deaf and hearing communities
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr David Lee, a deaf teacher, at the Teachers' Investiture Ceremony 2025 at Nanyang Technological University on July 9. SINGAPORE - When David Lee was in Primary 3, he had a mathematics teacher with a hearing impairment similar to his who fluently and clearly explained mathematical concepts in sign language. The teacher's 'passion for learning and his dedication to sharing knowledge with students left a deep impression on me', Mr Lee, 56, told The Straits Times. 'It was then that I began to dream of becoming an educator like him.' On July 9, Mr Lee was among 721 students who graduated from the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Nanyang Technological Universit y, receiving the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Primary). He currently teaches m athematics and science at Mayflower Primary School, which is one of many mainstream schools in Singapore that take in students with hearing loss. There, he works alongside subject teachers to ensure Deaf and hearing students can learn together in the same classroom. 'I hope to nurture an inclusive environment where hearing and deaf communities collaborate, learn from one another, and celebrate differences,' he said. Mr Lee's journey to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a teacher took a few detours, as he worked in different industries as a mechanical and an electrical engineer, as well as a quantity surveyor. Throughout that time, the itch to teach gnawed at him. In 2000, he decided to pursue a Diploma in Special Education, after which he had two stints teaching at the Singapore School for the Deaf, which he believed was his calling. When the school closed in 2017 due to a decrease in student enrolment, he transferred to the Lighthouse School, which serves students with different special needs. At NIE, where Mr Lee enrolled in 2023, it supported him with advance access to lesson notes, voice-to-text assistive technologies, and sign language interpreters. Mr Lee said sign language allows him to explain academic concepts visually, which helps students. With hearing students who are unfamiliar with sign language, he communicates with them through the written word. During discussions and meetings in school, the use of assistive technology like the app, which converts speech to text in real time, enables him to be engaged. Mr Lee also teaches students and colleagues simple conversational Singapore Sign Language to build a bridge between the two communities. 'I see such moments as opportunities to improve communication and foster mutual understanding,' he said. 'I want every student – regardless of their hearing ability – to feel seen, heard, and empowered.'
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Get More Value From AI
Fortunately, it doesn't take much to wring value from AI. We just need to broaden our understanding of its capabilities, recognize its limitations, and follow a few best practices. AI can do amazing things, from improving cancer screenings to combating climate change. Little ole you and me, we may have more modest ambitions, but we still want to get the most from this technology. How do we do that without having to become an AI coding expert? Fortunately, it doesn't take much to wring value from AI. We just need to broaden our understanding of its capabilities, recognize its limitations, and follow a few best practices. AI abilities are expanding AI is great for writing ad copy, a speech, a sales pitch, or an essay. But it pays to get creative. Some less obvious uses may inspire you to dream up your own ideas: I found many great ideas in a ChatGPT reddit group; you can find AI prompt examples in Google's library, too. Match the AI to the task When I asked Gemini to find restaurants with private meeting rooms in my area, its recommendation to 'check their websites or contact them directly' didn't help me. Grok gave me several options, but the top one has been closed for a couple of years. ChatGPT gave me great recommendations, many with information about room size or maximum number of guests, plus a map and links to directions, websites, and phone numbers. You may need to use an AI app that is designed for a narrower function. For example, to record and transcribe phone calls or meetings, try or the Google app, Braindump. Ask AI-friendly queries Specifying context and parameters, and using an AI-friendly format, will generate more specific, relevant, and accurate results. If you don't like the results, revise your query. Most chatbots will continue to follow the thread you were working on, so you don't have to start over. For example, an image of people I requested from ChatGPT had bad lighting; I asked it to revise the image to have more detail, and it did. Protect yourself from AI risks Respect ethical boundaries: There are many thorny legal issues concerning the use of AI, including the alleged use of copyrighted material to train AI models, the impact of AI bias, and proposed liability rules. Businesses need to be aware of the risks and have compliance policies in place to avoid them. Check their work: Some businesses, and even government agencies, have been caught using fabricated AI-generated content. While AI apps work by accessing massive amounts of data housed in large language models (LLMs), that data might be outdated, incorrect, or even fictitious, so protect yourself by visiting the sources they cite and verify the information. Private and secure: If you upload anything to a general-purpose AI chatbot, it will likely be stored in the cloud, become owned and managed by the chatbot operator, and may be used to train their models. So don't upload personally identifiable information, and certainly don't upload confidential work-related data. Even if what you do with AI isn't sensitive, you should still take steps to secure your interactions by adjusting the security settings within your chatbots. Some enterprise AI apps, including SAP's Joule copilot app, access only corporate data that is secured on private cloud servers. Only SAP customers can access Joule, and the only private data they can access is their own. Joule doesn't allow file uploads, and customer data isn't used to train the models it runs on. Run AI locally: You can download a free app like Ollama or gpt4all and run AI models on your personal computer. Your data will remain local, though your queries will run more slowly than they would in the cloud, where they benefit from AI companies' huge, nuclear-powered data centers. AI is learning—how to keep pace Still want to learn more about how to get the most out of AI? Take online AI courses. Many are free, though if you want to crow about it on your resume or your LinkedIn profile, you may need to pay for a digital certificate. Gaining AI skills takes training and experience. Workers know that success—theirs and their companies'—depend on it. Read The importance of AI literacy to AI adoption to learn more about how others are addressing this issue. A version of this story appears on
India Today
18-06-2025
- India Today
From Notes to Coding: 12 AI tools every student needs today
