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TLDR 12

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 12

Published: 2015-09-11 • 📧 Newsletter

Thank you once again for signing up for this newsletter. In this newsletter, I'll synthesize and share the news from the week in literacy, technology, and education that I think you should know. Thanks again for the support. :)

This week I posted:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

A great video from Boyd Maxwell and Perry Schmidt as they report on the latest developments in the exciting world of pro teaching.

Wouldn't it be great if this was true?

📚 Read

An interesting post from The Atlantic looking at the rising trend of local municipalities that are requiring that people tear down their "give one, take one" book exchanges because they don't have the proper permit.

Report from the College of Tomorrow section of U.S. News & World Report on the challenges of preparing teachers that are digitally savvy...while being able to handle all of the other requirements of the job.

In my opinion, there is a ton of opportunity in this area. I've worked (and currently work) in pre-service teacher education. I also developed and facilitated a program while at UNH that helped practicing teachers authentically and effectively use tech in the classroom. I think there is a multi-pronged approach. The first is to embed tech in pre-service programs...and scale up the skill level used by higher ed faculty. The second is to support practicing educators as they reach out and identify programs, or non-traditional opportunities (MOOCs) to build their skill-set.

I'll share more about these opportunities in upcoming issues of TL;DR.

Great piece by tech columnist Dan Gilmour as he discusses his long-term frustration and ultimate decision to distance himself from the lack of control he had with these large corporations.

This piece is definitely worth a read as you try and understand the problems in the current system...and foreseeable future. The main problem is that Dan is very tech savvy, and not everyone might have the skillset, or time to build the infrastructure that he has. Perhaps we need companies that provide alternative models.

How to think visually using visual analogies

An excellent resource from Anna Vital showcasing a variety of examples for anyone thinking about developing your own graphics. I've been trying to push my own thinking by trying to create and use more illustrations in my teaching and blogging. As part of this I'm experimenting with sketchnoting, and animated GIFs. An example of this is shown in the quotes embedded in images I'll start sharing each week. I hope to later share more on my learning.

A review of the book (and app) for SuperBetter, the latest piece of work from Jane McGonigal.

You hopefully know Jane from her TED Talks on gaming, psychology, and happiness. I definitely recommend also listening to Jane's interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast.

Yes, you read that correctly. Hiroshima tourism officials have created a street-view version of a port city 70 miles outside of the city from the vantage point of a cat. Click here to go directly to the map. The map, graphics, and intermittent cat meows are excellent.

You can access other Google Street View locations by entering the exact address here.

You can also use the iOS app (iPhone/iPad) or Android app to add your own Google Street View content and document your world.

🔨 Do

Did you get excited by the launch of toys and gimmicks over the past week as we all get ready for the launch of the next Star Wars movie? If so, you might want to play with some of these online tools. See what you can create, and then share out with others.

Tools to explore:

🤔 Consider

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." — Steve Jobs

Testing Vialogues this week reminded me that the best tools emerge through experimentation. Initial feedback is supportive, but integration challenges remain. That's the work—figuring out how pieces connect, even when you can't see the pattern yet.

Dan Gilmour's departure from Apple, Google, and Microsoft raises an uncomfortable question: if even tech-savvy columnists struggle to maintain control over their digital lives, what hope do the rest of us have? He's right that we need alternative models, but building that infrastructure requires resources most people don't have. The problem isn't individual choice—it's systemic dependency.

The teacher education tech gap frustrates me because I've seen both sides. Pre-service programs struggle, practicing teachers reach for MOOCs and non-traditional pathways, and higher ed faculty need to scale up their own skills. It's a multi-pronged challenge requiring multi-pronged solutions. More on this in future issues.

Jane McGonigal's SuperBetter gamifies resilience—turning life's challenges into gameplay mechanics. Some will dismiss it as Silicon Valley optimism, but there's something valuable in reframing obstacles as quests. Not everything needs to be a game, but maybe some things work better when they are.

The cat's-eye Street View from Hiroshima is delightful absurdity—tourism officials creating infrastructure to see a port city from a cat's perspective, complete with intermittent meows. Sometimes the best uses of technology have no practical justification beyond joy.

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