Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026we can value all of things things separately. writing is a very flexible technology. it's so odd to me that we have to writhe and contort ourselves to adjust teaching and learning in the 'age of ai' when ai is supposed to be some magically flexible technology. 100
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026It's even worse when it comes to schools. So many Qs: (1) What is 'AI'? (2) What does 'use' mean in terms of frequency? (3) ... in terms of specific tasks? (4) How is 'use' distributed across an organisation? (5) What are possible secondary effects of such 'use' in workflows within organisations? 110
Reposted by Ted PalenskiUCU Edinburgh @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Amazing turn out from students and staff at the University of Edinburgh, in protest at senior management's greed and manufactured cuts. This is what solidarity looks like - as our campaign of industrial action begins this coming week in protest at the cuts. www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/student...ucuedinburgh.org.uk900+ at inaugural Student & Staff Assembly! — UCU EdinburghMore than 900 students and staff gathered for the inaugural Student-Staff Assembly on Thursday 24 September. 16140
Reposted by Ted PalenskiParis Marx @parismarx.com · 24/09/2026Just when I think I can’t hate OpenAI and Sam Altman any more, new details come out about how ChatGPT helped a shooter plan one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history in Tumbler Ridge, BC. OpenAI made an explicit decision not to report the user to authorities.motherjones.comChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation revealsOpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre. 1533421485
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Exactly this. Textbook example of what Joan Tronto calls “privileged irresponsibility.” All your everyday needs are met so you couldn’t possibly imagine the value of the work it takes to meet those needs. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiGina Neff @ginasue.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Hey @nytimes.com I fixed this for you 0169
Reposted by Ted PalenskiJenn Borgioli Binis @jennbinis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Do I know any educators who live in Georgia? I know of a very cool project that is looking for teacher advisors and pays generously! 447
Reposted by Ted PalenskiKyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Dolly Parton's Imagination Library gifted more than 332,000,000 books since it was first created 31 years ago. 220239495926
Reposted by Ted PalenskiRebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 25/08/2026We will always love you.youtube.comDolly Parton - I Will Always Love You [Official Music Video]YouTube video by Dolly Parton 354863
Reposted by Ted PalenskiAlfie Kohn @alfiekohn.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Hey, here's a wild idea. What if some of the decision-makers *were* teachers? 0174
Reposted by Ted PalenskiMél Hogan / The Data Fix @melhogan.bsky.social · 04/08/2026working on a talk for late fall and wanted to share some *older* texts that anyone writing about data centers today should know about! 1339
Reposted by Ted PalenskiHeba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Fellow academics: I know a Haitian PhD student who due to TPS termination needs another institutional affiliation not in the USA. Do you or someone you know have an avenue for them? If so, DM me. 3106128
Reposted by Ted PalenskiLibraries Connected @librariesconnected.org.uk · 26/07/2026Great to see public libraries highlighted by the BBC as a low-cost way for families to make the most of the summer holidays. 🔗 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukFive ways to make the most of the summer holidays with kidsThe best tips and tricks to have a fun - yet affordable - summer break with the family. 02114
Reposted by Ted PalenskiBarbara Brayshay @bbrayshay.bsky.social · 19/07/2026A new mapping tool from @friends-earth.bsky.social, the Environment Agency and Natural England reveals shocking levels of inequality in exposure to environmental harm in the UK, with people of colour and low-income households most at risk friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/mapp...friendsoftheearth.ukMapped: Environmental racism and injustice in England | Friends of the EarthPeople living in some parts of England are placed at far greater environmental risk than others — from dangerous pollution levels and a lack of access to nature, to flooding and extreme heat. People o... 184
Reposted by Ted PalenskiDan Sinykin @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social · 17/07/2026As my department's DGS, this fucking sucks. 07013
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 15/07/2026Exactly. How often are young people told: “If the product is free, you are the product”? This was also a business strategy during Covid. It is plain as day yet here we are, again. Groundhog Day ad nauseam. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiHetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 01/07/2026We’ve opened the call for @britishacademy.bsky.social Postdoctoral Fellowships. We provide 3 years of funding to early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to pursue an independent research project. Apply by 30th September www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...thebritishacademy.ac.ukPostdoctoral FellowshipsThe British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships is a three year award made to an annual cohort of outstanding early career researchers in the humanities or social sciences. 27387
