Welcome to August’s edition of Read Write Respond, a newsletter of ideas and information associated with all things in and out of education, mined and curated for me and shared with you.

On the family front, we have been making the most of the nice weather to get outdoors quite a bit. This included going on a few bike rides, as well as continuing our dive into geology by looking for gold in the Brisbane Ranges. We also attended the launch of Fiona Hardy’s novel How to Make a Movie in 12 Days, which was a great event.
At work, there was a review looking at some of the processes moving forward. This led to further work around managing timetables and refining reports. In addition to this, I supported a couple of schools with setting up for Semester Two. I also attended Swinburne University for a network meeting focusing on history and the whole learner.
Personally, my focus this year has been flanarie. It has been interesting. I think I have struggled with the seemingly structurelessness of the endeavour. I have found myself starting various books, then jumping to something new before finishing. This month, I started Imagined Communities, but then found myself diving into John Warner’s Why They Can’t Write. I have also started a number of posts, but never got around to completing them. Maybe this is ok? Maybe this is normal? Maybe my expectations are the problem? I think with so much structure in my life, it sometimes feels strange to let this go in any way. Don’t know.
Musically, I have been listening to Sigur Rós’ liminal project, Taylor Swift’s continued evolution, Sleater-Kinney’s St. Vincent produced offering and Bon Iver latest.
In regards to watching, I finished Series 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale and took my children to Toy Story 4.
In regards to my writing, I posted a reflection on Dai Barnes:

Remembering Dai Barnes

Learning and Teaching
How to Innovate: Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission
Joel Speranza suggests starting change by running small measured experiments, rather than focusing on people and permission.
No, minister! Keep NAPLAN results away from student job applications
Jessica Holloway and Steven Lewis discuss the problem of conflating learning with NAPLAN performance.
Stressed-out teacher? Try these self-care tips
Grace Jennings-Edquist collates a number of self-care strategies to support teachers.
Stephen Wolfram recounts the entire history of mathematics in 90 minutes
Stephen Wolfram presents ramble through time and provides reminder of the way in which the present is built on the discoveries of the past.
From ball pits to water slides: the designer who changed children’s playgrounds for ever
Nicholas Hune-Brown explores the legacy of Eric McMillan and his revolution of playgrounds in the 1970’s.

Technology
Shame Cycles and Twitter Rage
Sherri Spelic share some tips and questions to consider when dealing with the toxic side of Twitter.
How far will digital video go?
Bryan Alexander discusses the possible future of video as a medium.
Artificial intelligence in Schools: An Ethical Storm is Brewing
Erica Southgate discusses a new report and project to support the analysis of artificial intelligence in education.
A Framework for Moderation
Ben Thompson responds to CloudFlare’s decision to terminating service for 8chan with a look into the world of moderation
Imagine if we didn’t know how to use books – notes on a digital practices framework
Dave Cormier provides a framework for learning on the internet.

Reflections
‘Plastic recycling is a myth’: what really happens to your rubbish?
Oliver Franklin-Wallis discusses the current global recycling crisis.
The Hopefulness and Hopelessness of 1619
Remembering the 400 year anniversary of the arrival of African slaves in Northern America, Ibram X Kendi traces the stories of Angela and John Pory.
The History of Cities Is About How We Get to Work
Building on the idea of Marchetti’s Constant, Jonathan English discusses the role of transport in the development of the city.
The Anthropocene Is a Joke
Peter Brannen looks at our current impact on the world and where it sits with the history of the earth.
How Hillsong and other Pentecostal megachurches are redefining religion in Australia
Stephen Stockwell and Ruby Jones discusses the rise of Pentecostal churches, such as Hillsong and Planetshakers.

In memory of @daibarnes pic.twitter.com/WF2rKz81rI
— Bryan Mathers (@BryanMMathers) August 4, 2019

Focus on … DAI BARNES
On the night of Thursday 1st / Friday 2nd August 2019, Dai Barnes suddenly passed away in his sleep. Dai was one half of the TIDE podcast. He was also a champion of the people, something celebrated in the final episode of the podcast. Personally speaking, he was one of my first subscribers. Amy Burvall co ordinated a number of curations on Wakelet and Flipgrid collecting together disparate memories. There were also some longer reflections from Amy, Laura Hilliger Doug Belshaw, Tim Klapdor and Eylan Ezekiel. I will never forget him talking about a failed job interview where he found himself standing on the table like Jesus. Must admit, it has definitely left me feeling more mortal.

Read Write Respond #044
So that is August for me, how about you? As always, happy to hear.

Cover Image via JustLego101