Posts by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
(DIR) Post #AigC8H5IAYP2xDWjvE by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T02:22:11Z
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Flipgrid came out with the iPad2. It was amazing for very young learning to share their stories with each other via video recordings. Elementary students could show their world and ideas, and their classmates could respond with video feedback, amazing! The interface was clean and simple. You could add photos and stickers and move or remove them while recording so no green screen needed! And all this on ipad so 6 year olds could work independently.
(DIR) Post #AigC8Htd9OfXTL4wNs by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T02:27:23Z
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Then Microsoft bought it, and focused on smartphone UI which is vertical with more powerful processes. The iPad interface suffered, the UI became buggy. New features only worded on newer devices frustrating young learners. The old QR login was pushed aside for user accounts. Pushing to login with Google or Microsoft. #edtech #enshitification
(DIR) Post #AigC8IkRz0v679n7iK by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T02:33:45Z
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Now the app is being pulled. They want elementary students to use Microsoft teams 🤦🏽♂️. And I am assuming that the login with Google or other emails is gone. I am sure if a subscription is not enforced now it will be soon. So everyone is screwed. Flipgrid dominated. It extended and now Microsoft is extinguishing everything outside of their Teams app. Educators are tired of jumping to new tools, learning them, implementing them, only to have big corporate tech buy and shutdown to absorb new users/future subscribers. #edtech #enshitification #education
(DIR) Post #AigC8JIpvAQRpnsaJM by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T02:36:55Z
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So I guess the lesson is: When Big Tech buys your favorite app it is already dead and now only temporarily bait until they pull it. We really desperately need FOSS tools in #edtech to avoid #enshitification burnout by educators.
(DIR) Post #AigCFCyPqsOwEPcJu4 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T09:10:16Z
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@selea Using ice cubes. Will check it out.
(DIR) Post #AigVCrMn73rTljc0Z6 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-07T12:42:44Z
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@selea Quick question: Did you ask about the character limit because I posted a long thread rant? Or did my posts not display properly. Full disclosure, I am not one for long posts and hardly every have enough to say to merit a thread but the depreciation of yet another wonderful education tool by big tech just really cooked me inside.
(DIR) Post #AijRqP37zvtpBZtXH6 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-06-08T22:49:11Z
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@selea print(“ha ha ha ha “ * 1024)
(DIR) Post #Ak34gmyUI6Bk60j7fU by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-07-17T23:23:44Z
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The fantastic admin of the instance I am on @selea once referred to his computer as a BATTLESTATION and I am still jealous. Seeing I work in education, perhaps I can refer to my workhorses as “brain-thumpers?” Also, what do we call a full-stack educator? How about a “future-bender” or a “text-wayfinder” …?We need better terms for educators. Less stuffy and more plushy.
(DIR) Post #AlFcEQr4iDADWXwbSa by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-08-23T07:00:32Z
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@selea Hi Jonathan. As you know I am on Linux.pizza. I am a lecturer at a Matsumoto University in Nagano prefecture Japan. As you might remember from this thread, Microsoft burnt me for the last time with their colonization of Education Technology. I am currently writing a grant with another colleague at my college to test setting up, implementing, and using open source software for college classroom tools. One of the tools we want to use is a Mastodon server for collaboration project between students in Japan and the USA. In a previous grant I was listed as the official platform manager but that was using off-the-shelf corporate productivity and social media tool. Obviously I am not a system administrator or any kind of IT guru, I am a college English and Political Science teacher, but I have basic experience with BASH, VIM, Python, Flask, SwiftUI and other basic tools related to building Education tools. More importantly I am not afraid to look up how to get things done online nor am I intimidated by stack exchange. Still, since we are intentionally planning to NOT use corporate solutions (which is literally the goal of the research project) the grant committee is going to have questions about our expertise to set up and run a mastodon server. This is where I would like to ask if you would like to participate as an expert consultant in running servers with experience specifically with Mastodon. Please understand that you would not be expected to actually use your time to setup or run anything, and I would only bother you when I am unable to troubleshoot a problem myself (after plenty of online queries and debugging efforts). But being able to have an officially experienced person listed as supporting expert would alleviate any questions about having the necessary know-how to set up the tools.We have no intention of runner a server at home. Instead we plan to use a cloud server, such as Mythic Beasts specifically with server hosted on a raspberryPi. This would also work well for us to also set up NextCloud.
