1 . Teachers across America are struggling to decide whether to view artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT as friends or enemies in the classroom. Our study on whether AI affects student creativity shows that the answer isn’t always simple.

In the study, we asked college students to brainstorm — without technology — all the ways a paper clip can be used. A month later, we asked them to do the same, but using ChatGPT. We found that AI can be a useful brainstorming tool, quickly generating ideas that can spark creative exploration. But there are also potential negative effects on students’ creative thinking skills and self-confidence. While students reported that it was helpful to “have another brain”, they also felt that using AI was “the easy way out” and didn’t allow them to think on their own.

The results call for a thoughtful approach to using AI in classrooms and striking a balance that inspires students’ creativity while utilizing AI’s capabilities. The good news is that the students in our study generated more diverse and detailed ideas when using AI. They found that AI was useful for kick-starting brainstorming sessions.

When it comes to brainstorming with AI, some students voiced concerns about over-reliance on the technology, fearing it might hurt their own thoughts and, consequently, confidence in their creative abilities. Some students reported a “fixation of the mind”, meaning that once they saw the AI’s ideas, they had a hard time coming up with their own. Some students also questioned the originality of ideas generated by AI. Our research noted that while using ChatGPT improved students’ creative output individually, the AI’s ideas tended to be repetitive overall.

The study results indicate that allowing students to practice creativity independently first will strengthen their belief in themselves and their abilities. Once they complete this, AI can be useful in furthering their learning, much like teaching long division to students before introducing a calculator. That’s to say, teaching students to be creative thinkers rather than rely on AI for answers is the key to answering the question mentioned above.

2 . The French Woods Music Camp is one of the finest non-competitive, comprehensive summer camps in the United States. Kids who are enthusiastic about music (aged from 7 to 17 years old) are given instruction on all levels and perform in ensembles (合唱) based on their age, ability and schedule.

Working conductors and musicians are at the heart of the professional faculty for the Summer Music Camp at French Woods. The counselor staff consists of music students and young music professionals.

Unlike other music camps, French Woods doesn’t require campers to audition (试听) before the summer. Students at all skill levels are welcome to French Woods and will gain from the summer experience.

Both group and individual private lessons are available from the staff for all orchestral instruments, piano, drums, voice and guitar.

French Woods encourages a cooperative environment between music campers. With this spirit, French Woods’ classical symphony is able to perform a concert within two weeks from the start of camp. Other youth orchestras normally take months to be ready to perform.

Besides our youth symphony we have concert bands, a jazz program, and a great rock and roll camp. The Rock & Roll Camp has five rehearsal studios and a 36-track professional recording studio. Instead of just doing covers of other groups, the bands at French Woods are encouraged to create their own songs. Most rock campers leave with a professional level CD of their work for the summer.

The summer isn’t just about music. The campers have plenty of time each day to try the other activities at the camp like water sports, skateboarding, horseback riding and the theater camp.

Please give us a call (800 634-1703) to arrange a visit to the camp grounds or to talk to the camp executive staff.

3 . With the only giant pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, in the United Kingdom set to return to China from Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo, crowds have been gathering around the panda enclosure(围栏) to bid them farewell.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the conservation charity that owns and manages Edinburgh Zoo, said that the pandas will leave for China, but the exact date and time of departure will not be announced because of safety and security reasons.

Yang Guang, whose name means sunshine, and Tian Tian, whose name translates to sweetie, arrived at the Edinburgh Zoo in December 2011 as part of a 10-year agreement between the zoological society in Scotland and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The agreement was later extended by two years because of the pandemic.

Since their arrival, Yang Guang and Tian Tian have accumulated a great deal of public interest, and the BBC billed the panda enclosure as a “rock star” attraction that has been at the top of the must-see list of more than 600,000 visitors to the zoo each year. Vanessa Moreland-Strange and Andrew Strange, a couple living near Edinburgh, brought their two children to the zoo recently to say goodbye to the pandas. The family told China Daily they had visited the panda enclosure 28 times since 2018 and “every time was the best time”.

To bid farewell to Yang Guang and Tian Tian, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has been holding a series of events since January that have proved extremely popular. Activities priced between 30 and 500 pounds ($38 and $630) included a one-hour guided tour and behind-the-scenes experience to help the keepers feed Yang Guang. The tickets sold out in just 90 minutes. The zoological society members said the sales raised more than $53,280 and the money will be used by the charity to help save wildlife from extinction.

4 . Bing, also known as a Chinese pancake, is a traditional Chinese recipe, similar to pancakes. It is commonly made of dough (面团).     1    , be prepared to learn how to make these yummy recipes!

Step 1: Combine the ingredients

Combine the ingredients for the dough (flour, salt, and cooking oil). Knead (揉) the dough until it has a soft consistency that isn’t too wet. During this time, you can adjust the consistency, for example, by adding more oil or flour.     2    .

Step 2: Separate the dough

Separate the do ugh into different pieces, the size that you want.     3    , don’t separate it too much, and vice versa. You can use a rolling pin to help with making a circle. Chinese Pancake is commonly made in a circle shape, but can be any shape you want!

Step 3: Add spring onions

Add spring onions to the dough.     4     and sprinkle them on the bing. This gives the flavor for the cong you bing. The name “cong” in cong you bing actually refers to the spring onions. These can also be called scallions. green onions, and onions. You can also knead the dough again to mix the onion in.

Step 4: Fry both sides

Fry both sides of the pancake on low-medium heat until the sides are golden brown. It takes 3-5 minutes per side. Remember to take it out before the sides get dark brown. Fry for a short time if you want a soft pancake, and fry it for a longer time to make it crispier.

Step 5: Serve and enjoy!