Reposted by Ted PalenskiFoz Meadows @fozmeadows.bsky.social · 29/06/2026one of the many, many reasons I love owning books is that they're the last bastion of physical media that corporations can neither digitally repossess nor render technologically inaccessible due to regionlocking, subscription changes or phasing out the relevant device. you buy a book and it's YOURS 18032
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Everybody will be delighted to know that some very rich men are encouraging young people to do philosophy, major in the liberal arts, develop creativity and develop hobbies, since these people will 'benefit most' from genAI. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/... #pairedtextbbc.co.ukGoogle, Nvidia and Anthropic bosses' AI tips for studentsSundar Pichai, Jensen Huang and Jack Clark share their advice with the BBC. 010
Reposted by Ted PalenskiKaren Gregory @karengregory.bsky.social · 27/06/2026UK government visa changes are “driving universities towards a cliff edge”. www.scotsman.com/education/so...scotsman.comGlasgow University cuts: Social sciences to see biggest drop in overseas studentsVoluntary redundancy scheme to open in August 45425
Reposted by Ted PalenskiMax Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 27/06/2026NIH grants have been under political scrutiny since early 2025. But what does the screening process actually look like? What is being flagged? I spent a month digging into leaked docs and emails. We've published the 235-word list that are being flagged by an internal AI tool. And so much more. 🧵nature.comInside the new political screening that’s stalling NIH grantsMandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo. 9541384
Reposted by Ted PalenskiAlondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 28/06/2026“If the application contains one of the 235 disfavoured terms, it is classified as ‘not clean’.” 04423
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Wild. The limits of automation on full display, and the chaos that is modern academic publishing. 020
Reposted by Ted PalenskiSonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 26/06/2026I understand the excitement about technology “rediscovering lost texts.” I do, & I get the media hype. But I wish people knew that there are hundreds of thousands of “lost” texts just sitting in manuscripts in libraries, which have never been published outside of those single manuscripts. 1/n 11814236
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 26/06/2026Also, the Obergefell ruling came 11 years after my home state, Massachusetts, legalized same-sex marriage. Much nicer anniversary than the Brexit referendum. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiFactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 26/06/2026Today is the 11-year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark Supreme Court case legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. 114336
Reposted by Ted PalenskiDr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026I especially love this diagram. 5248582012
Reposted by Ted PalenskiKetan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 24/06/2026Watching BBC News and they just did 5 minutes with a doctor about how this heatwave is life threatening and the interviewer closed it with "well, it's just an opportunity to have ice cream for breakfast!!". Amazing clip of how the BBC seems just blissfully unaware of what is happening 2204588940
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Reason #3743 not to use LLMs for lit reviews. Or for universities or research orgs to offer trainings for such a use. I am still angry about a training I saw earlier this year. Absolutely no criticality on display. After I emailed a list of reasons why I found the whole idea unacceptable. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiDM Howcroft 🦔 @davehowcroft.com · 16/06/2026Would love to see other UK institutions do the same tbh 043
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 12/06/2026E.g. any sort of action against a certain trillionaire for his role in stoking racist violence that is directly affecting people, young and old, in the UK? What a world. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiUniversity of Glasgow, Innovation & Economic Development @uofgied.bsky.social · 10/06/2026📣 Only FOUR full days remaining to apply for this support! The University of Glasgow has launched its Dumfries Civic Grant Fund, offering up to £5,000 for community groups, charities and local projects in Dumfries. 🔗🌳 Read more in our Linktree, in bio. @uofgdumfries.bsky.social #socialenterprise 022
Reposted by Ted PalenskiDuckDuckGo @duckduckgo.com · 29/05/2026Since Google revealed its plans for an AI search overhaul, visits to our "No AI" search page have tripled…and they’re still rising! Want to make it your default on Chrome or Firefox? Grab our No-AI extensions and banish AI-assisted answers, chat, and AI images. (1/3) 316148605239
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 27/05/2026How does this square with AFT's previous partnership deal with OpenAI? If someone could explain it to me... 000
