Sarah Lohnes Watulak

Friends! I wanted to make sure you saw that @writinglit.bsky.social is having a #Literacies Chat Homecoming on 10/28 at 7PM ET. I hope you can come! *Black tie optional
@dontworryteach.bsky.social @remikalir.bsky.social @srtoliver.bsky.social @anterobot.bsky.social @sarahlw.bsky.social

Sounds amazing! I’m going to have to try one.

A children’s play area styled as a large yellow VW Bus with airplane wings and the word Tillamook on the side. On top are Tillamook products like ice cream and cheese.

Leaving on a jet…bus? At least there will be good in-flight snacks!

Gonna miss that satisfying feeling you get when you check in to a Southwest flight exactly 24 hours in advance and see that glorious A group appear next to your name.

When you turn to your latest read, Murderland - a non-fiction tale of the rise of serial killers in Pacific Northwest in the 1960s - to avoid doomscrolling, you know things are grim. (It is well-written and fascinating, to be fair.)

States Face Uncertainty as an Estimated $6.2 Billion in K–12 Funding Remains Unreleased: Here’s the Fiscal Impact by State States face uncertainty as $4.8 billion in K–12 federal funding remains unreleased. If the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t distribute these funds by July 1, state educational agencies will need p...

learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/states-...
From the Learning Policy Institute, showing the impact of the administration's reckless decision to withhold billions of critical education dollars. Vermont and DC are set to see over 20% of their federal school funding yanked. Over 10% in every state.

Terrible trash news day at the end of a hard week in a string of terrible trash news…days, weeks - months - losing count. Took a few minutes to pause, breathe, and move my body a little. Small wins.

Authors and Illustrators of Books in Mahmoud v. Taylor Case Respond to Supreme Court Ruling - PEN America As the authors and illustrators of the books named in Mahmoud v. Taylor, we believe the Supreme Court’s ruling today threatens students’ access to diverse books and undermines teachers’ efforts to cre...

Here's the joint statement re: Mahmoud v Taylor from the authors and illustrators of the LGBTQ+ picture books involved. I appreciate you reading and sharing this. It was the decision we expected, but are devastated to read nonetheless. pen.org/press-releas...

Now’s our chance to let them know how we feel (right to their faces!)

Go to regulations.gov
Search ED-2025-OS-0020
Click “Comment” and make your voice heard!

Join Us for the 4th Civics of Technology Online Conference — Civics of Technology Next Tech Talk on June 3rd: Join us for our monthly tech talk on Tuesday, June 3 from 8:00-9:00 PM EST (GMT-5). Join an informal conversation about events, issues, articles, problems, and whatever el...

Good morning, y'all! I am thrilled to share the 4th @civicsoftech.bsky.social online conference and our keynote speakers @audreywatters.bsky.social and @hypervisible.bsky.social. This year's theme is especially urgent: communal resistance to artificial systems. Read more about the free event at:

Two vases full of pink, yellow, and red tulips

One good thing: these cheerful tulips from a local farm!

I messaged you - thanks!

If there are opportunities to participate I’d love to get some info - I’m on my local school board and we tried to schedule a mtg for next week with our legislators but fell through.

(That’s not a critique of the awesome VP related takedowns happening, just a hope that some of that energy also gets directed to what’s happening in VT)

There’s so much on fire right now, but I’m really hoping that Vermonters are paying attention to the naked power grab that is the proposed changes to ed governance and funding.

Oh hey! The last time I was on here was almost exactly a year ago. Welcome back, I guess? Good to see you again!

this Valentine's Day, revisit DLINQ's first Demystifying AI activity to check out the poems (and reflections) that folks wrote using various AI tools. Learn more about prompt engineering & contribute your own poem and reflection! dlinq.middcreate.net/detox-2024/a...

Co-Designing an Action-Oriented Instructional Design Community: Applying the Design Justice Network ... In this paper, we share our process and learnings from growing the Instructional Design Working Group of the Design Justice Network, a group of instructional design professionals interested in underst...

I had a wonderful experience collaborating w/ DJN Instructional Design Working Group colleagues on this new article for The Journal of Applied Instructional Design. It was a pleasure & a privilege to have the time & space for this intentional thinking & reflection.

edtechbooks.org/jaid_13_1/co...

A wonderful reflection on the first DLINQ Digital Detox activity activity centered around using generative AI to write a poem. Anne-Marie's characterization of ChatGPT's writing style made me giggle - "Whilst holding on to the rhyming couplets for grim death"

And various articles and videos:
The Big Data Robbery documentary Zuboff's work
Postman's 5 Things to Know About Technological Change
Is Technology Our Savior or Our Slayer? TED Talk by Ruha Benjamin
Octavia E. Butler, Visionary Fiction, and Social Change interview with Walidah Imarisha

Our core text is Meredith Broussard's More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech.
Also excerpts from:
Whose Global Village? Rethinking How Technology Shapes our World by Srinivasan
Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford
Design Justice by Sasha Costanza-Chock

One of my fav things about January is the start of winter term at Midd. This year I'm co-teaching w/ @amycollier.bsky.social a class called Questioning Technology, where we critically approach the ways in which we shape, & are shaped, by digital technologies. So timely! Will share key texts below.

If you're looking for a low-stakes & hands-on way to engage with learning about generative AI, consider signing up for DLINQ's Digital Detox! The Detox will go live on Jan. 3, with new activities every week through mid-February. Register: signup.e2ma.net/signup/19618...

Sign up now for the 2024 DLINQ digital detox on gen AI! Instead of writing articles like in past years, we'll be guiding you through activities that help you explore & understand the tools. Try the activities, (critically) reflect on them, & share what you learned. signup.e2ma.net/signup/19618...

that's a lotta love!

Close up of a soft and fluffy gray cat’s head, one paw covering its eyes, one paw in the air, framing a cute little nose and mouth

rolling into Monday like

Cognitive load refers to how much working memory or short-term memory someone is using at a time. Minimizing the cognitive load it takes to use your site makes it more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities. Limit what you're asking users to remember to use your site.

I'm v curious abt small steps around having students help us identify what are the challenges that they care abt, that impact their learning? maybe a series of conversations w/ a group of current online learners? (a series would allow to "move at the speed of trust" instead of an extractive one-off)

what I love about this, especially when paired with a #designjustice lens, is the idea that our learners/clients should LEAD the design process. Their needs and insights drive design. And, I also find it challenging to think about how to implement this in a very hierarchical higher ed context.