brilliant news! 👏👏👏

"This work is not easy, it is risky, and there’s no guarantee that those who do it will see its benefits. But it is essential." I am grateful for those in #HigherEd who stand alongside me. In the work. And now, when the work is trying to leave me behind. catherinecronin.net/reflecting/p...

So lovely to see images of the #femedtech quilt peppered through @gabiwitthaus.bsky.social keynote this morning - here's a post about it from a previous conference howsheilaseesit.net/oer/transcen.... #altc25 - @lornamcampbell.bsky.social @francesbell.bsky.social @catherinecronin.bsky.social

Two days to go for submissions (closing 22 October) - please consider submitting a proposal - #Springer #OpenAccess On-Demand Learning in a Changing World: Philosophical, Technological, and Practical Perspectives on Workforce and Vocational Education iasle.net/call-for-cha...

I resent having to learn so much about a cabal of ridiculously wealthy mostly, but not exclusively, white tech dudes who believe they should inherit the earth. They really will be the death of us all.

Can't work because AWS? It's a good time to read this piece if you haven't! www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-r...

What an honor to be featured in this series! Shout out to @brennacgray.bsky.social for making this a reality. 🙏🏾

The nomination is absolutely lovely and so, so true: “In a world of overwhelming content and increasing educational precarity, MYFest offers something different: a space of possibility. It is a deeply human, thoroughly open practice—responsive to community, designed for care, and grounded in equity

Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n

We explore these dynamics in our workshop report: www.ias.edu/sites/defaul... And we invite you to watch the public event which preceded the workshop: “RARE/EARTH: The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and the AI Supply Chain” held at IAS on June 2, 2025 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxVM...

I wrote this thread because I sat at my desk and thought, "Fuck it, we're cooked." But then I remembered something I say in my book that "writing is feeling" and I managed to rekindle just enough spirit to get going on the work and that work will continue to stoke the fire. I want that for students.

Doing DEI when you can't use the D word, the E word, or the I word: www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/doing...

Sharing your location is a personal choice, “but when you do it through a platform owned by Meta, you should understand that information will also be used to target you with ads” & could be demanded by the government, EFF’s @mariotrujillo.bsky.social told @huffpost.com.

Tomorrow: Carole Cadwalladr meets author of 'Empire of AI' Karen Hao 12pm BST, Live on Substack @carolecadwalla.bsky.social @karenhao.bsky.social More here: citizensreunited.substack.com/p/next-week-...

Read this interview with a personal hero, Professor @daniellecitron.bsky.social: "we have essentially presumed that data collection is a good...We have long ignored this important inclination that collection itself is endangering our privacy and civil liberties" www.politico.com/newsletters/...

this came out this week. :) my sabbatical research project on belonging. what an absolute privilege to spend a year focused on culture, place, & the intentional, relational use of digital tools...especially in the midst of the current force-fed AI speculation bubble. www.uhi.ac.uk/en/media/new...

Good interview with @abeba.bsky.social

Enjoyed this conversation very much... @karenhao.bsky.social (author of Empire of AI) and @emilymbender.bsky.social & @alexhanna.bsky.social (co-authors of The AI Con) discuss how to challenge AI hype and tech industry power –– via @datasociety.bsky.social datasociety.net/events/chall...

Great summary of #oer25 what a great get together - will post when I get back from leave

If you thought the free, online @civicsoftech.bsky.social conference keynotes - Audrey Watters and Chris Gilliard - were 🔥🔥🔥, you should look at the incredible sessions occurring on July 31 and August 1. Love to see all the ways folks embraced the theme "Communal Resistance to Artificial Systems".

a couple of hours before my keynote, I went through an intense negotiation with the organisers (for over a hour) where we went through my slides and had to remove anything that mentions 'Palestine' 'Israel' and replace 'genocide' with 'war crimes' 1/

so important – thank you @archive.org sustaining the availability of cultural materials that "only memory institutions preserve without regard to commercial viability" #OurFutureMemory

“The stunning reversal of ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere confirms the global climate system has entered a catastrophic phase>' This is very very bad news: www.intellinews.com/southern-oce...

difficult to sum up #OER25, but I have tried my best. it was a joy to meet friends and colleagues, old and new, as well as sobering to truly face the challenges for open and higher education. warm thanks to all for the opportunity to think/talk/plan/be together. catherinecronin.net/conferences/...

Following the conclusion of #OER25 this week, we are pleased to invite submissions for our upcoming online conference, “Speaking Truth to Power: Open Education and AI in the Age of Populism”, continuing the critical conversations sparked at the Conference. Learn more: buff.ly/nwHNPHY #altc #OER

Helen Beetham’s #OER25 keynote, “When speaking truth is not enough: repurpose, rebuild, refuse”, explores the deep links between the AI industry and the politics of populism. Learn More: buff.ly/E4uAGpq #OER #altc

"On Tyranny" free resources to use and to share, now or any time snyder.substack.com/p/on-tyranny...

