Marcus Green

UK based programmer, Writer and Teacher, advocate of Free/Libre software. Author of the Moodle Gapfill, WordSelect and AIText question types.
AIText uses an external LLM to give feedback on quiz question responses.

https://github.com/marcusgreen/moodle-qtype_aitext

I developed fairly significant #Tourettes around the year 2005.

Public Key

npub1h4d544vfux5yvp20kmauz86gruez5p39srm2m6uk7xf5p5hm42yqy8nmje

NIP-05 Address

marcusgreen@fosstodon-org.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqst6k626ky7r2zxq48md77prayp7v32qcjcpa4dawt0ry6q6ta64zqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qzxthwden5te0wfjkccte9eeks6t5vehhycm99ehkuegfvur8e

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

relay.shitforce.one

nostr.coinfundit.com

Author Public Key

npub1h4d544vfux5yvp20kmauz86gruez5p39srm2m6uk7xf5p5hm42yqy8nmje

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Last Notes

2025-06-07 19:01:47

I recently ran some of my #Moodle #PHP plugin code through a #AI #LLM system asking for suggestions. One of the suggestions for a comment was absolutely amazing and showed incredible insight into the purpose of the code. I was really impressed.
Then I took a look at the existing code and realised I had written the comment myself.

2025-06-02 20:28:42

This is your monthly reminder that #AI #Investment such as the money borrowed by #OpenAI for it’s #ChatGPT product is part of a financial #bubble and it will burst. Anything that can’t go on forever will eventually stop.

2025-05-29 18:31:42

I have been thinking about how to allow more flexible prompting for my #Moodle #AIText question type. At the moment the prompt entered into the editing form is “wrapped”, which limits what a question author can do. I have created a github wiki page that proposes a “raw” mode to allow full flexibility for more experienced developers.
You can see the description here
https://github.com/marcusgreen/moodle-qtype_aitext/wiki/Raw-prompt-mode
Feedback appreciated
#EdTech #Education #AI #LLM

2025-05-13 19:26:51

I am currently listening to the audiobook version of
AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference.
I am not so interested in the coverage of “predictive AI” as that seems obviously “Snake Oil”, but I found the coverage of Generative AI very interesting. The free Kindle sample gives a good feeling for the book.
#AI #LLM #ChatGPT

2025-05-11 16:15:09

An academic paper has been published that uses my #Moodle #AIText #question. AIText uses an external #AI #LLM system to evaluate free text responses to questions.
The paper is called
“Exploring AI to automate EFL corrective written feedback in the first language”
And covers use for English Language learners in Japan.
You can read it at
https://www.castledown.com/journals/tltl/article/view/tltl.v7n1.2208
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/490/084/863/846/386/original/ba07a9ea4a5fca20.png

2025-05-11 06:02:26

Matt Bury https://fosstodon.org/@matbury@mastodon.online has written a summary of a paper that highlights weaknesses in recent studies & outlines principles for conducting research that focuses on real learning outcomes using #AIThis bit jumped out at me.
“No-intervention” control groups (comparing AI to doing nothing) show only that AI is better than no support, offering limited insight into its instructional quality compared to alternative methods.”
https://matbury.com/wordpress/index.php/2025/05/09/position-paper-issues-principles-for-ai-in-learning-research/
#edtech #learning #LLM #aitext

2025-04-24 20:08:27

- reply

@nprofile…wryu
The saying "you don't get the ginger, you won't get your supper" is a proverb that emphasizes the importance of preparation and diligence in achieving a desired outcome. In this case, it means that if you don't have the necessary ingredient (ginger), you won't be able to complete the dish (supper). The proverb highlights the idea that neglecting a small detail can have a significant impact on the overall result.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Ginger as a Symbol:
bla bla bla

2025-04-21 20:34:52

I am doing a new test install of the Mebis-lp Local AI Manager plugin for #Moodle 5. The #LLM options look interesting and I may explore the Google Gemini option
https://github.com/mebis-lp/moodle-local_ai_manager
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/377/857/450/850/980/original/628ae47d99fddab7.png

