Brenton Cheng

I am thrilled to see AI tools being adopted in more California schools for grading and providing feedback to students. As an educator, I believe these technologies can significantly enhance our efficiency, allowing us to focus more on #personalizedinstruction and #studentengagement. For instance, teachers using platforms like Writable and #GPT4 have reported faster turnaround times for feedback and improved student writing skills. This immediate feedback is invaluable, helping students quickly grasp and apply corrections, leading to better learning outcomes. However, it’s crucial that we, as teachers, maintain the final say in the grading process. AI can be a powerful aid, but human oversight ensures fairness and accuracy, addressing any nuances that automated systems might miss. Our role in shaping and understanding our students’ progress is irreplaceable. Let’s continue to embrace #AIinEducation, leveraging it to improve our teaching practices while keeping the human touch that is so essential to learning. By combining the best of both worlds, we can provide our students with the education they deserve. #Education #AI #Teaching #Innovation #StudentSuccess #EdTech #ClassroomTechnology #StudentFeedback

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In addition to my talk at Write the Docs, I created the sketchnotes, which are posted here: https://lnkd.in/g5Jmej-v

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This is a helpful article on how to create accessible calendar tables with abbreviations. It highlights how to use the aria-hidden when using an abbreviation. It also notes that the <abbr> tag is only recognized by VoiceOver on Macs. There are a lot of helpful examples provided. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/gkzXMUxb

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‘Conducting #Accessibility #Research In An Inaccessible Ecosystem’ by Michele A. Williams, PhD at Smashing Magazine. Including some useful guidance on ways you can accomplish #Prototype based research activities while working around inaccessible prototypes. 𝟷. Use a survey. 𝟸. Conduct a co-design session. 𝟹. Test with a similar system. 𝟺. Build your own rapid prototype. 𝟻. Use the Wizard of Oz method. https://lnkd.in/gK3jsZH5

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California's Reading Challenge: What's Needed? 📚 Dive into the discussion on EdSource as experts explore strategies to boost reading proficiency among California's youth. #ReadingChallenge #EducationReform

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Great podcast episode by Alida Miranda-Wolff with guest Maria Emilia Lasso de la Vega about "Designing for Neurodiversity Inclusivity". Thanks to Mary Chan for introducing me to this podcast and specifically this episode! Here's a great quote from Maria Emilia: "My approach is to just assume that everybody needs an accommodation and to look at it from that perspective. So, I have slowly started integrating the things that I used to put in place just for neurodiverse students or students with disabilities in general, and just start applying and offering that to basically everything that I do." https://lnkd.in/gV9j4_kA

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Here's a sneak preview from the June issue of the Pollinator, the product-themed newsletter from Solution Design Group. The Pollinator is a monthly digest of SDG's point-of-view on recent thinking from across the productverse. I'm the editor. "It’s far easier to understand software product at companies that sell software. But what about the financial services organization or agricultural equipment manufacturer or university who is now building software (websites, apps) to fulfill a mission they’ve been working on for a century? Are they software product companies? To discuss these companies, I’ve always used clumsy words and phrases like 'pre-digital' companies, 'physical product' organizations, or 'software solutions for companies that aren’t historically software companies.' None of this language has ever felt particularly satisfying." To read more, subscribe today at https://lnkd.in/dvaQsPtv and watch your inbox next week. Subscribers in June 2024 will be entered in a drawing for some SDG and Pollinator merch. Plus we have bees.

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Meta's algorithms for presenting educational ads show signs of racial bias, according to researchers from Princeton University and the University of Southern California. The authors observe that while there's been progress toward making housing, employment, and credit ads less biased, concerns remain about ad delivery discrimination in domains such as insurance, education, healthcare, and other public accommodations. To assess algorithmic bias in education ads, the researchers looked at the differences in the presentation of ads for for-profit colleges and for public colleges on the basis of race. Among other things, the data suggests that Meta disproportionately shows ads for schools that have a history of predatory practices [PDF] to Black individuals. What's more, the academics argue that their findings could have legal consequences for Meta under the doctrine of disparate impact of discrimination... #artificialintelligence #meta

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Love this! Social Health is vital to stave off physical and mental deterioration. Social isolation is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes per day - leading to a 32% increased risk of cardiovascular disease and of other illnesses such as dementia. That is too costly in every sense. In order for pharmacies and other health professionals to address it, they need to be able to prescribe an outcome, such as Myfolks visits to reduce loneliness. Myfolks visits can be paid for from Attendance Allowance in the UK, which is needs tested not means tested. Myfolks' key tools of the trade are the kettle and the teapot. While we understand it's important to get out and get fresh air and exercise where possible, and we will support and encourage that, for someone stuck at home, mostly alone, Myfolks and the connection it brings is an imperative. 💜

