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nic-s-h.bsky.social
Educator
10 posts 185 followers 788 following
Prolific Poster

More cuts mean more damage to our schools. But we have the power to stop them. Join parents and educators taking action—commit to Spring Action now ⬇️ https://buff.ly/3X3yWDv

On the century-long fantasy of replacing teachers with machines, and the utter contempt for people it demonstrates to be touting this vision right now 2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/automated-co...

One week left to apply to join our Youth Panel 📣 This is a fully remote, voluntary position. We're looking for anyone aged 16-25 who's passionate about heritage and culture. No other experience necessary! Find out more here: kidsinmuseums.org.uk/who-we-are/v...

The most credible owners of Thames Water are the millions of people who have no choice but to pay to use it

When budgets are already stretched to breaking point, more cuts won’t work, they just lead to impossible choices. Children only get one chance at education and they need real investment. #FundFairPay Read more about our pay campaign here 👉 buff.ly/4jnuBod

www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/gener... There IS a space between “all Ai is bad”doom scenarios and overhyped marketing of poor Edtech, yet it will take the collective will of educators to find it.

Are you interested interested in ensuring that public, community & worker voices are heard in decisions about data, digital & AI? Are you working inside the public sector? We're hosting an unconference in London on 20/3, with @dxw.com, that we think you'll love. connectedbydata.org/events/2025...

– Salman Rushdie on Elon Musk and the fight for free expression, interviewed for El Pais at Hay Festival Cartagena.

As Wes Streeting trumpets the role of the private sector in “saving the NHS”, it’s worth remembering what happened the only time a whole NHS hospital was handed to the private sector to run. The care failings - gaining the worst CQC rating ever - were *chilling* (& barely reported at the time):

Once more for the MagicSchool AI crowd and anybody else using narratives of magic to sell AI to school admin, teachers, and students: “We are doing this because AI is not magic. Behind every algorithm are thousands of hidden workers labelling, training & moderating data under precarious conditions.”

⏰The Govt have under 2 weeks to block the bailout of Thames Water. 📑25,000 people have signed the petition to take Thames Water into public ownership. #Thames has failed and shouldn't be rewarded with a £3 billion bailout. Agree? Sign our petition tinyurl.com/yxht3p94

CSU's announcement on Monday sets a precedent for treating OpenAI as an established educational technology company. Really it is a tech start-up run by a CEO with questionable ethics who accidentally created a hit consumer product based on new chatbot technology. open.substack.com/pub/ailogblo...

The mood in Higher Education as it faces up to the end of the traditional teaching model: disbelief, anger, rage, sadness, depression, acceptance. www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/uks-re...

“This is just a ‘money-go-round’, and they want to keep the money-go-round going as long as possible.” @cathobbs.bsky.social slams Thames Water’s proposed £3bn emergency bailout - and calls for public ownership. #ThamesWater #BlockTheBailout #PublicOwnership www.theguardian.com/business/202...

What must it be like to attend a school that puts a huge emphasis on 'manners' and then to turn on your telly and see your headteacher calling a politician names and an ex-governor giving a Nazi salute?

NHS staff barred from workplace for considering Palestine demonstration

Starmer’s dislike of real politics is plain to see. It’s why his government has no direction | John Harris

Our children deserve fully funded schools, not endless ‘efficiencies.’ Without proper funding, it’s students who suffer. #FundFairPay Read more about our pay campaign here 👉 buff.ly/4jnuBod

‘The level of urban starvation in Gaza has not been seen since the Dutch Hunger Winter and the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War.’ Alex de Waal on Gaza, Israel and the vexed definitions of famine: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

“…Ai can ensure that every child and young person, regardless of their background, is able to achieve at school or college and develop the knowledge and skills they need for life.” A huge claim from the DfE. We should be asking, Ai instead of what, exactly? How about…

A truly brilliant essay by Judy Estrin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /three. A withering attack on Silicon Valley exceptionalism & their reliance on creating a sense of learned helplessness in society. And this is the 🧑🏽‍🍳’s💋 “Eliminating humanity is not the only way to wipe out our humanity.” time.com/6302761/ai-r...