    5    , but can be served in formal meals as well.

5 . Could short interactions with other people’s dogs really be good for us?

Nancy Gee, a professor from Virginia Commonwealth University, says there’s growing evidence that levels of the stress hormone cortisol (激素皮质醇) drop in people after just 5 to 20 minutes spent interacting with dogs — even if it’s not their own pet. “Also, we see increases in oxytocin, which is a feel-good kind of bonding hormone,” she says. And it’s not just humans that benefit from these brief exchanges. “We see the same thing in the dogs, so the dogs’ oxytocin also increases when they interact with a human,” says Gee.

And of course, not everyone is a dog person. “They’re not necessarily going to be great for every single person. But for people who really get it, who really connect with the animals, they really can make a big difference,” Gee says.

Research on the health benefits of human interactions with animals — especially with dogs — has exploded in recent years, thanks to funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Waltham Petcare Science Institute. Though the field is still young, Gee says the quality of the evidence is improving all the time, including more randomized controlled trials looking at short interactions. “We’re seeing really nice effects,” she says.

Professor Megan Mueller, whose research focuses on the psychology of human-animal relationships, says watching dogs sniff the grass or explore the world around them makes us pay more attention, too. “They sort of pull you out of your phone and into whatever environment that you’re in.” She says there’s some evidence that the act of really touching a dog might be an important part of their calming effect. For instance, one study done in Canada found that college students reported their improved learning results and reduced feelings of homesickness after brief interactions with dogs, and that effect was much bigger in those who really got to pet the animals. She’s currently running a study that’s found similar results.

7 . Socrates, Galileo, Marie Curie, Einstein ... What did these great thinkers have in common? They all practiced deliberate doubt and used it as a tool to improve their thinking and generate creative ideas.

    1     It is about suspending our certainty and letting go of our preconceived (先入为主的) notions in order to explore new ideas and perspectives. When we’re certain of something, we tend to stop looking for alternative explanations or possibilities.     2     Doubt can, of course, be unsettling, but it can also result in a greater understanding of a subject and inspire fresh thoughts and insights.

    3     But it doesn’t mean we should use it all the time. While deliberate doubt can be a valuable tool for generating creative ideas and exploring complex problems, it can also be counterproductive if it is not practiced in the right way.

It’s important to keep in mind that deliberate doubt is not constant doubt. If we’re continuously doubting our own ideas, we’ll be less likely to pursue them and see them through to completion.     4     We spend so much time doubting everything and end up not doing anything.

    5     We can become self-critical and unsure of our abilities, which can undermine our self-esteem. As a result, we may be too afraid to try new things or take risks.

To avoid these traps, it’s important to strike a balance between doubt and certainty, and to use doubt as a tool to stimulate creative thinking and exploration, rather than as a means of undermining ourselves or others.

8 . Spending a day glued to your smartphone probably isn’t doing you any favors. Too much phone use has been linked with a range of concerns, including sleep issues, joint pain and even relationship problems. But if it’s radiation you’re worried about, experts say you don’t have to ditch your phone.

“There’s no risk of anything hazardous or dangerous with radiation from cellphones,” said Gayle Woloschak, an associate dean and professor of radiology at the Northwesterm Univerity Feinberg School of Medicine. As with all cellphones, along with Wi-Fi networks, radio stations, remote controls and GPS, smartphones do send out radiation, said Emily Caffrey, an assistant professor of health physics at the University of Alabama at Birningham. They use invisible energy waves to transmit voices, texts, photos and emails to nearby cell towers, which can carry them to almost anywhere in the world. But nearly three decades of scientific research has not linked such exposures to medical issues like cancer, health authorities including the Food and Drug Administration say. Here’s what we know.

“Radiation” describes many types of energy, some of which do carry risks, explained Dr. Howard Fine, director of the Brain Tumor Center at New York — Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, “It is often sent out from radioactive substances”, Atomic bombs, or, to a far lesser degree, X-ray machines, send out energy called ionizing radiation that in high enough or frequent enough amount can damage DNA and cause cancer, Dr. Fine said.

But smartphone energy falls into a category called non-ionizing radiation, Dr. Caffrey said, which isn’t powerful enough to cause this damage. “A lot of people think radiation is radiation, but it’s not all the same,” Dr. Woloschak said. “There’s no DNA damage seen from cellphone use.”

Most experts and health authorities like the F.D.A. and World Health Organization agree that there’s no evidence that smartphone radiation causes health problems. Still, several studies over the years have made headlines for suggesting their links to brain diseases. Many of these studies have since been proved to be false, Dr. Fine said, including those focused on fifth-generation.

As night falls, the sound of drums fills the air as an 8-meter fish-shaped lantern swims through the streets of Wangmantian village, Huangshan, in East China’s Anhui province.

Within the crowd, Wang Lijun — a 27-year-old villager who serves     1     the “head fish” — leads the procession, sometimes cheering on those behind her. Traditionally     2     (hold) by respected elders, the position of “head fish” has attracted younger participants to take on the role     3     (voluntary).

Every year between     4     13th and 16th of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, villagers hold fish-shaped lantern     5     (parade). In old times, the mountain village,     6     (consist) of a lot of wooden structures, faced the risk of frequent fires. Therefore, villagers used to gather to parade with fish-shaped lanterns,     7     symbolic meaning is “water overcoming fire”.

With a history of over 600 years, the fish-shaped lantern     8     (recognize) as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in 2022. Villagers in Wangmantian have established     9     (profession) fish lantern performance teams. These teams have gone to cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing, Jiangsu province     10     (give) performances.

As fish-shaped lanterns continue to benefit local tourism and related industries, the future looks brighter than ever.