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I’m excited to be on my way to San Francisco for Figma’s Config conference! This will be my second design-focused conference in a year after a break focused on education and product conferences. From my experience, design-focused conferences tend to emphasize themes of iteration, creativity, and building new things, while education conferences amplify singular current trends (ex: AI / Personalized Learning / etc) as potential major solutions to complex challenges in educational systems. On the other hand, product conferences often focus on processes, improved ways of working, and team collaboration. In today's tech-focused world, generative AI and its open ended potential is obviously the spotlight theme. However, it's valuable to reflect on how different industries may emphasize specific themes and consider what other important topics might be overlooked. Looking forward to exploring these dynamics at Config!

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This article by Adrian Roselli highlights why it is important to keep your alt text short and to the point. It also provides a lot of helpful articles with alt-text tips at the bottom of the page. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/gc8tg4Nk

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Apple is previewing iOS 18 by highlighting a host of new accessibility features included in the update. Eye tracking assistive technology is very expensive so it will be interesting to see how well Apple's eye tracking works especially with third party applications. I think Vocal Shortcuts will be very useful for people with aphasia. As someone who gets motion sickness when looking at my phone I wonder how effective Vehicle Motion Cues will be. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/guYEvD2R

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The HCID/UX Industry Needs Genuine Interdisciplinarity and Inclusiveness! Although HCID (Human-Computer Interaction Design) and the broader UX industry often tout their interdisciplinary and inclusive nature, my experience reveals a different reality. Despite these claims, the field predominantly comprises individuals with backgrounds in computer science or psychology, with significant representation from specific countries. For example, during my studies and professional journey, I’ve noticed a lack of voices from diverse fields such as sociology, anthropology, or the arts, hospitality, and limited geographic representation outside of certain regions. This homogeneity undermines the true spirit of interdisciplinarity and inclusiveness, which should ideally encompass a broader range of disciplines and cultural perspectives. This trend is evident not only in educational settings but also in the job market. To genuinely embody these values, HCID and UX must strive for greater diversity in educational backgrounds and geographic representation during both academic training and job market recruitment. Encouraging partnerships with universities worldwide, offering scholarships to underrepresented groups, and actively seeking candidates with varied academic and cultural backgrounds are steps in the right direction. #HCID #UXDesign #DiversityInTech #UXResearch #UserExperience #DesignThinking Image: Designed by Freepik

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Why is design education such a mess? It’s all about cognitive skills now, completely ignoring affective and psychomotor learning. We’re churning out book smart data zombies who follow dry methods instead of fostering real creative intelligence. This outdated Cartesian obsession with separating theory from practice has turned a once well-rounded approach, a holistic, well compounded phenomological experience into something bleak and lifeless. And seriously, where are the practice-based PhDs in design? Why no practice-led or practice-as-research programs? Where are novel and unpopular artifacts, experimental prototypes and merky adventures allergic to industrial conventions? Instead, it’s just old theory turned neo-theory, frameworks, reviews, and more ai immersed meta physical theories. It’s like the leaders in design education have tunnel vision. No one bothers to shake things up! Forget being dangerous, designers have lost style! Listen to Bukowski https://lnkd.in/g8ppFqjT

