📰 Read Write Respond #066

I managed to scrape my way to the end of the school term. For the last few weeks I have felt like a boxer successfully avoiding the full impact associated with a barrage of punches, but never properly regaining their balance. If it was not academic reports, then it was attendance, while if it wasn’t attendance, then it was the parent portal. I often wonder what a mature solution might look like and keep coming back to the importance of building capacity. Something easier said than done. Time will tell.

On the home front, I learnt the importance of using the right tool for the task. I have spent the last few months using a handsaw to cut down some trees at the back of our property. It got down to the stumps so we borrowed a small electric chainsaw. As I wonder what is currently wrong with my elbow, I am left thinking I should have borrowed the chainsaw earlier. It also made the process of loading the green waste into 10 cubic metre skip so much easier.

Personally, it was again another dry month on the blogging front. In regards to reading, I started Catch 22. While with music, I have been listening to both Marina and Garbage’s new albums.

Here then are some of the posts that had me thinking:

Education

Emily and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Professional Development Session

Emily Fintelman poses a series of questions to consider when running professional development.

The Wonder of Writing: what writing a children’s book taught me about teaching writing

Kath Murdoch reflects upon the experience of writing a children’s book and provides a list of lessons learnt along the way.

The Middle Leader Manifesto: What 160 Leaders Say Matters

Ewan McIntosh identifies what it takes to grow a middle leader.

Make Your Case Stronger – Argue Against Yourself

Pam Thomson provides a series of negative strategies to get from a first to a second draft. Although focused on those writing research, it is a useful strategy for all ages.

typelit.io

typelit.io is a site that gets you to practice typing by reproducing classic pieces of literature.

Technology

The Tom Cruise deepfake that set off ‘terror’ in the heart of Washington DC

With the popularity associated with Deepfake Tom Cruise videos, Mark Corcoran and Matt Henry take a dive into the world of deepfakes.

What Really Happened When Google Ousted Timnit Gebru

Tom Simonite digs into the complex series of events that led to Timnit Gebru (and Margaret Mitchell) being ousted from Google’s AI team starting with her fleeing Ethiopia in the late 90’s.

Google Photos is so 2020—welcome to the world of self-hosted photo management

Alex Kretzschmar unpacks the open source alternatives to Google Photos.

Minimum Viable Self

Drew Austin reflects upon the nature of digital identity and the need to continually sustain it.

What magic teaches us about misinformation

Tim Harford talks about the importance of paying attention as a means of seeing beyond the magic of misinformation.

General

Degrees of Uncertainty – A documentary about climate change and public trust in science by Neil Halloran

Neil Halloran suggests that, even being sceptical of the data, we can be sure enough to say that drastic change is needed to curb global warming.

Rewilding: four tips to let nature thrive

Sophie Wynne-Jones, Ian Convery and Steve Carver published a set of guiding principles which specify what rewilding should involve and how it should be done.

A Cow with a Hole in It

Jess Zimmerman argues that rather than vulnerability in our writing, we should be aspiring for permeability.

What’s the Most Sustainable Diet?

After trialing a range of diets, Barry Estabrook reveals that the most sustainable strategy is to reflect upon your own life and identify aspects of change.

The ‘20-5-3’ Rule Prescribes How Much Time You Should Spend Outside

Michael Easter discusses the ‘20-5-3’ Rule for engaging with nature.

Read Write Respond #066

So that was June for me, how about you? As always, hope you are safe and well.

Cover Image via justlego1O1 is licensed under CC BY-SA