TLDR 102

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 102

Published: 2017-06-16 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to issue 102 of TLDR. This week is all about the pleasure and pain in online spaces.

This week I've been experimenting a bit more with Mastodon. You can find me at @wiobyrne@scholar.social.

🔖 Key Takeaways

More Importantly: More importantly, I'm constantly studying the use of YouTube to teach. In this case it's all about teaching how to cook, but we know many people that learn through YouTube.
We Need to Think Deeply: In my own work, I've been increasingly concerned about the discourse online (and face-to-face) as we negotiate gender, race, social class, and other issues of diversity. We need to think deeply about the words we use and the weight they carry.
In Most Cases: In most cases, we don't ask these questions about the tools that we use. We either trust them, or don't know enough that we (perhaps) shouldn't trust them.
History Repeats Itself: History repeats itself, but on a grander scale in the state of Rhode Island. Most Rhode Island school districts give themselves the ability to remotely spy on their students.
I Think This Work: Some of the information Belshaw shares is technical, and some a bit historical. I think this work, and growth happening over time are extremely important to pay attention to.
It Helps Me Think: I enjoy pieces like this that focus on an individual as they build up their digital identity to some degree of success. It helps me think about the possibilities as I shape my own identity...and as I help others shape their digital selves.
I'm Enjoying It: I added a splash of almond milk and it's great. I'm enjoying it as I finish this newsletter.

📺 Watch

Binging with Babish: Freddy's Ribs from House of Cards

I'm sharing this video for a number of reasons. Yes, it does relate to House of Cards. Yes, it relates to Frank Underwood and things local to me in South Carolina. Yes, it showcases how to make some incredible ribs. Now that my Wife and I are on a 60 day challenge to be vegetarians...this is a tough video to watch. :)

More importantly, I'm constantly studying the use of YouTube to teach. In this case it's all about teaching how to cook, but we know many people that learn through YouTube.

The Binging with Babish channel has a great style and storyline behind the videos. I also like the framing of his shots in the video. It is thinking outside of the box.

📚 Read

Talking to boys the way we talk to girls

Over the past couple of weeks, we've had a series of incidents in which men have talked down, or talked over women as they try to make points in public forums.

In my own work, I've been increasingly concerned about the discourse online (and face-to-face) as we negotiate gender, race, social class, and other issues of diversity.

This piece by Andrew Reiner in the NY Times examines some of the research and literacy practices behind the words we use as we talk to children.

We need to think deeply about the words we use and the weight they carry.

A Guide for Resisting EdTech: The case against Turnitin

Over the past two weeks, I've started to sit in on a couple webchats with the great group at Virtually Connecting. In these discussions, there has been a slight pushback against some of the ed tech tools/silos that we frequently jump into...and push our students into using.

This piece in Hybrid Pedagogy by Sean Michael Morris and Jesse Stommel tackles the questions that exist as we dump our own content (and that of our students) into the learning management system selected by our institutions.

In most cases, we don't ask these questions about the tools that we use. We either trust them, or don't know enough that we (perhaps) shouldn't trust them. Morris and Stommel indicate the concern that we should have, and provide a rubric to help evaluate these tools.

In Rhode Island, some schools think they have the right to spy on students with school laptops

In 2010, a lot of news was made in the "webcam case" against Lower Merion School District. In this, the school district was remotely spying on students through the webcams installed on school-issued laptops.

History repeats itself, but on a grander scale in the state of Rhode Island. Most Rhode Island school districts participate in a "1 to 1 program" in which third parties provide free laptops for students to use during the year. The ACLU found out that most of the state's school districts give themselves the ability to remotely spy on their students.

Read the full report here.

Providing some clarity on open badges

The open badges landscape has undergone a lot of transition over the last year. There has been a lot happening in the field as we approach the release of version 2.0 of the Open Badges specification.

This post by Doug Belshaw explains what version 2.0 means both on the technical level, and what this means as we issue/earn/display badges.

Some of the information Belshaw shares is technical, and some a bit historical. I think this work, and growth happening over time are extremely important to pay attention to. Especially for those of us studying teaching, learning, and technology.

A whimsical wordsmith charts a course beyond Twitter

I enjoy pieces like this that focus on an individual as they build up their digital identity to some degree of success. It helps me think about the possibilities as I shape my own identity...and as I help others shape their digital selves.

This piece focuses on Jonny Sun, or as he is known on Twitter...jomny sun. It describes the path he has taken to build up this identity, and possible next directions. Sun is currently a PhD in urban studies at MIT.

Check out more at his personal website.

🔨 Do

How to make the most delicious carbonated cold brew

We've talked a lot about cold brew coffee a lot here in the Make section of TL;DR. One of the things that I've been waiting to try is nitro cold brew. Until I can talk my Wife into letting me install a nitrogen tank system into the kitchen...this might be the next best thing.

To make your own carbonated cold brew, I recommend first making your own cold brew coffee. You won't regret it. Email me and I'll share my tools and recipe. We always have a jug of iced cold brew in the house.

The post then suggests a 50/50 mix of LaCroix Coconut and cold brew coffee. The author of the post was not too fond of this initial mixture. I thought the 50/50 mixture wasn't too bad. I then added a splash of almond milk and it's great. I'm enjoying it as I finish this newsletter. Let me know what you think.

🤔 Consider

"Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus." — Susan Longacre

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🌱 Connected Concepts:

YouTube Pedagogy — Studying how people learn through YouTube channels like Binging with Babish reveals effective teaching strategies including strong visual style, clear storylines, and creative framing that engage learners in ways traditional instruction might not.
Gendered Language — Research on how we talk to children reveals patterns where men routinely talk down to or over women in public forums, demanding deeper examination of the words we use and the weight they carry when negotiating gender, race, and class in education.
EdTech Critical Evaluation — We rarely question the tools we use or their terms of service, either trusting EdTech platforms like Turnitin or not knowing enough to distrust them, requiring rubrics to evaluate how institutions and vendors handle student data and content.
Student Surveillance — Rhode Island school districts give themselves permission to remotely spy on students through school-issued laptops, echoing the 2010 Lower Merion webcam scandal but on a grander scale, raising fundamental questions about student privacy rights.
Digital Identity — Following individuals like Jonny Sun who successfully build digital identities on platforms like Twitter provides insight into the possibilities and pathways for shaping authentic online presence in academic and creative spaces.

Part of the 📧 Newsletter archive documenting digital literacy and technology.