Serendipity35 - TRENDS

The Enrollment Cliff

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 20 May 2026 14:48:00 +0000

Education scholars talk about an “enrollment cliff,” and it stems from a simple demographic fact: after reaching a peak in 2007, the number of babies born annually in America generally declined for more than a decade.

During the next decade, there will be a steady drop in the number of this nation’s 18-year-olds, which will almost certainly lead to a spike in college closures and mergers throughout the country, not only at small private schools with less-than-élite academic reputations but also at large regional public schools.

“If my kid does want to attend college in 2035, how many schools will she actually have to choose from?” Jay Caspian Kang asks in this article on The New Yorker https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/8QmCvL

Unplugging From Online Addiction

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:24:00 +0000

This week, you probably saw headlines like "Meta and YouTube designed addictive products that harmed young people," as a jury in Los Angeles awarded the plaintiff damages of $6 million, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder

We are all plugged in to the electronic web around us that is far larger than the World Wide Web. That feeling of being unable to unplug is incredibly common and results from a powerful combination of psychological triggers, clever product design, and the essential role technology plays in modern life. "Addiction" is a strong word in this context, but it is the operative word in these kinds of cases.

Don't feel like you are "weak" or lack willpower if you find it difficult to disconnect. These systems are scientifically optimized to maximize your engagement. The core reason for compulsive checking is a chemical reaction in your brain centered on dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward-seeking.

Social media and even email platforms use the same psychological principle that makes slot machines and video games addictive. You don't know when the next "win" will appear. That could be a "like," a validating comment, an alert, or an email from someone "important." Are any of these really important? Maybe - and that possibility mixed in with that famous Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is powerful. It compels you to keep checking.

Designers know they need apps and websites to be addictive. I can list some of these techniques, and you can take them as things to be conscious of and avoid. You could also use it as a designer to create an addictive app or website. These things are intentionally engineered as features that make it easy to lose track of time and difficult to stop.

One of those techniques is using infinite scroll, which eliminates natural stopping cues (like the bottom of a page). The content just keeps loading, encouraging endless consumption. |

Push notifications hijack your attention and create a sense of immediate urgency or curiosity, pulling you back into the app regardless of what you were doing.

Autoplay on videos and content streams automatically transitions you to the next item, removing the moment you would have had to make a conscious choice to continue or stop.

As I said earlier, many techniques used in gaming are used in the gamification of other apps. You might not think of things like streaks, badges or LinkedIn profile completeness bars create a feeling of required daily attendance to avoid losing progress or status.

Most of these are psychological traps. FoMO and the social validation of likes and shares, and positive comments tap directly into our fundamental need for social acceptance and validation.

Do you ever find yourself waiting in line, standing on the train, or during a commercial break, checking your phone? That instant, low-effort stimulation. is a form of addiction.

It's true that technology is no longer optional. We need it for much of our communication and work. We crave constant connectivity. Some jobs demand constant email and instant messaging availability. The lines between work and personal time have been blurring for at least two decades. We need directions (maps), banking, tickets, appointments, and emergency communications from our digital devices. That new reality seems to make a complete disconnect feel irresponsible, unsafe, and maybe impossible.

But I don't think it is hopeless. The solution is not to throw away devices or turn off your cell service and WiFi or have more willpower. Advice from "experts" is to create friction between yourself and the addictive features. Only allow notifications for direct calls, texts, and genuinely critical applications. Designate specific times (like the first hour of the day, mealtimes, or the hour before bed) and locations (the bedroom, the dinner table) as completely device-free. Remove the most addictive social media apps from your phone, or move them off the home screen and turn off those badges and notification sounds that remind you that there are 3 new somethings on Instagram.

How Verbal Thinking Elevates Learning

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:10:00 +0000

The notion of talking to oneself, often dismissed as a mere quirky habit or a sign of preoccupation, is, in fact, a powerful, evidence-based cognitive tool essential for learning, problem-solving, and achieving self-regulation. For educators, understanding and deliberately integrating this "verbal thinking"—known in psychological literature as private speech, self-talk, or self-explanation—into pedagogical practice can unlock deeper comprehension and foster truly independent learners.

