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TLDR 51

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 51

Published: 2016-06-25 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to issue 51 of the TL;DR Newsletter. This week we take a look at connections & growth between individuals.

You can review archives of the newsletter. Alternatively you can also check out TL;DR on Medium.

I'm writing this newsletter from Denver as I prepare for the #badgesummit and a presentation on #openbadges at #ISTE2016. I shared a ton of video on Periscope for people that may not be able to attend.

This week I worked on the following:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

This video from the Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell YouTube channel documents "how we got to here." The videos on the channel are always thoughtful, and high quality.

This latest video starts with the belief that we're all living in a technological, engineered society in which we don't really need to worry about anything...but it always hasn't been that way. A good video to have in your back pocket as you discuss these topics with your students.

📚 Read

With the news of the final brexit vote, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty for my friends and colleagues in the UK, but I think the reverberations will be felt globally. This will most definitely be felt in institutions of higher ed in the UK and beyond.

It is my hope that this does not lead to more isolationism around the globe. I've noticed that we're seeing a trend in which (some of us) utilize technology to provide third spaces to connect with other like-minded individuals.

This post from Howard Rheingold on the DML Central blog shares much needed research on Connected Learning.

The research includes thousands of interviews and years of data-gathering that suggest that connected learning principles do, in fact, improve learning outcomes — particularly in the case of non-dominant youth. This work will be presented at DML 2016.

This is important because we need research and publications testing and validating these new perspectives to make it a tenable element in the eyes of most educators and researchers.

Much of my recent work examines building up a domain of your own. This work is crystallized in a series of publications we have on the way out soon. You can take a peek at an upcoming column for JAAL here.

In the JAAL column above, Kristy Pytash and I make the case that we should have students build a domain of their own from K up through higher ed. One of the big questions that I don't know the answer to, is what effect assessment would have on this model. I hope the JAAL piece begins that debate/discussion.

For those of us involved in professional development, workshops, and coaching we often come across all sorts of educators in these spaces.

I often recognize this as I present sessions on technology and literacy. I prepare for some part of the group loving what I'll have to share...and another portion that thinks it's blasphemy and lashes out. :)

I attribute much of this to the fact that literacy and technology are changing what we could/should do in our classrooms. What I have to present usually tests your philosophies and paradigms about teaching and learning.

This post does a good job of framing these into four profiles (the lagger, the majority, the early adopter, the innovator). I think you need to recognize and respect each of these individuals in your sessions.

Great collection of apps to test drive in your classroom from Michelle Luhtala. You should also follow Michelle's blog.

Of her recommendations, I'm most intrigued by Bloxels, Gum, and Masterpiece.

🔨 Do

I love having students and teachers play and make things with LEDs and paper. The materials you'll need are relatively inexpensive (watch batteries, copper tape, and LEDs). The time spent to make these pieces is minimal. What is valuable is the eyes that light up in the room as learners see what they can make.

🤔 Consider

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." — Steve Jobs

This week: connections and growth between individuals.

Writing from Denver for Badge Summit and ISTE2016, shared Periscope videos for remote attendees. Brian Behlendorf 4Q4 podcast on distributed technologies, BadgeChain Ethereum collaborative read. Kurzgesagt on human origins - good video to have in your back pocket. Brexit uncertainty for UK universities - my hope is this doesn't lead to more isolationism. Howard Rheingold on connected learning research - important to validate new perspectives. Domain of one's own and assessment question - I hope JAAL piece begins debate. Four types of teachers in PD - recognize and respect each. Michelle Luhtala ed-tech apps. Blinky paper robots - what's valuable is the eyes that light up.

Be a yardstick of quality.

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🌱 Connected Concepts:

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