I’m taking one for the team and dressing up as Donatello for Halloween. Objectively speaking, the least desirable Ninja Turtle. This is what sacrificing for your children looks like folks.

The richest man on earth owns X. The second richest man on earth is about to acquire TikTok and his family could soon own both Paramount and Warner Bros. The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post. See the problem here?

New episode of PCWB is live with Professor Safiya Noble, Ph.D. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEu...

Lots of friends and family have reached out asking about what the hell is going on in Chicago. See my friend @dannypostel.bsky.social recent essay in New Lines Magazine. newlinesmag.com/reportage/ch...

My quick take on the Riyadh comedy festival open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future of AI in education, and about the role of comedy in our public discourse. We are trying to bring both of these conversations to #SXSW2026. Would appreciate everyone's support! Please vote and share. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-sxsw-2...

The lesson here is to litigate, not cower.

that part

I went camping with my boys, my mom, and some friends at Kankakee River State Park this past weekend. It was hot, buggy, sweaty, sticky, and the bathrooms were a crime scene. It was miserable but also magical. Parents know what I’m talking about. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/the-magic-...

*New publication alert* I'm excited to share "Literacy as a Framework for Computing Education: Affordances, Constraints, and New Directions," a chapter @jmhiggs.bsky.social, @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, and I wrote for Literacies in the Platform Society: Histories, Pedagogies, and Possibilities. 🧵

Just received this exciting book by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social Mahdi Ganjavi, Mina Khanlardazeh @mitpress.bsky.social, undoubtedly destined to become an instant classic in the field. It’s jumping straight to the top of my reading list!

Congratulations, Charles!!! Really excited for the great work you are doing and will continue to do in the AI ethics and education space. @charlesmok.bsky.social

Bombs over Tehran: a fathers day reflection open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

I'm excited for a Chicago summer with my kids. Can AI help me plan some fun activities? Maybe. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/using-ai-t...

Co-authored by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, Mahdi Ganjavi, and Mina Khanlarzadeh, "Revolutionary Engineers" details the cultural, political, and pedagogical history of an elite Iranian engineering institution in the years directly preceding the 1979 Iranian revolution: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255219...

One week later, and the wounds are very, very fresh. Our NSF grant, which focused on educational justice for Black families in Evanston, was illegally canceled. Read more about it here: sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-nsf-gr...

🧪 Tip: You have the right to contest a grant termination, even though NSF says you don't. 🧵 On Friday, NSF terminated 402 grants (per Musk's DOGE). The notification letters had one of the most egregious violations of fed regulations I've seen so far in these cases: "not subject to appeal"

New book announcement! Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

A great way to spend a Thursday afternoon: attending a live taping of A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar with hosts @sepehrvakil.bsky.social and Mike Knight and guests Zainab Johnson and kihana miraya ross. Check out more shows at: m.youtube.com/@PCWB-NU

Comedian, actress, and writer @zainabjohnson will be on campus for a special live taping of professor @sepehrvakil.bsky.social podcast "A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at Harris Hall. Don't miss it! ✅ RSVP: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F....

New post "Fun night at the Comedy Store; Ruha Benjamin challenges Trevor Noah's AI optimism; Bill Burr was a jerk on NPR" sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/fun-night-...

My friend and colleague Dr. Nichole Pinkard is running for school board in Evanston. She has my full support!

In a world where academics + stand-up comics rarely share the stage, the new podcast "A Professor and a Comedian Walk Into a Bar" cohosted by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, is doing something unique: mixing scholarly insights w/humor. Story by alumnus Dan Perlman: sesp.northwestern.edu/news-events/...

A social sciences and humanities reading list on AI in education 🧵

Heyo!! the latest episode of PCWB is out now, featuring UCLA Professor @jmuniz.bsky.social in conversation with 2 amazing Chicago activists and comedians, Kyrie Da Comic & Kathryn Gongaware, from Beyond Bars pod bsky.app/profile/beyo.... streaming on all platforms: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Federal judge just blocked Trump’s totally illegal and unconstitutional federal spending freeze! He’s just throwing spaghetti against the wall. apnews.com/article/dona...

As parents today was really something. Did you talk about MLK day with your kids? How about the inauguration? Heres a short reflection on how I approached the day with our 3 young kids: sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/did-you-ta...

wow thats pretty cool. my 7 yo has recently fallen in love with roller skating.

Why I write on here, a vulnerable moment with my doctor, and what you can expect from this Substack in 2025... open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

Closing out my 2024 with the latest episode of “A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar” and a conversation between @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, @alexhanna.bsky.social, and others on AI and education:

Post-election thoughts with comedian Mike Knight on PCWB. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/day-after-...

Announcement! New MS program launching in @sesp-nu.bsky.social Relevant for recent grads + working professionals with an interest in driving technology and AI policy in ways that center values of opportunity, equity, & well-being.Priority application January 24. sesp.northwestern.edu/masters-degr...

REALLY excited for the Spencer Foundation's new initiative on AI and education. read more about it here: www.spencer.org/initiative-o...

Last day of AI, Equity, and Public Education, a class I've been teaching w @sepehrvakil.bsky.social. Students presented clips from final projects, which asked them to find AI hype in education and then record themselves critiquing the artifacts by drawing on what they learned. 10/10 would recommend!

Pleased to share this policy paper that I coauthored with Joana Varon from @codingrights.bsky.social & Timnit Gebru of dair-institute.org! "Fostering a federated AI Commons ecosystem" www.t20brasil.org/media/docume...

I'm grateful to @sepehrvakil.bsky.social and our wonderful students for helping me to find hope during these difficult days. We reflect more on what we've been grappling with in our latest update from our undergraduate class AI, Equity, and Public Education: sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/engaging-e...

I started my career in academia at UT Austin in the wonderful College of Education community. So glad to connect!