A quarter of a century of open educational technology 
Ben Werdmuller
A quarter of a century of open educational technology
Every day for 25 years, Stephen Downes has written about edtech, informing an entire industry.
Ben Werdmuller
benwerd@nos.social
npub183ng...4n09
I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.
Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.
More about me: https://about.werd.io
Notable links: May 15, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: May 15, 2026
What happens after the feed? And how can publishers remain independent?
52 actionable posts about building a culture of innovation
Ben Werdmuller
52 actionable posts about building a culture of innovation
One year of consistent posts is nothing to sneeze at. But when each one is genuinely useful, actionable, and insightful, that's another level of ac...
AI may be the new gatekeepers, but human connection is more needed than ever
Ben Werdmuller
AI may be the new gatekeepers, but human connection is more needed than ever
"What comes next, after the algorithmic social feed that’s defined our digital social lives for the last decade?" I believe this very useful pres...
Bridging feels seamless. Behind the scenes, it's a technical marvel
Ben Werdmuller
Bridging feels seamless. Behind the scenes, it's a technical marvel
"When you all give us your hard-earned money, we feel a deep responsibility to use it as well, and as efficiently, as possible." A responsibility A...
To maintain their independence, publishers are fleeing Substack
Ben Werdmuller
To maintain their independence, publishers are fleeing Substack
"Substack faced talent drain in 2024 linked to its platforming of Nazi newsletters, but now it’s not just the platform’s stance on hate speech ...
"ProPublica identified 79 children across the country who have been harmed by tear gas or pepper spray as immigration officers dramatically stepped up their use during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown." 
ProPublica
Kids Are Being Harmed by Tear Gas, Pepper Spray Under Trump. There Could Be Long-Term Consequences.
In several cities, judges have chastised federal immigration officers, saying they used excessive force. One former DHS leader called ProPublica’...
There is, and I do not say this lightly, a *lot* going on 😅
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that, strictly speaking, this isn't journalism's fault. 
Nieman Lab
People are stressed out by most news that isn’t local news, according to a new study
The way people of different age groups in the United States get their news is different, but no matter how old they are, everyone is pretty stresse...
Looking at this new design again. The design team, Gretel, Alley, and our amazing web publishing engineers knocked it out of the park. 
ProPublica
A New Look for ProPublica
We’ve updated our logo, typefaces and homepage design. Here’s what changed and why.
"Sebastian Gorka accused a ProPublica reporter of writing a “putrid piece of hackery” about him. Here’s how basic beat reporting led to a broader story about the state of the U.S. counterterrorism mission at a critical moment." 
ProPublica
I Reached Out to the White House Counterterrorism Czar for Comment. He Lashed Out on X.
Sebastian Gorka accused a ProPublica reporter of writing a “putrid piece of hackery” about him. Here’s how basic beat reporting led to a broa...
This is different to what I normally post about, but my cousin Sarah Dessen's book Change of Plans is out today. She writes beautiful YA coming of age novels. They've made me cry. If you have a teen (or other YA-lover) in your house, they might love this. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Change-of-Plans/Sarah-Dessen/9798347108770
If I was invited to the Met Gala I'd just go in a zorb and roll around a bunch.
Avant-garde ✅
Daring ✅
Impactful ✅
Congratulations to every journalism team celebrating a Pulitzer Prize this afternoon. And thank you to every journalist everywhere who is speaking truth to power, bringing injustice to light, and speaking up for people who need their stories to be heard. We need you more than ever.
"Here are some of the key things you should know about the Trump administration’s efforts to, as the president said, “take over” the midterms." 
ProPublica
8 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
From dismantling guardrails that upheld the integrity of past elections to gutting federal agencies and installing allies who supported Trump’s c...
The way to save news is not to create monopolistic monocultures
Ben Werdmuller
The way to save news is not to create monopolistic monocultures
"Why, a funder asked me recently, do two intermediaries this funder saw as offering duplicative services both still exist? Because you—and your f...
This is a great idea, but the historical precedents are ... not promising. I'd love it if it worked this time. 
DO_NOT_TRACK
A proposed standard environment variable for opting out of telemetry, analytics, and tracking in CLI and TUI applications.
The gutting of the VRA is completely disturbing. Everything feels like a full-speed careen to the worst of Jim Crow and McCarthyism, like an upside-down nightmare inverse of what America's promise could actually be.
Today is turning out to be very exciting (in a very good way).