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 21/05/2026We need better tech journalism. I am only asking for a teensy bit of criticality. Of course, even worse is the fact that, first, this guy was platformed by Oxford Uni and, second, that Oxford cut a deal with OpenAI in 2025.theguardian.comAI will help make a Nobel prize-winning discovery within a year, says Anthropic co-founderJack Clark describes ‘vertiginous sense of progress’ and ‘profound changes’ to society alongside risks of technology 021
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 20/05/2026Google, Meta, et al. can certainly create products that might incidentally support people with certain disabilities, but their overarching business models are incompatible with just, inclusive worlds. we need better tech and better tech companies. 000
Reposted by Ted PalenskiLisa Messeri @lmesseri.bsky.social · 05/05/2026USC said "it would use a *venture capitalist’s* $200 million donation to apply AI across academic disciplines." "The donation... came from Mark and Mary Stevens. Stevens... is among the largest individual shareholders of the chip giant Nvidia, where he has spent decades on the board." Screaming.nytimes.comU.S.C. Will Infuse A.I. Across University With $200 Million Donation 814255
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Particularly difficult to stomach how social scientists (billed as 'AI experts') can run workshops on going from 'using AI' to 'mastering AI' all while navigating ethical 'gray zones' and 'streamlining' social science research activities ('lit reviews, data processing, drafting'). Beyond parody. 100
Reposted by Ted PalenskiIda Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · 29/04/2026There are people still living who fought — and watched their compatriots be murdered — for the passage of this act and to attempt to democratize America. To see it completed felled in the span of their OWN lifetime is just absolutely devastating. 163652962
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 14/04/2026French student data breach: The data of 3.5 million students implicated, including report cards and driving safety reports. This so clearly illustrates the risks of centralisation. We might want the state to take on certain roles, especially administrative, but as data gets more centralised... 235
Reposted by Ted PalenskiTed McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 12/04/2026In general, (re)orienting education wholly or chiefly to specific perceived market needs is always going to produce disaster once the near term passes. It also eviscerates institutions that might otherwise help people weather change, intellectually and in other ways 8942268
Reposted by Ted PalenskiEqual Justice Initiative @eji.org · 11/04/2026On this day in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson authorized overt racial segregation in federal employment. Federal endorsement of Jim Crow policies was a significant blow to Black civil rights.calendar.eji.orgApr. 11, 1913 | President Wilson Authorizes Racial Segregation in Federal EmploymentLearn more about our history of racial injustice. 28257
Reposted by Ted PalenskiNick Seaver @nickseaver.website · 07/04/2026no matter how you feel about them, prediction markets are growing more widespread, and it's important that educators understand how they could integrate these powerful gambling tools into their classrooms 5449
Ted Palenski @tedpal.bsky.social · 07/04/2026an essential tool to get kids excited about (and placing bets on) current events. there could be class-level and school-level betting pools set up. the pedagogical possibilities are endless. we're about to see student engagement levels go through the roof. 122
Reposted by Ted PalenskiLiz McFall @allartmarkets.bsky.social · 28/03/2026For those who don’t know, the OU brought teachers like Doreen Massey, Stuart Hall, Margie Wetherell, Grahame Thompson, John Allen, Tony Bennett to design and write degree courses to anyone, regardless of prior qualifications often FOR FREE and until 2010ish for around £3-500 p.a. 13517
Reposted by Ted PalenskiKaren Gregory @karengregory.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Edinburgh staff urge university to ditch OpenAI deal: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/edinbur...timeshighereducation.comEdinburgh staff urge university to ditch OpenAI dealAcademics raise concerns over ChatGPT owner’s links to US military and claim tools are ‘looking to replace knowledge workers’ 223596
Reposted by Ted PalenskiEmanuel Maiberg @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026after much deliberation and giving AI the benefit of the doubt, Wikipedia editors have had enough of AI slop. New policy bans LLM generated content, periodt www.404media.co/wikipedia-ba...404media.coWikipedia Bans AI-Generated Content“In recent months, more and more administrative reports centered on LLM-related issues, and editors were being overwhelmed.” 10982832298
Reposted by Ted PalenskiBen Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 20/03/2026"In the name of the University's final AI principle - responsiveness to the stakeholders involved (i.e. all of us ...) - we ask that the University of Edinburgh not renew its contract with OpenAI and stop using OpenAI as a supplier." docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...docs.google.comOpen Letter: End the University of Edinburgh's Contract with OpenAIDear EDINA Leadership Team and those responsible for the University's contract with OpenAI, We are publicly writing to you as the University of Edinburgh's contract with OpenAI is coming to an end, a... 05320