Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · 8d

Excited to share a new offering at #ISLS2026 (International Society of the Learning Sciences): Alt-Academia Career Workshop. If you're in the learning sciences and interested in careers outside the traditional tenure track, this workshop is for you!

Apps due 11/15: 2026.isls.org/alt-academia...

Alt-Academia Career Workshop : Call for Submissions | ISLS 2026

The Alt-Academia Career Workshop is a new professional development workshop that will support participants to pursue new opportunities or deepen existing roles in the learning sciences outside of trad...

2026.isls.org

Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Sep 5

God help us

Reposted by Rafi Santo

Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · Sep 1

Since tomorrow is Labor Day and school is in session, I'd like to argue (again) that teaching about GenAI should include discussion of the extractive, exploitative labor conditions that make the technology possible. 🧵

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Reposted by Rafi Santo

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · Aug 29

There are four main arguments for AI in education:

1. Efficiency, saving teachers time
2. Equity, making education inclusive
3. Improving outcomes by personalizing learning
4. It's inevitable

Is it true?

Nope.

Micro 🧵

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 26

Big congrats Dr. Logan! 🥳🎓

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 26

I assume @schooldaves.bsky.social will be showing up to the training in one of these?

Attacker in a padded suit, for a self defense training

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Reposted by Rafi Santo

rom comrade @savasavasava.myatproto.social · Aug 26

Anakin and Padme 4 panel meme.
Anakin 1: we've set up an AI rights advocacy group
Padme 1: for people and places harmed by AI
Anakin 2: *stares in shitty AI tech bro*
Padme 2: right??

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 24

Omg lol 🤦🏻‍♂️ (also, clearly haven’t actually looked at what you put out there…)

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 23

Seriously. In search of user-uptake they’ve made sycophantic algorithms, ultimately making the tool actually worse at making clear for users what it is/isn’t helpful for.

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 23

Not surprising. Curious if you’ve had any experience with purpose-built scholarship synthesis tools like Elicit?

I’ve poked around, generally found them decently useful as an alternative GScholar, but they state themselves that users shouldn’t assume accuracy (“assume around 90% accurate”).

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Aug 19

I can't remember the study, but I'm pretty sure this kind of finding exists among pilots in the context of various flight automation systems.

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jul 15

Thanks Elizabeth! Looking forward to getting our pubs on this work out there.

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Reposted by Rafi Santo

Neil Selwyn @neilselwyn.bsky.social · Jul 11

"The current AI hype bubble is being driven by little more than emotions. Instead of being awed by speculative promises around AI futures, we need to engage with current forms of AI in terms of their values and politics" ... criticaledtech.com/2025/07/12/w...

We need to talk about AI in terms of values, not vibes

The current AI hype bubble is being driven by little more than emotions. Instead of being awed by speculative promises around AI futures, we need to engage with current forms of AI in terms of thei…

criticaledtech.com

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jul 3

Awesome, I’ll be there! Looking forward to seeing you!

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jul 3

Woo hoo! Hopefully I’ll overlap so I can see be there - which slot is it?

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Reposted by Rafi Santo

Climate One @climateone.org · Jul 2

Big companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google pledged a few years ago to cut their emissions. But, as this chart from @bloomberg.com shows, the heavy pivot to artificial intelligence is pushing their emissions higher instead 🧪

A chart from Bloomberg makes clear how AI investments are imperiling climate goals for Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google, whose emissions have increased by 40%, 18%, 44%, and 70% respectively from FY 2020 through FY 2023.

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jul 1

Absolutely heartbreaking, and terrifying.

If I’m reading this right, the program I received my PhD in—Learning and Development Sciences—is set to be eliminated.

Along with literally hundreds (!) of others.

This is arson on the part of fascists, plain and simple.

Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · Jun 30

So, here it is. Thanks to a new state law that was NEVER DEBATED, Indiana University has committed itself to abolishing majors in African-American/African Diaspora Studies: American Studies; Art History; French; Italian; Religious Studies etc. DOZENS of majors. www.ipm.org/news-section...

Indiana public colleges cut almost 20% of degrees

Public Indiana colleges and universities have eliminated 19 percent of their degree programs to meet requirements added to the state’s budget, according to the Commission for Higher Education.

www.ipm.org

Reposted by Rafi Santo

Kate Marvel @drkatemarvel.bsky.social · Jun 30

This is theft, plain and simple. They stole this from you. Every deletion, every erasure, every website that goes dark is a crime against the American public

Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · Jun 30

The US Global Change Research Program's website, including all its sub-domains that host the National Climate Assessments and related reports, is now offline.

The 1990 Global Change Research Act (see below) mandates its research findings be available to all federal agencies & departments.

Text from the 1990 global change research act (see link above).

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jul 1

Kudos to @bcmerchant.bsky.social for some absolutely essential reporting from the frontline of AI’s enshittification of our culture (not to mention our software).

Worth the long read.

Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · Jun 26

AI is being used to justify firing workers at major tech companies, leaving those that remain to pick up the pieces.

AI code is being shoveled into crucial Google products, replacing trainers at TikTok, and worse.

This, in tech workers' own words, is how AI is killing jobs in Silicon Valley.

AI Killed My Job: Tech workers

Tech workers at TikTok, Google, and across the industry share stories about how AI is changing, ruining, or replacing their jobs.

www.bloodinthemachine.com

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Reposted by Rafi Santo

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Jun 30

trickle down economics
trickle down economic
trickle down economi
trickle down econom
trickle down econo
trickle down econ
trickle down eco
trickle down ec
trickle down e
trickle down
trickle dow
trickle do
trickle d
trickle
trickl
trick

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jun 28

(Also, big congrats!)

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jun 28

Oh snap, somehow missed this. Now I need to update your title in a thing!

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jun 27

What a mensch.

(But we already knew that)

Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · Jun 27

Shabbat Shalom to everyone who recognizes that the safety, freedom & thriving of Jews and Muslims are bound up together — in Israel & Palestine, across the five boroughs, and in many other beloved places.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · Jun 27

Lander: "It's just gross, racist bigotry. Meanwhile he's running an optimistic, upbeat campaign for a NY where everybody belongs, and I feel proud as the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in NYC to be supporting somebody who would be the first Muslim mayor—what could be more NYC than that?"

Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jun 25

It’s goddam electric here. What a wild ride!

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Rafi Santo @empathetics.bsky.social · Jun 25

Tonight, I can’t help but think of how much joy, and hope, this victory would bring to Michael Brooks.