I help educators understand and navigate the digital world — so their students inherit power, not just access.
Currently exploring AI, digital literacy, education, and the systems shaping how we learn and work online.
You’re reading wiobyrne.com, the public record of my essays, book notes, publications, and longer-form writing. The ongoing stream lives at Digitally Literate. Subscribe on Substack for weekly notes in your inbox.
Canopy
Essays and writing
- Sep 10, 2026
When the Bottle Hides the Source
Sometimes when we use AI the answer arrives looking finished.
- Sep 8, 2026
The Bottle Keeps Changing. The Work of Literacy Does Not.
AI really does introduce some genuinely new capabilities and conditions, but technological change does not wipe away everything we already know about literacy.
- Sep 1, 2026
What the Chat Box Hides: Learning to Draw the Box
Why running a local AI model—and then turning off the wifi—changes how people understand where AI actually happens and what it costs.
Overstory
Research and publications
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Co-Constructing AI Boundaries: Agency, Judgment, and Ethical Literacy in AI-Mediated Meaning-Making
A qualitative case study of how pre-service teachers decide what work stays human when generative AI is part of the task, and why those decisions are invisible in the finished artifact.
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Co-Constructing Digital Futures
A book chapter on children, families, and what it means to navigate digital rights and protections together.
Rhizosphere
Book notes
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Digital Minimalism
In "Digital Minimalism," Cal Newport delves into the detrimental effects of excessive screen time and constant connectivity on our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.
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The Attention Merchants
In "The Attention Merchants," Tim Wu takes readers on a journey through the evolution of advertising and attention-grabbing practices, tracing their roots from early newspapers to the digital age.
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The Shallows
Carr argues that the web rewards scanning and quick response, and that those habits can reshape how we read, remember, and think.