The Ed non-Tech (EnT) Podcast

The Ed non-Tech (EnT) Podcast
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Conversations about education, technology, and culture.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 102: Written All Over Me: Handwriting Over Typing

    Matt’s Notes Hey there, and welcome to season five. episode two wherein we’re extolling handwriting and associated educational applications, and no doubt going down rabbit holes of various varieties as well! Thanks for joining us! https://youtu.be/XC-Iap6IC6Q We’re looking and speaking as correctly as we can, under the circumstances! #ednontech This audio’s got more trouble than it can handle, probably! #ednontech Matts-Notes-2 Doug’s Notes Handwriting over typing  Of that august personage, a pedagogue in a district school, under whose inspection (and spectacles) we took our first lessons in the chirographic art, we have this distinct recollection : Whenever he announced the ” time to write,” and we were fairly at work with pen, rule, plummet, and copy, he seldom failed to add, with a good deal of emphasis, this special direction in regard to the exercise : “Let it be short, very short” APS. (1858). Education in the hand of penmanship. The Massachusetts Teacher (1858-1871), 138-143. Handwriting has a low status and profile in literacy education and in recent years has attracted little attention from teachers, policy makers or researchers into mainstream educational processes.  The research suggests that the role of handwriting in writing has been underestimated in mainstream education. Shaturaev, J. (2019). The importance of handwriting in education. International Journal of Advanced Research. Handwriting requires fine motor control over the fingers, and it forces students to pay attention to what they are doing. Typing, on the other hand, requires mechanical and repetitive movements that trade awareness for speed. Thus, the ongoing substitution of handwriting by typewriting in almost every educational setting may seem somewhat misguided as it could affect the learning process in a negative way  Van der Weel, F. R., & Van der Meer, A. L. (2024). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1219945. Handwriting activates a broader network of brain regions involved in motor, sensory, and cognitive processing. Typing engages fewer neural circuits, resulting in more passive cognitive engagement. By understanding the neural differences between handwriting and typing, we can gain insights into optimal learning strategies and potential cognitive advantages, in order to optimize educational, cognitive, and psychological methodologies. We can consider handwriting and typing as distinct yet related modalities of written communication, each employing overlapping but specialized neural circuits. The unique demands of handwriting versus typing shape cognitive development and brain activity, rooted in our evolutionary history and present-day technological habits. The neuroscientific evidence highlights the cognitive advantages of handwriting in learning environments, particularly for younger learners. Marano, G., Kotzalidis, G. D., Lisci, F. M., Anesini, M. B., Rossi, S., Barbonetti, S., … & Mazza, M. (2025). The neuroscience behind writing: Handwriting vs. typing—Who wins the battle?. Life, 15(3), 345. The use of typing as an accommodation reflects the change in writing habits that has taken place since the introduction of the personal computer in the 1980s, with typing taking a more prominent place in text composition in both personal, educational and professional contexts  Stuart, N., & Barnett, A. L. (2026). Handwriting and typing in students with and without additional needs in higher education: Product, process and perceptions. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 26(1), e70058. Word of the Podcast Penmanship Question of the Podcast What other older pedagogy are not improved by recent developments? Phrase of the Podcast Doing her fibre arts & Short sighted and misguided https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YXYhJzROA Click, clack, click Go the cameras and my face in black and white But I’ll be black and blue before tonight #ednontech

