Join Adam Maksl and Paul Cook in this insightful episode of 'Digital Gardening' as they unpack the significance of generative AI in today's digital literacy landscape. This discussion highlights the immense potential and challenges of GenAI, including discussing the crucial need for smart regulation. This episide is our second on generative AI, the first being a humorous holiday-themed episode in December 2022, just a couple weeks after ChatGPT was released. We're sure there will be more. Dive into what we consider the most critical topic in digital literacy today ..read more

In this special episode of Digital Gardening, Paul and Adam sit down with Renee Hobbs, Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island and Founding Director of the Media Education Lab at URI's Harrington School of Communication. Dr. Hobbs' current project, Courageous RI, focuses on violence prevention via community-led discussions on such topics as "Feelings and Facts," "Conflict Entrepreneurs," and "Preventing Violent Extremism." All Courageous RI events are free, online, and open to the public. Our conversation in this episode spans several timely topics. We talk about t ..read more

Throughout history, libraries have been considered the heart of the university. Today, libraries are more important than ever before to learning, inquiry, and engagement in higher education, though certainly their roles have changed with the proliferation of digital media and online learning. Join Adam and Paul for a wide-ranging conversation with IU librarians Gemmicka Piper, Kym Kramer, and KT Lowe about the role of libraries and academic librarians in advancing digital and information literacy in the 21st century.  Thank you for listening to Digital Gardening. Do you have an idea for a ..read more

Get ready for an exciting episode with Adam and Paul as they delve into the world of artificial intelligence and its role in higher education. You may have heard about ChatGPT, a revolutionary AI-enabled chatbot from OpenAI that was released to the public (with much fanfare) on November 30, 2022. In this episode, we'll explore the potential impacts of ChatGPT on work and education, as well as how we can empower our students to thrive in an AI-powered future where technology becomes a collaborator, not just a tool.  Plus, as a special holiday treat, we've got a few surprise gifts for our l ..read more

Paul and Adam discuss the 2022 midterm elections from earlier this week and how digital literacy, media literacy, information literacy, and news literacy can (and should) be brought to bear on how we engage with both politics and the broader media landscape. Often conversations surrounding election denial, "Stop the Steal," voter fraud, and other forms of election mis- and disinformation focus on the individual information consumer, but what about the social and structural  components that shape our relationship with media? What is the role of the community in developing well-informed cit ..read more

In this conversation with Dr. Kevin Jones, Associate Professor of Management at Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, Paul and Adam interview Dr. Jones on topics ranging from how to keep students productively engaged with learning in a tech-heavy world, to essential job readiness skills in the postdigital era, to the often overlooked truism that all old media (i.e., books) were once new media. Kevin also lays out some specific classroom-based strategies for engaging students with digital media and how to keep them on task even when beckoned by the siren song of digital distraction.&nb ..read more

On a multiple choice exam, is it better to go with your initial response? Do people really have different "learning styles"? What's the deal with cognitive bias?  In this episode of Digital Gardening, Paul and Adam interview Dr. Kathy Holcomb, Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology department at IU Kokomo, as they delve into some of the more prevalent myths students learn to bust in introductory psychology courses. Kathy is a social psychologist and a member of the 2021-22 faculty cohort of the Digital Gardener Initiative at Indiana University. In addition to learni ..read more

In this wide-ranging episode, Paul and Adam interview Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, Assistant Vice President for University Academic Policy and Director of the University Transfer Office at Indiana University, and Jay Gladden, Associate Vice President for Learning Technologies at Indiana University. This conversation runs the gamut, starting with a discussion of the challenges facing higher education today — including its image problems and loss of confidence with the public — before moving on to a discussion of the specific digital skills and capacities that students need to survive in a dynamic wo ..read more

In this second episode of the Digital Gardening podcast, Adam and Paul interview Christine Eckel, IU Northwest faculty member, about developing custom course materials for her students in courses like human structure, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy. Christine first became intrigued by digital media when she discovered that students wanted custom course materials to accompany their lectures and readings. But with the overabundance of materials available online—some excellent, some not so excellent—she found that students were often getting bogged down by the sheer quantity of online content, f ..read more

In this pilot episode of the Digital Gardening podcast, Paul Cook interviews Adam Maksl and Justin Hodgson, co-leads of the Digital Gardener Initiative at Indiana University. The initiative is a faculty-driven commitment to connect members of the IU community working in digital literacy. The initiative aims to share best practices and grow successful programs across the university to prepare students for an increasingly digital world. The conversation focuses on the Digital Gardener Faculty Fellows Program, which brings together thirty-five faculty from across multiple campuses and disciplines ..read more