Season 2, Episode 3 of Cool Cat Teacher Talk tackles some big challenges we educators face in 2025: finding trusted news amidst social media chaos, navigating AI privacy concerns, and teaching students with cutting-edge tools like AI art generation. Join Vicki Davis (that’s me 😊) as we explore the rise of platforms like Blue Sky and Flipboard in the Fediverse and share how educators can curate reliable content while staying ahead of the curve with digital literacy.
Discover practical tools like Feedly, Flipboard, Blue Sky, Canva, Adobe Express, and Mastodon to stay informed and teach responsibly in an AI-driven world. Special guests include William ‘Coach’ Jeffrey, host of the Flipboard Edu Podcast, discussing the fediverse and new opportunities for educators, and Laurel Aguilar-Kirchhoff, an expert on student data privacy and digital citizenship, offering critical insights into AI ethics and privacy. All resources and links are on the blog post for this show at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/talknews2025.
This show will debut on YouTube on Thursday, January 30, 2025
What You’ll Get from This Episode
- Insights into navigating social media chaos, including TikTok bans and the decline of Twitter (now X).
- Practical tools like Feedly, Flipboard, and Mastodon for curating trusted news sources.
- Guidance on teaching AI art generation using Adobe Express and Canva.
- Strategies for protecting student data and ensuring ethical AI use in schools.
- Tips for organizing your digital life with the “Second Brain” method using Evernote.
- Advice on creating a personal learning and innovation plan for educators.
- An understanding of federated platforms like Blue Sky and Mastodon, and their impact on educators.
- Expert interviews with William ‘Coach’ Jeffrey on Flipboard and the fediverse, and Laurel Aguilar-Kirchhoff on AI privacy and digital citizenship.
- Why newsletters and local newspapers remain vital in 2025.
- Tools to leverage AI responsibly, including Google AI Studio and Gemini
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Blue Sky
- Alice Keeler’s #edusky List – https://tinyurl.com/edusky
- My handle on Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/coolcatteacher.bsky.social
- Mastodon Profile
- News Aggregation Tools
- Feedly – Organize and curate news from trusted sources.
- Flipboard – Create and share magazines for curated content.
- Link to my flipboard profile and magazines – https://flipboard.com/@coolcatteacher
- Fediverse Platforms
- Blue Sky – Federated social media platform.
- Mastodon Servers – Explore Mastodon servers.
- Digital Organization Tools
- Evernote – Capture and organize digital notes.
- Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte – Book Details.
- AI Art Generation Tools
- Adobe Express – Create and explore AI-generated art.
- Canva – Design and experiment with AI tools.
- AI and Privacy Resources
- Google AI Studio – Explore AI tools for educators.
- Jason Thacker’s Book on AI Ethics – The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity Details Here.
- Newsletter Subscription
- Subscribe to Vicki Davis’s newsletter: coolcatteacher.com/newsletter
- Show Notes and Previous Episodes
- Show Notes for this episode and all 2025 News episodes: coolcatteacher.com/talknews2025
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