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01 / 05
Google’s NotebookLM Aims to Be the Ultimate Writing Assistant

Wired | Communications

Google’s NotebookLM Aims to Be the Ultimate Writing Assistant

“NotebookLM, originally called Project Tailwind, starts by creating a data set of your source material, which you drag into the tool from Google Docs or the clipboard. After the app has digested it all, you can then ask NotebookLM questions about your material, thanks to Google’s large language model technology—partly powered by its just-released upgrade Gemini. The answers reflect not only what’s in your source material but also the wider general understanding of the world that Gemini has. A critical feature is that every answer to your queries comes with a set of citations reporting where exactly the information came from, so users can check the accuracy of its output.”

From Wired.

Domenic Denicola | Education & Literacy

Spaced Repetition Systems Have Gotten Way Better

“Mastering any subject is built on a foundation of knowledge: knowledge of facts, of heuristics, or of problem-solving tactics. If a subject is part of your full-time job, then you’ll likely master it through repeated exposure to this knowledge. But for something you’re working on part-time—like myself learning Japanese—it’s very difficult to get that level of practice…

Spaced repetition systems are one of the most-developed answers to this problem. They’re software programs which essentially display flashcards, with the prompt on the front of the card asking you to recall the information on the back of the card…

Less widely known is that a quiet revolution has greatly improved spaced repetition systems over the last couple of years, making them significantly more efficient and less frustrating to use. The magic ingredient is a new scheduling algorithm known as FSRS, by Jarrett Ye.”

From Domenic Denicola.

The Eastleigh Voice | Secondary Education

Kenya’s Basic Education Institutions Surge in 2024

“Kenya’s education sector recorded a dramatic expansion in 2024, with the total number of basic learning institutions jumping by 38.8 per cent to 129,463, up from 93,281 in 2023…

Pre-primary school enrolment increased to 2.91 million pupils in 2024, up from 2.88 million in 2023…

Total secondary school enrolment grew by 5.2 per cent to 4.32 million.”

From The Eastleigh Voice.

Nature | Education & Literacy

ChatGPT’s Great Effect on Students’ Learning Performance

“As a new type of artificial intelligence, ChatGPT is becoming widely used in learning. However, academic consensus regarding its efficacy remains elusive. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of ChatGPT in improving students’ learning performance, learning perception, and higher-order thinking through a meta-analysis of 51 research studies published between November 2022 and February 2025. The results indicate that ChatGPT has a large positive impact on improving learning performance (g = 0.867) and a moderately positive impact on enhancing learning perception (g = 0.456) and fostering higher-order thinking (g = 0.457).”

From Nature.

World Bank | Primary Education

Sub-Saharan Africa Makes Strides in Female Education

“In 2023, for instance, primary completion stood at approximately 70 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)– the region with the lowest rate of primary education completion. SSA is nevertheless the region that has also made the most dramatic improvements over the past two decades– especially for girls. The female completion rate has increased from 48.5 percent in the year 2000 to 68.5 percent in 2023 – almost catching up to the completion rate of boys (71.3 percent in 2023).”

From World Bank.