Where We Live

There have been a lot of things that have revolutionized how educators teach in the classrooms. Things like Wikipedia, Google and even calculators have caused temporary panic in the education space. 

Now that ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools are becoming a central part of our everyday lives, some educators are scrambling to rethink their curriculum. If you ask the artificial intelligence app, ChatGPT, to write you a 500 page essay on the themes in Moby Dick, in a matter of seconds, you’ll have a well written paper.

Even further, you can even tell ChatGPT “write me a 500 word essay on the themes of Moby Dick, in the voice of a 10th grader” and the essay will reflect the tone and language of the average 15 year old.

When ChatGPT was first released, we took a deep dive into AI ethics and learned how it might education. And today, we get an update and we talk to teachers around the state and hear how they are actually utilizing AI in the classroom.

GUESTS:

• Jeff Young: Editor of EdSurge, an education journalism initiative
• Tom Deans: Professor of English and Director of the University Writing Center at the University of Connecticut
• Erica Strong: Literacy Coach at Lebanon Middle School
• John Allen: Social Studies Teacher  at Putnam High School

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Before baking powder became a kitchen staple, there was a state-level showdown over the rights to produce and sell it, and food historian Linda Civitello says Connecticut played a central role. This hour, she joins us to dig into her book, Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking.

Plus, Darien First Selectman Monica McNally previews the town’s $85 million purchase of Great Island, a 63-acre property linked to baking powder tycoon William Ziegler.

From Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking by Linda Civitello. © 2017 by Linda Civitello. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.

GUESTS:

• Linda Civitello: Food Historian; Author, Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight that Revolutionized Cooking
• Monica McNally: First Selectman of Darien

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It’s Primary Day here in Connecticut. We have closed primaries here in Connecticut, meaning only voters registered in either political party can participate in this election.

Historically, voter turnout tends to be pretty low on Primary Day, especially on years where we don’t have a big presidential election. According to the Associated Press, turnout for the 2019 Democratic mayoral primaries in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven all hovered between 13% and 15%.

Today, we hear about some of the conversations Connecticut civics teachers are having in their classrooms around elections.

And we want to hear from you too. Are you voting in today’s primary election? How do you see the role of primary elections?

For all the primary results, listen live to The Wheelhouse with host Frankie Graziano and a panel of reporters from across the state. Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 8 pm. on Connecticut Public.

GUESTS:

• Patricia Crouse: practitioner in residence in Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of New Haven
• Julia Miller: Civics Teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy inter-district magnet school in new haven
• Dr. David Bosso: Social studies teacher at Berlin High School and 2012 Connecticut teacher of the year
• Abigail Brone: Housing Reporter with Connecticut Public

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The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that the majority of Americans are either "alarmed" or "concerned" about climate change. They also discovered links between distress about climate change and a desire to take action.

This hour, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz digs into this study, and the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY). You can take the SASSY Survey here.

Plus, NBC Connecticut meteorologist Rachael Jay and New Haven Climate Movement organizer Adrian Huq will share their perspectives as different kinds of climate communicators.

How do you process feelings of alarm or distress around climate change, or even, take action?

GUESTS:

• Rachael Jay: Meteorologist, NBC Connecticut
• Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz: Founder and Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
• Adrian Huq: Co-Founder, New Haven Climate Movement Youth Action Team; Youth Coordinator, Climate Health Education Project

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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There’s a stereotypical depiction of concussions in movies and TV shows: someone - often an athlete, gets hit in the head, falls down, and everyone crowds around them and asks them if they know what day it is. Then, the patient, spends the next two weeks lying alone in the dark. But in recent years we have developed a new understanding about concussions -- how they happen, their severity, and how best to treat them.

We hear from Dr. Bulent Omay, the Chief of Neurotrauma and Neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine. We also hear from a practicing physical therapist who specializes in brain injury treatment. And we learn about Concussion Box, a non-profit dedicated to supporting TBI patients.

Have you ever had a concussion? How did it affect you then, and is it still impacting you today? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Bulent Omay: Chief of Neutrotrauma at the Yale School of Medicine.
• Dr. Vanessa Cornwell Chiu: a practicing physical therapist
• Eliana Bloomfield: Wesleyan undergrad student and founder of ConcussionBox, a non-profit that aims to support people experiencing concussions

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The writers and actors strike has frozen film and TV productions across the country, and left many creatives to go back to their quote, "civilian jobs," as Mystic-based actress Callie Beaulieu recently shared with Connecticut Public.