  2. Sep 14

    Episode 101: Better Before: Techlash / Backlash against EdTech

    Matt’s Notes Welcome back, any and all, many and most! We are well and truly into the fifth season of the EnT! Among other things, it’s the first episode since April 25th, and we’ve been at this whole endeavor since before October 14, 2022, give or take. In fact, I can think of no better way to introduce the new season and the new episode by sharing this short, twenty-five minutes, Spielbergesque “teaser trailer” for the show as a whole in September of the selfsame year. Our topic with this hundred-and-first outing is Techlash: Backlash against EdTech AKA – Ah Man, I am a neo-luddite after all… And with that, let me also say how enjoyable to be getting started again with this here! https://youtu.be/CudKDb7_ro4 Ed non-Tech is sluicing through this very YouTube clip! #ednontech We are reasonably sure this audio was raised humanely #ednontech Matts-Notes Doug’s Notes Techlash: Backlash against EdTech AKA – Ah Man, I am a neo-luddite after all… No one can think of the reign of terror in English and Scotch manufacturing districts, during 1811-12, without sympathy for the poor handspinners and weavers. Commerce was depressed, the new machinery threw thousands out of work, and a bad harvest filled the cup of distress to overflowing. At first the sufferers only wreaked their vengeance upon the hated machines. Wo to the house that sheltered a stocking or lace-frame ! Bright lights might be kept burning, watchers might be ever on the alert, but the ” accursed thing ” was doomed. With the dead of night came the masked Luddites … Thacher, M. “Locked up in books.” New England Journal of Education 6.10 (1877): 109-110. ‘The coming tech-lash: The tech elite will join bankers and oilmen in public demonology’ Wooldridge, A. (2013, November 18). The coming tech-lash. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/news/2013/11/18/the-coming-tech-lash The “techlash” phenomenon refers to a growing animus toward large technology companies (a.k.a., “Big Tech”) and to a more generalized opposition to modern technology itself, particularly innovations driven by information technology.  The term “techlash” was runner-up in Oxford Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year. Atkinson, R. D., Brake, D., Castro, D., Cunliff, C., Kennedy, J., McLaughlin, M., … & New, J. (2019). A policymaker’s guide to the “techlash”—what it is and why it’s a threat to growth and progress. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. https://itif.org/ After having prioritized digital schooling for the past decade, for instance, Sweden has recently shifted back toward physical textbooks, pen-and-paper homework, reinvesting in libraries and screen-free classrooms (particularly for younger students), citing falling scores on international assessments. Wong, J. (2026, September 8). Parents are pushing back on classroom screen time in a ‘techlash’ over too much technology in schools. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/back-to-school-techlash-9.7327303 In Sweden, the one-to-one laptop policy did not improve results and had small negative effects in maths among students from less-educated backgrounds. The results highlighted that access alone does not improve learning. Another pitfall: this all-digital policy has tended to concentrate funding on hardware rather than on pedagogy or teacher training.  Reichmuth, A. (2026, April 2). Sweden: the unmet promises of the digital classroom. The UNESCO Courier. https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/sweden-unmet-promises-digital-classroom … emphasized that although a rapid de-digitalization of schools might be insufficiently considered and possibly counterproductive, we do need another kind of digital backlash that considers questions of social justice, inclusion, and the diverse experiences of teachers and learners in different contexts.  … the question of language and how we talk about digital resistance is brought up in one way or another by all the interlocutors, stressing how the concepts that we use shape what can be said and how we engage with the world.  Forsler, I., Hayes, S., Jandrić, P., Macgilchrist, F., Selwyn, N., & Hansén, S. (2026). Hijacking the digital backlash in education. Postdigital Science and Education, 8(2), 600-620. A common theme throughout Neil’s work has been the ambition to look beyond the usual teaching and learning concerns of ‘EdTech’ research, and instead explore the broader ways in which digital technology and education come together. Selwyn, N., Cset, C., Ollivier, C., & Jeanneau, C. (2025). Critical studies of education and technology… reasons to be hopeful? (Doctoral dissertation, Monash University (Australia)). Word of the Podcast Techlash Question of the Podcast How should the techlash go in education? Phrase of the Podcast That is very thoughtful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6MgpNaEL1s Hello, hello, is there someone I could talk to? Hello, hello, I don’t want to be alone I don’t want to say, but if I had to tell the truth I was better before the night I met you #ednontech

