TLDR 93

Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 93

Published: 2017-04-14 • 📧 Newsletter

Welcome to TL;DR Newsletter #93. TL;DR is a weekly synthesis of things you need to know about the intersection between education, technology, and literacy. Feel free to share this with someone that you believe would benefit. Please subscribe to this newsletter if you haven't already.

In this week's episode we connect with the silence within us.

This week I posted the following:

Wakefulness and digitally engaged publics - This week my publication on open scholarship and education was published at Hybrid Pedagogy. I've been getting a lot of good feedback from the piece. If you haven't already, please go take a look and let me know what you think. Several of us have started annotating the doc using Hypothesis. Come join us.

Send me feedback or questions at hello@wiobyrne.com. You can review archives of the newsletter or on Medium. I also share the quotes at the bottom of the newsletter on Instagram.

🔖 Key Takeaways

What Is Exactly: Copi is trying to teach Paste the "right way," but what exactly is the "correct path"?
The Piece Provides: The piece provides three key takeaways about edtech as potential silver bullet - rise of edtech is part of shift in political thought, technocentric view that technology can solve challenges, and unless greater collaborative efforts take place any efforts are doomed to fail.
The Thing That Has Me Worried: I indicated a couple of possible research angles on YouTube content creation, but suggested the thing that has me worried are the privacy and security concerns.
I Wish the Building: We did not hit all of the elements listed in this piece, but we were pretty close. I wish the building allowed for more natural light sources. I'm investigating some greenery.
As I Have Pointed Out: Much of the guidance Facebook provides is based on the same "checklist" methodology used in our schools. As I have pointed out in the past, these checklist systems fail for a number of reasons.
The Role Model Effect: The "role model effect" seems quite pronounced as it helps support learning and positive connections for marginalized students.
Any Aerobic Activity: Any aerobic activity, especially running, may have more pronounced effects on your well being. It may add years to your life.

📺 Watch

Alike

This animated short shares a day in the life of Copi, and his son Paste. Copi is trying to teach Paste the "right way," but what exactly is the "correct path"?

📚 Read

EdTech won't save higher ed

A piece by George Veletsianos and Rolin Moe on the shift in thinking about edtech as a potential "silver bullet" to cure all of what ails education.

Veletsianos and Moe examine trends in the field to make sense of changes in pricing, strategy, and outcomes of this area. The piece provides three key takeaways:

The rise of edtech is part of a larger shift in political thought, from favoring government oversight to asserting free-market principles, as well as a response to the increasing costs of higher education.
Technocentric view that technology can solve these challenges combines with a vision of education as a product that can be packaged, automated, and delivered to students.
Unless greater collaborative efforts take place between edtech developers and greater academic community, as well as more informed deep understandings of how learning and teaching actually occur, any efforts to make edtech education's silver bullet are doomed to fail.

EFF releases spying on students ed tech report

This week I was discussing with a colleague possible research that would examine skills and practices as youth create and share content on YouTube. I indicated a couple of possible research angles, but suggested the thing that has me worried are the privacy & security concerns.

The very next day, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released results from a survey that reveals gaps in protections for K-12 students as they use devices and the cloud. Specifically, they address 8 key themes:

Lack of transparency
Investigative burden
Data collection and use
Lack of standard privacy precautions
Barriers to opt-out
Shortcomings of "privacy by policy"
Inadequate technology and privacy training for teachers
Digital literacy for students

The science of effective learning spaces

This week we also finished an update for one of our "technology infused classrooms" here on campus. You can watch a brief tour I gave of the classroom using Facebook Live.

This post from Edutopia shares many of the points we tried to address in the renovation of our learning lab. We did not hit all of the elements listed in this piece, but we were pretty close. I wish the building allowed for more natural light sources. I'm investigating some greenery, even artificial plants to give the room some "life." I also wanted our learning lab to have movable tables for more interaction in the room. I guess the rolling chairs will do.

How do your learning spaces stack up?

Facebook's news literacy advice is harmful to news literacy

This week Facebook started rolling out some guidance on media literacy in people's feeds around the globe. As Mike Caulfield points out, much of the guidance they provide is just bad advice.

Much of the guidance Facebook provides is based on the same "checklist" methodology used in our schools as we ask students to evaluate online information. As I have pointed out in the past, these checklist systems fail for a number of reasons.

Caulfield indicates four reasons why this advice from Facebook fails:

It takes too long
It deals with surface features
It targets fake news but not slanted claims
It doesn't use the network

If you really want to develop media and information critical literacies, get off the page. Search the web to get more information. Develop your healthy skepticism as you read "laterally" online.

Having just one black teacher can keep black kids in school

This post from Anya Kamenetz on NPR Ed discusses the importance of role models in our classrooms. Specifically, she cites some recent research that explains some of the long term impacts of same-race teachers.

The "role model effect" seems quite pronounced as it helps support learning and positive connections for marginalized students.

🔨 Do

An hour of running may add 7 hours to your life

We have often heard about the positive physical and psychological effects of exercise in our daily routines.

Any aerobic activity, especially running, may have more pronounced effects on your well being. It may add years to your life.

🤔 Consider

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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🌱 Connected Concepts:

Alike Short Film — Animated short day in life of Copi and son Paste, Copi trying to teach Paste right way but what exactly is the correct path.
EdTech Silver Bullet — George Veletsianos Rolin Moe shift in thinking about edtech as potential silver bullet, unless greater collaborative efforts take place between developers and academic community any efforts doomed to fail.
Student Privacy EFF — Electronic Frontier Foundation survey reveals gaps in protections for K-12 students using devices and cloud, the thing that has me worried are privacy and security concerns address 8 key themes.
Learning Spaces — Science of effective learning spaces Edutopia we finished update for technology infused classroom, we did not hit all elements but were pretty close I wish building allowed for more natural light investigating greenery.
Facebook News Literacy — Mike Caulfield Facebook's news literacy advice is harmful much of guidance is based on checklist methodology, as I have pointed out in past these checklist systems fail get off the page search web read laterally online.
Same-Race Teachers — Anya Kamenetz NPR Ed importance of role models in classrooms recent research on long term impacts, role model effect seems quite pronounced helps support learning and positive connections for marginalized students.
Running Longevity — NY Times hour of running may add 7 hours to your life, any aerobic activity especially running may have more pronounced effects on well being may add years to your life.

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