Recently, I took part in Education after the algorithm: Co-designing critical and creative futures, 20-21 February 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. It was a fantastic event for for thinking otherwise about critical AI and post-AI pedagogies of higher education as part of the Erasmus+ Hacking Innovative Pedagogies: Digital Learning Rewilded (opens in a new tab) project.
More about my talk is at the bottom of this post, but for now, I’d like to share some reflections from a fabulous few days, which left me feeling both uplifted and inspired. And that in itself is quite a tall order these days.
I didn’t get to attend much of the online day due to still being on route to Dublin, so I doubly appreciated the opportunity to meet up with some conference participants informally in the evening and catch up on the days events. Many hugs were exchanged 🙂
This was definitely one of those events at which the whole list of participants could have keynoted, and I found much inspiration in the GASTA, chaired by the one and only Tom Farrelly as only he can; the Invited Speaker Talks, which introduced me to new speakers and topics and offered so much new research (Rob Lowney’s thoughtful research into student digital literacies was a personal highlight); and the keynotes, which were rich and articulated some really complex thinking in new and beautiful ways.
The most fun (for me) was had during the hours of zine making, first with Kate Molloy and Clare Thomson in Embedding Sustainability Literacies in Postdigital Learning Design and then with Bryan Mathers in Heroes & Villains Zine Workshop. It got me thinking and drawing and having fun whilst grappling with some weighty topics.
And there was that meticulously informal touch of the conference organisation committee, represented on stage on the day by Eamon Costello, in word and song and heartfelt hugs. The conference badge design, including four activities on the back, was pure genius and I must admit that I had a lot of fun “re-wilding” my conference badge.
The day flew by, and the next morning dawn bright and sunny over Dublin, gifting us a perfect, mild spring day for a bit of sightseeing before returning home.
Thank you to everyone involved in making it happen. What a fabulous event that walked the walk, and gave me a taste of what can be achieved with a bit of intentionality, hard work and heart. It certainly gave me a little bit of hope for what’s ahead, and for education after the algorithm.
My talk: Critical Cadence: Reclaiming the Pace of Digital Productivity
I’ve created an audio resource to listen to whilst moving through a landscape, by for example walking. In this recording I expand on strategies and practical ideas to use movement in contemplative pedagogies and outdoor learning, and to notice how the pace of thinking and doing changes in motion.
I’d love to hear from you, so get in touch and explore more of my work on walking.