Converting a Webinar into a Learning Event with Google NotebookLM and Other Tools

The AAPG Enhanced Geothermal Systems webinar has been enhanced to make it possible to have an education version. The video now has learning objectives, multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and a learning guide. Ideal for demonstrating knowledge in a quickly-evolving area of geothermal development and energy generation, and for incorporating in college / university courses in geosciences, energy, environmental science, an d more. The webinar was recorded using Zoom, and pdfs of the PowerPoint presentations were available, which was ideal since Google NotebookLM does not accommodate PowerPoint. 

Link to the webinar: https://youtu.be/mM3NtUAOyec

https://youtu.be/mM3NtUAOyec 

The learning objectives appear in the notes of the video, and the notes and assessments are available by request. Let's share the learning opportunity!

Here's the description of the webinar, and the learning objectives are listed below. I used Google LM to help me create them, and was impressed.  

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are dramatically changing the landscape of geothermal energy, and it is a place where oil and gas technologies are being successfully deployed in the development of the resource. Join geothermal experts to compare enhanced geothermal systems with other geothermal resources along with subsurface characterization. Then, we'll look at where there are currently knowledge gaps and challenges, and explore possible solutions and project economics. We will close with an overview of what the USGS is doing to develop prospectivity and assessment using USGS basin and EGS modeling. This webinar is presented by the AAPG EMD Geothermal Committee, led by Nicole Wagoner, University of Nevada-Reno. Eric Stautberg, Colorado School of Mines Jabs Aljubran, NREL Justin Birdwell, USGS Nicole Wagoner, University of Nevada - Reno Susan Nash, AAPG Would you like to use this webinar as a module in your course?

Here are LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Identify the key characteristics of EGS resources, including their reliance on engineering permeability in hot, otherwise impermeable rock units, often referred to as "hot dry rock".

• Describe the current state of geothermal energy in the US, including where utility-scale electricity is generated, its contribution to the national energy portfolio, and the US's global standing in geothermal production.

• Explain the basic concept of an EGS, including the process of creating an engineered reservoir through hydraulic, chemical, or thermal stimulation, and the circulation of working fluid to extract heat

• Differentiate between various power plant types used for geothermal electricity generation, with a focus on binary cycle power plants as the typical choice for EGS applications.

• Discuss the benefits of EGS, such as its potential to expand geothermal availability beyond traditional hydrothermal areas, provide clean, baseload energy with limited intermittency, and its low greenhouse gas emissions.

• Outline the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) methodology for assessing EGS potential in sedimentary basins, including the inputs used (e.g., heat flow maps, 3D temperature maps, bottom hole temperatures) and the consideration of various efficiencies.

• Identify specific sedimentary basins where USGS basin modeling tools are being applied for EGS assessments, such as the Williston Basin, Denver-Julesburg Basin, and Onshore U.S. Gulf Coast.

• Explain the concept of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) as an economic metric for EGS projects and how recent improvements in drilling efficiency have impacted EGS cost

Assessments that tie to the learning objectives (Multiple Choice, Short Answer) are available by request. In addition, a learning guide is also available by request.

PROCESS NOTE: I enjoyed using Google NotebookLM https://notebooklm.google/ as a part of the process. It was remarkably easy to do so since I had an audio file from the webinar that I could upload. I could have uploaded the transcript of the webinar, too. I also had two PowerPoints. Google NotebookLM points to locations in the uploaded original instructional materials files that correspond to the learning objectives, the questions, and the learning guide.

In working with Google NotebookLM, it's all about the way that the prompts are phrased and created. The fact that it uses a RAG model approach makes it easy to check for accuracy if you're a course writer or instructional designer, and not the subject matter expert.

How to Achieve Your Goals Using the SMART Method 🎓

The start of a new school year is the perfect time to set new goals, but it can be hard to know where to begin. The SMART framework is a simple, effective tool to help you set yourself up for a successful year.

Please watch the video: https://youtu.be/xav8p6ZpGYI?si=DkBspvmj6DCfIiiG  

What Does SMART Mean?

• S - Specific: Be specific and clear about what you want to achieve. Instead of a general goal like "I want to get more exercise," a specific goal would be "I will walk for 45 minutes every day."