(DIR) Post #AlFdPRonZSCteQhCuu by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-08-23T07:05:56Z
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@selea So just to sum it up:A) We are preparing a grant to test open source software in a college setting in Japan.B) We would like to know if you would like to participate as an expert consultant for running Mastodon servers but only as a last resource (of course we would really appreciate pointers and guidance if you have any wisdom you wish to share).C) This is for an education research project motivated by the fact that we are tired of being burned by big tech that buys out great digital tools and then destroys or shuts them down when they are not profitable.Let me know what you think and if you would like to help out.BestJustin
(DIR) Post #AlW7SFJacWzOtZhvNI by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-08-31T06:05:43Z
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@selea Hi. I just want to check in to confirm that you are still willing to offer guidance on running a Mastodon server. As I mentioned in the DMs, we are not looking for someone to actually run servers but to provide pointers when we hit a wall and cannot move forward.The research project is specifically about logging the problems we have and choices we need to make while setting it up and running during a 1 year period. But again, we would only need to bother you if we literally cannot figure it out ourselves and then we just need pointers towards where we can find the solutions.We are going to submit the Grant application package to the Japanese Ministery of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) this coming Wednesday so I just wanted to confirm your willingness to offer your technical support.I also need to confirm how you will be listed in the Grant paperwork.1. We would list you as “Linux System Expert and Mastodon Server Administrator.” Please let me know if you are comfortable with us using that title.2. Under occupation we will list you as Administrator for the social.linux.pizza mastodon server. If you have a different occupation you prefer we list we can do that instead.3. We will list your name is Jonathan Selea. Please know that this will be small grant so any funds the Japanese government decides to cover will be mostly costs for equipment and services. That said, if the grant is approved we should receive funding for running at least to mastodon servers. We are already planing to use toot.io following your advice, probably at the community level. One server would be for the students to engage on. Another server would be for testing and learning. So it is possible that we could provide you with the funding for a community level sever for 1 year as part of your contribution to helping make the project to succeed. This again depends on the grant being approved.Again thank you for offering to help, and please know that this will help students discover FOSS tools.
(DIR) Post #AlXbKdjb8YnC667c24 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-08-31T23:14:53Z
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@futurebird Clearly you do not live in Japan. My rice cooker plays the Ode to Joy when its job is done and happiness awaits.
(DIR) Post #AlfLbzewpUQf18sZ28 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-09-04T16:56:47Z
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@selea Thank you so much for offering support in guiding us. It will take a few months to hear back from the grant processing committee, and there is the chance that they will tell us Japan is not interested in exploring OSS in classrooms right now, but I will hope for the best.Thanks again 🙇🏽♂️
(DIR) Post #Am7k1mmh9vmXwQDE6S by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-09-18T09:41:53Z
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@aral This is going to blow up in our faces not too far down the road. Oh, and nobody will (should) ever trust the manufacturer (Motorola?) that allowed for this explosive alteration.More reason to design so they can build so we can buy open source. Forget the specs, at least it will not blowup in your face.🤦🏽♂️
(DIR) Post #Am84kZwVkVQgECRL4C by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-09-18T13:33:57Z
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@aral Very true, but having a device that can be easily repaired and updated will lead to fewer device turnovers, and less likely hood of a unit that has been tampered with. I personally would not be able to open a device and check it, but I can see how in the future, repair or upgrade services, will happily fix your device and also check for tampering of hardware, and software. Personally, I use older phone models because they meet my needs just fine. I would love a mobile device that I can toggle parts out (like with a framework laptop) so the original main body can be used for at least 10 years. I believe that only Open Hardware and Open Code will allow for this kind of device.We all really do not need a smaller device every 2 years.
(DIR) Post #AmLJDDS8MzAxHuGAgC by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-09-24T22:47:22Z
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@aral Everybody wants to part of a larger group, and usually like inviting someone rich to the party hoping they will bring big treats for everyone.
(DIR) Post #An7B9SLMXqgeeW8KWm by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-10-18T01:03:31Z
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@mike @jasonkoebler @ben How will students find and distinguish functional journalism that is news oriented in the era of SEO manipulation, clickbait and straight up news-masquerading Slop is something all school need to be addressing in their curriculum.
(DIR) Post #Anoa27qCi4owjIwU1Q by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-11-07T23:34:59Z
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@selea AI already looks lazy to me. I understand that not everybody can afford creative work for their digital projects but I prefer a child’s drawing over AI slop and syrup any day. Frankly, it mostly feels uncanny and creepy.
(DIR) Post #Ao30majqv48OhDEBO4 by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2024-11-14T22:40:40Z
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@selea it is the shame of having to admit that they should have left long ago that keeps them lingering hoping something will magically change it back.
(DIR) Post #Ard4vOjqjSrlwXB70i by bigTanuki@social.linux.pizza
2025-03-02T01:52:43Z
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@davidrevoy Thank you for being on the right side of history, like … always 😊