📰 Read Write Respond #054

What day is it again? Let alone what month? I really respect those people who have kept count of the days. Sadly that is not me, maybe it should be?

On the home front, The Victorian government relaxed restrictions. It would seem that some people responded as if the witch is dead. Wrong. We are now on the edge of an outbreak that has forced many back into isolation once again. However, then I open the internet and see the rest of the world in turmoil and am reminded how lucky and privileged my family and I are.

At work, we crawled our way through to the end of the semester doing all the usual last minute reporting runarounds. It is always a challenge to balance between problem solving and building capacity. Although people seem happy with my support, I still wonder what steps I can take to help others help themselves? With this in mind, I have been exploring creation of short videos.

Personally, I have been listening for solace in soundscapes from Chris Beckstrom and Joseph Shabason, as well as rewatching the Marvel series.

Here then are some of the posts that have distracted my thinking:

Education

Build Back Better

Simon Breakspeare explains the importance of honouring the effort and adaption that many staff and students have gone through and building upon some of the lessons learnt.

Toddlers and teens – better understanding their digital needs

Antony Funnell dives into a range of initiatives currently being developed by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to help children make better use of the digital world.

The 7 elements of a good online course

George Veletsianos reflects on his experience studying online learning to provide some advice about what to look for as many sectors stay online for the foreseeable future.

The Inhumanities; Or, the war on the humanities & why our humanity is at stake

Mark Tredinnick responds the challenge being made to the traditional liberal arts education in Australia.

Writer’s Notebook: 5 myths to debunk

Narissa Leung responds to some the myths associated with the use of writer’s notebooks to support learning.

Technology

The Ed-Tech Imaginary

Tracing a narrative from Frankenstein through to Skinner, Audrey Watters wonders about the possibilities of creating a different ed-tech imaginary focused on care not conquest.

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Virtual Meetings

The team at We Are Open Coop have created an email-based course that helps map out a lay of the land when it comes to virtual meetings.

How Big Tech Monopolies Distort Our Public Discourse

Cory Doctorow responds to Shoshana Zuboff questions about mind control powers supposedly held by platform capitalists and instead suggests they are good at lying to us.

How To Write Great Microcopy

Anthony Diké provides a series of tips for designing for the web, such as being clear, concise and useful, as well as creating a framework to ensure wording stays consistent.

General

Do Protests Even Work?

Zeynep Tufekci explores the potential of protests to challenge the legitimacy of those in power.

Jacob Collier on staying creative and his 646 track song “All I Need”

Charlie Harding talks with Jacob Collier about recording music during a pandemic, his method for collaborating with other artists from around the world and how he mastered the live streaming rhythmic multiverse.

Taking a Long Term View During Turbulent Times

Tim Kastelle discusses the current challenges facing organisations and the importance of slow thinking.

Why must Indigenous claims for justice always be cast as an attack on the state?

Stan Grant discusses the long history of waiting to be recognised in the Australian constitution. The current crisis is therefore a critical test for democracy.

Yes! and … How to be Effective in the Theatre of Work

Tom Critchlow explores the analogies between the improv acting and the work of a consultant.

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Read Write Respond #054

So that was February for me, how about you? As always, love to hear.

Cover Image via JustLego101