Bytes & Insights - October 19, 2023

Learn21's Weekly EdTech Update

October 19, 2023

Welcome to
Bytes & Insights

When It’s Easy;

It’s Rarely Ever Better

We've all heard the saying, "nothing worth having comes easy." And it's true, isn't it? But have you ever stopped to think about why that is? Why do we value things more when they require hard work and perseverance?

The answer lies in our human nature. We are wired to seek out challenges and overcome obstacles. It's what keeps us motivated and engaged in life. Imagine if everything was easy - our jobs, hobbies, relationships - there would be no sense of accomplishment or growth. We would simply exist and eventually become bored with the monotony of it all.

This is especially true when it comes to learning something new. The difficulty we face in acquiring a new skill or knowledge is often the very thing that makes it so rewarding. Think about it, if learning something was easy, everyone would be doing it and everything would look the same. It's our struggles and challenges that make us unique and add depth to our experiences.

But let's not forget the other important factor - quality. When things are too easy, they are rarely better. This is especially evident in the field of artificial intelligence. As someone who has dabbled in generative AI, I can attest that while the output may be decent, it's not something I would proudly showcase or publish. It lacks originality and creativity - two vital components that can only be achieved through difficulty and practice.

The next time you face a challenge or obstacle in your learning journey, don't shy away from it. Embrace it as an opportunity to grow and improve. As the cliche saying goes, "obstacles are really opportunities." In the end, you'll not only have a sense of accomplishment but also a unique set of skills and experiences that make you stand out in a world where everything is becoming increasingly accessible and easy. Keep pushing through the difficulty, because that's where the true beauty of learning and growth lies.

Tips & Tricks

Google Drive on the web is getting an activity feed. The new link will show up in the left hand navigation and show the following activity:

Any pending access requests
Pending Approvals (for Google Workspace customers with that feature)
Comment related activity

Adobe has finally released Adobe Photoshop for the Web for Creative Cloud customers, a free version is not available. This means that Chromebook users can now use Photoshop without jumping through hoops. To get started, navigate to the Photoshop website and sign in with an account that has a Creative Cloud subscription. What's great about the web version is that it brings Adobe's amazing generative fill to the table.

Learn21 Update

Ignite Your Imagination at Learn21’s AI Campground

Learn21 is going camping this year at the the Ohio CoSN-ISTE Conference! One of the amazing new features of the conference that we can’t wait to share with you is our AI Campground.

The AI Campground is an innovative approach to the familiar Playground found at other conferences. At the AI Campground campers will have the opportunity to try new educational AI tools, work with colleagues to complete AI related challenges, and sit around the campfire to discuss important topics in AI.

While much is being said about AI and its role in education, we believe that it is valuable to try new things and discuss the novel ways we can use technology to best serve our schools and students. Our hope is that this Campground will be a meaningful place to exchange ideas and create something fun! We will also have some camp swag available for all participants that you won’t want to miss.

Bring your s’mores supplies, flashlight for some spooky ghost stories, and your sense of adventure to the Ohio CoSN-ISTE Conference November 8 -9 at The Ohio State Union and while you are there come camping with us Thursday while you attend the conference.

Check out our Conference Website to register and begin to plan when you will be able to stop by the AI Campground.

Let’s continue building the future of education technology in Ohio together. We hope to see you there!

Don’t be Spooked by These Scary Apps

As the nights grow longer and jack-o'-lanterns start grinning, we’ve got something spooktacular brewing just for you! Since October 1st, we’ve been unveiling a frightful app a day that’ll send shivers down your spine. These apps are educationally solid, but they have privacy policies that’ll give even the bravest K-12 educators goosebumps!

Over the course of the month we are featuring education apps that leave something to be desired in their privacy policies. We have shared an app every day this month and will continue to do so throughout the rest of October.

You can learn more about our Scary Apps through our social media pages X and LinkedIn. You can also sign up for our daily Scary App emails or suggest other Scary Apps here -https://bit.ly/scaryapps23

In case you can’t get enough Scary Apps, we will be bringing the conversation to the Learn21 Ohio CoSN-ISTE Conference. We'll dig deeper into these hair-raising privacy issues, share expert insights, and explore solutions that’ll put those data demons to rest.

If you are looking for a spooky good time you can sign up for the CoSN-ISTE Conference, November 8 -9 at the Ohio State Union. Register here for our ghostly gathering!

Extra Credit

When is being mediocre ok? The article discusses the drive for the American Dream and uses the case for mediocrity as a stand in for work/life balance. After 27 years in education, with the past 23 at the same position, I'm starting to understand this mindset of giving as much as you can, but also carving out what you want to do. I'm lucky, I'm such a tech nut that my job and my hobbies have a lot of overlap, but now its time to branch out into other endeavors. A couple of months ago I was at a funeral visitation, and a guy there was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Die with memories, not dreams," a phrase I think about now way too often. Is mediocrity a way to achieve that? It's up to you.

Teenagers are overly stimulated with notifications from their smartphones, including some who receive upwards of 5,000 notifications a day! This research shows how teenagers are driven to distraction through their smartphones. Should schools have lessons on cellphone use? And if so, where and when?

My social media use is declining being replaced by email lists and RSS. Another form is rising up, group chats. I do have several group chats in my favorite messaging client Telegram Messenger, but you can get overwhelmed. I'm ruthless on turning off notifications, and my group chats are no different. It is nice having a place to share or bounce ideas off of others without the public worries of social media. I wholly recommend it.

What's a good way to inform others? Do you have to relay the same information 7 times, or just 3 times in 3 different ways?

Bytes and Insights is written by Eduk8me’s Ryan Collins who writes about education and educational technology. He’s also the Director of Technology for Kenton City Schools in Ohio. Sign up for his Of Bits and Bytes newsletter at https://eduk8.me.