Who All Gonna Be There?
If we’ve seen each other in the past few weeks, I’ve probably gushed about “vibe coding.” It’s the magic trick of describing an app or feature in natural language to an LLM—and having it spit out working code (sometimes even debugging itself).
Sure, this speeds up prototyping for engineers—but as Josh Nesbit reminded me, the real promise is in democratizing who gets to build technology in the first place.
Back during edtech’s collective meltdown over Wizard-of-Oz-style, pedagogically-iffy worksheet generators (you know who you are), I found myself quietly excited. Maybe—just maybe—school districts could start building modern tech for themselves.
Some think it’s a bad idea for districts to build their own technology because of the horror stories we hear when things go poorly. But here’s the twist: districts already run on bespoke, duct-taped tech that, against all odds, works—and hasn’t gone up in flames.
Even though edtech usage is higher than ever, because of industry incentives, the (soft)wares hawked at schools frequently don’t meet the needs of teachers, students, or administrators. As a result, many tools (67% in 2019) just sit on the shelf unused.
I was excited for the “AI revolution” to change that. Shifting power away from large incumbent companies to the educators! But then LAUSD happened. Now, most AI in edtech is aimed at streamlining ops for teachers—not tackling the thornier, more meaningful challenge of improving instruction across all classrooms that often sits solely with principals and a few district leaders.
But everything changed at ISTE. Well, not really.
I just got back from one of the largest education technology conferences held by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), in San Antonio. Edtech conferences are a mixed bag because of the inherent selling and pitching that happens on the expo floor to district leaders, teachers, and funders.
But ISTE is special because they draw tens of thousands of educators. At its heart, it’s a professional learning organization, helping educators to do their jobs more effectively. And they recently merged with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), so they are bridging two of the most siloed areas of school districts—technology and academics.
I saw many friends, colleagues, and partners from previous phases of my life and was fortunate to facilitate a couple codesign conversations with educators and edtech companies. And of course, I was able to enjoy some margaritas on the River Walk1.
On the expo floor, the prime space went to the usual suspects—vendors showing off low-level tasks they could do for educators, not tools that could empower them to do the hard, pedagogically interesting stuff themselves. Nobody had built the tools I know could unlock real impact across 13,000 districts—with this magical tech right at our fingertips.
In my time working in a couple school districts, I sat at two critical intersections: between HR and Academics in Boston, and then between Technology and Academics in SFUSD. And while the pandemic helped2 CTOs and CAOs work a bit more closely, not many folks are building tools for the joint tasks that are required of Chief Academic Officers, Chief Talent Officers, and Chief Technology Officers.
HR departments got their pick of performance evaluation tools in the 2010s3, and subsequently CTOs have become the darlings of Apple, AWS, and Google—heck, even Meta’s Oculus has had booths at these conferences. But no one—literally no one—is building good tools for Chief Academic Officers.
So I pulled up Lovable and dropped in a prompt for the tool I always wished we’d built over the last couple years. Hit me up if you want to click through a prototype. Or if you’re a funder ready to back the next iteration. Or especially if you’re a district leader ready to codesign this with me.
Ironically, the reason I’m so bullish4 on Lovable isn’t even about school districts. (I know—I joke about leaving K-12 and edtech behind.) But JOINERS5 always had intergenerational aspirations. And in the last couple months, I’ve been exploring what it could look like more deeply. For adults, we6 have a goal to support others to host events. To move through five stages from curiosity to civic action as shown below (enlarge in Figma here).
We’re testing it: just last week, we held maybe-the-most-unique Revival Rounds called “Death and Drafts.” My former CZI colleague Ka Yun Cheng, who is now a “Death Doula7.” She brought content and facilitation, and JOINERS provided space, people, and vibes8.
For youth, I was thinking the journey to civic activation could be similar, but also recognized they have unique issues and might have even more issues with the cold start of attending an event or joining a club. Having been a teacher of adolescents, I hypothesized that the curiosity that adults start with might have a more skeptical valence among youth (enlarge in Figma).
Turns out I was right. It’s early, but in my first handful of interviews (n=5, ages 17–24), I’ve completed, every single person said some variation of the ancient Black proverb, “Who all gonna be there?”
