Hi, I’m Linda. Thanks so much for checking out the final 2024 edition of my Linda Be Learning newsletter. If you are just discovering me, I encourage you to check out my website to learn more about the work I do in the field of learning innovation.

In this newsletter, you will get a taste of the broad array of learning innovations I work on and topics I address, from an Etsy disruptor to a forthcoming book debunking AI hype to improving children’s literacy to tech retrospectives on unsafe vehicles to peer learning.

So let’s dig in!

Tech to Get Excited About

I am always discovering and exploring new tech. Sometimes, it’s tech I am actively learning or using myself or with a client. Other times, I like to highlight tech that I’m not working with currently, but love its potential. This month, it’s a platform disrupting the Etsy model, Intention Boutique.

Intention Boutique

Intention Boutique differentiates itself from other marketplace platforms with its focus on intentional and aligned living, beyond conscious consumerism, empowering small businesses, makers, and creatives to function as a force driving change and championing collective prosperity. Purchases from Intention Boutique become intentional acts, resonating with positive energy and purpose, informed choices transcending transactions, fostering transformative change. This marketplace isn’t just about products; it’s a journey toward a brighter, more vibrant world.

At the heart of Intention Boutique lies a belief in the vitality of small businesses and independent creators serving as the lifeblood of communities. Their diverse offerings, from vegan and cruelty-free to organic and sourced through fair trade channels, reflect their commitment to sustainability, community empowerment, and global initiatives that uplift humanity. The marketplace is designed to give you the power to make informed choices about the products you want to support with your money. By simply making purchases you need to make anyway, you have the power to obtain better products and create meaningful change for others and the environment, ultimately contributing to a better world for all.

If you are a small business owner, maker, or creative, and the vibe of this marketplace resonates with you, consider applying to be a vendor.

AI/ML for Good

As a proponent of AI and machine learning for good, I’m always on the lookout for companies and products that benefit humanity. Last month, I featured Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, a podcast that focuses on breaking down AI hype and separating fact from fiction. This month, I’ll be focusing on a new book from the same folks, The AI Con.

The AI Con

With the rise of everything AI, it’s challenging to sort out what’s real and what’s hype. Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 podcasters, University of Washington linguistics professor Dr. Emily Bender and sociologist Dr. Alex Hanna of The Distributed AI Research Institute, have done us a great service through their podcast. And in May 2025, they will be releasing their new book on the same topics addressed in their podcast, titled The AI Con .

The book is not intended to simply critique the current state of AI, but provides instructive calls to action. You will learn how to recognize and deconstruct AI hype, exposing it for what it is; namely, Big Tech’s money and power grabs. Having these tools enables you to push back against AI hype everywhere that it impacts you: at work, as a consumer of goods and media content, and as a citizen holding political leaders accountable.

Scheduled to release on May 13, 2025, The AI Con is now available for preorder.

Tech Retrospective: Cars That Kill

Back when I was a teenager, my friend Rayan drove a Ford Pinto. We went on many a road trip in that car, and I remember one adventure where we had to sleep in it near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, since we missed the last ferry and needed to be on the first one the next morning. I remember the “ghost story” I told her that night, about us getting caught in a car fire because someone rear-ended us during the night as we slept. I don’t think Rayan got a wink of sleep!

For those of you who weren’t around at the time, Ford Pintos notoriously had a reputation as fire-trap vehicles. Several deadly fires occurred when the fuel tanks of Ford Pintos ruptured in rear-end collisions. Because of those incidents, Ford came under extreme media and government scrutiny, resulting in a mandatory recall, lawsuits, and criminal charges in excess of $125 million in punitive damages.

To put the relative danger of the Ford Pinto into perspective, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 38 fires, 27 fatalities, and 24 non-fatal burns. When compared to comparable models from other OEMs, these stats are not unusual, but the net result was that the Ford Pinto went down in history as a fire hazard.

What I find interesting is that a more recently introduced OEM has produced not one but several models that have already shown themselves to be far greater public safety risks, due not only to their propensity for catching fire (albeit for different reasons that the Pinto), but also because of other design flaws, including ones that make it more difficult to escape the vehicle in the case of fire.

And that is just the beginning when it comes to the dangers of having to share the road and other public spaces with Teslas.

Teslas: Unsafe By Design

When EVs first hit the automotive industry, they were promoted as friendlier to the environment, as an energy alternative to petroleum. But what also came in the era of EVs was the normalization of automation and other technology embedded in your daily driver, and I’m talking well beyond GPS tracking and all the problems that arise from nonconsentual surveillance. Worse still, some of that technology, packaged as additional safety features, can make already dangerous scenarios fatal.

The first Teslas were released over a decade ago, in 2013, and a string of fires occurred in those first models. Teslas catch fire due to a process called thermal runaway, which occurs when the reaction that creates electricity in the battery reaches a critical point and becomes self-perpetuating. Thermal runaway has many causes, including internal short circuits, overcharging, excessively high and low charges in quick succession, and temperature extremes. Because of this specific design flaw, Teslas are a threat even when standing still, catching on fire while parked doing nothing, posing constant unnecessary danger to the public.

