Field Journal 017: Notes From the Week in Learning and Teaching

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Field Journal: Notes from the week in Learning and Teaching

This week is about rethinking. Our outdated research notions, our roles with and about GenAI, and the way our brains can be reduced to thinking in dualistic ways (yet have the capacity for paradoxes).

Listened

Episode 634

Outdated Research Notions with Jane Hammons and Adrienne Warner

What a treat it was to be connected with these two librarians for this past week's episode. They helped us identify information literacy practices that may no longer serve students well, and reimagine how we teach research today.

Listen now →

Read

It's More Than a Human in the Loop

Rethinking Educators' Roles When Teaching With and About GenAI

Thanks to Autumm Caines for sharing this thought provoking article by Natalie B. Milman for Civics of Technology. Natalie writes:

Exploring these loop configurations now, even as they evolve alongside GenAI and other technologies, in addition to our interactions with them, enables educators to move beyond simply being placed “in the loop” toward intentionally shaping how their judgment, pedagogical expertise, and GenAI capabilities are integrated to support ethical and meaningful teaching and learning.

It's More Than a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL): Rethinking Educators' Roles When Teaching With and About GenAI, by Natalie B. Milman

Tried

Beautiful sunset with clouds and trees in the foreground

brolly.sh

Plain Text Weather Forecast

Thanks to Alan Levine, I tried this plain text weather forecast for an upcoming trip. They offer a look 7 days out, a comparison to the previous day, air quality, UV, and more.

brolly.sh

Wondered

About our routines

What's a small ritual that makes your day better?

Last week, I wondered about your rituals. Here's what some of you shared:

Tolu Noah

Each evening, I add a note to my gratitude calendar with something I'm grateful for that happened that day. It's a small practice that helps me to focus on the positive and give thanks.

Liz Norell

I try to play the daily Sodoku on the NYT Games app (easy and medium levels only) at night as part of my wind-down. It's just challenging enough that I use my brain, but the stakes are low and I have no qualms about using the app's assistance (occasionally filling a square) to make it manageable. I find that I look forward to this all day.

Susan Hrach

I'm our morning dog walker, which gets me out into the fresh air first thing. We live on the 5th floor of a converted cotton mill, so there's no option to just open the door to a fenced-in yard. But I think of this as a great way to start the day, and I'm recently trying to spend at least a minute looking closely at the river during our walk.

This is Barley on a walk along the Chattahoochee River

Cyndi Kernahan

My ritual is not unusual, but I love to make a nice hot English Breakfast tea and sit with it at my desk. I try not to start with email or work right away but just have tea and write things down (journal, lists). I also really love to either have the windows open to listen to the sounds outside and/or have on one of these excellent classical music streams. If I’m lucky, my little cat will sit with me too.

Peter Felten

I exercise first thing every morning, I love doing it and my day doesn’t feel right if I can’t do something physical before everything else begins.

Isabeau Iqbal

Every day, after making my bed (which is essentially the first thing I do in the morning), I go to the kitchen and have 1 square of dark chocolate (92% or higher). I love that morning bite.

Kerry Mandulak

I love keeping undereye patches in my refrigerator, and then in the morning as I'm getting coffee ready, I put them on and feel like I'm taking care of myself, doing something nice for my face, and it helps my eyes feel more awake! These are my favorite.

Emily Baxter

I start every day by lighting a candle and drinking a cup of coffee while I have a "mindful moment." That may be a mindfulness meditation or writing in my journal. More often than not, it involves just sitting and doing nothing. Starting my day with just a few minutes of quiet and stillness helps me feel more prepared to meet whatever the day brings.

Susanmarie Harrington

My little ritual: as I am getting out of bed I psych myself up by saying under my breath "gotta go, gotta get the job done" (channeling my inner Hamilton) or "I am brave of this day" (channeling one of the most delightful Twitter threads ever, back when Twitter was still a good place—I won't link to it now but you can see screenshots of the life advice from a 5 year old that have become family lore now.)

Talking to myself is kinda goofy, and it helps me start the day with a small happy.

This week, I'm wondering:

What's the last thing you learned from someone younger than you?

Hit reply to let me know. I'll choose a few to include in the next Field Journal. Let me know in your reply if you prefer to remain anonymous, as otherwise, I'll assume it is ok to include your name.

Noted

A quote

About paradoxes

Gunilla Norris reminds us of how our brains can be reduced to dualistic ways of thinking, but which also can embrace paradoxes:

Our minds do not like paradoxes. We want things to be clear, so we can maintain our illusions of safety. Certainty breeds tremendous smugness. We each possess a deeper level of being, however, which loves paradox. It knows that summer is already growing like a seed in the depth of winter. It knows that the moment we are born, we begin to die. It knows that all of life shimmers, in shades of becoming — that shadow and light are always together, the visible mingled with the invisible.

THIS WEEK ON TEACHING IN HIGHER ED

Gina Garcia shares about servingness and liberatory teaching on the upcoming episode.