The White Hatter

Accessibility Shouldn’t Be a Shield for Poor Technology Design & Privacy Concerns

Smart glasses can provide life changing accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision, but those benefits should never shield technology companies from legitimate scrutiny. Accessibility and privacy do not have to compete. As AI enabled wearables become more common, we need policies that accommodate disability related needs, protect privacy and consent, establish reasonable boundaries, and hold companies accountable for how their technology is designed.

To read this thought provoking article click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/accessibility-shouldn-t-be-a-shield-for-poor-technology-design-privacy-concerns

A Draft Policy For Schools Specific to Smart Glasses, Wearable Recording Devices and AI Enabled Wearable Technology

Based on several of our recent articles examining smart glasses and their growing presence in schools , we have had a number of teachers and school administrators reach out to ask what we believe a reasonable and balanced school policy addressing this technology might look like.

Smart glasses and AI enabled wearables are entering schools faster than many policies can keep up. Cameras, microphones, AI, and cloud processing can now be hidden inside everyday eyewear and accessories, creating new questions around privacy, consent, accessibility, safety, and misuse. We created this free draft policy to help schools establish clear, balanced expectations before an incident forces them to react. Please use this DRAFT policy as a template and change it to meet the needs of your school.

To read the full article and to view our FREE school policy draft that any school can adopt and use, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/a-draft-policy-for-schools-specific-to-smart-glasses-wearable-recording-devices-and-ai-enabled-wear

Smart Glasses as a Tool for Inclusive Education, Another Side Of The Conversation Schools Cannot Ignore

Smart glasses present schools with a complicated challenge. The same camera equipped eyewear that raises legitimate concerns about privacy, consent, recording, and academic integrity may also help a visually impaired student read a worksheet, identify an object, or understand their surroundings. As schools develop smart glasses policies, which we suggest needs to happen, we need to distinguish between misuse and meaningful accessibility, because sometimes the risk is also the accommodation for some students.

To read our thought provoking article on this topic, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/smart-glasses-as-a-tool-for-inclusive-education-another-side-of-the-conversation-schools-cannot-ign

When AI Feels Human: Why We Need To Educate Youth and Teens About The Difference Between Something and Someone.

As AI becomes more conversational, personalized, and human-like, youth and teens may know they’re talking to technology while still feeling like someone is listening, understanding, or even caring, and that difference matters. AI can create real feelings without having feelings of its own. We call this the Anthropomorphism Gap, and understanding why AI can feel like “someone” rather than “something” should become an important part of AI literacy.

To read our full thoughts and article on this topic, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/when-ai-feels-human-why-we-need-to-educate-youth-and-teens-about-the-difference-between-something-a

The $80 Smart Glasses Problem: When Discreet Recording Technology Becomes Affordable to Almost Anyone

We have written several articles examining the privacy, safety, and consent concerns surrounding smart glasses, a technology that is quickly moving wearable cameras and artificial intelligence from something that once seemed futuristic into an increasingly affordable everyday consumer product.

Smart glasses are no longer a $400 luxury. We purchased a pair of Smart AI Glasses for under $80 Canadian to see what this lower price point actually delivers, and we were surprised, particularly by the quality of the photos and video they took. As these devices become cheaper and more accessible, discreet wearable recording could become available to almost anyone. Here’s what we discovered.

To read our full article click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/the-80-smart-glasses-problem-when-discreet-recording-technology-becomes-affordable-to-almost-anyon

I know I am dating myself, but I remember the first hand held digital device I every used was in the late 1970's. This hand-held tv remote was a luxury at the time. Why I remember it was because now my dad could change the channel remotely, rather than having me do it for him :)

AI in Schools? - The Better Question Isn’t Whether We Should Use It, But When, Why, and How

Over the past year, we have seen a significant and, we believe, necessary increase in conversations surrounding the role of artificial intelligence in school curricula. With a new school year just around the corner, we expect these discussions among parents, caregivers, educators, administrators, and school districts will only intensify. This article is our contribution to that evolving conversation, with the hope of adding some important context, nuance, and perspective to discussions that can too easily become framed as simply being “for” or “against” AI in education.

We believe that the either/or approach misses the bigger question. Not all uses of AI carry the same risks or consequences. Rather than focusing solely on whether AI is being used, schools and families should be asking when, why, and how it is being used, what student data is involved, and whether its educational value justifies its risks.

To read our full article on this topic click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/ai-in-schools-the-better-question-isn-t-whether-we-should-use-it-but-when-why-and-how

When Families Need Help But Youth Mental Health Only Matters After Something Goes Wrong

This article is a follow-up to one we published last week titled, “We Never Saw It Coming: Understanding Teen Self-Harm and Su***de: Some Thoughts for Parents and Caregivers”. The conversation we had with the parent whose experience inspired that original article stayed with us and prompted us to take the discussion one step further. That interaction became the impetus for this follow-up and for a broader conversation about what we can do earlier, before a young person’s mental health challenges reach the point of crisis.

We tell parents and caregivers to seek help early when their child’s mental health begins to change. Yet too often, meaningful help becomes easier to access only after that child reaches a crisis. When distress turns into self-harm, violence, suicidal thinking, or a 911 call, urgency suddenly appears. We need to ask a difficult question, "Why are we investing so much in responding to youth mental health crises, while making it so difficult for families to help prevent them?"

To read our full article on our thoughts specific to this challenge click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/when-families-need-help-but-youth-mental-health-only-matters-after-something-goes-wrong

From Digital Footprints to AI Imprints: “Why the Age of AI Requires Us to Teach Both”

For years, we’ve taught young people to think about their digital footprint, what technology can remember about them. AI adds a new dimension, their AI imprint, or what technology can potentially learn from them. Their photos, words, voices, prompts, clicks, and behaviours may do more than leave a trail, they can help shape the technologies around them. In the age of AI, “think before you post” is no longer enough. We also need to teach, “think before you prompt.”

To read our full article on this important topic click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/from-digital-footprints-to-ai-imprints-why-the-age-of-ai-requires-us-to-teach-both