Receipts, Records, and Real-Life Learning: What a Budget Can Teach Us

Welcome back to another episode of Black-Liberation.Tech. I’m your host, Dr. Renée Jordan — educator, instructional technologist, and your companion on this journey toward digital clarity, confidence, and liberation.

Today, we’re doing something special.

We’re taking it back — all the way to June of 2021 — to two videos that lived on my dissertation website. At the time, they were simple demonstrations of digital literacies. But looking back now? They were snapshots of survival, strategy, and everyday instructional technology in real life.

And today, we’re revisiting them through a liberation lens — asking what they taught me then, what they reveal now, and what they might offer you as you level up in your own digital literacy journey.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode…

• You’ll hear two archival demonstrations of digital literacy from 2021.
• We explore budgeting as a form of digital navigation, planning, and self-determination.
• We examine credit monitoring as a digital literacy tied to agency, advocacy, and long-term decision-making.
• We connect personal financial management to broader themes of empowerment, community uplift, and tech-enabled confidence.
• We reflect on how digital literacies show up in places we often overlook — especially in Black, Afro-Latina, and Latina communities.
• We make space for thinking about how your everyday digital habits reflect resilience, creativity, and purpose.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS FOR LISTENERS

1. When you think about your digital habits around money — budgeting, banking, tracking, planning — what do they reveal about your relationship to stability and self-trust?
2. What digital tools do you already use to support your financial, academic, or career goals? How might you use them more intentionally?
3. How did you learn your earliest financial lessons, and how do those memories shape the way you navigate digital platforms today?
4. Where in your life are you already practicing digital literacy without naming it?
5. If you could build one new digital habit this year — big or small — what would it be?

If you enjoyed today’s episode, go ahead and rate, review, and follow the podcast so more people can discover this work.

And until next time, remember: your digital skills are not just tools — they are pathways to freedom, clarity, and possibility.

Curate & Circulate: Reposting, Unfollowing, and the Art of Digital Stewardship

In this episode of Black-Liberation.Tech, Dr. Renee Jordan explores two often overlooked digital literacies—reposting and unfollowing—as acts of stewardship, integrity, and care.

Rather than treating these actions as passive clicks, Dr. Jordan reframes them as intentional strategies for community building and professional growth. From sharing opportunities ethically to curating a peaceful, purpose-driven feed, this conversation centers how Black, Afro-Latina, and Latina women in tech and education use digital discernment to sustain both creativity and well-being.

Listeners will learn how to:

• Repost content that informs, uplifts, and democratizes knowledge
• Give proper credit and add value when amplifying others’ voices
• Unfollow and mute with purpose—protecting focus without damaging relationships
• Build camaraderie through transparency, empathy, and professional boundaries
• Turn curation into a liberation practice rooted in Ubuntu and community care

Because in the end, digital freedom isn’t just about who you follow—it’s about how you circulate care.

Key Takeaways

1. Reposting is a form of generosity. It’s how knowledge keeps moving, connecting classrooms to communities.
2. Ethical sharing builds trust. Always cite, add context, and show how ideas connect to lived experience.
3. Unfollowing is stewardship, not rejection. It’s a boundary that protects peace and professionalism.
4. Transparency strengthens relationships. Explaining your curation choices prevents misunderstanding.
5. Liberation work includes digital hygiene. Curating what you consume helps sustain creativity and well-being.

Reflective Questions for Listeners

1. How do your reposting habits reflect your values and professional purpose?
2. When you amplify others’ work, how do you ensure you’re adding context and credit?
3. What signs tell you it’s time to unfollow or mute an account for your mental and emotional health?
4. How might you communicate your digital boundaries in ways that build trust rather than distance?
5. In what ways could you model ethical amplification for your students, colleagues, or creative peers?

Level Up: Reclaiming Digital Literacies as Tools for Liberation

In this episode of Black-Liberation.Tech, we explore what it really means to level up our digital literacies—not just to keep pace with technology, but to deepen our purpose, our community, and our sense of agency.

Drawing from the Interaction Lessons D2.0 OER, Dr. Jordan reflects on how reading, socializing, and posting online can move beyond habit into practice—becoming acts of persistence, connection, and design justice.

Together we unpack how these everyday digital actions, when approached with Ubuntu and intentionality, transform into professional power moves within Instructional Technology and beyond.