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of student life, showing up in classrooms, on screens, and in study routines. It helps with managing time, understanding difficult subjects, and finding academic support when it's needed are using AI not just to finish tasks quickly, but to learn more clearly, organise better, and get help that fits their schools and colleges continue to move towards digital learning, AI tools are finding a place in daily education -- not as a replacement for teachers, but as a helping hand. From taking notes and writing code to breaking down research papers, these tools are changing how students approach their studies. Here's a look at how AI is being used by students to keep up, stay focused, and learn more effectively:STUDY MANAGEMENT TOOLSManaging notes, lectures, and time effectively is often a struggle for students. AI-powered platforms like Microsoft Copilot, Notion, and are helping students take notes, convert lectures into text, summarise content, and structure research tools are especially helpful for students with disabilities, offering features like speech-to-text and translation that make learning more taking care of repetitive tasks, students are able to focus more on understanding and CODING HELPERSadvertisementFor students in programming and engineering, AI coding assistants are making a big difference. Tools like GitHub, Copilot provide real-time code suggestions and help debug allows users to write code using plain language, while Codeium supports intelligent auto-complete and code tools save time and allow students to focus more on solving problems than fixing syntax errors. INTERACTIVE LEARNING AIDSMultimodal tools are expanding the way students engage with Gemini API, for example, allows users to input questions through voice, images, or handwritten helps students solve complex problems in subjects like Physics and Math by using visual and spoken interaction, rather than just typing or ACADEMIC SUPPORTWhen students struggle with heavy topics or long research papers, AI-powered tools like Claude AI provide real-time assistants can summarise dense material, help create citations, and personalise study also adapt to a student's learning style, making it easier to stay on track during exam season or while handling multiple MENTORING PLATFORMSadvertisementSome platforms now use AI to connect students with suitable mentors based on their interests and academic goals. Tools like Chatgpt, ADPList, Guider AI can help in providing the required mentor tools track progress, recommend next steps, and offer a structured approach to skill development and career digital mentoring support can be especially valuable for students preparing to enter the job AI can enhance learning, experts caution against too much on AI may reduce critical thinking and raise concerns around academic are encouraged to use AI as a support system -- not a replacement -- and always verify information for a balance between AI tools and human learning will be key to long-term InMust Watch
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Five must-have AI tools for students
With artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting every industry, education is no exception. AI is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in education by providing research assistance, offering individualised feedback, simplifying complex topics, and connecting students with mentoring opportunities. Here are five essential AI tools that students should explore to maximise their academic potential: Productivity tools: AI-driven productivity tools can help students organise their study materials, improve communication, and manage their time more efficiently. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, Notion, and assist in note-taking, transcription, and structuring research. They can also summarise key lecture points, convert spoken discussions into text, and generate well-organised study guides. Students with disabilities also benefit from AI-powered accessibility features like speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionalities and AI-powered translation services that make education more inclusive. By automating repetitive tasks, these tools allow students to focus on critical thinking and deeper learning. Coding assistants: AI-powered coding assistants can be a game-changer for students in STEM fields, especially those studying Computer Science and Engineering. GitHub Copilot provides real-time code suggestions, helps debug errors, and explains complex coding concepts. Cursor allows developers to write code using natural language instructions, along with other features like autocomplete and chat query function. Codeium helps developers write code faster and more efficiently by providing features like intelligent code completion, code generation, and code explanation. Students can focus on innovation and problem-solving by reducing time spent on troubleshooting. Multimodal tools: These enhance learning by processing and presenting information across multiple formats, such as text, audio, video, and images. Google's Gemini API enables students to interact with AI through voice commands, handwritten equations, and pictures, helping them tackle complex subjects like Mathematics and Physics. Tutors and research assistants: Students often face challenges understanding complex topics, conducting research, or preparing for exams. Tools such as Claude AI and AI-powered research assistants can help bridge these gaps by providing real-time explanations, summarising academic papers, and generating citations. These can create personalised study plans, track a student's progress, and offer tailored feedback based on individual learning styles. Research assistants make it easier to process large volumes of information by condensing complex topics into digestible summaries, helping students save time while ensuring a deeper understanding of their subjects. Mentorship: AI-powered tools help students connect with the right mentors based on their interests, goals, and learning styles. These platforms provide personalised recommendations, track mentorship progress, and ensure a structured approach to skill development. By leveraging them, students can gain valuable career insights, receive academic guidance, and build meaningful professional relationships that help them transition smoothly into the workforce. Ethical considerations While AI has enormous potential to improve academic performance and learning efficiency, issues with accuracy, cognitive disengagement, and ethical implications must be addressed for successful application. The emphasis must be on guaranteeing fair, efficient, and responsible experiences in AI-enhanced learning environments. Students must use these tools judiciously as over-reliance on AI for assignments can hinder critical thinking, and misusing AI-generated content may compromise academic integrity. To truly benefit from this technology, these tools must be viewed as 'assistants' and not 'substitutes'. Additionally, AI-generated information must be thoroughly verified for accuracy and relevance. Striking a balance between digital learning and human interaction will be crucial to fostering well-rounded academic and personal growth. The writer is the Co-founder of Scaler and InterviewBit.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Otter.ai CEO on Developing AI Avatars to Handle Meetings
CEO Sam Liang discusses the developement of an AI avatar to handle 'routine' meetings. He speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on the sidelines of the Bloomberg Tech Conference. Sign in to access your portfolio
