TLDR 9

New Beginnings at CofC: Computational Literacy and Horizon Reports

Published: August 22, 2015 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to Too Long; Didn't Read (TL;DR), issue #9. Thank you once again for being one of the first to sign up for this newsletter. In this weekly email, I curate content from the past week that you should check out. My goal is to keep you informed, without you having to stay connected to the firehouse of information online.

🔖 Key Takeaways

Academic Transition: Starting at College of Charleston brings fresh perspectives while maintaining research continuity
Computational Literacy: Coding and programming offer rich opportunities for literacy-based classroom integration
Technology Forecasting: NMC Horizon Reports provide valuable insights into emerging educational technologies
Educational System Challenges: Teacher shortage reflects deeper systemic issues around respect and support for educators
Creative Commons Evolution: CC licensing becomes increasingly important as digital content creation proliferates

I started up my orientation meetings at the CofC this week. I met a group of great first-year faculty that came in brimming with new ideas and research. I also started unpacking my office and had my first department meeting on Friday. I'm finding some similarities with UNH, but also many new things. If you're in the area, come and knock on my door. :)

This week I posted:

Computational Participation: Coding and Programming as Literacy Activities. This piece is the next column I'm submitting for JAAL. I worked with Quinn Burke and Yasmin Kafai to discuss opportunities for coding and programming in a literacy-based classroom. You can review and comment on the draft here.

📺 Watch

The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX
The Martian

The trailer for the movie version of the fantastic Andy Weir book was released this week. Do yourself a favor and read the book before it comes out. The book is hard sci-fi with a Robinson Crusoe flair...and disco.

I thoroughly recommend the audiobook version. I also think this could be an awesome book to read across an English and Science class. There is also a lot of Math involved. Be forewarned..there is some language in the text.

You should read this book and read it now. :)

📚 Read

The Horizon Reports Are Released
Every year the New Media Consortium (NMC) releases a report on the technologies they believe will be trending over the next five years. The NMC is a community of hundreds of universities, colleges, museums, and research centers. The reports are Creative Commons (CC) licensed...meaning you can use them as you see fit.

Some of the reports that will be of high interest to you:

To Learn More, This High-Schooler Left the Classroom
From All Things Considered on NPR, this is the first of two stories from NPR this week that shine unflattering light on the educational system in the U.S.

This first one is a bit more uplifting as they share the life and times of "Nick" as he creates his own learning plan...and classes.

Pew Research Report: Mobile Messaging and Social Media 2015
The latest research report from the Pew Research Center focusing on what we're doing with our mobile devices, and how we're connecting/using social media.

The breakdown on demographics of social media users is interesting as we see Facebook is still king while Instagram (also a Facebook product) is a relatively close second. I'm also intrigued by the table I showed up top and our relationship with messaging apps that auto-delete content.

The full report is available here.

Copyright and Creative Commons (CC) Explained
I believe copyright is a moving target as information is increasingly digitized. Creative Commons (CC) licensing helps us understand the possibilities for assigning and citing permissions and attributions on digital content. The challenge is that CC licensing is often tough to understand and use. This overview of resources by Richard Byrne pulls together a series of great pieces on the topic.

I also have a collection of tutorials and guidance on CC licensing if you're interested.

Must Have Chrome Apps for the New School Year
I just switched MacBook Pros as I moved from UNH to the CofC. In this process, the transition was relatively easy as most of what I do is baked into my Chrome browser. Once I sign into Chrome, it automatically syncs my information, apps, and extensions over to the new computer. I'm also frequently on a Chromebook, so this process is vital.

This list of Chrome apps is broken down by subject area and provides a good reference point for what you could/should be using.

Can Innovation Be Taught?
Thought-provoking piece by Nick Donofrio at EdTech looking at opportunities to rethink classroom instruction and build up a tech-savvy workforce.

Web Literacies - A Part of Digital Literacies
Excellent overview of the intersection between digital literacies and the web literacies work I've been involved with over the last couple of years. Elena Mortensen provides a thoughtful synthesis and examination of the work that we've shared.

Teacher Shortage? Or Teacher Pipeline Problem?
This piece from Morning Edition on NPR sparked some dialogue during the week. There is a serious problem in our educational system here in the U.S. Enrollments are down in teacher ed programs. Some teacher ed programs are shutting down. :(

I think there is a larger societal issue embedded in this discussion. I also wonder about the money, government (federal, state, local) leadership, and power behind the scenes that are forcing the issue on this debate.

🔨 Do

Make Your iPhone/iPad Videos Look Like VHS
When we create video we have this belief that it needs to look crystal clear, high definition, and perfect.

VHS Camcorder (sadly only on iOS for now) distorts video in the same way we put filters on photos in Instagram. By forcing ourselves (and our students) to think differently about the aesthetic choices in video creation, we might discover new forms of storytelling and creative expression.

🤔 Consider

This transition to College of Charleston represents more than a geographic move - it's an opportunity to explore computational literacy in new ways. Working with Quinn Burke and Yasmin Kafai on coding as literacy activity opens fascinating questions about what constitutes "reading" and "writing" in an increasingly algorithmic world.

The NPR coverage of educational challenges - from students leaving traditional classrooms to teacher pipeline problems - reflects systemic issues that require more than technological solutions. Sometimes the most innovative approach is to fundamentally rethink the structures we're trying to improve.

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Part of the 📧 Newsletter archive documenting digital literacy and technology insights from the early TL;DR era.