Concepts

16 posts filed under Concepts.

2026

Nov 03 – Delving into Dimensions
A deeper look at the six dimensions of Bloom’s 3D – what they are, how they differ from a hierarchy, and how they connect to learning types and patterns in practice.
Sep 17 – Technology is a Tool and a Weapon
Every technology sits on a continuum between tool and weapon, and the "it's just a tool" argument almost always comes from someone who benefits from ignoring that.
Sep 16 – AI is just a Text Processor
We don't have artificial intelligence – we have text processors. Calling them that makes the whole discourse clearer, the doomerism more absurd, and the actual use cases more obvious.
Aug 18 – AI as Translator
AI as a translation layer unlocks access to things that were previously off-limits. Access isn't the same as mastery, but the empowerment that comes from going further than you could before is real and worth taking seriously.
Aug 13 – From Waterfall to Snowball
Or how I learnt to stop fighting complexity and learned to work with it.
Aug 09 – Some People Say
The implication of numerical weight implied by a phrase like 'some people say' is just shorthand for detecting bullshit.
Aug 04 – Culture is Complex
One of the things I keep coming back to is how poorly we understand culture as a system – and how that misunderstanding shapes the way we respond when something goes wrong.

Jul 27 – The Mirror and What's Not There
Every now and then, a series of articles, videos, and ideas emerges that helps form a connection and uncover a somewhat hidden aspect of a concept.
Apr 02 – High Agency
Some thoughts on an Agency Spectrum and reflecting on what agency means for me and my work.
Jan 07 – Learning Type Iconography
I created my first set of icons last year. Encapsulating an idea in a simple visual was much more challenging than I thought.
Jan 05 – AI says tomato but you mean potato
AI has become a container word and something that we can no longer discuss until we start to unpack and define what exactly we're talking about.

Sep 10 – The Serendipity Engine
A somewhat serendipitous post about serendipity and designing for it.
Mar 02 – Understanding and Meaning
Expanding on previous post a bit more to unpack what I think Understanding and Meaning have to do with our conversations around AI.

Jun 25 – The Connected Curriculum
A brief idea for a Connected Curriculum, what that might be and how it might work.
Mar 07 – Heirs and Hierarchy
Malcolm Harris' very different history of Silicon Valley brought about some thinking about hierarchy and their heirs to wealth and riches.
Feb 01 – The Complexity of Learning Design
Trying to map out the complexity of learning design and to use the Cynefin framework as a way of thinking about what's involved.