• M - Measurable: Your goal should be measurable so you can track your progress. For example, the 45 minutes of walking is a measurable unit of time.

• A - Achievable: Make sure your goal is something you can realistically accomplish. If 45 minutes seems like too much, you can break it down into smaller, more manageable segments throughout your day.

• R - Relevant: Your goal should be relevant to your life and aspirations. In this example, walking is relevant because it has positive physical and emotional health benefits, which will help you succeed in school.

• T - Time-bound: Set a timeframe for your goal. This could be a deadline, or, in the case of daily walking, a clear start date, like "I will start walking 45 minutes a day, starting tomorrow."

By using the SMART framework, you can transform a vague idea into a concrete plan for success. What are your SMART goals for the new school year? Share them in the comments!

Problems formatting your articles using APA or MLA? Watch this video: https://youtu.be/dipEba5hTW4?si=CHPh23lDFj0qP1FU 

Does Trupeer Live Up to the Hype? Rapidly Converting a Basic Video into Polished Product with Guides, AI Voice, and Avatars

Please join me as I try out Trupeer in real time, using a video I just made (which you can check out here) on leveraging situated learning for writing courses. I had a lot of fun generating a script for my 2-minute video, then adding effects, substituting my voice for an AI voice, adding background music, and then, translating everything to Spanish and then Russian!

Trupeer, a start-up, just successfully attracted $3million in seed funding, so I expect that there will be additional features in the future. 

I am demonstrating the different voices and avatar selections. 

The only drawback is that I was using ScreenPal to create the video, and it did not pick up the voice generated by the video.  That was probably a settings issue. I would try again, but then you would not get a chance to see me actually try out TruPeer for the first time in real-time to get a sense of the ease of use and the overall UX. 

This is a follow-up to my first "discovery" video (https://youtu.be/2n8rwbOG9qY) where I tried out TruPeer (https://www.trupeer.ai/) for the first time and found the experience to be extremely intuitive, engaging, and something that sparks creativity and self-confidence. 

For this video, I went back to the 2-minute video I uploaded to show the results of trying out the AI voice-over, transcripts, AI avatar, and translation, along with other features.  You'll see how easily I was able to produce a professional end-result.  

This is my "live" first plunge into the program; unfortunately, I did not record the voices - check out the video I made after this one for a demonstration of the voices. 

I was a bit disappointed by the selection of voices and avatars, and was surprised that the avatars did not sync along with the voice. 

I was very impressed with the transcript and the ease of use.  I played around with my original video, filmed in English, then translated the transcript to Spanish and Russian. The transcript and AI voice were both in the target language. It was fun, and a great way to practice your languages! 

Let me know your thoughts.  What's the best application for TruPeer?

Text-to-Video in AI-Enhanced Training and Marketing Modules: Testing Synthesia's Platform

Synthesia https://www.synthesia.io/ is a platform that generates video from text to create product promotion videos, narrated training videos, corporate onboarding and more.  

My first reaction was “wow!” and imagined an AI-powered app that would read a short story or training storyboard and create a full animation based on it.  So, my expectations were really high, and I was envisioning creating videos that could change the world – or at least generate serviceable learning and training videos, and perhaps even creative work. 

Here's a video I made, where I walk through the platform and also play the brief video I made: https://youtu.be/AMJDR67IaXA?si=gx2NXDfmxyATazi1 

I misunderstood the capabilities of the platform, but still, when I experimented with it, I was impressed with what could be done. Basically, Synthesia centers itself around a cast of avatars which are based on real actors, and they can be used to narrate the text in training and promotional videos.  The images and voices are generated from AI.  To deploy the avatars in productive ways, Synthesia has developed templates, which are professionally designed and which have built in some basics of instructional design and marketing.  On the instructional design side of things, they are not as rigorous as they could be, and it’s clear that these templates are points of departure, but not the end product. 

What I liked most about Synthesia:

·      I love the name!  It could be a goddess in ancient Greek mythology, especially if you pronounce it Sin-TAY-zee-a. 