  3. Apr 25

    Episode 100: Never Ender: Landmarks in education

    We made it! Episode 100 is qualitatively different than any of the previous, inasmuch as it’s now a THREE-digit enterprise! We’re grateful and stoked to have you here for the festivities! Click and/or scroll and/or listen below as per your preferences. As per the Digital Underground: doowutchyalike… it’s that kind of party! It’s also the final episode of season four, so you have until September to get caught up, if that’s your bag, man / ma’am! https://youtu.be/GiOqbfCUFzQ We are a wild party! With apologies to Kim Mitchell! #ednontech Consider this audio a landmark for your ears, and all points in between! #ednontech 20260419092619 Doug’s Notes Landmarks in education – Episode 100 By 1876 modern science had developed so far that the world was about ready to begin an extensive utilization of new knowledge it had produced. Gradually men had come to realize that the days of haphazard invention as a means of progress were coming to an end. We are making progress slowly in the school of experience. Jewett, F. M., & Jewett, F. B. (1928). Fifty years of science and engineering. American Bar Association Journal, 14(8), 460-464. There are a large number of other recommendations suggesting that there is widespread hope that technology will improve many aspects of teaching and learning. Ruberg, L., Calinger, M., & Howard, B. C. (2010). Evaluating educational technologies: Historical milestones. In ICTs for modern educational and instructional advancement: New approaches to teaching (pp. 285-297). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. Popular myth argues that “good teachers are born, not made” yet the premise of faculty development is that teachers can improve. Specifically, we are interested in the role reflection plays in this process of learning from successes   Pinsky, L. E., Monson, D., & Irby, D. M. (1998). How excellent teachers are made: reflecting on success to improve teaching. Advances in health sciences education, 3(3), 207-215. Nearly as soon as it began, Web and tech industry commentators were proclaiming that ‘‘podcasting is dead’ …Yet, podcasting never died.  Bottomley, A. J. (2015). Podcasting: A decade in the life of a “new” audio medium: Introduction. Journal of radio & audio media, 22(2), 164-169. Anniversaries are occasions for reflection, and this is also the purpose of this paper.  With its universitisation, teacher education has found itself in a dilemma between two equally important functions: the traditional function of educating future teachers and the new academic, especially research, function.  Zgaga, P. (2023). Milestones in teacher education: Looking back, looking forward. Perspectives on Teacher Education and Development, 55. EnT podcast timeline highlights Getting started Recording the territorial acknowledgements Refining the format Digital clutter Creating the logo The takeaways – word, question, phrase The interview series Word of the Podcast Celebration Questions of the Podcast What are we doing? & Why are we using technology so much in education? Phrases of the Podcast It spread like a fungus & We remain with widespread hope & Being good to yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qWhyuQ5cr4 what’s true will never die and we can take the power like we gave it so teach me something i’m wide open i’ll teach you something if you listen #ednontech

  4. Apr 19

    Episode 99: Transmission: Student Response Systems (SRSs)

    Matt’s Notes Welcome one and all to our final episode of this EnT in the double-digit numbers! Our enthusiasm is perhaps even higher for this enterprise than it was some 3.5 years ago when we first got into all this podcasting and/or video blogging! In this outing we’re going full Ed Tech with this deep dive into student response systems, AKA “clickers”! https://youtu.be/WxFEYj_7uNs This YouTube is a widget for clicking, among other things! #ednontech Metaphorically, at least, we’re transmitting this audio from Atlantic Canada to wherever you may happen to be catching our waveform! #ednontech 20260406114444 Doug’s Notes Student Response Systems (SRSs) – Clickers – Networked Classrooms In the 1960s, Foothill had a lecture hall where students as a class could give immediate feedback to their instructors via buttons at their seats, a forerunner to modern clicker systems Did the EDEX system make an impact at Foothill? Sadly, I think the answer is no. Despite a plea to our retirees association, I could not find a faculty member who used it to teach. Marasco, D. (2025). Clickers in the’60s at a TYC?. The Physics Teacher, 63(2), 141-141. One common way in which clicker systems are used in the classrooms is to stimulate classroom discussions … Another way in which clickers are used is to assess students’ comprehension of course material through low stakes quizzing. Kaleta, R., & Joosten, T. (2007). Student response systems. Research Bulletin, 10(1), 1-12. These are instructional possibilities when using the emerging Student Response Systems (SRSs), often referred to as clickers Such guidance may be helpful but comes from a teacher-centered orientation and does little to address pedagogical issues, and just introducing new technologies does not address the pedagogical issues of how to improve student learning. Dangel, H. L., & Wang, C. X. (2008). Student response systems in higher education: Moving beyond linear teaching and surface learning. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE), 1(1), 8. The convergence of educational technology and personal mobile technology has enabled personal devices to be included as a tool in the classroom environment. classroom performance systems (CPS),  audience response systems (ARS),  personal response systems (PRS), classroom communication systems,  electronic response systems (ERS),  electronic voting systems (EVS),  polling systems, or  clicker systems.  This paper uses the term ‘SRS’ to refer to the system as a whole, and the terms ‘clicker’ to refer to the physical handheld devices used by students.  Aljaloud, A., Gromik, N., Billingsley, W., & Kwan, P. (2015). Research trends in student response systems: A literature review. International Journal of Learning Technology, 10(4), 313-325. The use of clickers with modern pedagogies does not only bring administrative value, but it can also increase student learning. Challenges Content and Questions Balance Question Development Time Student Challenges Using Clickers in More Traditional Classrooms Clickers Can be Associated with the Anxieties of Testing Manipulating Attendance Numbers Clickers Can Add to Financial Burden Greater Reticence to Ask Questions Out Loud Henderson, J. B., & Chambers, E. L. (2024). The past, present, and future of clickers: A review. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1345. Word of the Podcast Clickers Question of the Podcast We regularly make fun of clickers. When do clickers actually help people learn? Phrases of the Podcast The usage of that term, the space age. & Dopamine + education = dopaminification of education & What are we doing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dBt3mJtgJc Well, I could call out when the going gets tough The things that we’ve learnt are no longer enough No language, just sound, that’s all we need know To synchronise love to the beat of the show And we could dance!#ednontech