More from Julia Waters on BBC Newsnight: "OFSTED has not heeded calls to strengthen its own accountability. It's deeply ironic that not meeting safeguarding (in the new framework) is if there is a 'closed culture' and 'leaders don't learn lessons' - this could be the response to my sisters death"

This just weeks after a study showed that AI usage, especially among minors, encourages cognitive offloading and hampers critical thought. What a sad day for California higher education. AI is *plenty* accessible and teachable without this. We do not need massive contracts with OpenAI and big tech.

Letting those very same children down the most that I believe the Secretary of State really wants to help. Let’s hope the majority voice of the profession are heard.

"Ofsted has failed to take seriously the enormous concerns of the profession. The proposals outlined in today’s consultation will make matters worse, not better." - Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary. #AbolishOfsted

When schools are forced to choose between fixing leaking roofs or supporting students, we know something is deeply wrong. An unfunded pay rise won’t solve the funding crisis… it’ll make it worse. #FundFairPay Read more here 👉 buff.ly/4jnuBod

I enjoy reading children's books and choose to do so. Not all school staff have the time or inclination but they do need to know about them. Having a couple of staff meetings each year with time to explore picturebooks, poetry and graphic novels could make a world of difference in the classroom.

Thinking about the curriculum review…re-reading this excellent article on learning science by @jimalkhalili.bsky.social Instead of obsessing over learning facts, let’s teach children how to think | Jim Al-Khalili www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“The spectre of AI does nothing for growth if it gives away what we own so that we can rent from it what it makes.” - Baroness Kidron

A cheat too far? We must not let AiEd be the paper towel cheap fix for over a decade of school cuts. Vested interests are openly seizing on the lack of funding to push their products. Its educators who must lead the decision making,not tech millionaires districtadministration.com/article/i-ch...

We need a nationwide “Read More Books” promotional campaign. Celebrity endorsements, Wishbone-style shows, Muppet movies. Kids need to know that reading is cool and fun. The reason millennials read so much is because we were bombarded with pro-book content from a young age.

Holy moly. I'm trying to write an academic paper, and nearly every application I'm using is not only offering Generative AI as an option for writing, but *pushing it* -- pervading the design to the point where a simple misclick would make my content AI-generated. Here's why that's a problem. 🧵

Thought I’d introduce myself and my debut picture book again to all my lovely new followers! As I queer kid I always felt left out of books, so it’s my mission to make sure everyone sees themselves, and feels included, in beautiful, magical books! #KidLit #BookSky #PrimaryEduSky #LGBTQ

Admission of guilt, Nick? But you missed the thousands of others let down by over a decade of blinkered determination to put public money into private pockets regardless of the cost to inclusivity, class sizes and the loss of expertise and experience across the sector.

TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, PARENTS! If you're looking for a free bookish activity for your kids, here's a lesson-long virtual school visit I did with @booktrust.bsky.social, all about how I went from being a young reader to writing books like Varjak Paw & Tyger! #BookSky www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWHw...

Rising costs + an unfunded teacher pay rise = a budget disaster for thousands of schools. Chancellor Rachel Reeves must change course and invest in education now. Email your MP👉 https://buff.ly/4h1fD5s

Without new money from the government, thousands of schools will be forced to make cuts as costs rise. This isn't good enough. Take action now👉 https://buff.ly/4h1fD5s

We've told the pay review body schools cannot afford more cuts. Any pay rise must be fully funded to avoid detrimentally affecting children's education. Read our evidence here: https://buff.ly/3PZSXad

Denis Law, Manchester United and Scotland legend, dies aged 84

📢 Come to our book launch: The Platformization of the Family As family life becomes inseparable from technology, what does this mean for relationships? 🗓 Monday 20 Jan ⏰ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CET 📍Online Register: www.uv.uio.no/iped/english... Read: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

“Mainlining AI straight into their veins,” they say? @ginasue.bsky.social will join @alexhanna.bsky.social & me on Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 to take apart the UK government's latest AI fiasco: Monday, Jan 20, noon Pacific www.twitch.tv/dair_institute