The psychological roots of verbal thinking's benefit trace back most prominently to the work of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. His socio-cultural theory identifies a critical stage in a child's cognitive development where social communication turns inward to become a robust tool for thinking. Vygotsky outlined a three-stage developmental framework for language: beginning with Social Speech in young children, where language is purely external and used for communicating with others; progressing to Private Speech during the preschool years (ages 3-7), where the child begins to speak aloud to themselves, often in a whisper or mumble, utilizing this overt language as a self-guiding tool for planning, regulating, and controlling their own behavior and problem-solving attempts.

For example, a child engaged in a puzzle might audibly walk themselves through the steps: "First, put the red block here, then the blue block goes on top." This transitional phase ultimately leads to Inner Speech (age 7+), which is the fully internalized, silent verbal thought that most adults use for abstract reasoning, reflection, and sophisticated problem-solving. For educators, the key takeaway from Vygotsky’s work is that overt verbal thinking, or private speech, represents the crucial bridge from externally guided learning—where an adult or peer provides the instruction—to true self-regulation and independent, complex thought. By encouraging students to verbalize their process, teachers are helping them build the necessary internal scaffolding for later, silent, and more sophisticated thinking.

Crucially, verbal thinking doesn't just manage behavior; it fundamentally alters how information is encoded and understood by the brain, supporting both memory and comprehension. Research in memory retrieval highlights a phenomenon known as the Production Effect, which demonstrates that reading or generating information aloud significantly improves its memory retention compared to reading it silently. This memory boost occurs because speaking information aloud engages a greater number of sensory channels simultaneously. The learner uses visual input (seeing the text), verbal/motor input (the physical articulation of the words), and auditory input (hearing the words being spoken). This richer, multi-modal encoding creates a more distinctive and robust memory trace in the brain, making the information much easier to recall later. This distinctiveness is vital: when a learner produces a word aloud, it stands out against the background of other silently read words, making the item unique in memory. Therefore, simply having students read key definitions, summaries, or steps aloud in a low-stakes environment is a simple, yet highly effective, way for educators to leverage this proven physiological mechanism to strengthen long-term memory.

Perhaps the most powerful cognitive benefit, particularly for complex material, is the deep processing that occurs through self-explanation. This process is not mere repetition; it is the active, conscious act of trying to explain new information by relating it to what one already knows, making necessary inferences, and proactively clarifying any ambiguities. The first benefit here is powerful metacognitive monitoring: when a learner verbalizes a concept, the very act of articulation immediately exposes areas of confusion or "knowledge gaps." If a student struggles to explain a step in a math proof or a scientific concept, the flaw in their understanding is instantly revealed, prompting them to go back and refine their knowledge. This is a critical act of metacognition—the vital process of thinking about one's own thinking. Secondly, self-explanation drives coherence building. Verbalizing forces the student to translate disparate, often fragmented, pieces of information into a coherent, logical structure. They are not just recalling isolated facts but actively constructing a unified mental model of how the concepts interact. This principle is famously embodied by the Feynman Technique—explaining a concept simply as if teaching it to a novice—which serves as a form of high-level, deliberate verbal thinking that ruthlessly exposes the limits of a learner's comprehension.

The idea that talking to yourself out loud is not only "okay" but also an excellent learning technique is satisfying, but as I dug into this research, I recognized things from my college and grad school education courses. Other than the idea that it's not abnormal behavior to talk to yourself, this research is not completely new. I used several of these pedagogies in my teaching.

