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TLDR 33

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 33

Published: 2016-02-19 • 📧 Newsletter

Hi all. Welcome to the TL;DR Newsletter.

This week we do some thinking about introverts, empathy, and authenticity.

These posts from my readings and work this week in literacy, technology. You may have come across this newsletter by accident. If you subscribe...a wonderful thing happens. I go home and tell my children. We weep ecstatically as we consider how lucky we are to live in a world where people like you subscribe to newsletters like this. :)

And now, on to updates. This week I shared the following:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

Fantastic video from the It's Okay to be Smart channel from PBS. The video talks about the size and characteristics of "big data."

These materials open up room for discussions about work created...and what we can do with powerful data.

📚 Read

Excellent post from Thorin Klosowski at Lifehacker looking at the ways in which we challenge our beliefs and biases as we interact in the world. Often times it is our own preconceptions that get in the way when we try to listen to others.

I think the first step might be acknowledging and accounting for our own bias.

Over the past couple of months I've been a bit more cognizant of the mindsets and dispositions of others as I work with them. Specifically, I spend much of my time as a literacy or technology instructor and coax/goad students into getting online and creating a digital identity.

One of the retorts that I receive is that I'm brave and I have no fear as I share things online. I am also aware of the challenges of individuals as they are concerned about privacy/security online and their identity. I'm also starting to become a bit more aware of individuals in my classes that might be introverted, and how do I support them as learners.

After some talk with Eylan Ezekiel, I'm thinking that I need to build time into the schedule for students to decompress and recharge. If you're interested in more info...please reach out to Eylan on Twitter for more ideas.

A blog post from A. J. Juliani looking at the Genius Hour and building up opportunities to engage and empower students.

The Genius Hour is an offshoot from the 20% Time Project. This builds in critical time to the classroom that gives students a chance to engage in projects and learning of their own interests.

The three components to focus on include: Student Choice, Authentic Audience, and Intrinsic Reward.

I know what this looks like in K-12...I'm wondering if we could make it happen with adults outside of the classroom...

Plagiarism is dead; Long live the retweet: Unpacking an identity crisis in digital content

Great post colleague and friend Susanne Murphy looking at the challenges between content creation, ownership, remix culture, and "credit" in the online space.

I shared this out online and many people indicated that this is a post that is perfect for an annotation tool like Hypothes.is.

Susanne's wit and writing are cultivated, nuanced, and deep. Take the time to annotate and appreciate this post.

If you're a regular reader of TL;DR, you'd expect this post to go first. Perhaps it's the playlist I'm listening to, perhaps it's the weather...but I wanted to save this for last.

While I was at LRA this past December, the shootings occurred nearby in San Bernardino. This past week, the FBI publicly brought a federal order to Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the gunmen. Apple not only is saying no...but they're also publicly reaching out to the public to gain support/traction.

I think this is big news. I think there is more at stake here as well. Yes, the cynic in me thinks that it's a PR ploy. It also might be different if the federal order was presented privately. There is a lot that we don't see, hear, or know about what it happening.

It is (and will be) interesting to see how this plays out over the coming weeks. Something to read up on...and pay attention to.

🔨 Do

The HearMyHome Project is a cool research project from Jon Wargo and Cassie Brownell.

The project focuses on:

Examining everyday people produced soundscapes, #hearmyhome inquires how hearing difference and listening to communities may re-educate the senses and attune us towards cultural difference. Ultimately developing materials that hear, recognize, and sustain community literacies and cultural rhetorics, #hearmyhome asks us to take heed of the frequencies and rhythms of culture as we architect, design, and teach towards more equitable landscapes for learning.

The link at the top of this post is from the work that Kevin Hodgson shared for the project. The awesome image up top is from Kevin as well.

🤔 Consider

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." — Harper Lee

This week we do some thinking about introverts, empathy, and authenticity. The themes connect. The work reflects.

You may have come across this newsletter by accident. If you subscribe...a wonderful thing happens. I go home and tell my children. We weep ecstatically as we consider how lucky we are to live in a world where people like you subscribe to newsletters like this. The humor is intentional. The gratitude is real. The ecstasy is hyperbolic but the appreciation is genuine.