  5. Mar 26

    Episode 98: Fake Plastic Trees: Obsolete “best practice” in education

    Matt’s Notes Hey there! Thanks for joining us, as we continue our rapidly-dwindling countdown to the triple digits of this EnT! At the risk of coming off oxymoronic, all best practices in any area of endeavor will at some point be rendered obsolete! Perhaps this is as plain as the nose on your no doubt good-looking face! We, however, beg to differ, as is our wont, and we do get into the digital weeds here a bit! Please check it out, below! https://youtu.be/EnP7XqW9Gug We’ve done our best with what we have to make this video something you’d want to have! At least for a bit! #ednontech This audio is authentically the most impressive we’re capable of at this exact moment in time! #ednontech 20260315180049 Doug’s Notes Obsolete “best practice” in education References to best practice began to appear in the special education literature in the early 1980s and have become more pervasive with each passing year.  Clearly, in the span of 3 years the definition shifted from the use of age appropriate skills across settings, to strategies and methods, to delivery of instruction, to quality-of-life outcomes. Implicitly, best practice wavered from the student (skills needed) to the instruction (method) and back to the student (outcomes produced).  Peters, M. T., & Heron, T. E. (1993). When the best is not good enough: An examination of best practice. The journal of special education, 26(4), 371-385. Best practices in teaching should help physicians meet these challenges with new skills that enable them to improve communication and be more effective agents of change. Blackburn, G. L. (2005). Teaching, learning, doing: best practices in education–. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82(1), 218S-221S. “Best practices seemingly offer clear, crisp, logical and actionable ideas on how to deal with inherently uncertain questions.” In reality, however, the concept presents a series of problems relating to creation, implementation, and success No Objective Goals No Objective Standards No Methodology Conflicting, Confusing, or Wrong Best Practices Robbins, I. P. (2009). Best practices on best practices: Legal education and beyond. Clinical L. Rev., 16, 269. Too often we seek the most up-to-date material at the expense of the monumental works that defined a discipline … We must, of course, stay up-to-date on current trends in our field. However, we must also remember that the insights of tomorrow are dependent on the knowledge of the past. Lunceford, B. (2009). In defense of teaching” outdated” material. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 66(3), 263-268. Is it possible that what was done in the past to prepare teachers is still viable today? Teixidó, M. Pedagogy and 21st century digital technology: teaching during a pandemic and improving an outdated model. Journal of the World Federation of Associations of Teacher Education, 4(1), 88. Obsolete “best practice” that still exist Bloodletting In Modern Medicine Corporal Punishment In Schools Observing Daylight Saving Time  Sending Faxes Teaching Cursive Writing In Schools Using Carbon Paper For Document Duplication Dialing Rotary Phones Physical Attendance As A Productivity Measure Chalkboards In Educational Institutions Overhead Projectors Using Film Cameras  Developing Photos Memorizing Phone Numbers Using Paper Checks Typing on Typewriters Using Public Payphones Operating VCRs and Cassette Players Using Encyclopedias Playing vinyl records Obsolete disciplines & skills Latin Home economics – cooking lard Cursive writing – penmanship with a steel tipped pen / quill Elocution Woodshop Etiquette & manners Moral education Abacus use Phrenology Metalworking Alchemy Using a card catalogue Using a sliderule Shorthand notetaking – the Gregg system Morse code Floppy disk lessons Word of the Podcast Best practice Question of the Podcast Who decides what best practice is? Phrases of the Podcast Giving the student agency & Empty verbiage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5h0qHwNrHk Her green plastic watering can For her fake Chinese rubber plant In the fake plastic earth That she bought from a rubber man In a town full of rubber plans To get rid of itself It wears her out #ednontech

