Maximising Research Efficiency: Comparing Adobe Acrobat AI and ChatGPT for Summarising Educational Research
I recently came across an article in the most recent edition of the Journal of the Academy of Special Education Professionals entitled “Raising Expectations in Literacy for Students with Extensive Support Needs Using Multiliteracies.” The journal’s web site offers PDF versions of their articles, so I decided to check out some of the new AI functions of Adobe Acrobat.
Here’s the Adobe AI generated summary of the article:
“This document discusses the implementation of multiliteracies in classrooms for students with extensive support needs.
Multiliteracies extend literacy practices to include various modes of communication.
Teachers of students with extensive support needs often lack knowledge of multiliteracies.
Implementing multiliteracies can improve literacy outcomes for students with ESN.
The four knowledge processes of multiliteracies are experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying.
Teachers can use various modes of expression in multiliteracies, such as written, oral, visual, audio, tactile, gestural, and spatial.
The process of implementing multiliteracies involves designing experiences, pre-teaching skills, and implementing the four knowledge processes.
Examples of implementing multiliteracies include creating a digital multimodal book and teaching life sciences through hands-on activities.
Multiliteracies can be applied in various content areas, including science, social studies, math, and vocational skills.
The pedagogy of multiliteracies provides opportunities for students with ESN to develop higher-level skills and demonstrate competence.
Multiliteracies can improve students' engagement, self-esteem, and social interactions.”
This is very accurate, but misses the forest for the trees. This isn’t the “main idea” type of summary. These are the “supporting details.”
When I asked ChatGPT4o to provide a summary of the article, here’s what it produced:
“The paper "Raising Expectations in Literacy for Students with Extensive Support Needs Using Multiliteracies" by Sudha V. Krishnan, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, explores the concept of multiliteracies as a means to enhance literacy education for students with extensive support needs (ESN). Multiliteracies extend traditional literacy practices to include various modes such as visual, audio, gestural, and spatial, which can engage students more effectively regardless of their language fluency or learning modality. The paper highlights the challenges teachers face in implementing multiliteracies due to a lack of familiarity and provides a framework based on four knowledge processes: experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying. Through case studies and examples, the paper demonstrates how these processes can be applied in the classroom to foster higher-level literacy skills and improve teacher perceptions of student abilities. By integrating multiliteracies, the paper argues that educators can provide more meaningful and challenging literacy experiences, ultimately enhancing the social, emotional, vocational, and leisure outcomes for students with ESN.”
Some issues with the Adobe AI
I asked the Adobe AI, “How might a gestalt language processor struggle in such a classroom?” Here’s what it said:
“A gestalt language processor might struggle in a multiliteracies classroom due to the following reasons:
Difficulty with non-verbal communication, such as understanding facial expressions, gestures, and body language.
Limited ability to process multiple modes of expression simultaneously.
Challenges with abstract or symbolic representation.
Difficulty with flexible thinking and problem-solving.
Challenges with social interactions and engaging in collaborative activities.
It is important for teachers to provide appropriate support and accommodations to address these challenges and ensure the inclusion and participation of gestalt language processors in the classroom.”
It’s a bit brief.
In both cases, the original analysis and the response to the prompt, it was brief and superficial.
Here’s ChatGPT 4o’s response to the same prompt:
“As a Gestalt Language Processor (GLP), you might experience both unique challenges and opportunities in a classroom that utilizes multiliteracies. Here’s a breakdown of how you might struggle or succeed:
Challenges:
Holistic Processing Needs:
Fragmented Information: Multiliteracies often involve diverse, multimodal inputs (visuals, audio, text, etc.), which might feel fragmented and overwhelming to a GLP who processes information holistically.
Integration Difficulties: You might struggle with integrating various forms of information into a cohesive understanding if presented in disjointed manners.
Overstimulation:
Sensory Overload: The use of multiple sensory modalities can lead to overstimulation, making it challenging to focus and process information effectively.
Attention Management: Managing attention across different modes (e.g., visual, auditory) simultaneously can be difficult.
Success Opportunities:
Strength in Multimodal Learning:
Visual and Gestural Strengths: As a GLP, you might excel in understanding and engaging with visual and gestural modes of communication, which are integral to multiliteracies.
Holistic Meaning-Making: Your natural inclination to see the big picture can help you connect different modes and make holistic sense of the material.
Engagement through Interests:
High-Interest Content: Multiliteracies often involve high-interest and relevant content, which can increase your engagement and motivation to learn.
Personalized Learning: The framework allows for personalized and meaningful learning experiences, which can align well with your holistic processing style.
Collaborative and Experiential Learning:
Experience-Based Learning: Engaging in real-life experiences and situational learning aligns well with your preference for holistic understanding and can enhance your learning outcomes.
Collaborative Activities: Working on projects that involve storytelling, multimedia presentations, or creative expression can leverage your strengths in gestalt processing.
Strategies for Success:
Structured Integration:
Scaffolded Learning: Using scaffolded approaches that gradually integrate multiple modes can help manage the information overload and allow for better integration of knowledge.
Clear Connections: Teachers can help by making explicit connections between different modes of information, aiding your holistic understanding.
Sensory Management:
Controlled Environment: Finding ways to control the sensory environment (e.g., using headphones for audio input, limiting visual clutter) can help manage overstimulation.
