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TLDR 48

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 48

Published: 2016-06-03 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to issue 48 of the TL;DR Newsletter. This week we think about understanding and making the web.

If you have feedback, questions, or concerns...please feel free to the "reply" button and send me a response. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

This has been another week in which I've been doing a lot of things in the background on various writing projects.

I also plan on releasing more (and iterating) on my podcast. In The Four Questions For podcast, I've interviewed experts in literacy, education, and technology to make sense of many of the things we discuss here in TL;DR. You can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or with your favorite podcatcher.

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

Margaret Atwood - A state of wonder: How technology shapes story (4:16)

Writer Margaret Atwood discussing the affordances of different technologies on storytelling.

As pointed out by Kevin Hodgson, it's interesting to consider how these digital texts and tools shape story. As a researcher of online reading comprehension, I've often gotten into "discussions" with others about how/if reading is changing. These questions continue as I research and make online, digital content.

What do you think about Margaret's points?

📚 Read

Mary Meeker is a partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Each summer she compiles and presents a list of the current internet trends.

The end result (at least for this year) is a slide deck with 213 PPT slides. :)

There are numerous posts that discuss and unpack the findings from the report. What strikes me about this is that growth appears to be slowing in the companies that control these online spaces. It also appears that the current giants in the field will continue to build their shares. Additionally, internet saturation (at least in developed countries) is almost complete. Mobile saturation is following close behind.

I find it interesting to look at overall trends and see what texts and tools the market prefers, as opposed to what we think we're seeing our students and colleagues use.

Post in Educause Review by Phillip Ventimiglia and George L. Pullman examining the shifts that are occurring as we move from print to pixel.

As a regular reader of TL;DR, you're more than likely already versed in the elements presented in this piece. It discusses the changes occurring in the economy, reading online, and coding as writing. Many of the elements presented you've already encountered before. This post is valuable to share with colleagues and students as you begin discussions about the shifts in literacy and practices.

From ArsTechnica UK and Bob Dormon comes this deep dive into how exactly the internet gets information from here to there.

This excellent post is something to sit down with and peruse on your tablet over breakfast and step into the internet. The detailed tour includes maps, photos, and diagrams that lead you from New Jersey to the shores of Britain.

We sometimes take it for granted as we complain about wireless speeds in our homes or HBO Go not streaming our latest Game of Thrones episode. If you really think about what is happening, and how fast it occurs...it's quite amazing.

On TL;DR we often spend time talking about privacy, surveillance, and this usually brings us to some story about the NSA.

Cory Doctorow shares this post on Boing Boing about the NSA's guide to internet research from 2007 titled "Untangling the Web." This document was obtained through a freedom of information request by Michael Morisy at MuckRock.

If you study the internet, I definitely recommend saving this document to peruse during your free time. I agree that it's the weirdest thing you'll read today (this week).

As the summer gets started, we think about what to do with extra time away from the classroom with our students/children. These hours may be spent with art camps, swimming lessons, or family trips. Increasingly we are looking at enrolling children in coding camps to kickstart their futures in coding, programming and beyond.

Mimi Ito in Boing Boing advises us to not jump so fast.

Most of Mimi's advice comes from the fact that just enrolling your child in one of these camps (or free online courses) won't by itself instill a sense of love. You'll need to do quite a bit more to make it a meaningful part of their lives.

Additionally, they might initially enjoy some of the basics in these free coding classes and activities, but you might also some of the awesome connected learning activities she lists in the post.

🔨 Do

I spend a lot of time making images, video, and now audio (podcasts) and digitizing this for sharing online. The challenge in putting together guides and training materials for all of this is that the technology will quickly provide new, easier ways to get the work done.

I saw Showbox a couple of months ago on ProductHunt and have been playing with it. If you're interested in putting together some online videos for classes or your audience, I think it's worth spending a little time playing with it as well to see if it'll work for you.

At this point, I prefer to record my video and edit in iMovie or another tool. But, Showbox is worth keeping an eye on as they iterate.

🤔 Consider

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." — Marie Curie

This week: understanding and making the web.

Margaret Atwood on how digital texts and tools shape story - I've gotten into "discussions" about how/if reading is changing. Mary Meeker Internet Trends - what strikes me is growth slowing in companies controlling online spaces. Print to digital literacy shifts - valuable to share with colleagues and students. Submarine cables deep dive from New Jersey to Britain - if you think about what's happening and how fast it occurs, it's quite amazing. NSA's Untangling the Web guide - the weirdest thing you'll read this week. Mimi Ito on coding camps - enrollment alone won't instill love, need connected learning. Showbox for online videos worth keeping an eye on.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

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