The challenge for educators, then, is to move verbal thinking from an accidental occurrence to a deliberate, scaffolded learning strategy within the classroom environment. One highly effective technique is the Think-Aloud Strategy, which focuses on teacher modeling. This strategy is used to make the invisible thought process of an expert visible and accessible to students, thereby explicitly teaching them how to engage in effective self-talk. To implement this, the teacher must first explicitly state the goal: "I’m going to show you how a skilled reader or problem-solver thinks by saying my thoughts out loud." Then, as the teacher reads a complex passage, works through a mathematical equation, or analyzes a primary source, they must stop frequently to verbalize their internal dialogue. This might involve using strategic planning language like, "I'm thinking I should use the quadratic formula here because the equation is set to zero," or demonstrating monitoring and correction by saying, "That word, 'ephemeral,' sounds like it means brief, so I’m going to pause and look that up to make sure I understand the context," or making connections: "The author just described the main character as restless. That connects to the idea I read earlier about his lack of a stable job. I wonder if this will lead to him leaving town." Once modeled, the teacher must transition students to practicing the strategy, perhaps through paired activities known as Reciprocal Think-Alouds, before expecting independent use.

A second practical technique is the Self-Explanation Prompt. This method strategically inserts verbalization breaks into a learning task to force metacognitive reflection and is particularly useful in technical subjects. Implementation begins by identifying key moments in a text, problem set, or lab procedure where a deeper understanding is absolutely necessary before the student can proceed. At these pause points, the teacher provides students with specific open-ended questions they must answer aloud to themselves or in a brief reflection journal. Prompts should be targeted to specific cognitive functions, such as focusing on rationale ("Why did I choose this variable to isolate?"), demanding synthesis ("What is the main idea of this section in my own words?"), or explicitly asking for a connection ("How does this new concept relate to what we learned last week?"). For maximum impact, teachers should then encourage a "Think-Pair-Share" approach where students must first explain their logic to a partner, which solidifies the idea and provides practice in articulation before the whole class moves on.

Finally, the "Teach It Back" Method is a form of high-stakes verbal thinking rooted in the pedagogical principle that to teach a concept is to truly master it. In this strategy, a student is assigned the role of briefly "teaching" a key concept, a section of the reading, or a part of the homework to a small group, to the class, or even to an imaginary audience. The critical instruction given to the student is to explain the topic as simply as possible, perhaps using an analogy, metaphor, or non-technical language if appropriate. The student must translate complex, academic language into straightforward, accessible terms, which serves as the ultimate test of their own comprehension. The teacher should provide specific feedback not only on the accuracy of the content but also on the clarity and logical structure of the explanation, reinforcing the importance of effective verbal articulation as a measure of understanding. By integrating these verbal thinking strategies—modeling, prompting, and teaching back—educators are not just improving a single study skill; they are building the core components of the resilient and self-regulated learner, equipping students with the tools for lifelong, independent cognitive growth.

SOURCES
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. (This source is foundational for the concepts of Private Speech and its role in Self-Regulation.)

MacLeod, C. M. (2011). The production effect: Better memory as a consequence of saying aloud during study. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(2), 195–204. (This research provides the physiological basis for the Production Effect and memory benefits.)

Chi, M. T. H. (2013). Self-explanation: The effects of talking aloud or writing on learning. Topics in Cognitive Science, 5(1), 1–4. (This source details the mechanism and benefits of Self-Explanation for deep comprehension.)

Berk, L. E. (1992). The role of private speech in the development of mental processes. Psychological Review, 99(4), 779–795. (This provides contemporary developmental research supporting and elaborating on Vygotsky’s observations of private speech.)

Australia’s Nationwide Ban on Social Media for Children Under 16

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:54:00 +0000

Australia’s nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16 takes effect today, making it the first country to prohibit underage users from major platforms outright. It is a noble and probably necessary thing, but I cannot believe it is doable.

Millions of accounts are expected to be affected as companies, such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and X, face fines of up to $33M for serious or repeated noncompliance. However, the law places responsibility on companies rather than families, and platforms must demonstrate that they have taken “reasonable steps," such as implementing age checks and removing suspected underage accounts.

