iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

It’s funny that as superhero movies became darker, grittier and more ‘mature’, the iconic Joker became Heath Ledger’s moody hipster interpretation And then in reality the Joker turned out to be much more like Cesar Romero’s camp 1960s version

Cesar Romero as The Joker in the 1960s TV show, looking strikingly familiar in hair, makeup, and expression

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Some sort of dam has burst in recent weeks and now all the kids in class are outraged by AI slop images in writing prompts. They demand “images from Wikipedia”:

William Frederick Yeames painting with a writing prompt abound expanding on objects/things/people etc.

Ferdinand Bol painting with a writing prompt about expanding actions and activities.

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Had a great chat about Frankenstories, teaching, writing, creativity, and collaboration with @dylanclassmate.bsky.social. His “Imagine This” podcast is a great blend of big ideas and practical details for creative school projects. open.spotify.com/episode/1KYy...

open.spotify.com

The Game Is Writing: How Frankenstories Is Transforming Writing Classrooms with Andrew Duval

Imagine This - Ideas & Stories for Creative, Meaningful Teaching · Episode

131

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The uncanny valley has broken containment. Now it’s all uncanny world.

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

@cstross.bsky.social Have you ever read Bleak House? Reading it in a teachers’ book club and was stuck by similarities to Acclerando re reality-breaking contracts

100

Reposted by Andrew Duval

John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I have had students express literal shock at how much time they've spent on a writing assignment. That shock is the thing they learned about writing and about themselves. That should be the goal as much or more than the grade we would put on that written artifact. This is so clear to me.

1172

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Aging gracefully is realising young people in the group chat won't understand "zohran staffers watched that live and gasped like they'd seen the monolith from 2001" and changing it to "gasped like they'd found a 10-year old bitcoin wallet key" before hitting send

000

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Recently spent 2 weeks in the US, teaching Frankenstories writing classes at 6 schools across 3 states. Feeling super buoyant; the students and teachers were so enthusiastic, and we learned a lot from each other. Here’s a video that captures a small slice of the classroom energy.

000

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

I should really search for Frankenstories mentions more often otherwise I miss posts like this. 🧡

010

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

HOW TO ESTABLISH A DENTAL FLOSSING ROUTINE THAT WILL MAKE YOUR DENTIST WEEP FOR JOY For everyone who voted for our SXSW EDU workshop on improv ideas for whole-class writing, here is the killer flossing advice I promised.

MY GOLD STAR FLOSSING ADVICE. A smiling tooth. A note to say you should read the whole post but if you want the short answer it's floss in the morning and make brushing a reward for flossing.

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

SXSW EDU Update: Our "Improv ideas to transform class writing" workshop was accepted, so @biblioracle.bsky.social , Danielle Witten, and I will be in Austin on Mar 11 delivering something fun. (I hope.) Thanks to everyone who voted for us! 🎭 🎉 And...

Screenshot of SXSW session record for "Using Improv Ideas to Transform Your Class Writing"

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

@thevogelman.bsky.social fyi I was spruiking Poetry Pauses at an Australian English teachers workshop last week. I recommended four books but said of “all of them, stop what you’re doing and buy Poetry Pauses, it’s excellent and will make you think about poetry in a cross-genre way”

Workshop photo from back of room with four recommended books on projector: Poetry Toolbox, Ode Less Travelled, Wishes Lies and Dreams, Poetry Pauses

210

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Nov 13 I'm running a session on the foundational importance of narrative writing as part of the Seven Steps to Writing Success literacy masterclass series. The whole series looks good, so check it out if you're interested in writing and assessment. bit.ly/48emWW9

bit.ly

Literacy Masterclass Series

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

This is why I think school science classes should put much greater emphasis on *appreciation*. Few students will grow up to use info or skills from science class, but they will all have the opportunity to vote for a pro or anti science society.

000

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

No what should be illegal is Google inventing the format and then not supporting it in Slides

000

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Maybe because Mississippi had Democratic governors during this period and ICE are recruiting Black officers.