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I asked folks for writing prompts on a number of topics. Laura Gonzales asked: How do you address/recognize power imbalances when conducting participatory design research with communities of color? This is a great question. In my (limited) experience, the first step is always to be aware that these imbalances are endemic and constantly look for them. For example, during the "laying the groundwork phase" constantly paying attention to who is (and isn’t) in the room during meetings. It also means asking the same questions (like “What would a successful project look like?” or “Why have past interventions failed?”) to different stakeholders and listening for similarities and differences in their answers. Listening and tracking what bubbles up in local knowledge discussions helps with power mapping and understanding historic community fault lines. It also reveals unexpected power divisions. Power imbalances can also be proactively addressed through the structure of the working team(s). For various reasons, we worked with three Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to hire and oversee our researchers. A byproduct of that, and the diversity of my team at Code for America, meant that the overwhelming majority of the people involved in this project at all levels were Black. Beyond matching the racial dynamics of the community we were working with, that also helped protect us against some power imbalances. Out of an extended team of approximately 20 people, I was one of three people who didn't identify as Black. That by itself is HUGE! Likewise, we were careful to name power imbalances from the beginning of the project explicitly. That required me to practice cultural humility. In discussions with participants, as well as our kick-off, I was careful to lay out the history of “community research” and how it historically involved White experts like myself coming into communities of color to extract findings and (intentionally or not) take their power of self-representation. Here's a link to that kick-off deck: https://lnkd.in/ee-Ji-mM We also found a culturally centered training partner--the wonderful Network for the Development of Children of African Descent--to help everyone understand how the work we were doing tied into Black community traditions. All of that helped create a sense of ownership that we worked to carry into the project. An essential reframing for me was seeing my role not as a researcher but as a research organizer. It took me a while to get to that point. Once I did, it helped me understand that success was always about helping the researchers and our CBO partners feel empowered to lead. To be clear, we didn't get everything right. In particular, there’s a second part of this that I will write about tomorrow: lessons learned about how to empower without unknowingly abdicating responsibility. In full transparency, that was a trap I fell into early on in the project. For more project details, see: https://lnkd.in/eiFyPxte

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This article highlights how landmarks in most instances do not need an accessible name. Landmarks like header, main, and footer should only appear once per page, which makes them easy to identify. The accessible name may add redundancy or create confusion. Also limiting the number of landmarks can help make them more useful. #accessibility

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I was listening to the Lex Fridman Podcast this morning. He was chatting with Charan Ranganath, a memory researcher from UC Davis. Lex asked how understanding memory can help us have a better life. Charan said we should all do things that are more memorable. It's a good start, but not enough. Charan's response is based on Danny Kahneman's observation that our lives are affected more by our remembered self than our experienced self. That is to say, we experience many things in our lives, but we only remember a small percentage, usually the highs, lows, and moments that teach us a lesson. Having memorable experiences is the first step, but you need to solidify those experiences so they are truly memorable, meaningful, and can be recounted. Let me give you a solid example. A few years back, I worked for Phillip Island Nature Parks to help their guides create a better experience for their visitors. I noticed that the guides spent most of their time sharing facts and figures about the park and the penguins, like, "The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin, averaging about 33 cm in height and weighing around 1 kg. Phillip Island is home to an estimated 32,000 Little Penguins. The number can vary depending on the season and environmental conditions." Interesting, but most likely to be forgotten. What was notable was that I rarely heard any stories about the penguins. In addition to training the guides on how to find and tell stories of their guests, I suggested they get their visitors into a huddle at the end of the tour and have them recount memorable experiences from their tour. This helps the guests form their own stories. These stories don't have to be big things. On one tour I went on, a guide removed plastic from a penguin's neck, and the penguin screamed when it was picked up. Or the laugh we got watching two penguins comically stumble over a tree root. If you were a parent and wanted your kids to look back fondly on their trip to the penguin parade, it would help if you helped them remember and recount those memories over time. Whenever the memory is triggered, tell the stories from their tour. Reminiscing is a powerful force for the remembering self. For the same reason, it's useful for a team to stop and take stock of what happened the previous week and help them find and form the stories that matter--the lessons, the values, and the behaviours to reinforce or reject. Without some process of noticing, experiences merely wash past us, leaving barely a trace. In our fast-paced world, it's easy to let experiences slip by unnoticed. By sharing and reflecting on our stories, we can enrich our lives and those of others around us. Whether it's a family trip or a weekly team meeting, let's consciously capture and recount the moments that matter. After all, it's through our stories that we indeed remember and find meaning in our lives.

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📣 Check out this comprehensive guide that explores the best practices for designing a website that not only serves as a beacon for your practice but also enriches the patient experience, fostering an environment of trust and support even before the first interaction! https://lnkd.in/gsz7nXKm

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Calling Mobility Aid Users: Help Improve Sidewalk Accessibility! Our research team from the University of Washington is conducting an online image survey on sidewalk accessibility. We are interested in studying how people using different mobility devices perceive sidewalk barriers. 🔍What: Online Image Survey on Sidewalk Accessibility 👥 Who: Users of wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or other mobility aids ⏱️ Time: Approximately 20 minutes 📝 To Participate: Fill out this screening form https://lnkd.in/gE5--P4E Your participation will contribute to personalized routing algorithms and maps for people who use mobility devices. Please share this post with your network to help us reach as many participants as possible. #AccessibleSidewalks #UrbanAccessibility #InclusiveCities #MobilityAids #ResearchStudy #HCI

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