I have been sampling sources from my Morning Check-Ins as discrete signals from the future, but until now I haven’t created a blog post that ties them together. I am the filter. You are the filter.

Signal Identification

• Source 1: “Getting the Essay Back: Two Memories – 3 Quarks Daily” This signal is a personal essay reflecting on the author’s educational experiences. It focuses on two instances where the author received critical feedback from teachers that significantly impacted their approach to learning and thinking. It highlights the importance of intellectual humility, critical thinking, and engaging with material rather than simply regurgitating it. It also touches on the author’s personal growth, from a self-conscious student to a more independent thinker.  I have had moments like this at every level of schooling.  I think it is why I became a teacher.  An alternative signal here might be that there is still a future for me in teaching and that I think it comes from AI and quantum computing.
• Source 2: “Hackers Attacking YouTube Creators with Weaponized Collaboration Requests” This signal is a cybersecurity news report detailing a new method of cyberattacks targeting YouTube content creators. The report describes how hackers are using phishing emails disguised as legitimate brand collaboration requests to deliver malware. The malware can steal sensitive data and provide remote access to the victim’s device. The signal underscores the need for vigilance and strong cybersecurity practices.  A forking signal here has to do with trust and measures of trust and how to engender more of it.
• Source 3: “The Library Voice: Ignite A Passion For Nonfiction…Watch Our Recent Demco Webinar To Learn More, Friends.” This signal is a blog post from a library professional advocating for the importance of nonfiction in education. The post promotes a webinar on strategies to engage readers with nonfiction and highlights the potential of nonfiction to foster curiosity and critical thinking. It also provides a glimpse of the blogger’s broader activities and interests in the library and education field.  One of the signals here is that we need to attend to voices we are unaccustomed to hearing.
• Source 4: “Whisk: Visualize and remix ideas using images and AI” This signal is a blog post announcing a new AI tool called Whisk from Google Labs. Whisk allows users to create images by inputting images, not just text. The tool uses Gemini to caption images and Imagen 3 to generate new images, allowing for creative remixing. This signal points to a tool that we might not know how to use yet.  These signals have a way of worming their way into our dreams and expectations.  How do I filter this signal?  By using it even if I know not how or what it might be useful for.
• Source 5: “Why an Atlantic circulation collapse could spell disaster – Fast Company” This signal is a long-form article about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the potential consequences of its collapse. It explains how AMOC functions, its role in regulating global climate, and the potential for it to weaken or collapse due to climate change. It also discusses current observations of AMOC and the scientific debate on the likelihood and timing of a potential collapse. Collapse is a metaphor.  Sometimes it is a result of inner forces failing or exerting themselves in new and unforeseen ways. Sometimes collapse happens from without. And sometimes both.  One the biggest questions here is this:  what are we assuming every time we consider the collapse signal.

For example,  there has been a collapse in enrollment in regional universities.  Where did it start?  Is it collapse or is it             transformation?

Blog Post

Title: Navigating the Future: A Synthesis of Emerging Signals

So what is happening with these signals?  Can they be synthesized into one or two larger signals?  Let’s explore a range of signals from the future, seemingly disparate, woven together in a narrative about the future of learning, technology, and our planet.

First, we turn to the realm of education and personal growth. A reflective essay from 3 Quarks Daily recounts two pivotal learning experiences where the author was challenged to move beyond superficial knowledge. The author’s teachers emphasized the importance of intellectual humility, critical thinking, and genuine engagement with complex ideas. This underscores a timeless message: true learning involves more than just regurgitating information; it requires independent thought and a willingness to question and challenge.  This is a message at the core of general education courses.

Yet, even as we pursue knowledge and creativity, we must remain vigilant against potential threats. Cyber Security News reports a disturbing trend where hackers are targeting YouTube creators with sophisticated phishing attacks disguised as collaboration requests. These attacks use weaponized files that can steal sensitive data and grant remote access to the victims’ systems. This serves as a critical reminder of the increasing need for robust cybersecurity practices, particularly as our digital lives become more integrated with our personal and professional identities.

The significance of critical thinking is further amplified in The Library Voice, where a library professional highlights the importance of nonfiction in fostering curiosity and critical thinking skills. By showcasing a webinar on igniting passion for nonfiction, this signal emphasizes the crucial role of educational resources in developing an informed citizenry. This underscores the importance of libraries and educators in shaping the next generation of thinkers and problem-solvers. Seems we do matter.

On a more technological front, The Keyword, Google’s Test Kitchen blog, announces the launch of a new AI tool from Google Labs called Whisk (only in US for now). This tool allows users to create and remix images using other images as prompts, rather than text using Gemini and Imagen 3, Whisk captures the essence of your images (sort of) and facilitates creative exploration. This demonstrates the meteoric advancements in AI and the emergence of new forms of creative expression, inviting us to explore the boundless possibilities of AI-driven innovation and collaboration.  Combined with Google Notebook’s podcast capability and hints at adding the reader’s voice into a three-way conversation, well…holy WTF AF.

Finally, we confront a stark reminder of our planet’s fragility. A Fast Company article discusses the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a critical system of ocean currents that regulates the global climate. The article warns of a potential collapse of AMOC due to climate change, which could lead to severe impacts, including drastic temperature drops in Europe and rising sea levels along the U.S. East Coast. This signal sounds an urgent alarm about the catastrophic consequences of climate change and highlights the vital need for immediate and decisive action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

In conclusion, these signals, though diverse, do offer a unified message about the future. They emphasize the importance of critical thinking, continuous learning, digital security, technological advancement, and environmental responsibility.  There is a common denominator for these skills–teachers.  We do, however, need a larger take on what the word ‘teacher’ means if this signal is to amplify and break through.

There are other ways to gather the signals together, but I will leave that to you. I do recommend that you consult your own tea leaves (aka personal learning network) and draw together your own signal.  Here is a poetic tether if you wish to grab the lifeline.  Better yet make your own.

Dodo Mind
Your mind is a dodo—
(just ask any AI)
while projects pile high,
flat against the page,
dreaming to unfurl.

Three feet ahead
in the headlight sweep,
this morning’s stories
turn alchemical and strange—
metaphors become
useful lies.

A rain barrel holds
approximations,
clear only at the surface
where nothing breaks through.
Like a tiny pond in December,
freezing its secrets:
detritus, insects, amber-trapped
bio-amperage, living voltage.

Nothing moves here—
no stars, no cars,
just constant recession
into astigmatic blur
beyond high beams.

One vowel, then another,
consonants following after
until words emerge:
misspelled, soggy,
refusing history’s neatness.

Here and now
the mess remains,
beautiful in its chaos,
resisting the broom.