  6. Mar 10

    Episode 97: Computer Blue: Naming things in education – the Thagomizer

    Matt’s Notes Greetings, and welcome to our latest EnT outing! Is this a podcast? A video blog? A teaching resource? Napoleon Bonaparte reincarnated minus everything but the attitude and the bicorne black beaver felt hat? Naming things is always a dicey proposition, and so we’re taking the stegosaurus by the tail as we attempt to address these and other pertinent questions herein and/or hereabouts! https://youtu.be/cKi1ThCl12w You can’t spell YouTube… or funky… without “u”! #ednontech You might be said to be listening! And we might be said to be grateful! #ednontech 20260310151635 Doug’s Notes Naming things in education – the Thagomizer This article is concerned with what people in our area of expertise (profession?) are, or wish to be, called. What would you look under in the Yellow Pages if you wanted to find one? Geis, G., & Klaassen, J. (1972). It’s a Word, It’s a Name, It’s… an Educational Technologist. Educational Technology, 12(12), 20-22. Naming creates a relationship even at its very beginning.  Naming is humanizing, personalising and community building. Research amongst vocational teachers revealed that ‘the act of naming oneself as a learner is a complex one, which opens up issues related to position, recognition and power’. O’Brien, M., Leiman, T., & Duffy, J. (2014). The power of naming: The multifaceted value of learning students’ names. QUT Law Review, 14(1), 114-128. E-learning had been in use as a term for some time by 1999, but the rise of the web and the prefix of “e” to everything saw it come to prominence.  Weller, M. (2018). Twenty years of EdTech. Educause Review Online, 53(4), 34-48. EdTech is not just about education, or about technology: much of it is also about business. … Behind the education sector where students and educators interact lies a kind of shadow education industry of business managers, market forecasters, deal-makers, investors, venture philanthropists, and private equity firms.  Donahoe, B., Rickard, D., Holden, H., Blackwell, K., & Caukin, N. (2019). Using EdTech to enhance learning. International Journal of the Whole Child, 4(2), 57-63. Does the name make sense? Thagomizer – an arrangement of spikes found on the tails of stegasaurs (https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/07/thagomizer-why-stegosaurus-spiky-tail.html) Gestetner – brand name for a copying machine Wiki – Hawaiian for quick Learning objects – “a digitized entity which can be used, reused or referenced during technology supported learning.” SCORM – Sharable Content Object Reference Model OER – Open Educational Resource Podcast – Personal On Demand cast RSS – Really Simple Syndication Blog – truncation of weblog Vlog – a video blog MOOC – massive open online course Running writing – cursive writing Quiz – made up buzz word PIN number – personal identification number (number?) Nap – necessary adult pause Taylor, M. (2010). The Shunosaurus tail-club, revisited: spikes, and complex distal caudals. Iframes not supported Ways to name things Discover something – comets, mathematical proofs, lifeforms Get famous – Louse (Strigiphilus garylarsoni), Butterfly (Serratoterga larsoni), and Beetle (Garylarsonus) Invent something – petri dish, diesel engine, Graphics Interchange Format (gif) Pay money Naming stories The Ouija Board (Allegedly) Named Itself Scotch Tape is an Insult to the Scottish Heroin Made People Feel Heroic – Bayer medicine Minke Whales Were Named for an Inept Whale Spotter – Meincke The Milky Way Got its Name From a Breastfeeding Goddess – Hera Where the Wild Things Are was initially titled “Land of the Wild Horses.” Author Maurice Sendak changed it upon realizing he couldn’t draw horses. Dempster’s Dumpster Ananas – Pine cones were initially referred to as “pine apples.” The pineapple, as we know it today, acquired its name due to its resemblance to these cones. The “B” in dB, the abbreviation for “decibel,” is capitalized because it is named after Alexander Graham Bell. Guinness book of world records – Sir Hugh Beaver arguing about the fastest game bird Word of the Podcast Thagomizer Question of the Podcast How do names impact learning? Phrase of the Podcast The notion of technology – what does that even mean now? Repeating a theme of lifelong learning throughout the show. The floppy cloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyKeCYYzIRk Poor lonely computer Poor, poor lonely computer Do you really know what love is? #ednontech