I suspect the companies will say these things have already been put in place. (Have you noticed the increase in ads on TV and in your Instagram feed about their teen accounts?) And how will Australia monitor this? Critics say the law is difficult to enforce. It might push teens onto harder-to-monitor platforms. Enforcement may pose privacy risks. We know that many children who create accounts have already lied about their age. Can that be determined?

The research shows 96% of children aged 10 to 15 had used social media, and a majority had used a communication platform to chat, message, call, or video call others (94%). Anecdotally. many of them report encountering harmful content, grooming, or cyberbullying.

Australia may have been the first country to pass a social media ban bill to stop children under 16 from accessing the platforms, but 7 other countries have taken similar steps, such as strict youth modes or time limits.
https://studyinternational.com/news/countries-social-media-ban-children/
Read/download the Australian research report
https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/Digital-use-and-risk-Online-platform-engagement-10-to-15.pdf

Kids and AI

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:01:00 +0000

Artificial Intelligence is so ubiquitous - both in visible ways and hidden away in how we use technology - that MIT Review published a piece on six things you should tell kids about artificial intelligence. I taught in a middle school and I know AI has entered that curriculum level, but even younger kids need to be taught and prepared for using AI.

One thing they suggest is the idea that AI is not your friend, but that doesn't mean it's your enemy. Chatbots are likely one of the first AI forms a younger child might encounter. That may be via a device such as Alexa. Yes, they "chat" in a somewhat friendly, conversational tone but younger kids need to be reminded that they are machines. That means not giving the machine any sensitive personal information which will be stored and used in a very large database. We know of cases where bots and apps have become "friends" for people in a serious way - and I'm not talking only about kids.

They also suggest conversations for young kids about how AI models are not replacements for search engines or a way to write your schoolwork. Following that idea, let it be known that teachers might accuse you of using an AI - possibly even when you haven’t used it.

Chatbots and recommender systems are designed to get you hooked and keep yu using them and maybe paying for a premium version. They might show you incorrect information. AI makes mistakes.

Of course, this is coming from Massachusetts Institute of Technology so their final suggestion is not to miss out on what AI is actually good at doing. "Students who find themselves struggling to understand a tricky topic could ask ChatGPT to break it down for them step by step, or to rephrase it as a rap, or to take on the persona of an expert biology teacher to allow them to test their own knowledge. It’s also exceptionally good at quickly drawing up detailed tables to compare the relative pros and cons of certain colleges, for example, which would otherwise take hours to research and compile."

The main is that parents and teachers need to have conversations about AI with the young people in their lives, and probably educate themselves about it too.

Podcasting and iTunes U

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:06:00 +0000

Podcasts at Apple are turning 20 years old, but Apple officially discontinued iTunes U at the end of 2021. The platform, which launched in 2007, was designed to help educators distribute lectures, assignments, and other learning materials through the iTunes ecosystem. It was especially popular with universities and K–12 institutions - for a time.

As Apple shifted its focus to newer tools like Classroom and Schoolwork, which offer more interactive and integrated experiences for iPads and Macs, iTunes U gradually became outdated. Apple announced the phase-out in 2020, giving educators time to transition to an alternative platform. That was partially why there was a temporary bump up in schools participating in MOOCs.

I was at NJIT 20 years ago and spearheaded the university's inclusion in the initial "sweet 16" schools in iTunes U. It was important in its time, and I would update the new schools as they were added. I was disappointed in Apple's lack of support for the academic version of podcasting and was further disappointed when they dropped it after 14 years, but it had been losing its lustre. iTunesU (and iTunes itself) didn't really move forward, and the newer apps for educators allowed us to guide students through lessons in real time, share assignments, and track progress more efficiently.

I searched for some of those old Serendipity35 iTunes U posts. Very nostalgic in 2025.