In addition to the human safety risks, because Tesla fires are notoriously more difficult to extinguish, the environmental impacts of when these vehicles catch fire offsets any impact it may have had in terms of alternative fuel source.

@onbodycamera

4 friends d***d in a burning Tesla after a crash broke the car’s electronic door handles. #news #newstiktok #newstory #newsupdate #tesla #... See more

Despite a decade-long runway to fix these well known and frequently reported serious fire hazards, Teslas have actually become more unsafe, with their electric door locking technology and by introducing their “auto-pilot” software. These are the blemishes that people promising us self-driving cars pay PR firms to obfuscate and hide from the public when they tout their “Safety First” designs.

Ford Pintos had 27 deaths associated with it for its entire existence - Tesla surpassed that stat over eight years ago and annual death rates have been increasing substantially since then. And while Tesla has faced recalls and lawsuits, the general public seems to have very little awareness of the death toll behind this brand or its inherent public safety risks.

Towards the end of his Unsafe By Design article, Davi Ottenheimer states: Nobody should drive a Tesla. Nobody should ride in a Tesla. I take it even further — I personally don’t even feel comfortable sharing the road or parking near one.

Featured Client: Read-a-Rama

While most of my clients are adults working in the tech industry, the client I’m featuring this month focuses on literacy and nurturing children’s love of reading books. Given the current climate towards technology and public safety, as illustrated in the Tesla story, it’s important to remind ourselves that reading is in fact fundamental and is the first “code” most of us learn how to break.

Read-a-Rama is a non-profit that uses books for children and young adults as the springboard for all program activities. Founded by Drs. Michelle H. Martin and Rachelle D. Washington in 2009 at Clemson University, they provide fully-engaged year-round programming that seeks to improve literacy, particularly for children most in need of literacy intervention. Read-a-Rama programs are research-based and employ data to inform literacy and social emotional best practices.

When Dr. Martin moved to the University of Washington, she began offering camps in Washington State in 2017. Virtual programming began in March 2020, and Read-a-Rama is currently scaling their efforts, seeking to train adults across the country to offer Read-a-Rama programs at their schools, libraries, church groups, after-school programs, homeschool support programs, and other organizations that offer reading programs for children. Staff and volunteers serving Read-a-Rama campers build cultural competence to cultivate relationships with children from all backgrounds.

Visit the Read-a-rama website to learn more about offering Read-a-Rama programming at your organization.

Learning Theory and Learning Technology

Learning design isn’t just about pretty pictures and cool technology. At the heart of the best innovations is a thorough understanding and application of learning theory and proven practices. This month, I’m introducing one of my favorite informal learning approaches - peer learning.

Peer Learning

As we discussd in my last live session, my What Is Learning Fireside Chat, learning extends beyond and encompasses so much more than just formal education. Humans are wired to learn from each other. We go beyond basic survival learning by observing and replicating the actions of others. This natural inclination is the foundation of both social and peer learning. Peer learning has its origins in psychologist Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which focuses on vicarious learning, or learning through observation. Examples include observing meeting dynamics to understand proper etiquette or learning a new task by watching a demonstration.

Peer learning specifically focuses on learning from colleagues in workplace settings. This can happen through on-the-job training, peer coaching sessions, and even casual conversations. Intentionality is key. While social and peer learning often happen organically, being intentional amplifies its effectiveness. Organizationally, this means integrating interactive elements into training programs, establishing learning partnerships, encouraging networking opportunities, and fostering a culture that values peer learning. On a personal level, individuals can be encouraged to become more observant of others, actively seek out learning opportunities in their daily work, and intentionally connect with colleagues who possess desired skills.

Watch Kevin Eikenberry's YouTube video, "Social and Peer Learning - Why They Matter" for more about harnessing the power of social and peer learning for individual and organizational growth.

Upcoming Learning Offerings

I recently conducted a poll to see what learning topics you'd like me to offer live learning sessions on in 2025. The top response (next to, Are you kidding? ALL of them!) was peer learning.

I'm so glad to hear that, because I am passionate about informal learning methodologies like peer learning and helping teams develop effective peer learning practices. I have replicated these effective peer learning practices with a variety of technical teams at multiple tech companies I've worked at and with over the past 16 years, including teams of software engineers, front- and back-end developers, tech writers, curriculum developers, UX researchers and designers, product and program managers, customer success teams and more!

Registration is now open for my first live learning session of 2025, An Introduction to Peer Learning, scheduled for February 20th at 9 am PST. In this session, you will be introduced to an intentional methodology for designing peer learning for internal teams.

Be sure to register early and secure your spot!

I want to thank all of you who have supported my initial efforts since launching this newsletter in September 2024. It’s been so gratifying to watch the subscriber list continue to grow each month, and I’m humbled that you take time to share in my diverse perspectives of all things human and technology-related learning.

That’s all for now. See you in 2025!