It was a privilege this week to collaborate with @helenbeetham.bsky.social & @czernie.bsky.social to give a joint keynote at the #OTESSA25 conference. Our presentation was titled 'Addressing challenges to open education in an era of authoritarianism and big tech' docs.google.com/presentation...

June 6 @ 1 pm ET! Join authors @emilymbender.bsky.social, @alexhanna.bsky.social, and @karenhao.bsky.social as they discuss their must-read new books exposing AI hype and tech industry power with D&S’s @tamigraph.bsky.social. datasociety.net/events/chall...

NEW REPORT: Artificial Power, our 2025 Landscape Report, is out. Today’s AI isn’t just being used by us, it’s being used on us. We urgently need to reclaim public power over the future trajectory of AI. Another path is possible. Read the report: ainowinstitute.org/2025-landscape

important reporting: "The Irish grid is under the most pressure in the EU from data centres, accounting for 18% of national electricity consumption" – there are currently 89 data centres in Ireland (with an additional 40+ under development) via @thejournal.ie & @donalmulligan.com

Looking for suggestions as I plan for my next semester of synchronous online classes! (Please do not say “blue books” because this is a totally online class.) #EduSky #BlackEduSky #HigherEdSky #teaching #AI futurism.com/ai-destroyin...

At the @iltasky.bsky.social #EdTech25 conference I spoke about critical, creative learning design practice and collaborations and how it can inform research methods and values. Special shout out to my co-authors, @eam0.bsky.social, @slowtech2000.bsky.social & James Brunton. 👋 bit.ly/CreativeMeth...

a deep and healing listen this morning, a conversation between Kathryn Schulz & Ezra Klein. how do we hold all that we have to hold, all at once — life & death, grief & joy? podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/t...

thanks to all for a truly inspiring day — and thanks to Deidre Harriman for her beautiful summary of the day’s themes: justice, inclusion, voice, belonging, adaptability, creativity & systemic change 🔥

There are still places available at next week's Teaching & Learning for Societal Wellbeing Conference at @uniofgalway.bsky.social @unesco-cfrc.bsky.social Drawing inspiration from Octavia Butler, my keynote is titled 'New Suns: Imagining and building just, humane and sustainable education futures'

Carla Hayden made the Library of Congress a living institution—open, digital, diverse & connected to the public. Alondra Nelson sounded the alarm that AI - w/o justice baked in, it becomes a tool of oppression. They stood for public good over private gain. Leading w/equity & ethics made them a 🎯.

Register to join this timely discussion on June 2, in person or on line, with @katecrawford.bsky.social @hofrench.bsky.social @tamigraph.bsky.social and @triofrancos.bsky.social, hosted by my Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab at the Institute for Advanced Study www.ias.edu/events/raree...

Seeding hope in multiple spaces, @drjessicariddell.bsky.social joins us on June 13th for a collaborative event between @ucc.ie and MTU. The Hope Summit draws on key insights from her thought provoking book Hope Circuits. Register for campus-based event via www.eventbrite.ie/e/hope-summi... #EduSky

This is kicking off at 5pm BST/12pm ET. There’s been so much about Trump’s first 100 days in politics, but this is specifically about Silicon Valley’s role in all this with some of leading tech experts in the US. Do join & bring your questions..

kindness 💛

Reminder of 4 action points for this moment, by @mariaressa.bsky.social: 1. Collaborate – build & strengthen trust 2. Speak truth with moral clarity 3. Protect the most vulnerable 4. Recognize your power – building peace is the collective work of people who refuse to accept and live lies

checking out Proton Drive... thanks @alondra.bsky.social

two of my favourite people... will listen on my walk today! thanks @oeglobal.bsky.social @cogdog.cosocial.ca.ap.brid.gy & @celtatis.bsky.social :)

"If this judgment of the UK Supreme Court did nothing else, the complaint that there should be a set of criteria to measure women's behaviour against, to assess if they are sufficiently womanly, would make it an historically bad example of British Imperial thought."

“How do we break this apocalyptic fever? First, we help each other face the depth of the depravity that has gripped the hard right in our countries... Second, we counter their apocalyptic narratives with a far better story about how to survive the hard times ahead without leaving anyone behind.”

This is a digital coup — an unmissable TED Talk by Carole Cadwalladr. this is courage. thank you @carolecadwalla youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE?...

Our latest Connected AI pod is a meaty one, where @charlietaylor.bsky.social and I delve into AI and accountability with none other than @abeba.bsky.social, head of Ireland's pioneering AI Accountability Lab (bsky.app/profile/aial...). Check it out: open.spotify.com/episode/26dU...

great interview with Timothy Snyder: “I’m not an optimist. I’m not a pessimist. I’m a historian. And history shows us that the bandwidth of possibility is much wider than we think it is. The real trick is to have a broader view.”

"reclaiming agency over your information and communications practices is a necessary precursor to other kinds of action. It is the first step in rooting polities in factual evidence and accurate information toward an invigorated democratic governance"