2025-04-14 21:39:45

I have briefly tested my #AIText #question type with #Moodle 5 and it appears to work as expected. It gives feedback and (optionally) marks to a student response based on prompt to the #LLM. In this case it was OpenAI with gpt-4.1 With thanks to @nprofile…4eds who gave me an essential hint about the code.
My next stop will be to test against
https://github.com/mebis-lp/moodle-local_ai_manager
Which is the Mebis-lp (Bavaria) AI back end which is a good alternative to the core Moodle AI subsystem.
#LLM #AI #ChatGPT
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/338/473/014/795/135/original/d93d69f5602fe233.png

2025-04-08 18:56:50

I had rented a #hosted #RaspberryPi from @nprofile…sszg on a month by month basis. After just under a month of playing I decided I didn’t want to continue the subscription as I didn’t really have a use for it. I emailed them to cancel the subscription.
I got confirmation the same day, a small credit note (wasn’t expecting that) and an email discussion about what other services I might buy from them.
Read about their simple cancellation policy here
https://www.mythic-beasts.com/blog/2024/10/18/simple-cancellation

2025-04-08 10:12:04

If you are interested in #inclusivity and the use of #AI and use of #LLM systems like #ChatGPT Jon Fila is a good person to know about
https://inclusiveaistrategies.com/

2025-04-07 13:34:49

https://xwiki.com/en/Blog/European-digital-sovereignty/
"The CLOUD Act of 2018 lets U.S. authorities demand data from American companies even when that data is stored in Europe. This means that even if European businesses follow strict rules like GDPR, European data can still fall under U.S. legal scrutiny. "
#eu #sovereignty #technology #cloud

2025-04-02 15:51:13

2025-03-26 21:08:48

A user of my #Moodle #AIText question type (free text with #LLM feedback) was telling me how they supplied as much as possible of the answers in the #prompt to improve the quality of responses. This reminded me that no matter how interested I am in how my code is used, there is no substitute for it being used “in anger” by a real #teacher.
(*anger is used as a metaphor in this context, I prefer it if teachers are not actually angry when using my plugins)
https://github.com/marcusgreen/moodle-qtype_aitext
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/230/771/817/373/528/original/014acc7510720aac.png

2025-03-07 22:48:37

Brief introduction to #AI in the #classroom from Cambridge University
https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswaic/
#edtech #education

2025-03-06 21:08:57

The response I got from @nprofile…sszg about my recent post reminded me of their no-support staff policy.
https://www.mythic-beasts.com/blog/2022/10/21/the-secret-to-great-technical-support-no-support-staff/
I had a couple of questions about setting up the Pi 4 I have hosted with them and they responded very quickly and knowlegably (sp?)
#RaspberryPi #hosting #service

2025-03-01 19:02:26

This is your monthly reminder that #AI #Investment such as the money borrowed by #OpenAI for it’s #ChatGPT product is part of a financial bubble and it will burst.

2025-02-28 08:57:25

I have just replied on linked in to this
"there is no longer ANY way to actually secure assessment."
I responded
“Have you considered the possibility of getting to know students and also randomly having a short conversation with them afterwards to see if they have understood what they submitted.
To give it gravitas it could be given a latin name, perhaps Viva (though I am suggesting a very short version). I know it would cost money/teacher time ...”
#education #edtech #cheating #AI #chatgpt

2025-02-27 06:38:15

I have Moot envy!.
Last year I went to #MoodleMoot Japan and it was wonderful. This year I am home in (old) York with online glimpses of this years #MootJapan2025. I would especially like to be there for Professor Gordon Batesons
“AI and Moodle: why how and what”
presentation. Gordon has been involved with #Moodle since at least 2003 (yes 03 not 23) and is very knowledgeable of both education and education technology.
https://moodlejapan.org/course/view.php?id=107
#ai #moodle #moodleai #edtech #japan
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/074/462/711/099/245/original/48cf432dc69e3a1d.png