Listeners will hear:

• How to turn online reading into critical reflection and collaborative insight
• What it looks like to socialize digitally with care, reciprocity, and boundaries
• Ways to post and share knowledge that democratize information and build trust
• How Black, Afro-Latina, and Latina women are reshaping tech culture through purpose-driven digital presence

Tune in for practical frameworks, cultural grounding, and liberatory storytelling that remind us: to level up is to lift up.

Episode Highlights

• “Reading online is not just absorbing—it’s locating ourselves in the story of knowledge-making.”
• “Digital socializing becomes powerful when it honors reciprocity and community care.”
• “Posting with purpose shifts our digital presence from visibility to voice.”
• “Liberation-centered tech practice means verifying, then trusting—choosing discernment over distraction.”
• “Every scroll, comment, and share can be an act of design justice if rooted in Ubuntu.”

Reflective Questions for Listeners

1. Which digital literacy—reading, socializing, or posting—most reflects how you currently engage online?
2. How might you shift that literacy from consumption to collaboration?
3. Where do you see opportunities to use your digital presence to amplify underrepresented voices?
4. What boundaries or ethical practices help you protect your peace while staying visible?
5. How could Level Up look in your own career, classroom, or creative practice?

Unfollow to Flourish: Digital Boundaries and Ethical Reposting

In this week’s episode, we explore what it means to persist with purpose in the digital age. From ethical reposting to the power of the unfollow button, we dive into how Latinas, Afro-Latinas, and Black women are shaping online culture through care, credit, and community.

We unpack:

• The ethics of reposting: how to amplify others’ voices while honoring their authorship.
• The power of digital discernment—knowing when to unfollow for your mental, creative, and spiritual health.
• Best practices from social media strategists and advocates who use reposting not for clout, but for collective elevation.
• Reflective tools for curating your digital environment so it aligns with your values, goals, and community care.

This conversation reminds us that persistence online isn’t about constant posting—it’s about consistent integrity.

Reflective Questions for Listeners

Use these during or after the episode for journal prompts, classroom discussion, or coaching reflection:

1. When was the last time you reposted someone’s work that deeply resonated with you? How did you ensure credit was given?
2. What does “adding value” look like when you amplify someone else’s voice online?
3. Think about your current social media feed—whose content reflects your growth, and whose drains your energy?
4. How might unfollowing be a form of liberation, not rejection?
5. What would it look like to build a “liberation-centered feed” that nourishes rather than numbs you?

#BlackLiberationTech #DigitalWellness #EthicalReposting #UnfollowToFlourish #LatinaCreators #AfroLatinaVoices #BlackWomenInTech #CurationAsCare #AIandEthics #SocialMediaLiteracy

In this episode of Black-Liberation.Tech, the main character of the story features Ebony — a grassroots organizer whose digital literacy journey shows how persistence, curiosity, and community can change everything. From Hampton, Virginia, to the Ivy League, Ebony’s story reminds us that mastery doesn’t come from isolation — it’s built through asking questions, reading deeply, and connecting intentionally.

Dr. Jordan unpacks two essential digital literacies in this episode:

1. Reading a Lot — using research, reflection, and intentional curiosity to grow your expertise; and
2. Socializing as Strategic Networking — finding your digital community, nurturing authentic connections, and building bridges that move your work forward.

Whether you’re a student, a professional, or a lifelong learner, this episode invites you to think about how your reading habits and digital relationships shape your growth — and how to make both more intentional, grounded, and liberating.

Reflective Questions for Listeners:

1. When was the last time something you read online — a post, an article, or a story — changed how you saw yourself or your work?
2. Who are the digital mentors or communities that help you grow, even if you’ve never met them in person?
3. How might you become that source of light for someone else — sharing what you learn in ways that empower your digital village?

In this episode of Black-Liberation.Tech, Dr. Renée Jordan reflects on key themes from her “AI, Algorithms & Access” panel at the ElevateHer 2025 Summit. She explores what it means for Black women to move from consumers to creators of technology, why authorship is the new frontier of equity, and how intentional AI use can cultivate critical thinking, mentorship, and liberation across generations.

Episode Highlights

• Beyond Access: Redefining inclusion in tech through authorship.
• AI as a Personal Tutor: Using AI to support critical thinking, not replace it.
• Culturally Responsive AI: Integrating Afrocentric and Ubuntu-based frameworks in design and education.
• The Power of Authorship: How prompt engineering, coding, and digital storytelling build ownership and agency.
• Digital Liberation Labs: A vision for community-centered innovation spaces where Black women lead AI creation.