"We're at a tipping point with the survival of our profession," she says.

This hour, local studios, actors and crew members join us. Plus, NPR correspondent Mandalit del Barco has the latest; and Hearst Connecticut reporter Alex Soule explains why Connecticut is at a "crossroads" where it concerns the film and TV tax incentive program.

Plus, some 2,000 movie screens have gone dark over the pandemic, according to one recent study by the Cinema Foundation. But there's a bright spot where we live: Connecticut boasts four drive-in theaters. We hear from the owners of one drive-in in Mansfield.

RELATED: For family owners of Mansfield Drive-In, business is 'more than a movie'

GUESTS:

• Olivia Nicole Hoffman: Actress
• Keith Nelson: Costume Designer
• Andrew Gernhard: Owner, Synthetic Cinema International
• Mandalit del Barco: NPR entertainment reporter
• Alexander Soule: Reporter, Hearst CT
• Naomi Jungden: General Manager, Mansfield Drive-In

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What do you think about getting older? Is it an exciting new chapter, or something you’re dreading? And when you think about seniors or elders, do you see reverence or irrelevance? Eventually, we all get older. But one of the last acceptable forms of discrimination is ageism.

Today on Where We Live, we talk about age discrimination. We hear from Jeff Hamaoui. He’s the Co-founder of the Modern Elder Academy and says that midlife is not about the midlife crisis; it’s about finding your "second adulthood.”

So, what do you think about getting older? Is it an exciting new chapter, or something you’re dreading? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:

• Jeff Hamaoui: Co-founder of the Modern Elder Academy
• Robin Clare: Executive Director Seniors Job Bank in West Hartford
• Kauther Badr: Associate Professor at Southern Connecticut State University
• Nora Duncan: State Director of the AARP Connecticut

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Ashley Hamel discovered her love of music while growing up in Connecticut. The singer-songwriter eventually left New England behind to build her music career in Indonesia.

This hour, she joins us from Jakarta to talk about her new single, "New England Baby…”

Plus, earlier this year, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill that he hopes will rein in the role of online, third-party ticket sellers. He has the latest on the "Unlock Ticketing Markets Act," and the concerns he has for up-and-coming musicians competing in what he has called a ticket-selling "monopoly."

GUESTS:

• Ashley Hamel: Singer-Songwriter
• Richard Blumenthal: U.S. Senator for Connecticut

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Once, receiving an A meant that a student had excelled in their coursework. But now, receiving an A means access to advanced classes, scholarships and of course, college admissions.

No two school districts, or even two teachers grade in the exact same way. Which means that grade bias is a real problem. So two students that might have the exact same academic performance, could receive two very different grades. With all this emphasis on grades, are students missing out on learning?

Today on Where We Live, we talk about the history of grading, where the A through F system came from and how some educators are rethinking the way we grade students. We hear from one Connecticut school district that’s changing the way they grade their students. And we want to hear from you too, is grade anxiety keeping you or your student up at night?

GUESTS:

•  Ethan Hutt: Associate Professor of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, author of Off the Mark: How Grades, Ratings, and Rankings Undermine Learning (but Don’t Have To)
• Joe Feldman: author of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms and CEO of Crescendo Education Group
• Dr. Thomas McBryde: Norwalk Deputy Superintendent
• Edgar Sanchez: Lead Research Scientist at ACT

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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When you don’t feel well, and don’t know why, the last thing you want to be is dismissed by your doctor. More and more patients are taking it on themselves to research their own symptoms, and looking for answers and diagnoses through online forums.

What’s happening at the doctor’s office that is causing a disconnect and distrust between patients and their doctors? Today, we’re talking about the relationship between doctors and their patients, and how that’s impacting diagnostics.

We want to hear from you. When was the last time were you at a doctor’s office? Did you feel heard and respected? Did you feel like you could trust your healthcare to provide you with the best healthcare you can get?

If you're a doctor, what would you like your patients to know?

GUESTS:

• Shannon Koplitz: Board of Director and treasurer for the Dysautonomia International
• Dr. Perry Wilson: Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale, and author of How Medicine Works and When It Doesn't: Learning Who to Trust to Get and Stay Healthy
• Dr. Vasanth Kainkaryam: Direct Primary Care Physician in Connecticut.

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