Serendipity35

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and Schoolwork, which offer more interactive and integrated experiences for iPads and Macs, iTunes U gradually became outdated.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.

 

Reading Amber Mac's newsletter this week, I saw a connection with something I was writing on one of my other blogs about this idea of having content "go viral." It sounds like a great thing. But does it come at a cost?

Yes, it's tempting to jump on TikTok trends and participate in the bite-size-ification of social, but it's also possible to produce a steady and consistent flow of valuable, high-quality content that never goes viral. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see our video views rise, but it's not essential that we trend. I think we all know how that game works. Say something controversial or do something outrageous, and the algorithms will thank you for it.

In my opinion, that spike in attention might be a win, but it's a short-term win. In other words, not everyone should go viral. If that's what you're chasing, it could be a soul-crushing experience where you lose yourself and your authentic community along the way.  - Amber Mac

Bloggers often want their posts to go "viral." The word “viral” made a leap from medical terminology to broader cultural usage in the late 20th century, particularly in the context of marketing and media. I assumed that it was social media that moved the term from medical usage, but it is actually a bit earlier than the explosion of social media. In 1989, The Oxford English Dictionary cites the earliest use of “viral” to describe the rapid spread of information, marking its first known non-medical usage.

The term gained traction in marketing in 1999, especially “viral marketing,” which described campaigns that spread quickly and organically—much like a virus. In the early 2000s, phrases like “going viral” and “viral video” emerged. and by 2004, “going viral” was used to describe content that rapidly gained popularity online. From 2009 onward, viral became mainstream, fueled by the rise of social media platforms and shareable content.

It is a good and powerful metaphor. Like a biological virus, digital content can replicate and spread uncontrollably. That semantic link made “viral” the perfect word to describe the phenomenon of explosive online popularity.

I don't think I have had a "viral post," though I have had some posts that seem to get more views over the years than most of mine. But "viral" is when the surge of views hits all at once.

Can you push a post into the land of viral? I don't think so, but you can find articles about "how to," like 21 key elements for viral blog posts or explore 32 proven tactics to boost your chances - but there are certainly no guarantees.

Those kinds of articles will suggest things to do like these: Know your audience and tailor your tone, topic, and style to what resonates with them. Tap into trending issues, emotional stories, or highly useful how-tos. Use eye-catching images. Share across platforms with tailored captions and hashtags. Use analytics to see what’s getting attention and tweak accordingly. All of those make sense, and I tend to employ them most of the time.

Some suggestions probably do increase your chances of viality, but go against my own blogging philosophy: Make it skimmable. Short paragraphs, bullet points, and bolded key phrases. Engage influencers. Reach out to people with large followings who might share your post. I don't do email marketing, other than if someone decides to follow my blog via email notifications.

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"Viral" is hardly the only medical term that is now in broader usage. If you're curious about that, check out this other blog.

Microsoft is using the latest ChatGPT version 5 in its CoPilot suite. The new version has had mixed reviews, with some very positive ones, some very bad reviews, and a lot of mixed reviews. It seems to still be a work in progress. But then, isn't that the case with everything AI right now?

One aspect of this release that has gotten some specific plus/minus reviews is making the bot seem more human by giving you options on a "personality" for the tone of the responses. This is something a lot of AI producers are doing - making chatbots have more human-like qualities. With this new release, ChatGPT now has four preset personality options: Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd. There is also a customizable Default personality in the Customize ChatGPT section.

Of course, "multiple personalities" suggests schizophrenia. 

People have been posting about their experiments with these personalities. For example, turn on the "Cynic" personality and ask ChatGPT if climate change is real, and it replies first, "It’s not a conspiracy, a vibe, or some 'just weather' thing." Then it goes into details. 

They self-describe these personalities (getting "person" in there is important marketing) like this:
Cynic: Sarcastic and witty, offering direct advice with a dry humor.
Robot: Precise, emotionless, concise—ideal for technical or fact-focused queries.
Listener: Warm, empathetic, calm—great for personal conversations or support.
Nerd: Playful, curious, enthusiastic—great for deep dives and detail-rich explanations.

The company also says that "These aren’t just 'mood buttons'—they let you tailor how ChatGPT responds in a way that fits your style or the context you’re dealing with. Need straightforward, no-fluff answers? Robot mode is your friend. Want an earnest sounding board? [board? sic] Go with Listener. Craving tech-heavy details? Nerd mode will dig into the minutiae."

GPT-5 also now includes modes like “Auto,” “Fast,” and “Thinking,” offering different trade-offs between speed and depth.

There are over 75 options of electric vehicles that were introduced in the past four years. But it is not moving the needle for buyers. According to AAA, only 16% of U.S. adults report being “very likely” or “likely” to purchase a fully electric vehicle as their next car. That is the lowest percentage of EV interest recorded since 2019. The percentage of consumers indicating they would be “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to purchase an EV rose from 51% to 63%, the highest since 2022.

What does this have to do with education? I contend that the general public needs to be educated about electric vehicles, but much of the "content" for that education seems negative. It "seems" negative, but is it accurate?  Let's look at the barriers and motivating factors around EV purchasing.

Adoption of new technologies - cable TV, VCRs, CDs for music, DVDs, and smartphones all had a ramp-up to adoption, but they all found acceptance quickly compared to EVs. Then again, none of those technologies had the same cost as an EV. According to Cox Automotive and and Kelley Blue Book, the average price of an EV is about $55,000, compared to an average of $45,000 for gas powered vehicles. That can buy a lot of iPhones.

Barriers to buying an EV in surveys:

• high battery repair costs (62%)
• purchase price (59%)
• perceived unsuitability of EVs for long-distance travel (57%)
• lack of convenient public charging stations (56%)
• fear of running out of power while driving (55%) 
• safety concerns, including the risk of lithium battery fires (30%) 
• challenges installing home charging stations (27%)
• reduction or elimination of tax credits and rebates (12%)
• EVs had the second highest total ownership costs due to depreciation, purchase prices and finance charges

What are the factors that motivate people to buy EVs?

• gas savings
• environmental concerns
• lower EV maintenance costs as their top motivations to purchase

Are those pluses and minuses accurate or just public perception? Well, AAA's driving cost analysis found that EVs had the lowest fuel cost and lowest maintenance cost of any vehicle type. Studies have shown that EV batteries are safer, longer-lasting and more dependable than people assume. The newest EV models also have better range than ever.

Despite that analysis and advancements in the EV industry and the growing number of models, the percentage of U.S. drivers who believe that most cars will be electric within the next 10 years has significantly declined from 40% in 2022 to 23% this year.