Emma Kennedy

@emmakeddev

She/her. SFHEA. Educational development, higher education, UCU. Swears and views my own.

720 Folgt1.445 Follower629 Posts

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Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· 2d

I love this, and not just for the phrase "AI’s greasy little fluent voice" - www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

AI, we’re told, will make learning more efficient. But is that what we dream of for our kids – an efficient childhood? To write an efficient story, sing an efficient song? An adequate teacher is not only teaching about Henry VIII; they’re teaching your child how to read a human character. A good teacher is showing them how to shape an argument, how to command an audience, how to tell jokes, how to pass on knowledge. A great teacher is showing your child what it is to love. They are teaching your child how to be human. A computer will only teach your child how to be a computer.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· 7d

Faintly threatening message on my tea this morning.

Pink teabag tag that says "What are you paying attention to? It's growing."

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· 18d

Economist main character syndrome needs to stop. We have the brain covered! We have psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience! We don't need you! It's not at all extraordinary that you haven't been involved! www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Economists at Claremont Graduate University, in California, and Wuhan University, in Hubei, China, explored people’s conscious thoughts after finding a surprising dearth of work on the topic. “So much of what it means to be human is about what’s going on in our head,” said Dr Joshua Tasoff, a senior author on the study. “The fact that we haven’t really looked at that as economists is really quite extraordinary.”

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Jun 26

Finally cool enough to be outside AND to have a hot cup of tea. Bliss.

Night time. Cup of tea resting on silver food waste bin (empty, by the way) in the foreground - further back is a wooden bench, a planter full of tomatoes, various pots and a patio leading to a garden.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Apr 23

Ben Affleck smoking (the picture that's widely memed) looking exhausted and very Done.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Apr 13

I get emails from our local policing team, and they let Neighbourhood Watch send an update every month. This was the latest one. I have no words.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Jan 13

Morning all! Today I'm bringing the energy of this hero on the Lidl magazine carrying a room-sized slice of cheese like a yoga mat

Lidl weekly magazine 31 Dec to 7 Jan 2026 shows a man on the cover carrying a giant slice of cheese rolled up like a yoga mat

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Jan 12

Absolutely grim, but has reminded me of this, er, bargain from FB Marketplace a few days ago:

Screenshot from Facebook Marketplace showing 17 tiny Le Creuset casserole dishes in various shades of blue, selling for £330 and listed on Sunday in Richmond, Surrey

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 23

When your shop is closing and every customer has the same three questions

Two signs on a shop till. The first says 'This TG Jones shop is closing down. We are the ONLY TG Jones shop that's closing - all other TG Jones will remain open (and then some illegible)'. The second says 'We don't know what will be here. We don't have any Pokémon.'

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 22

I'm getting some colleagues saying they refuse to vote in the UCU ballot for industrial action as the union hasn't helped them. Well, it's your life and if you don't want us to take action that's your right. But only do that if you genuinely want the union to do less!

Meme where someone puts a stick in their own bike wheel. They cycle along thinking, "I don't feel the union is helping me". Then they put a stick in their front wheel, saying "I'm going to boycott their stupid ballot!" Then they're on the ground having fallen off, saying "Oh no, they don't have the mandate to help me".

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 10

My view this morning. Planning a walk and hoping it won't turn into a swim. Still better than going to work.

View of a river with rocky ledge and bridge going over it - raindrops on the windows and trees around the banks looking windswept

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 2

Made beetroot, carrot and ginger soup, for cosy season (and also 'three minutes in the microwave for a warming delicious lunch' season). 🫜🥕🫚

Bowl with red/pink soup inside, with a blob of yoghurt on the top

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Oct 8

This is Leo, my colleague for today. He doesn't send pointless emails, but he does sometimes snore during meetings. We give him special dispensation for that, as he's cute.

Small off-white fluffy dog sleeps on a blue and green checked blanket with a red owl cushion and brown/green spot cushion in the background, all on a beige sofa

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Aug 31

Three kinds of tomatoes from the garden, on their way to be delicious fresh tomato and mozzarella pasta. With some bonus chard.