  7. Mar 2

    Episode 96: Don’t Drag Me Down: Linear progression narrative in education

    Matt’s Notes Welcome to the latest episode of this EnT! In this outing, we’re taking a look at some downright a priori assumptions which underpin and/or undermine industrial and I dare say capitalistic approaches to education vis-à-vis linear progression narratives! Who does the current paradigm most benefit? And why? These are just some of the questions we get into hereabouts! https://youtu.be/VKIQL5sDmOA Lots of linearity and sequential production made this video possible, no doubt! #ednontech If you can hear it, you can believe it! This #ednontech, that is!* *Individual results may vary! 20260302125535 Doug’s Notes Linear progression narrative in education About the old legal indentures of 1840: …All parties then agreed as to the evils of the situation. Education by apprenticeship and education by schools have gone on for many generations side by side as two entirely distinct and unrelated forms of education. The newer movements are concerned with bringing these two kinds of education together and making of them a new kind of education which shall train equally for skill and for intelligence. The propagandism that is being carried to all parts of the country… Wright, C. D. (1908). The apprenticeship system in its relation to industrial education (No. 6). US Government Printing Office. The perceived failures of education are particularly difficult for political and educational leaders to understand given the massive influx of resources invested in educational systems in recent years. This is a result of a linear expectation wherein output is proportional to the input. Reilly, D. H. (1999). Non‐linear systems and educational development in Europe. Journal of Educational Administration, 37(5), 424-440. In an era that everything around us is changing at incredibly fast rates, the contemporary human being as well as the social structures that he has built during the ages, are trying to cope with the new demands that are being created. … this training process is subject to a “tayloristic” linear model of production that takes the student at childhood and gives him back to society and the dynamics of the market with the hope that he will be able to respond creatively to the constantly increasing demands.  Anastasiades, P., & Retalis, S. (2001). The educational process in the emerging information society: Conditions for the reversal of the linear model of education and the development of an open type hybrid learning environment. In EdMedia (pp. 43-48). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Within an ordered school environment and curriculum built to serve the stated needs of industrialism and capitalism, the freedom for students to explore and express is tempered by initiatives intended to ensure that curricular practices are standardized and measurable in Nova Scotia’s Action Plan for Education 2015. Syme, P. (2017). Assembly lines or assemblages: What the human equation can teach us about creativity and a modern education system in the digital age. Knowledge Cultures, 5 (02), 123-143. One vision, the one I and others embrace, values certificates, degrees, and transfer but sees learning as valuable in and of itself. The other vision sees learning as a means to an end—students learn the material in order to pass classes that lead to certificates, degrees, and transfer.  Fox, R., & Guagnini, A. (2024). What is Education for?. FACCTS (Spring). Word of the Podcast Narrative Question of the Podcast How does the linear narrative in education shape students’ lives? Phrase of the Podcast This is exactly what we are trying to get at here & Adding quality to your existence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e_KlnL8f9U Have you ever been ashamed And felt society try to keep you down? I begin to watch things change And see them turn around #ednontech