000

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Hey, if anyone wants to do me a favour, can you pop over to the SXSW EDU Panelpicker and drop a vote for a workshop proposal I'm doing with @biblioracle.bsky.social and Danielle Witten? Just click this link, create an account, and slam that heart button: participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

SXSW EDU 2026 VOTE NOW PANELPICKER PROPOSAL COMMUNITY VOTING AUGUST 5–24: Using Improve Ideas to Transform Student Writing with John Warner, Danielle Witten and Andrew Duval

171

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Testing new random text & image prompt pairings in Frankenstories and coughed up an almond on this one

Random Frankenstories text and image pair. The text says, "Imagine they are the new Santa", while the image is a gloomy CSI-style crime scene photo with detectives, forensics, and a body under a sheet.

040

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Last week, I had a lot of fun presenting "Bot or Not?: The tell-tale signs of AI writing" at the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English Middle Years Conference. In the workshop, we tried to determine whether short pieces of text, in a variety of genres, were written by a human or an LLM.

111

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

My boys are in their 20s now and some of my most cherished memories are the times we spent lying in bed reading Usagi Yojimbo.

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

🙏 This was just one of those cases of everyone having the same core values.

121

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

As Brisbane-Home-of-Bluey gets hit with its first cyclone in 50 years, I think about how 20 years ago I worked for IAG, where CEO Mike Hawker tried to push the AUS gov on climate change policy, saying global warming will drive cyclones south and the nation is not prepared for a Brisbane wipeout.

Radar of tropical cyclone Alfred rolling towards Brisbane

151

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

A while back, I had to work on a project in violence prevention and one of the most interesting pieces of research I read was from an anthropologist who had studied norms around parents beating their children in a particular community. When she asked parents if they thought they should beat their

120

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Michael Lewis wrote a book called The Fifth Risk and if there was one takeaway, it was that the NOAA is an astounding feat of public infrastructure and should be protected at all costs.

010

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

This is a great episode and gets to the heart of the real problem with AI in education, which is that for decades we’ve been teaching students to write like machines in order to meet the requirements of testing regimes.

173

Reposted by Andrew Duval

Cohen is a Ghost @skullmandible.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

after living here for four years I can say that canadians are absolutely nice, but they aren't weak. it's just the american conception of strength is so tied to outrageous cruelty it's hard to imagine people can be both strong and kind

881277

Reposted by Andrew Duval

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 22/01/2025

Devastating for scientists and their research, and everyone who benefits from that research. I’m not sure if everyone outside academia is aware that a delay or “pause” in grant funding often means the researchers themselves are lost from the field, along with their expertise.

791242147820

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Feels like one of the most important things we can do right now. There’s no utopia, but we can make it easier to leave dystopias. Or at least try.

020

Reposted by Andrew Duval

Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

One of the things I did not expect is constantly crying over all the generous things people are doing for those displaced. My friends’ six year olds are at this camp in Santa Barbara for evacuated children. Art, music, sports, play, and trauma counselors—all free: www.independent.com/2025/01/10/s...

independent.com

Santa Barbara School to Host Free Camp for Children Affected by Los Angeles Fires

A pop-up day camp for evacuated kids ages 6-16 at Cold Spring Elementary School is being extended to Monday and Tuesday.

1241783

Reposted by Andrew Duval

Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

I’m realizing most people are decent and social media has ripped society apart. LA is pulling together with love and ACTION while idiots on Twitter and Threads blame DEI, democrats, and aren’t doing shit to help. Meanwhile this is the reality on the ground. Volunteer teachers helping displaced kids.

The SB day camp is so touching. We went on Friday and it was all volunteer teachers to make it magical for evacuated kids. I was crying at drop off along with all the other moms, mostly from the palisades.

We went back today and they have just opened up the school (now in session) for anyone who needs it. Making it work with an additional 100 kids. Volunteer soccer coaches and arts teachers. So healing

19808186

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

The irony of “Truth Social” is that truth *is* actually social. It needs to be built and maintained.

010

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

It’s not even rich elites; I think the root cause of why we can’t have nice things in public education is bog-standard middle-class parental anxiety. The cycle works like this:

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Wild that I just started a middle-school writing prompt with “You are a local journalist” and had to stop and think, *will they even know what that is?*

100

Andrew Duval @andrewduval.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

John’s new book is not only about AI and writing, but about the urgent need to stop making students write like machines in the first place

074

Reposted by Andrew Duval

John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

What the heck, here's the full-self promotion. If want a quick, fun writing experience that any student grade school and up can do, pretty much instantly, check out Frankenstories a writing game. frankenstories.writelike.org

frankenstories.writelike.org

Frankenstories

A creative writing game for the whole class

061