Liberals and progressives: please support the Iranian people in this critical moment as they rise up, once again, against the criminal Islamic Republic www.instagram.com/reel/DTLUAkH...
A reflection on 2025 and what I'm most looking fwd to in 2026. sepehrvakil.substack.com
UCLA women hoops crush SC: 80-46.
Something good happened in the world today. Unlike the men - the women of Westwood have an amazing basketball team that’s worthy of those magical 4 letters - #UCLA. #GoBruins #BeatSC 💙🐻💛
Did you hear about Iran and Egypt facing off in Seattle for World Cup 2026? And their supposed "outrage" over the game taking place during Pride celebrations. A few thoughts below.. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/iran-and-e...
cool idea!!
Chicagoans: Wednesday at Nabala Cafe. My friend @sepehrvakil.bsky.social will be discussing his new co-authored book on a group of Iranian engineering students in the years leading up to the 1979 revolution, in conversation with actor & stand-up comedian Rami Abushhab. I'll be introducing the event.
lol!!
I’m taking one for the team and dressing up as Donatello for Halloween. Objectively speaking, the least desirable Ninja Turtle. This is what sacrificing for your children looks like folks.
The richest man on earth owns X.
The second richest man on earth is about to acquire TikTok and his family could soon own both Paramount and Warner Bros.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
thanks so much for letting us know !
New episode of PCWB is live with Professor Safiya Noble, Ph.D. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEu...
Lots of friends and family have reached out asking about what the hell is going on in Chicago. See my friend @dannypostel.bsky.social recent essay in New Lines Magazine. newlinesmag.com/reportage/ch...
My quick take on the Riyadh comedy festival
open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...
I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future of AI in education, and about the role of comedy in our public discourse. We are trying to bring both of these conversations to #SXSW2026. Would appreciate everyone's support! Please vote and share. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-sxsw-2...
The lesson here is to litigate, not cower.
that part
I went camping with my boys, my mom, and some friends at Kankakee River State Park this past weekend. It was hot, buggy, sweaty, sticky, and the bathrooms were a crime scene. It was miserable but also magical. Parents know what I’m talking about.
sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/the-magic-...
The cover of the book "Literacies in the Platform Society: Histories, Pedagogies, and Possibilities" edited by T. Philip Nichols and Antero Garcia.
The chapter abstract. The abstract reads, "This chapter takes up the question of how we understand “literacies” in relation to platform technologies—and specifically, the benefits or drawbacks of extending the term to include competencies related to platformization. Merging insights from sociocultural literacy studies and computer science education research on “computational literacies,” we argue that there are both institutional and pragmatic challenges for literacy researchers to consider in choosing the terminology they use. Institutionally, while the interest of STEM fields in adopting the language of “literacy” may appear to lend prestige to literacy research (and researchers), it also risks reproducing “Great Divide” narratives that the field of sociocultural literacy studies has long critiqued. This relates to the pragmatic challenge that, in allowing the term “literacies” to be stretched too broadly, it may lose its capacity to explain those aspects of platforms and platformizations that are more closely associated with reading, writing, and textual practice. While there are no definitive lines to be drawn for when and how the term “literacies” ought to be used, the chapter offers questions and considerations to aid researchers and teachers in making their own determinations."
*New publication alert*
I'm excited to share "Literacy as a Framework for Computing Education: Affordances, Constraints, and New Directions," a chapter @jmhiggs.bsky.social, @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, and I wrote for Literacies in the Platform Society: Histories, Pedagogies, and Possibilities. 🧵
Just received this exciting book by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social Mahdi Ganjavi, Mina Khanlardazeh @mitpress.bsky.social, undoubtedly destined to become an instant classic in the field. It’s jumping straight to the top of my reading list!
Congratulations, Charles!!! Really excited for the great work you are doing and will continue to do in the AI ethics and education space. @charlesmok.bsky.social
Bombs over Tehran: a fathers day reflection
open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...
I'm excited for a Chicago summer with my kids. Can AI help me plan some fun activities? Maybe. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/using-ai-t...
"Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University of Technology" by Sepehr Vakil, Mahdi Ganjavi, and Mina Khanlarzadeh on a plain background. A historical photo of several individuals at Aryamehr University of Technology is featured on the cover.
Co-authored by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, Mahdi Ganjavi, and Mina Khanlarzadeh, "Revolutionary Engineers" details the cultural, political, and pedagogical history of an elite Iranian engineering institution in the years directly preceding the 1979 Iranian revolution:
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255219...
thank you!
yup we're looking into all of our options now.
thank you Shani. Its a hard time but we'll get through this.
thank you! we have to!
CC @davidimiller.bsky.social @proftv.bsky.social
One week later, and the wounds are very, very fresh. Our NSF grant, which focused on educational justice for Black families in Evanston, was illegally canceled. Read more about it here: sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-nsf-gr...
🧪 Tip: You have the right to contest a grant termination, even though NSF says you don't. 🧵
On Friday, NSF terminated 402 grants (per Musk's DOGE).
The notification letters had one of the most egregious violations of fed regulations I've seen so far in these cases:
"not subject to appeal"
