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TLDR 46

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 46

Published: 2016-05-20 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to issue 46 of the TL;DR Newsletter. This week we discuss the difference between learning and training with Dr. Seuss and Emily Dickinson.

If you have feedback, questions, or concerns...please feel free to the "reply" button and send me a response. I'd love to hear from you.

This week I worked on the following:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

MinuteEarth is a must-subscribe for your YouTube account. The team regularly produces and publishes videos that make complex ideas very simple. They've got a specific style and format to their videos that help make the content very approachable.

This video in particular documents the process behind this work. They discuss the tools, texts, and people behind the scenes.

📚 Read

Intriguing post from Jason Tanz in Wired Magazine.

When we think about coding and programming, we've got this image of an individual (or group) that works with code and makes software do incredible things. Increasingly we're hearing more about artificial intelligence and the opportunities to have machines do the heavy lifting (physical/cognitive) for us.

Imagine a future where you (anyone) sits at a computer and imagines a program they'd like to see. They start talking through and training the computer to bring about the outcome they desire. In a sense, you're training a sentient being to take on the roles/responsibilities through practice and remediation.

Terribly fascinating perspective. I'm still considerate of the individuals that are creating the code now that will create this future tense.

A post from Andrea Peterson in The Washington Post that details analysis from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA).

The data suggests that Americans are performing fewer transactions (banking/purchasing/etc) online because of privacy/security fears. They are staying away out of fear of identity theft, banking fraud, data collection or tracking by online services, loss of control over personal data, data collection or tracking by government, and threats to personal safety.

Looking at the data, my first response is "good." We should be concerned/aware of the extent of our digital identity and presence. I'm also a bit concerned about the focus of these findings. In the Post-Snowden era, there should be some chilling effects on our digital actions. But, I would be much more concerned about businesses and governments slurping up my data than I am about some of the other categories listed.

In TL;DR we spend a lot of time trying to make sense of Snapchat. I realize that not all of us are enthralled with this new platform, and as a result I try to balance it all out.

This post from Jenna Wortham in The New York Times Magazine discusses Snapchat, but I think she's (possibly) unpacking the relationships and connections our students have with technology. I also love Jenna's work.

Specifically, she closes with:

Its entire aesthetic flies in the face of how most people behave on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — as if we're waiting to be plucked from obscurity by a talent agent or model scout. But Snapchat isn't the place where you go to be pretty. It's the place where you go to be yourself, and that is made easy thanks to the app's inbuilt ephemerality. Away from the fave-based economies of mainstream social media, there's less pressure to be dolled up, or funny. For all the advances in tech that let us try on various guises to play around with who we are, it seems that we just want new ways to be ourselves. As it turns out, the mundanity of our regular lives is the most captivating thing we could share with one another.

Research from Kris Shaffer on Medium in which he posts about what he's learning as his four-year old learns to read. I love the way that he recognizes what is happening around him, tests his theories, runs analysis on the stats, and blogs openly about it. A great read that identifies possible futures for research, publishing, and learning about the world around us.

I'm also intrigued by his use of the Scholarly Blog Index to share his work.

Specifically, Kris looks at learning theory associated with learning to read, and charts our lexical density across several "learning to read" books.

I spent a lot of time in an around Amherst, MA so this post resonated with me. I was also intrigued by the learning laboratory Emily was able to construct for herself in her own backyard. We often hear about (or practice) backyard science, but Emily lived it. She was able to build her skills as a naturalist and we can see the effects of this in her works.

We often ignore the simple environments as they take us from one place to another. I wonder what would happen if we sit with our students in between and allow them to document and learn from their surroundings. This could be in the real world, or digital spaces. What would perspectives and knowledge would they gain from these environments?

🔨 Do

Pixel Synth is a super cool tool from Olivia Jack.

The tool allows you to scan images and interpret the brightness values as notes and chords. You can hack and remix the tool to see what your images and art "sound" like.

Looking forward to seeing more people fork and play with this. :)

🤔 Consider

"Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon." — Emily Dickinson

This week: learning and training with Dr. Seuss and Emily Dickinson.

MinuteEarth must-subscribe shows how they make complex ideas simple. Training computers like dogs - terribly fascinating perspective. Americans reducing online activity due to privacy fears - my first response is "good." Jenna Wortham on Snapchat as authentic self-expression - the mundanity of our regular lives is the most captivating thing. Kris Shaffer analyzes Dr. Seuss and lexical density as his four-year old learns to read. Emily Dickinson's backyard laboratory - I wonder what would happen if we sit with our students in between and allow them to document their surroundings. Pixel Synth lets you listen to your images.

Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon.

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