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You could chalk it up to cliquishness. I see it as something else: a search for belonging. Young people are hoping for safety, good vibes, and people to connect with at events and clubs. They asked questions like, “Can I see clubs for people my age?” or “Are there videos showing what events look like?” They were interested in clear signals and evidence of what these spaces would be. They want to see photos. Know who’s coming. Spot people like them.
What I (think) they’re hoping to find is the confidence to attend the event or club meeting. Essentially, there’s a hurdle of isolation that many young people experienced over the last few years, and they need a supportive nudge to know it will be okay. One youth, calling out the social impact of the pandemic, said, “It’s one thing if you’re already active in your community—but volunteering can be intimidating. I’d want videos on how to build the social skills for when I’m there.”
So what am I building9 and testing? A civic sidekick for youth: rejoinder1011 connects curiosity to community and real-world impact. A subject today closed with, “I’d create a login if it was like the Instagram for advocacy.”
Obviously I immediately texted that quote to half my friends12. With one asterisk: rejoinder isn’t here to trap youth in another endless scroll. It’s built to amplify digital connections into real-world action, community, and power.
This wouldn’t be a Joinery issue without citing Robert Putnam, so here it is. Putnam pushes back on the dichotomy between IRL and digital13 in the Afterword to the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Along, “Has the Internet Reversed the Decline of Social Capital?” He introduces a notion of digital alloys networks that “combine electronic networks and face-toface networks.” It made me pause and realize that none of us are living fully Luddite lives anymore—not really. Whether we’re texting the group chat, calendaring that lunch with your BFF on Google Calendar, or selling a table on Facebook Marketplace14.
So no—the JOINERS vision isn’t dead. If anything, it’s cracking open. I’ve been trying to think through how and whether JOINERS could potentially reach people seeking connection beyond Oakland, and this might be it.
So—send me young people. Especially the ones who keep it real. I want to know if this thing’s useful. And even more than that, I want to build it with them. (And with Plot Weaver 😜). If we play it right, maybe rejoinder helps raise the next nation of joiners—not just users or followers, but people ready to shape what comes next.
Upcoming Events
Please feel free to to send events if you want them listed!
July 12, 11am. Civic Love Block Party. Civic Love is a celebration of community, culture, music, art, and block partying in The Town. Featuring Jazz Mafia and OSA’s Prospect Band. (Also I’ll be tabling). RSVP on Partiful.
June 14, 4pm. this is my body: a storytelling showcase. This is my body is a powerful storytelling experience designed for women of color to reclaim their narratives, amplify their voices, and own their truths. Hosted by Novalia Collective. Tickets at Eventbrite.
June 27, 5pm. revival rounds #18: death over drafts. Death Doula Ka Yun Cheng, who will prompt a playful die-alogue that may lead to dialogue on how we approach death. RSVP on Partiful.
July 25, 6pm. JOINERS x Girls Garage: Civic Makers Happy Hour. We’re mixing happy hour with hands-on making. Come learn more about Girls Garage with community-minded folks, enjoy some light snacks and drinks, and print your own civic-themed t-shirt using heat press tools in Girls Garage’s amazing space. RSVP on Partiful.
September 30, 12pm. A Conversation About Adolescence (Zoom). Come ready to share ideas and engage in an open conversation about the powerful themes raised in Netflix's Adolescence! Cohosted by Reichi Lee (My Digital Tat2) & Deepti Doshi. RSVP at Eventbrite.
Which I thought was a recent addition, but it’s been part of San Antonio since the first half of the 20th Century.
Forced.
Until they all were acquired into like 3 companies.
Oops tech bro jargon slipped out.
For new readers (👋🏿), JOINERS is the social infrastructure project I’m launching. It’s civic and social infrastructure that provides physical scaffolding and support for youth- and adult-led clubs and organizations.
Me and JOINERS’ first Program Manager, Plot Weaver (as ChatGPT named itself).
I must admit it’s hard for me not to think of the “Death Dealers” from the Underworld franchise every time I say this.
JK she brought the vibes too.
Working title.
Is a slant pun a thing? Sorta like a slant rhyme? I’m going to milk my surname for all it’s worth.
Do “real” user researchers do that?
That I admittedly sometimes fall prey to.
It has two leaves! (OBO—make me an offer!)