2025-02-26 10:13:29

I find it useful when reading headlines to invert the premise of the article. For example, imagine a headline that said almost no University students were using generative #AI such as #ChatGPTwhen completing assignments. What would be your take away from that?. See this article from the #Guardian newspaper.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/feb/26/uk-universities-warned-to-stress-test-assessments-as-92-of-students-use-ai

2025-02-21 13:22:17

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
Nooooo don't read it.... (unless you are in dire need of a cure for insomnia)...
I

2025-02-21 09:20:54

My new AI Tower computer has a NVIDEA 12GB 3060 GPU and 32GB of RAM. It runs #LLM 32b (ish) models with #Ollama nicely but it won’t run 70b models without more RAM.
Could I get opinions on the benefits of 70b models vs 32b models. My long term purpose is to research LLM and #AI usage for #edtech, especially #evaluativeai for #Moodle

2025-02-20 14:56:56

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
Here was part of my scheme to get rich quick using Java.....
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/036/790/771/080/087/original/7199258fd813b11e.png

2025-02-20 14:49:56

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
My apologies if my response sounds querelous, I really don't mean to be. It is just that I followed the early days of Java very closely.

2025-02-20 14:02:43

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
I suspect I have read every interview with the the founder and lead designer of Java James Gosling
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gosling
And I don't recall him ever saying that the main purpose of Java was for Kitchen and Household appliances.
It was designed to be suited to embedded applications but at the time it was being designed there would have been very few domestic appliances that could run any form of JVM.

2025-02-15 06:53:48

I have spent £672 (inc VAT) on a new computer to experiment with #AI #LLM systems. This is mainly for #moodle #edtech experimentation.
Specification
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600
Memory: Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics: Palit RTX 3060 12GB
I have configured #Ollama and downloaded several models. It will load and run qwen:32b
I will post the results of some of my tests. I welcome any suggestions for models/prompts and suggestions for “what I should have bought is a …” ideas.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/114/006/577/349/652/354/original/25a03cacee232ad1.png

2025-02-14 23:40:31

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
Do you have a reference for that?

2025-02-14 23:40:31

- reply

@nprofile…pp8q
Do you have a reference for that?

2025-02-13 08:07:33

#Edtech AI Benchmarks
I have replied to a question on the #Moodle forums about cost, performance and security of integrating #AI with Moodle.
I have mentioned my cost experience with #OpenAI and #ChatGPT but although I have been working with it for over a year I don’t have much experience with live use of Moodle with AI. Would people like to give feedback on my responses?
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=466024#p1870813

2025-02-11 22:16:54

#Moollama?
Adam Jenkins has made an excellent 30 minute video on how #Moodle can be integrated with #Ollama to provide #LLM #AI services from a locally hosted computer. It is like #OpenAI without the #privacy and data sovereignty concerns.
He answers many questions that come up when doing this sort of setup in his usual engaging and humorous manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9VfQ-5_Qyk

2025-02-11 08:55:29

- reply

@nprofile…cee8
"No selfhosting please."
Oooh email hosting is one thing best left to others.
I have an account with http://mailbox.org which seems fine. Hosted in Germany

2025-02-07 10:08:16

Why self host #AI in #Education?
Apart from data sovereignty and privacy reasons there is consistency. If your #LLM is externally hosted, e.g. #ChatGPT you are never exactly sure of the model or how long it will be supported.
Responses from LLM’s can be inconsistent at the best of times, but if the model changes without you knowing responses can be even more unpredictable.
This is why tools like #ollama matter
https://ollama.com/

2025-01-24 15:46:17

Rather than purely generative #AI I consider my #Moodle #GPL #AIText question type to be "Evaluative AI". By this I mean that rather than refining and summarising text, or generating new text it breaks down text it is given and then evaluates it. This might be seen as a Marketing difference rather than a technical difference, but I am fine with that if it helps understanding…..
https://github.com/marcusgreen/moodle-qtype_aitext/wiki/Evaluative-AI