·      Ease of use is a major “plus” – fit for purpose templates reduce the time of content development, and the fact they are modifiable is a huge “plus.”

·      Excellent selection of avatars – they are amazing. The voices are nice, too. That said, the platform allows you to represent yourself or any other person who upload their own videos. 

·      Templates – whether they be for training or product marketing, the templates feature branching scenarios for adaptive learning, corporate training (compliance, etc.), softskill training, product marketing

·      Collaborative capabilities: the platform allows multiple collaborators, and in the case of boo-boos, version history for recovery of work

·      The platform claims to have the ability to translate into 145 languages. It does not say how well, accurately, or idiomatically such a task would be performed.  My personal feeling is, “Don’t hold your breath” and my second thought was “Caution! Never release unchecked and unreviewed from AI into the wild!!!!”

What I liked less about Synthesia:

·      The first thing I noticed when I tried out the program was that Synthesia must review the script and if there is anything that aligns with the program’s “trigger” words, the whole project will be shut down. I experienced that myself.  I thought it would be fun to see how Synthesia tackled the idea of marketing / promoting a novel, Todos Santos, which is both sci-fi and horror, with some zombie elements along with scary technology and a deranged scientist. Welp. Synthesia said “NO” and would not stomach such project. I get it. A rogue scientist creating zombies is not a universally appealing premise. That said, what happens if you are doing medical training or launching a medical product? Will you be censored? 

·      I was really disappointed in the voice-over and the awkward phrasings and pronunciations.  I don’t know how easily one can train the voice, but it’s important. Since the main area of competitive advantage for this product is the idea that you can use an AI avatar instead of voice talent or actors, this is an important point. I guess it depends on what you want your ultimate level of quality to be. 

·      A final little quibble is that the learning templates did not have assessments built in, and I would have hoped for multiple choice quizzes at the very least. 

Final Thoughts

It is fascinating to see how products are being developed that utilize AI in various products.  They test assumptions about how people learn best online, and also encourage engagement.  

As in the case of all AI products, there are ethical issues – for example, in recording and training your own avatar, there could be potential for abuse. Where does the new content reside?  Is your image now in the Synthesia cloud and not actually owned or controlled by you?  Just wondering… 

Bruce Goff, Brilliant Rebel Architect -- Good luck with building permits today!

I’ve always been captivated by the unconventional, the visionary, and the beautifully strange—and no architect embodies those qualities quite like Bruce Goff. His work speaks to me not just as an admirer of design, but as someone who values creativity that refuses to be boxed in by tradition. Goff’s use of unexpected materials—coal, glass cullet, feathers—and his imaginative, almost dreamlike structures make me feel like architecture can transcend mere function and become something poetic, deeply personal, and alive.

So, yes, I love Bruce Goff’s architecture – it’s fanciful, strange, utilitarian, drab, dramatic – and I’m just starting my list of adjectives. 

Since I grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, I feel a special connection to Bruce Goff. Even though he was born in Kansas, his long association with Oklahoma—especially through his work at the University of Oklahoma and the unforgettable Bavinger House—makes him feel like a kindred spirit. It inspires me to think that someone from this place, someone shaped by the same winds and skies, could create art that shook the foundations of architectural convention and opened new realms of possibility.

But what I’m sure of is that it’s not and never has been easy to explain to permitting and zoning people.  I think that’s why so many of the wilder architectural experiments have been built out in the country, far from city limits.  Was it necessary to obtain a permit to build the Bavinger House built on farmland northeast of Norman, Oklahoma.  Given that the main design looks like a cross between a Fibonacci sequence, a spiral, rock candy stuck on long thin wires, and some sort of medieval haystack, I doubt it.  It was a round structure with part of it subterranean – really amazing and fascinating, but I think that it was designed to essentially self-destruct by auto-disintegration, and that’s exactly what happened.  I could provide the details, but it’s easy enough to look them up.  I do remember seeing the structure when I was young, but after it became impossibly structurally unsound, it was demolished. It’s a shame, but it might have been rather horrendous to try to keep it from falling apart.  Like other Oklahoma home-growns, the cottonwoods, some just start shedding limbs and rotting from inside out once they hit a certain age.  Not every tree is a sequoia. 