Breaks and Focused Activities: Taking breaks and focusing on one mode at a time before integrating can help manage attention and processing.
Utilizing Strengths:
Leveraging Visual and Gestural Skills: Engage deeply with visual and gestural activities, such as drawing, diagramming, and using body movements to understand concepts.
Holistic Projects: Participate in projects that allow for holistic expression, such as creating multimedia stories or presentations that synthesize various modes into a coherent narrative.
By recognizing these potential challenges and leveraging your strengths, you can navigate and thrive in a multiliteracies classroom.”
Some thoughts …
I come across a lot of research that I don’t want to read, at least I don’t want to read dozens upon dozens of pages if it’s only marginally related to my work or interests. In this case, my being a literacy specialist, I wanted to see if there was any value in the article but I lacked time to really engage with it. So, in cases like these, I’ll ask the LLM, usually ChatGPT, to provide a summary.
Adobe AI, within Acrobat, is a new feature. I honestly don’t know enough about it to comment thoroughly. I subscribe to the entire Creative Cloud, so I pay monthly for the suite of tools that includes the full version of Acrobat. Thus, the Acrobat’s AI functions don’t come at an added price. Likewise, I subscribe to ChatGPT, so I get the latest version with the best functionality.
Additionally, the new features of ChatGPT 4o have “memory.” This means it remembers all previous queries. It knows that I am a GLP, for example. That’s why it responded to me directly - assuming I was asking about this in relation to how I might experience the classroom environment. I could have modified the prompt slightly to indicate how the “average GLP” might experience the classroom.
The Follow-Up …
I wanted to test the Acrobat AI a bit more, to see how it would do with a follow up question. Here’s the prompt, “Given the concept of multiliteracies, provide a definition of multiliteracy that includes how the different language processing styles (analytic vs gestalt) will experience it.”
Here’s the response:
“Multiliteracy can be defined as a pedagogical approach that expands traditional notions of literacy by incorporating multiple modes of expression, such as written, oral, visual, audio, tactile, gestural, and spatial, to create and interpret meaning.
It recognizes that individuals have different language processing styles, including analytic and gestalt.
For individuals with an analytic language processing style, multiliteracy offers opportunities to engage with texts and information in a systematic and sequential manner, while individuals with a gestalt language processing style perceive information holistically and rely on patterns, visual cues, and overall context to understand and interpret meaning.
In a multiliteracies classroom, both analytic and gestalt language processors can benefit from a range of activities and modes of expression, such as reading and writing, analyzing and categorizing information, visualizing, synthesizing information, and engaging in hands-on or immersive experiences.
Teachers can provide a variety of resources, materials, and instructional strategies that cater to different language processing styles, promoting inclusive and engaging learning experiences for all students.”
And … here’s ChatGPT’s response to the same prompt:
“Definition of Multiliteracy:
Multiliteracy refers to the educational approach that expands traditional literacy to include multiple modes of communication and representation, such as visual, audio, gestural, spatial, and digital forms. This approach acknowledges the diverse ways individuals process and understand information, allowing for a more inclusive and engaging learning experience.
Multiliteracy and Language Processing Styles:
Analytic Language Processing:
Experience: Individuals with an analytic processing style often break down information into smaller, sequential parts. In a multiliteracy framework, they might benefit from structured, step-by-step presentations of information across different modes.
Engagement: These learners might engage deeply with detailed textual analysis, sequential audio explanations, and precise visual diagrams. The explicit connections between different modes can help them piece together a comprehensive understanding.
Challenges: They might struggle with the simultaneous integration of multiple modes if not presented in a clear, linear fashion.
Gestalt Language Processing:
Experience: Individuals with a gestalt processing style tend to perceive information holistically, focusing on the overall meaning and big picture. In a multiliteracy framework, they are likely to excel in understanding the interconnectedness of various modes.
Engagement: These learners might find multimodal presentations engaging and meaningful, as they can naturally synthesize visual, auditory, and spatial information into a cohesive whole. Creative and experiential projects are particularly beneficial.
Challenges: They might feel overwhelmed by fragmented or overly detailed information and might need support in breaking down tasks into manageable parts.
Inclusive Multiliteracy Practices:
To accommodate both analytic and gestalt processors, effective multiliteracy practices should:
Provide Clear Structure: Offer a clear, structured approach to presenting multimodal content, allowing analytic processors to follow a logical sequence.
Encourage Holistic Understanding: Allow opportunities for holistic engagement, where gestalt processors can see the big picture and integrate different modes seamlessly.
Scaffold Learning: Use scaffolding techniques to help both types of processors make connections between different modes of information.
Offer Flexible Modalities: Provide a range of activities and projects that cater to both detailed analysis and holistic synthesis, ensuring that all learners can find entry points that match their processing styles.
By embracing multiliteracies, educators can create a more inclusive and dynamic learning environment that supports the diverse cognitive styles of all students.”
I like how ChatGPT provided some information on how to make the practice inclusive, which was missing from the Acrobat response.
Finally …
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this quick peek into my process. I really rely upon these tools to sift the large volumes of information I receive on a daily basis. When compiling the research around my latest book, Holistic Language Instruction, ChatGPT’s quick and accurate summaries were a massive time saver. LLMs like ChatGPT are nowhere near being able to generate 100% accurate content, so checking some elements of the response is a vital best practice. But for summaries, they tend to do OK.