These are some of the general online learning platforms where some of that content was repurposed.
Khan Academy – Free, nonprofit platform offering lessons in math, science, economics, and more. Great for K–12 and beyond.
Coursera – Offers courses from top universities like Stanford and Yale. Many are free to audit, with paid certificates available2.
Udemy – A massive marketplace for courses on everything from coding to photography. Often discounted and self-paced.
FutureLearn – UK-based platform with university-led courses and microcredentials.
Institutional Tools
Canvas LMS and Blackboard Learn – Widely used by schools and universities for managing coursework, assignments, and communication.
Moodle – Open-source learning management system used by many institutions worldwide.
Open Educational Resources
Wikiversity and Wikibooks – Free educational content created and curated by volunteers. Great for self-learners.
Classroom & Student Engagement
ClassDojo – Focuses on classroom behavior and communication, especially for younger students.
Remind - Helps teachers communicate with students and parents via messaging.
Lumio – Turns lessons into interactive, collaborative experiences.

How Blue Is the Sky at Bluesky and Other Alternatives to X

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 10:14:00 +0000

For more than 18 years, the social network X (which many of us still call Twitter) has dominated short message social media for almost 20 years. Many people still go there for real-time updates, breaking news, and conversations. But - and it is a big BUT - changes due to Elon Musk's management of the platform the past few years have had many users leave.

People are concerned about the lack of content moderation, reduced privacy protections, and subscription-based features (like paid verification). The general gripe is that it is an ugly space full of hate and misinformation. Users have sought out alternatives to X, and that meant there was a new user demand to be filled by other entrepreneurs.

Alternatives range from decentralized options like Mastodon to community-driven spaces like Bluesky. I have several clients who wanted to move off X to "something else" and asked me for advice over the past year. Friends have said to me, "You're still on Twitter? Why?"

The alternative most often mentioned is Bluesky. Interestingly, it was founded by Twitter co-creator Jack Dorsey. Bluesky initially began in 2019 as a project within Twitter to develop an open social protocol that would allow multiple apps to operate seamlessly. It was spun off as an independent entity in 2021. Its claim and appeal is that it offers algorithmic transparency and user control, enabling individuals to tailor their social media experience.

Is Bluesky a return to a gentler, saner social-media experience? It does feel like the Twitter of a decade ago. It's not the 2017 Twitter that was full of political Trump and anti-Trump pollution.

Recently, I created an account just to see what it's all about. It looks like Twitter. It even has a winged blue logo (a butterfly instead of a bird) and a character limit on posts. I am cautiously proceeding, following only a few. I have already read complaints that it has "MAGA trolls" and complaints by those accounts that they have been blocked. Is it liberal-left? The most followed account belongs to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).

Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how social-media companies make changes that benefit them, but gradually, and almost inevitably, the user experience degrades. I suspect that more than just the user experience degrades.The content degrades.

Facebook and X have both been criticized of late for burying some news by deprioritizing links to articles. Instagram and Pinterest have been filling my feeds with some crazy, irrelevant AI-generated content. Sometimes my Instagram feed is 75% ads and people I don't follow. Where are the things and people I selected to follow?

What are the other alternatives in the microblogging world of social media?

Threads is Meta’s entry into the space. It's their "Twitter-killer," but Twitter survives. It allows users to post text updates, images, and videos, engage with hashtags, and interact through likes, comments, and reposts. While Threads functions as a standalone app, it is seamlessly integrated with Instagram, allowing users to sign up easily and access it through a tab within the Instagram app. It also encourages you to share your Instagram posts to Threads with a click. I use both, and I do sometimes share, but that seems repetitive. Still, my "audience" in Threads may be different from Instagram, though there is some overlap. Meta integration led to a staggering 100 million sign-ups within its first week, as Instagram users checked out this new social network. Threads' ad-free interface, clean design, and connection to Instagram’s ecosystem make it appealing, and so far, it is not as polluted as X. It is the text option paired with Instagram's visual option. A good idea for Meta.

