Ed/Tech must-reads 050825

I Am Laura Kipnis-Bot, and I Will Make Reading Sexy and Tragic Again from Wired

I happened upon this 2024 article while reading the print edition of this magazine, so in AI years it is paleolithic, but it does highlight some applications of GenAI in reading that I am still unsure whether are brilliant or alarming or hogwash. Probably all 3. In brief, the associated platform, Rebind, has hooked in some big names (like Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Roxane Gay, Deepak Chopra) and the author of this article to record kind of (but not quite) commentary tracks for classic books (royalty free). These are fed to an LLM to create bots informed by their musings about the works and associated topics (and off-topics) that the reader is prompted to engage with at set points in the text. I can see educational value in this idea of having a celebrity book club of two, but it still touches that uncanny valley spot for me when it comes to having actual intellectual discussion. The platform still seems to be up and running and as I recently re-read Kafka’s Metamorphosis, I may take the free trial for a spin to see how it goes. Still, strange.

Research: The Hidden Penalty of Using AI at Work from Harvard Business Review

Do we look down on people that we know are using GenAI in the workplace - even just a little? According to this HBR article by Acar, Gai, Tu, and Hou - kind of yes. This ties back to an article that I shared a couple of weeks ago indicating that people with deeper understanding of technology and GenAI tended to be less enthusiastic about it, as it explores a case study of low usage rates by a group of software engineers in a business. A big part of this seems to relate to professional pride and not being considered to be out of one’s depth. The work of people using these tools was generally regarded as inferior - and, surprise surprise, when women used them, even more so. Being a business focused mag, fixated on productivity, it goes on to make some suggestions for overcoming these reservations - like hiding the fact that workers are using it.

2025: Choose your own (assessment) adventure: Promoting student agency and career readiness webinar - Weds 6th Aug 5pm AEST from Transforming Assessment

Rosemary Herbert, from Monash University will host what looks like a fascinating session - the blurb does it more justice than I could

“This session explores an approach to assessment that creates agency for students by allowing them to pick their own due dates, formats of assessment (e.g., oral, written, etc) and research topics. Experiences and lessons learnt are outlined as a result of implementing the approach in a first year science communication unit, a third year elective unit for science internships and a third year career readiness unit.”

TELedvisors Webinar - Making the Invisible Visible: Evidencing your Learning Design Practice Thurs 28th Aug 12pm AEST from TELedvisors Network

Something happening a little further down the road, this webinar is aimed at learning designers but I would imagine that the lessons presented on showcasing one’s work will be applicable more widely as well.

Learning design work is often unseen. This webinar is for learning designers who want to make their work visible and valued.

The facilitators will introduce a framework for evidencing your practice, share practical examples, and guide you through reflective activities to help you identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for growth. Come ready to engage and leave with practical tools to support your career journey.

Facilitators:

Jenny Boreland

Jenny has over 25 years' experience in education, including 16 years in higher education in three Australian universities.  She has held both academic and professional roles and has worked extensively with international students, higher degree research candidates and in executive and professional education.  Currently, she manages a team of learning designers and is committed to supporting them and promoting their contribution to creating quality educational experiences for positive learner outcomes.  

Sue Sharpe

Sue Sharpe is an educator and equity practitioner with 15 years’ experience working in higher education in a variety of roles including learning designer, education focused academic and course director. She is currently the Lecturer of Inclusive Education at Deakin University, an academic development role where she helps to bring an equity lens to current areas of change such as assessment and generative AI.

Tanya Henry

Tanya has over 20 years of experience in education, with expertise in programmatic assessment, curriculum design, and project management. As the Strategic Lead, Assessment Transformation, she provides strategic leadership and mentorship to a team of faculty-based Learning Designers who are driving Assessment Transformation as part of The University of Queensland’s Lead through Learning strategy.