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TLDR 85

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 85

Published: 2017-02-17 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to TL;DR Newsletter #85. Each week I'm synthesizing things that happened in the worlds of education, literacy, and technology to help make sense of it for you. Thanks for joining us.

This week's issue is all about interacting with your settings.

This week I shared the following:

Feel free to share this with someone that you believe would benefit. Please subscribe to this newsletter if you haven't already. Thanks!!! :)

Send me feedback or questions at hello@wiobyrne.com. You can review archives of the newsletter. Check out TL;DR on Medium. Connect with me on Instagram and Snapchat.

🔖 Key Takeaways

📺 Watch

This video popped up on my feed over the past week. The video is of two infants communicating with each other via FaceTime.

The video reminds me of a video I created of my son a couple of years ago in which he unlocks our cell phone to look at pictures of our family. I also see a lot of this sort of content in my own house as my children are frequently brought in to video chats or Snapchat feeds with my Wife as she communicates with family/friends.

I think this video is fascinating as it shows an interaction with others through technology. I also have some melancholy as I wonder what effect this will have on children as they grow up with these connections and expectations through the use of technology.

📚 Read

Each year the New Media Consortium (NMC) releases the Horizon Report. This report details the trends in educational uses of technology across a number of spaces. Click here to go directly to the previous reports from different sectors (Higher Ed, K-12, Museum, Library).

One of the things you'll notice as you dive in is that many of the "trends" that they list, or elements listed as happening within a couple years, have been on their list for many years. Work with mobile technologies, adaptive learning technologies, and the next-generation learning management system are perpetually "just about to happen."

I use the Horizon Report each year to identify trends and use it as a reality check to see if I'm on the right path. This year I'm feeling like it identifies that things (for the most part) are not changing...or at least not as fast as I would like them to.

I recommend reading this post from Audrey Watters for more context on the latest report.

Intriguing post from George Monbiot on The Guardian rehashing an argument many of us have been making for the past decade or so. Specifically, he is talking about how we are failing to use time in our schools to prepare students to think and be individuals in their future careers.

He explains that we force students to sit in rows and consume facts. We view collaboration as cheating. We have a mindset that curriculums and tests are the real centers of knowledge and understanding. Each of these beliefs runs counter to what is expected and/or needed as they enter the workforce.

In my research, I often follow an iterative design process as I regularly and cyclically develop, test, and analyze for the purposes of refining my process or product.

This post from John Spencer shares thinking about extending this process to lessons and teaching situations. In the post, John shares the benefits he finds in the results of this process.

I have shared John's work in this newsletter many times in the past. I enjoy his work and the layout of the materials in his digital identity. Definitely check out the post.

Chromebooks have quickly worked their way into my daily workflow. I carry a Chromebook with me to conferences and on the road. I use Chromebooks in my classes and with my family at home. I even bought an entire graduate program focusing on the use of a Chromebook as a text in the classroom. As such, I'm all in on Chromebooks for most people and most purposes.

I enjoyed this post in Cnet looking at the five "stages" of Chromebook acceptance. I'm wondering where you are in this sequence.

I'm thinking that I need to write a new version of this post, but from someone that is a bit more progressive in their use of technology.

If you're like me, you're often sitting in front of the computer working, or interacting with others while multiple screens and projectors are glowing nearby. You might also need some calming or meditative content playing in the background as you work. I'll typically play some music or white noise while I'm trying to focus.

The Sleep Ambient HD YouTube channel is a collection of backgrounds and settings used for video game environments. Game developers spend months or years building these beautiful, immersive environments...only to have you zoom by on your horse or in your spaceship.

If you're trying to relax, or you need some background noise, you could try out content from this channel. I'll use this eye candy in full screen in my classroom in the upcoming weeks.

🔨 Do

Pixar and Khan Academy have teamed up to develop some great content called Pixar in a Box.

This latest installment is titled The Art of Storytelling that is definitely worth your time. You'll have some inside guidance from members of the Pixar team that includes an introduction to storytelling, as well as creating setting, character, and theme.

Definitely worth using in your own work, or with other learners.

🤔 Consider

"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight." — Jim Rohn

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