Based on Bryant, P., Lanclos, D., & Phipps, L., “Beyond the Borderlands: Reimagining the Competencies of Postdigital Educational Leadership in an Era of Coalescing Geopolitical Crisis.” I, Peter Bryant, and Donna Lanclos had been at a conference for three days. We had agreed to write a chapter on Postdigital Leadership and Crises. So on a…
Read moreTag: Culture
Climate, AI, and Technosolutionism
I’ve been working in technology and higher education for so long that sometimes I forget that I have a background in environmental science. This morning I was listening to Curious Cases with Hannah Fry and Dara O’Briain, the show was all about bubbles, soap bubbles. At one point the pair talked about giant space bubbles!…
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Toxicity and Responsibility: Is it time to reassess institutional engagement with Twitter (X)
About a year ago I left Twitter (or X), a decision based on concerns about the platform’s increasingly toxic environment. The decision was right, and has been borne out by the recent far right riots in the UK, where misinformation, outright lies, and the way in which the platform as allowed racists and nazis to…
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ACCOUNT SUSPENDED: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE
Some Background Yesterday was remembrance Sunday in the UK, as always it falls nearest the the 11th of November. I am sure people know, but the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th Month was the time at which “the Great War” ended. For over 100 years in countries around the world the…
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If you set a minimum standard…
… that’s what they’ll strive for. I was recently asked how I would change something to make the accessibility elements more in line with inclusive principles. The honest answer is I don’t know. The problem is that the purpose of the thing was to get people to change things, to change practice or technology etc. And…
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Means. Motive, Opportunity: A Composite Narrative about Academic Misconduct
Reposted my original post from the National Centre for AI I would like to thank the late Andrew Cormack for his support in approaching the ethics of this post, and many others, his support and guidance will be missed. The header image is one that he would have enjoyed and laughed at, The Bird of…
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(Not) Writing with an AI
This is not a post about AI per se, it’s about my writing process. I was chatting to a colleague this week about the tool of the moment, ChatGPTn, they were expressing that it was beneficial for them, because faced with a blank piece of paper they struggle to start. I get that, I have…
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Consumerism – Neoliberal Education – Climate Change
I spent some time over Christmas reflecting on digital education and the post I wrote about digital capabilities and climate back in July, mostly because I was sat in a “bomb cyclone” in New England – another of the extreme weather events which are becoming more regular. I’m not sure what direction I am taking…
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Zoom and Room: hidden labour
We need to recognise the labour involved in these emerging practices; existing teams are great at making things happen, making it feel possible, and making it as simple as they can for those of us who are experiencing it as users. But if the practices are to be embedded and widespread, that extra labour needs to be recognized and accounted for. People often can’t just turn up and flip a switch. And those who are told it’s just that easy are being sold something. In some institutions I am seeing a lot of recruitment in learning design and technology enhanced learning roles, in some I am seeing restructures with no overall increase in numbers, and of course some are either not changing or even reducing their numbers.
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What does the premium on “presence” actually cost?
Joe Biden’s recent pronouncement on “broadband is infrastructure” amplifies the message that our lives are connected in significant ways in digital systems. And, in a report, the United Nations Human Rights Council said: Given that the Internet has become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and…
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