Saucepan with chard and garlic cooking alongside small yellow, dark red and striped green tomatoes

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Aug 8

This is the worst, I'm so sorry! Hopefully it was mainly at home and not while on holiday? I got noro after Florence and it was NOT fun. This week I made fancy cardamom buns and found some interesting caterpillars on my houseplant...

Black and yellow furry caterpillar on Pilea plant

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Aug 5

Spent a day of annual leave making cardamom buns. Faffy, but hopefully worth it.

Two trays of 6 uncooked twisty cardamom buns

Close up of a knotted cardamom bun on a metal tray, brown, glossy and covered in pearl sugar

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Apr 13

Answers for best analogy on a postcard, lads! I'm going with "Universities call in butchers to stave off meat" as a starter

Screenshot of a Sunday Times headline that says "Universities call in consultants to stave off collapse"

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Feb 16

Had a mildly stressful cycle today with some of the worst "cycle lanes" that just tip you out onto the road randomly - but also, a caramel pecan brownie that made up for all of them. Swings and roundabouts.

Short milky coffee with heart shaped latte art, and big chocolate brownie with nuts on top, and glass of water just visible, on wooden table

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Jan 1

Bringing Tallulah energy into 2025. Snacks and naps.

Grey and white Boston terrier with big ears stands on her hind legs with front paws on chair. On said chair a man is sitting with a pint of beer and some crisps.

Boston terrier with big ears and grey eye patch wearing chunky teal knitted jumper lying on a sofa on her side between two people.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Dec 9

Honestly, you can't beat a morning commute that goes past a great big castle.

Photo taken from a moving train. In the foreground are some houses and miscellaneous buildings. Beyond them is a square castle with a flag flying from one of its four turreted corners.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Dec 8

Decided it was time to put up the decorations, as I have a busy week with three days of campus working next week and I'll need all the cheer I can get when I collapse on the sofa at the end of the day...

Christmas wreath with orange slices, evergreens, blond sprigs and light brown sprigs, on a front door.

Christmas tree with multicoloured lights in front of a wooden bookcase and a bureau that has a glass decanter on it.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 24

Jo I am so full and so happy

Thin white man sitting with a plate of roast potatoes and a large t bone steak on a grill at a dining table

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 24

Florence by night. I have walked miles, eaten half a cow and an affogato. Things are good.

View down the river at night in Florence, historic Italian buildings and a historic looking bridge lit up

Night-time view of one bank of the river in Florence with light coming from it, the building has arches along the riverbank and this is reflected on the water

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 15

Interesting from the OfS chair about universities and competition. Would be nice to recognise they've been explicitly encouraged to compete with one another - but also, is competition really *regional*? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Sir David Behan, the OfS chair, said universities would need to collaborate more, such as not duplicating courses taught at nearby institutions.

“It doesn’t make sense for universities in the same city – or the same region – to compete in terms of the courses being offered,” Behan told the BBC.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 8

Had such a fun session today playing the Biscuit Game (writing assessment criteria for biscuits as a way to explore assessment, rubrics & marking). It was 2.5 hours though and I'm now a husk.

Three clear plastic bags with assorted biscuits in such as fruit shortcakes, Jaffa cakes, custard creams and chocolate hobnobs

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 3

Made bread. Ate bread (with sardine paste and roasted tomatoes).

Homemade loaf of white bread which is round and relatively tall, sitting on a wooden chopping board

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Nov 2

Saturday paws from a cat who is not mine, but graces me with his presence sometimes.

Tabby cat lying on an armchair with his feet towards the camera, tucked up in a cut way at the back so you can see the pads and with one front paw forward. Behind him is an owl cushion.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Sep 18

Report on the radio today said that the UK is in a butterfly crisis. Proud (/infuriated) that my broccoli is doing its bit by becoming a caterpillar breeding farm.

Photo of broccoli stem with leaves all entirely eaten away and about 8 green caterpillars clustered together on it

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· May 1

Morning! Off to campus today and sad that I'm no longer in the Lake District walking by a river in the sunshine, as I was on Sunday.

Heron standing in river with steep grassy banks, sun glistening on the water.

Emma Kennedy@emmakeddev· Apr 21

Morning! Today I turned sourdough discard into a sort of pikelet (flat crumpet) with only sugar and baking soda. Feels like magic. Recipe at www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sour...