I also added the Substack platform this year. It offers writers, journalists, and creators a space for short-form updates and community engagement. It is more blogging than microblogging, and some people write quite long pieces. It offers the option of having free or paid subscribers. Like Medium, that leads to the frustration of clicking on an interesting title and hitting the paywall. Substack Notes is their complement to the subscription-based model. Notes allows users to post microblogs, share snippets of their work, restack content they enjoy, and tag others to spark conversations.

On the plus side, Substack Notes focuses on more meaningful content rather than algorithm-driven visibility. As of now, it seems to be prioritizing quality over reach. Public by default, Notes appear in the feeds of followers and subscribers, allowing creators to build relationships while promoting their work. Though it lacks advanced interactivity or paywall options for full posts, Substack Notes is ideal for content-focused users seeking an integrated platform for sharing ideas and monetizing their audience.

I am feeling old because I am still using LinkedIn and Tumblr.

For professionals seeking a viable Twitter replacement, LinkedIn stands out as the one social media platform that seems "professional" and is tailored for networking, career growth, and industry engagement. Unlike microblogging platforms like X, LinkedIn emphasizes professional connections, enabling users to share updates, articles, and career insights in a format similar to tweets but with a focus on meaningful business discussions. As a social network, LinkedIn excels at fostering connections through its intuitive "connect" feature, where users can expand their network by engaging with mutual contacts and industry leaders. With its robust job postings, company pages, and professional tools, LinkedIn offers a structured alternative to platforms like Mastodon, Reddit, or Threads for those prioritizing career-focused interactions over casual content.

Though Tumblr is quite a different platform from X, it offers far more creative ways to share ideas and connect with others online. It combines blogging with an emphasis on visual storytelling (like Instagram) and allows users to post quite long text updates, images, GIFs, videos, and links. This separates it from most of the others. It really is a micro- or mini-blog platform.

Unlike the fast-paced, real-time interactions of X, you won't get the "news" here. Tumblr focuses on creativity and individuality, with customizable themes. What you may get is a lot of celebrity photos and nudity, even though they tried (unsuccessfully) to purge that content a few years ago.

40 Years of Microsoft Windows

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 10:10:00 +0000

Recently, my laptop crashed, and I had to return to an old one that had been sitting on a shelf for a few years. It had Windows 8 from back in 2012. No updates available, and lots of websites and tools did not work. The laptop that crashed has Windows 10 and that will fade away from support in October 2025.

It got me thinking about the now 50-year history of Microsoft.

The company was at the top early on, then went through some tough years and is again near the top. It has been the first or second most valuable business on Earth for the better part of five years.

Microsoft is betting on AI to carry it into the next generation of computing. However, Microsoft's most enduring legacies may be the marks it left on society long ago via Windows. It's not a point of pride for the company or many of its users that much of our world still relies on aged, sometimes obsolete Windows software and computers. This ghost software is still being used, though it is somewhat crippled.

Here are all the versions of Windows so far:
Windows 1.0: November 20, 1985.
Windows 2.0: December 9, 1987.
Windows 3.0: May 22, 1990.
Windows 95: August 24, 1995.
Windows 98: June 25, 1998.
Windows ME (Millennium Edition): September 14, 2000.
Windows 2000: February 17, 2000.
Windows XP: October 25, 2001.
Windows Vista: January 30, 2007.
Windows 7: July 22, 2009 (released to manufacturing), October 22, 2009 (generally available).
Windows 8: October 26, 2012.
Windows 8.1: February 13, 2013.
What happened to Windows 9? (see below)
Windows 10: July 29, 2015.
Windows 11: October 5, 2021.

According to an article on bbc.com, many people and services still use outdated Windows versions.

"Many ATMs still operate on legacy Windows systems, including Windows XP and even Windows NT," which launched in 1993, says Elvis Montiero, an ATM field technician based in Newark, New Jersey. "The challenge with upgrading these machines lies in the high costs associated with hardware compatibility, regulatory compliance, and the need to rewrite proprietary ATM software."

What happened to Windows 9?