  8. Feb 13

    Episode 95: Disconnected: Hiring in education

    Matt’s Notes Thanks for joining us on this highly fiduciarily-oriented episode of the EnT! On this outing, we’re explore the how’s, what’s, and perhaps especially the why’s of hiring practices in the education sector, broadly, likely with a few choice digressions! https://youtu.be/nwnyRobwEAc We’ve deployed all the resources at our disposal to get this video #ednontech content into your hot little hands! If we had workers at this #ednontech, you’d best believe they’d be all over this audio! IMG_20260213_0001 Doug’s Notes Hiring in education Unquestionably the skill, experience and intelligence of a new employee have much bearing upon the amount of that needs to be expended for his training. Alexander, M. W. (1916). Hiring and firing: Its economic waste and how to avoid it. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 65(1), 128-144. A better solution to the teacher quality problem is to simplify the entry and hiring process. Get rid of most hoops and hurdles. Instead of requiring a long list of courses and degrees, test future teachers for their knowledge and skills. Allow principals to hire the teachers they need. Focus relentlessly on results, on whether students are learning.  Cochran-Smith, M., & Fries, M. K. (2001). Sticks, stones, and ideology: The discourse of reform in teacher education. Educational researcher, 30(8), 3-15. Whereas some states do not allow districts to hire unqualified teachers, others routinely allow the hiring of candidates who have not met their standards, even when qualified teachers are available.  Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of teacher education, 57(3), 300-314. Most student affairs professionals will serve in a managerial and/or supervisory role at some point in their careers, yet we found only 11% of higher education graduate preparatory programs have required coursework focusing on this competency area.   Tolman, S., & Calhoun, D. (2019). Pedagogical approach to developing the hiring practices of higher education administrators. Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, 35(1). The fact that employers regularly hire for cultural fit, and not just on the basis of educational credentials and technical expertise, has important implications for higher education professionals Hora, M. T. (2020). Hiring as cultural gatekeeping into occupational communities: Implications for higher education and student employability. Higher Education, 79(2), 307-324. Word of the Podcast Hiring Question of the Podcast How do the hiring practices in education shape students’ education? Phrase of the Podcast Concerned with representing themselves a certain way. & You have all the power https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW5tynR-qxg Disconnected, from feeling alright Disconnected, and it Ain’t black and white #ednontech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVF8cXsMPaU You don’t know a thing about me Is there something that you should know? I can tell you what you want to hear #ednontech

  9. Feb 2

    Episode 94: Steady Diet of Nothing: AI-Published Slop

    Matt’s Notes Thanks for joining us! You are, no doubt, a sophisticated, thoughtful, and good-looking contemporary Internet user! And as such, you’ve likely noticed an AI spike in your online diet! Much like fillers and colors and sugars of various kinds fill our physical bodies with empty and unwholesome caloric content, so our current use of web technologies has become bloated with content created by generative AI apps and processes! Not to be too precious about it, but all of this sloppy, greasy AI content makes its way into our brains and/or minds! And so we’re taking a few moments with this episode to speak to the slop and at least call it out for what it is! The first step in fixing a problem is recognizing you have a problem, to quote many a recovery program! https://youtu.be/VRI1d0edhYQ The EnT: bringing you online self-awareness since 2022! #ednontech If AI helped create this audio, we’re likely morally culpable but probably not directly responsible! #ednontech IMG_20260201_0001 When searching for Microslop, the search engine kept primarily giving me links to MicroSoft. Doug’s Notes AI-published slop AI tools, while offering unparalleled efficiencies in paper drafting and peer review, also introduce notable ethical concerns. Carobene, A., Padoan, A., Cabitza, F., Banfi, G., & Plebani, M. (2024). Rising adoption of artificial intelligence in scientific publishing: evaluating the role, risks, and ethical implications in paper drafting and review process. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 62(5), 835-843. AI “slop” is an increasingly popular term used to describe low-quality AI generated text, but there is currently no agreed upon definition of this term nor a means to measure its occurrence. … market conditions inherent to a “market for lemons” have been introduced into the online marketplace for quality text-based works because of the sudden influx of works generated by large language models. The bleak nature of these findings may lend credence to Luddite leanings and perhaps provoke a readoption of the typewriter. Tullis, J. (2025). Sifting Through the Slop: How Generative AI Created a Market for Lemons for Text-Based Works. Available at SSRN 5266660. The publishers’ cocktail of probability, prediction, and profit is predicated on the same process: extract our scholarship and behavior, then sell it back to us in congealed form. Pooley, J. (2024). Large language publishing: The scholarly publishing oligopoly’s bet on AI. KULA, 7(1), 1-11. The surge of scholarly output, enabled by advanced digital infrastructures, open-access models, and mega-journals has fueled not only greater access and collaboration, but also mounting information overload, declining editorial standards, and the evolution of a research workforce that spends more and more time chasing metrics. Enslopification … involves the creation of large amounts of low-effort, poor-quality content using AI (ie.-“slop”), driven by incentives that reward quantity over quality and amplified by algorithmic systems that promote popular patterns regardless of their actual value. Lang, C., Moffett, C., & Vasudevan, L. (2025, November). The Architecture of Academic Overproduction: Toward Post-AI Scholarship. In Interdisciplinary Science and Research Conference on Digital Humanism (pp. 483-498). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. Word of the Podcast Slop Question of the Podcast How can AI slop be reduced in the creation of knowledge? Phrase of the Podcast Critical discernment in terms of information literacy & The primacy of human involvement in the endeavour & Ever seen a Hallmark Christmas movie? https://youtu.be/lmDUJhbxIjI?si=AA-FIw_sdv3pSF_H Will we leave the last place burning? Or do we just get leaving? Red-light, Red-light my mind moves to refuse that filter, Are you still surprised? #ednontech

