Category: ethics
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Memes, Warfare, and Propaganda
In my April 26 Media Literacy Roundup, I previewed our then-upcoming Media Education Lab webinar on “Memes, Warfare, and Propaganda” and promised a reflection afterward. This is that reflection. I was reminded about needing to share it because the latest CBS Sunday Morning episode, “Inside Iran’s online propaganda war,” covered nearly identical ground for a…
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A Powerful Story
In my 55 years of life on our planet and 32 years as a professional educator and teacher, I’ve shared a lot of stories and more than a few presentations. This evening, I believe I shared one of the most important and powerful stories I’ve ever personally connected with. But like we often do as…
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3I/ATLAS Deep Fake Videos
For many years (at least six for me) we’ve heard warnings about “deep fake” videos and the ways artificial intelligence / AI platforms will accelerate the dissemination of false and misleading information. Welcome to December 2025, when interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS are very real, but convincing / realistic videos of noted astrophysicists like Dr. Avi…
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AI Bots and AI Personas
We have not only entered “The Age of AI,” we have entered the Age of “AI Bots” and “AI Personas.” There is not (yet) an English WikiPedia article for “AI persona,” but this is the definition Gemini AI provided to me this evening: An AI persona is a carefully crafted digital profile with a specific…
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Is Any AI Use Ethical?
The past two days I had the opportunity to attend multiple sessions at the summer 2025 conference for “Civics of Technology.” It’s a grassroots organization which: …aims to empower students and educators to critically inquire into the effects of technologies on their individual and collective lives. We conduct research, develop curriculum, and offer professional development.…
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Zoom AI Meeting Summary
Today I facilitated another monthly Zoom webinar for the MediaEd Club of the Media Education Lab, and I was both pleased and amazed to receive an AI-powered “Meeting Summary” (directly from Zoom) following the recorded videoconference. I’m including an edited version of it below, and adding hyperlinks to referenced resources. Here’s the archived recording (47…
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Hijacked Minds and Broken Trust
In this wide-ranging podcast conversation, Scott Galloway discusses numerous issues of interest with Sam Harris, including how important it is that we rebuild trust in institutions across our society and culture, and the toxic power of Twitter / X in hijacking our minds for the worse. Listen to the original podcast episode on Pocket Casts.…
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Microaggressions in Middle School
These are my notes from Dr. Laurie A Ramirez’ presentation, “Microaggressions at the Middle – What are they and what do we do about them?“ at the March 25, 2025 NCMLE ‘Middle School Matters’ Conference MY THOUGHT AND REFLECTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Presentation slides MICROAGGRESSIONS in Middle Level Education NCMLE – March 2025 by…
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Reading Wish List
Long form reading may be a relic of the past for younger generations in US society and culture for a variety of reasons, but I still believe in both the power of reading and its importance in our shared civic culture. For a number of years now, I’ve maintained a public aspirational reading list on…
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6 Things to Do
In today’s fast-paced world, it feels almost impossible to tune into any news—whether it’s from broadcast television or social media—without feeling overwhelmed. As of early February 2025, the sheer volume and intensity of current events have many people feeling either elated or deeply troubled. Regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum, navigating this…