Select a result to preview

TLDR 57

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 57

Published: 2016-08-05 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to issue 57 of the TL;DR Newsletter. In TL;DR we're documenting the news of the week in literacy, technology, and education. If this is your first time here...welcome. :)

This week moves from science fiction to science reality in education.

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

This week I shared the following posts:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

This video documents a discussion between two giants in education. The quality isn't great, but it's relatively easy to follow along with the major points. It's exciting to see Papert indicate that schools (as we know them) will wither and die, while Friere counters these arguments.

I can only imagine sitting in that room for that discussion. Each of these individuals has had an enormous impact on my own career and philosophy.

📚 Read

Seymour Papert passed away this week at the age of 88. Papert was a mathematician, computer scientist, and educator who was a pioneer of artificial intelligence and of the constructionist movement. For a full listing of some of the tributes to him online, please review this post from Stephen Downes.

This post is a transcript of the intro to the Seymour Papert tribute at the Interaction Design for Children conference in 2013. In the piece, Paulo Blikstein details what he sees as the "Papert Paradox." This occurs as the world comes closer to achieving Papert's vision, his work is cited less frequently. I find this intriguing as we consider some of the original thinkers that considered the changes that might be due to these new and digital technologies. As these technologies converge, do their ideas seem less novel?

Post by Andrew Marcinek asking that we authentically and effectively integrate technology into education...as opposed to viewing it as an additive to pedagogy.

Specifically, he notes:

The one element that has not evolved entirely is thinking of EdTech as if it is an additive within a learning ecosystem rather than part of the school's fabric.

He closes with a call to action indicating that is framed by a series of "hopes" made to the reader:

I hope EdTech is no longer a focal point but rather, it's threaded through the fabric of every school's ethos and philosophy. I hope educators own EdTech and leverage it to create dynamic learning landscapes. I hope that devices are no longer debated and instead we're finding ways in which we can prepare educators — both in educator prep programs and with in-house, professional learning — to help students to find the right tool to solve big problems. I hope education conferences stop showcasing vendors and toys and refocus on the educators who are leading the way in designing and creating innovative spaces for exploration and inquiry that may or may not involve technology.

Post from Kristen Mattson providing a counter argument to much of the recent discussion about digital citizenship (#digcit).

What I like most about Kristen's post is the connection to the works of John Dewey. She unpacks Dewey's philosophical perspectives, and wonder what he would make of the role of a child as a digital citizen in a global community. Kristen posits that Dewey just might want learners to interact and experience multiple perspectives as they act as a member of the community.

Yes, we still need to consider elements of privacy, security, and identity online. We need to consider others ways to teach this than just encapsulating them in one course or curriculum.

Post from The Hechinger Report in Wired examining a "school" that really allows for student voice and choice in a blended learning environment. New Hampshire's self-paced Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) serves about 200 full-time middle and high school, as well as about 10,000 part-time students from across the state.

I think there are some benefits, and some negatives that exist in a system like this. Typically I'll look to gather more information beyond the shine presented in this post. But, I think this is important for educators to read as they consider future (and present) learning systems. We often think about brick and mortar installations when we consider how we "do school." For better or worse, alternative visions of teaching and learning are out there and we need to educate ourselves and prepare.

Even though the post is long, I urge you to read and consider how you feel about it. It serves as a good litmus test for your perspectives about literacy, technology, and education.

Sean Captain in Fast Company looks at the digital residue that we've left behind as we interact with technologies and asks whether or not we have the tools to create artificially intelligent versions of ourselves.

This might seem like science fiction to many, but it's important to note that we might already interact with various bots and forms of artificial intelligence on a daily basis. Heck, some of the journalism that you read online might be written by bots.

In previous issues of TL;DR we've discussed artificial intelligence, bots, and aspects of our own identity. We've also discussed aspects of privacy, security, and the wealth of data that others take from us as we interact online. You need to consider what will happen when we have the computing power to connect the dots and make digital clones of ourselves.

🔨 Do

I'm waiting for the day when Google will announce that they've been indexing audio and video content online and will allow for deep video searching. I have no insider information on this, but you need to look at their work scanning and indexing books. Imagine if you could write up a simple keyword search, and you could receive results not only from webpages and blog posts...but also be brought to a specific time stamp in a video or audio clip. Ahhh...I can't wait. :)

Until that point arrives, I've been search for ways to help my students consume and synthesize the videos that I share in class. I typically will use Vialogues (and will start testing VideoAnt) to allow students to have time-stamped discussions on the video. I'll also start playing with this beta version of BriefTube to add some context to the content they consume.

🤔 Consider

"Nothing could be more absurd than an experiment in which computers are placed in a classroom where nothing else is changed." — Seymour Papert

This week: science fiction to science reality in education.

BadgeChain Reads on blockchain misconceptions using Hypothes.is. Seymour Papert and Paulo Freire debate - I can only imagine sitting in that room, enormous impact on my career and philosophy. Papert passed away at 88, pioneer of AI and constructionism. Paulo Blikstein on Papert Paradox - I find this intriguing, do ideas seem less novel as technologies converge? Andrew Marcinek ending EdTech as additive, thread it through school fabric. Kristen Mattson on John Dewey digital citizenship - interact and experience multiple perspectives. VLACS virtual school - I think there are benefits and negatives, I urge you to read, serves as good litmus test. Digital copies of ourselves with AI. BriefTube for video summaries - I'm waiting for deep video searching, Ahhh...I can't wait.

Nothing could be more absurd than computers in a classroom where nothing else is changed.

Previous: TLDR 56 • Next: TLDR 58 • Archive: 📧 Newsletter

🌱 Connected Concepts:

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