But really – take a good look at the Bavinger House (photo taken before it crumbled into ruin and had to be demolished).  How do you keep those rocks suspended in air?? 

 

The Bavinger House (before it was demolished) in Norman, Oklahoma

On the other end of the spectrum is the Spotlight Theatre building on Riverside Drive between the 11th Street Bridge and 14th Street.  It’s a plain white blocky Bauhaus-esque building with an amazing circular window that is filled with rectangular panes of stained glass, and then rectangular windows and lights along the building. With the paucity of windows, it does have something of a bunker appearance, and it’s hard to imagine really enjoying being inside since there might be illumination coming from the panes of stained glass in the round window, and the too-narrow-for-escape, but literally no view.  I guess any and all air flow would come from the HVAC system, and ingress / egress would be in doors. There must be many doors in the building.  Otherwise, who on earth would issue such a dangerous building any permits??  This is particularly the case since it is a theatre, and appears to have a seating capacity of a hundred or so.  Originally, it was designed as an personal home.  There again, I have to wonder about permits.  Each room is supposed to have two methods of escape.  I just do not see how this building could satisfy such a requirement. That’s not to say it’s not a cool building.  It’s an amazing building and I have taken many, many photos of it.  The building behind the theatre was also designed by Goff and it’s definitely more traditional with windows. It is equally Bauhausian. 

The Spotlight Theatre on Riverside Drive in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The depth and breadth of Goff’s vision are amazing, and I often wonder how he was able to be so prolific and also to be so dramatically divergent in his styles.  Some of the influences seem to be consistently recognizable – Frank Lloyd Wright and Antonio Gaudi come to mind. There are also elements of Le Corbusier (thinking of the Riverside Drive buildings in Tulsa). 

I wonder if Goff kept notebooks, sketches, journals, and records of his ideas. They would be very interesting. I just did a bit of digging and yes, Goff’s archives are held by The Art Institute of Chicago and they are impressive: 

• 200 linear feet (263 boxes), 12 portfolios, 7 oversize portfolios, 12 tubes, and flatfile materials

It’s a shame that they’re not at the University of Oklahoma, but then again, he was fired and was not treated very well at all toward the end.  I have read conflicting accounts. 

Five Iconic Bruce Goff Works in Oklahoma

The Bavinger House (Norman, OK) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavinger_House)

A spiral structure built from native stone, glass cullet, and suspended platforms. It exemplified Goff’s organic architecture and whimsical material use. Though it was tragically demolished, it remains legendary.

Ledbetter House (Norman, OK) (https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2010/08/15/historic-home-in-norman-earns-national-acclaim/61296204007/)

Located near the University of Oklahoma, this is one of Goff’s preserved masterpieces. It features cantilevered roof elements and a dramatic geometric layout. It is still a private residence and a symbol of Goff’s lasting presence in Norman.

Prichard House (Oklahoma City, OK) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pricilla_Myers_House)

Also known as the Joe D. Price House, this residence has been described as a fusion of Eastern influences and American modernism. The structure is known for its richly detailed textures and luxurious materials.

Shin'enKan (Bartlesville, OK) (https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=SH027)

Commissioned by collector Joe D. Price, this residence and museum incorporated Japanese aesthetics. Though it burned in 1996, it remains one of Goff's most spiritually rich and visually poetic designs.

Boston Avenue Methodist Church (Tulsa, OK) (https://tulsaworld.com/archive/bruce-goffs-boston-avenue-church/article_46d6ff6c-02d4-578b-8313-2205df88ff3b.html)

Though designed primarily by Adah Robinson with Goff’s involvement, this Art Deco marvel stands as one of Oklahoma’s most iconic churches. Goff’s early input helped shape its bold verticality and ornamentation.

Understanding the Whole Person

Although I've read articles, walked by houses and building designed by him, and taken many photos, I still do not feel as though I understand Bruce Goff, the person.  The more I study his work, the more intrigued I am. I think it would be worth a trip to the Chicago Art Institute, and definitely worth reading more about the people he grew up with, worked with, and dreamed with as they commissioned his work.