Seven pieces of work this week. Digital Portfolios + Open Badges + Blockchain = Personal Learning Ledger—post I pulled together to crystalize my thoughts as I continue to work with amazing group on blockchain technologies and open badges. JAAL submission on Preparing Students to Be Literate Digitally in a Digitally Literate Environment—we'd love for you to comment on. It expands on our thinking in the post above. Three Creative Commons posts—thorough overview of CC licensing, where to find content online, how to find and cite CC licensed images correctly, how and why you'll want to share your content under CC license. I put this post together for students that needed explicit advice. WalkMyWorld Learning Event 4 Shape of my story—come join us online. Syndicating blog posts to Medium—guide for colleagues and students looking for support as they built up writing platform on Medium. The productivity is significant. The sharing is generous.

Big Data Getting Too Big video from It's Okay to be Smart PBS channel. Fantastic video talking about size and characteristics of "big data." These materials open up room for discussions about work created...and what we can do with powerful data. The conversations are necessary.

Thorin Klosowski on open-minded biases. Often times it is our own preconceptions that get in the way when we try to listen to others. I think the first step might be acknowledging and accounting for our own bias. The admission precedes the work. The acknowledgment enables the listening.

Strategies to ensure introverted students feel valued at school. Over past couple months I've been bit more cognizant of mindsets and dispositions of others as I work with them. Specifically, I spend much of my time as literacy or technology instructor and coax/goad students into getting online and creating digital identity. One of retorts that I receive is that I'm brave and I have no fear as I share things online. I am also aware of challenges of individuals as they are concerned about privacy/security online and their identity. I'm also starting to become a bit more aware of individuals in my classes that might be introverted, and how do I support them as learners. After some talk with Eylan Ezekiel, I'm thinking that I need to build time into the schedule for students to decompress and recharge. The awareness is growing. The adaptation is beginning. The support requires intentional time.

A. J. Juliani on Genius Hour and 20% Time Project. Three components to focus on include: Student Choice, Authentic Audience, and Intrinsic Reward. I know what this looks like in K-12...I'm wondering if we could make it happen with adults outside of the classroom. The question is genuine. The wondering is productive.

Susanne Murphy on plagiarism, retweet, identity crisis in digital content. Great post colleague and friend looking at challenges between content creation, ownership, remix culture, and "credit" in online space. I shared this out online and many people indicated that this is post that is perfect for annotation tool like Hypothes.is. Susanne's wit and writing are cultivated, nuanced, and deep. Take the time to annotate and appreciate this post. The recommendation is emphatic. The appreciation is deserved.

Tim Cook in iPhone battle becoming bulwark for digital privacy. If you're regular reader of TL;DR, you'd expect this post to go first. Perhaps it's the playlist I'm listening to, perhaps it's the weather...but I wanted to save this for last. While I was at LRA this past December, the shootings occurred nearby in San Bernardino. This past week, FBI publicly brought federal order to Apple to unlock iPhone of one of gunmen. Apple not only is saying no...but they're also publicly reaching out to public to gain support/traction. I think this is big news. I think there is more at stake here as well. Yes, cynic in me thinks that it's PR ploy. It also might be different if federal order was presented privately. There is lot that we don't see, hear, or know about what it happening. It is (and will be) interesting to see how this plays out over coming weeks. Something to read up on...and pay attention to. The placement is deliberate. The cynicism is acknowledged. The stakes are recognized. The attention is warranted.

HearMyHome Project from Jon Wargo and Cassie Brownell. Cool research project examining everyday people produced soundscapes, inquiring how hearing difference and listening to communities may re-educate senses and attune us towards cultural difference. Developing materials that hear, recognize, and sustain community literacies and cultural rhetorics, asking us to take heed of frequencies and rhythms of culture as we architect, design, and teach towards more equitable landscapes for learning. Kevin Hodgson's work and awesome image. The project is ambitious. The listening is pedagogical.

Harper Lee: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. Weeping ecstatically. Acknowledging bias. Building time to decompress and recharge. Genius Hour for adults. Cultivated, nuanced, deep writing. Wanted to save this for last. Soundscapes re-educating senses. All forms of considering things from another's point of view. The question remains: whose skin are we climbing into?

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