  10. Jan 27

    Episode 93: Blank Wave Arcade: Reducing Screen Time

    Matt’s Notes If you’re reading this on any kind of screen: A) We’re extremely grateful, and B) You should get outside immediately after and touch grass, or snow, or sand, as suits your local outdoor setting! As we are the non-tech podcast, you bet we have opinions about these screentime things! https://youtu.be/UpoyxjCeTV0 Less screens are better than more screens! Except in the case of however you’re checking this EnT! #ednontech Out of an abundance of care for your well-being, and shameless self-promotion, we have a less screen-intensive option available for this EnT! #ednontech IMG_20260127_0001 Doug’s Notes Reducing screen time Each of the programs had particular strategies embedded in its curricula that have been found to promote or inhibit expressive language production and vocabulary acquisition. Linebarger, D. L., & Walker, D. (2005). Infants’ and toddlers’ television viewing and language outcomes. American behavioral scientist, 48(5), 624-645. … the effect of interventions specifically targeting screen time reduction has not been well described. Additionally, the results from studies of the effectiveness of interventions aimed at screen time reduction are inconsistent. Wu, L., Sun, S., He, Y., & Jiang, B. (2016). The effect of interventions targeting screen time reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 95(27), e4029. Though electronic media may be used for educational purposes, studies have shown that skills learned on these mediums are often limited in comparison to those acquired in real-life contexts (Linebarger and Walker 2005; Christakis et al. 2018). Neophytou, E., Manwell, L. A., & Eikelboom, R. (2021). Effects of excessive screen time on neurodevelopment, learning, memory, mental health, and neurodegeneration: A scoping review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(3), 724-744. … screen media use may have serious adverse effects on children’s health over the long term, making this a pressing public health concern. It has raised the likelihood that children will become obese, experience behavioral problems, sleep irregularities, poor academic performance, etc. Muppalla, S. K., Vuppalapati, S., Pulliahgaru, A. R., Sreenivasulu, H., & kumar Muppalla, S. (2023). Effects of excessive screen time on child development: an updated review and strategies for management. Cureus, 15(6). Digital learning technologies are fundamentally transforming how people learn: they deliver significant autonomy to learners, shape the way that people interact with information and learning resources, and deeply influence how we make sense of our reality. PISA 2025 Learning in the digital world framework (second draft). (2023). : OECD. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-sub-issues/learning-in-the-digital-world/PISA%202025%20Learning%20in%20the%20Digital%20World%20Assessment%20Framework%20-%20Second%20Draft.pdf Word of the Podcast Screens Question of the Podcast How does Denmark’s reduction of screen time impact your thinking about technology use in education? Phrase of the Podcast Not having a critical discernment & Stepping off the crazy train https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfLgP_8JHyE Left eye spins in circles Passives line the rail They get no satisfaction From the electro-static breaks #ednontech

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