Reflective Questions for Listeners

1. If you could redesign one classroom or workplace practice using AI as a personal tutor, what would you change first?
2. Where do you see opportunities to shift from access to authorship in your own field or community?
3. What would a “digital liberation lab” look like in your world—and who would you invite to co-create it with you?

In Part 3 of Conversations for the Future, we explore how to turn your project ideas into action using ChatGPT prompts, curated resources, and community connections. This episode walks you through designing targeted prompts to find role models, build your skill set, and plan your project step by step. You’ll also discover where to find Latinas, Afro-Latinas, and Black women who have launched similar initiatives in AI literacy, digital literacy, and beyond—and how to learn directly from their journeys. By the end, you’ll have the tools and roadmap to transform your vision into a living project.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• How to design prompts that guide ChatGPT to become a project assistant.
• Research strategies to find Latinas, Afro-Latinas, and Black women leaders in your field.
• Tips for building skill-development roadmaps with courses, communities, and tools.
• Step-by-step project planning: define your goal, set a timeline, gather resources, take action, and adjust.
• Real-world examples of entrepreneurs, educators, and creatives using digital literacies to grow thriving initiatives.

Key takeaway

Prompts are more than words—you’re designing pathways to people, practices, and possibilities that can accelerate your project.

Reflective Questions for Listeners

1. What project idea is most pressing for you right now—personal, academic, or professional?
2. Which ChatGPT prompt from today’s episode could you adapt for your own project this week?
3. Who are three Latinas, Afro-Latinas, or Black women you can look up and learn from in your field?
4. Which skill gap feels most urgent to close, and what tutorial or course will you commit to starting?
5. What communities (Slack groups, nonprofits, associations) can you join to stay accountable?
6. What’s your first 90-day milestone for bringing your project to life?

#BlackLiberationTech #DigitalLiteracy #AIForEducation #LatinasInTech #BlackWomenInTech #ProjectPlanning #SkillBuilding

In Part 2 of Conversations for the Future, we move from ideas to delivery. Using real workshop scenarios, we unpack how to deliver products that meet (and exceed) expectations, close the loop with data analysis, and stretch your voice through digital creation. You’ll hear a practical cadence—pre-surveys → tailored delivery → exit feedback → next steps—that respects participant input while protecting scope and quality.

We also spotlight a lean, AI-assisted toolstack (NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Gamma, Gemini, Napkin AI) to speed drafting, design, image generation, and accessibility (alt text + captions)—especially when showcasing Latinas, Afro-Latinas, and Black women and girls where stock imagery falls short.

Show notes

• What you’ll learn
  • A repeatable delivery workflow: confirm scope, tailor with pre-survey insights, deliver, collect exit feedback, ship “next steps.”
  • Turning feedback into upgrades without scope creep (micro-customization vs. re-architecture).
  • A simple analysis loop for surveys and sessions: visualize quant, theme qualitative, note in-session signals (questions, quiet pauses).
  • Creation practices that keep momentum: fast drafts → visual polish → accessible assets → bilingual options.
• Host’s real example
• Tool stack (lightweight, practical)
• Entrepreneurial playbook (patterns)
• Mini-templates you can steal
  • Delivery QA: Scope match? | Pre-survey themes addressed? | Accessibility (alt text, contrast, captions)? | Bilingual where relevant? | “Next steps” sent within 24 hrs?
  • Fast analyze: 3 charts you’ll always check + 3 themes you’ll always tag + 1 decision you’ll make this week.

Reflective questions for listeners

1. Before your next delivery, what must-have outcomes (3 max) will you promise—and how will you verify them?
2. Which pre-survey questions would most improve your tailoring without exploding scope?
3. What is one participant-visible tweak you can make (in handouts, checklists, or templates) that signals you truly heard their context?
4. When you receive ambiguous feedback (e.g., “needs discipline-specific examples”), how will you clarify need vs. readiness and respond without rebuilding the workshop?
5. Which metric will you prioritize this month—conversion, satisfaction, or implementation—and what action will you take if it underperforms?
6. Which AI tool will you add to accelerate a single step (drafting, visuals, alt text, analysis)—and what will you retire?
7. What is your 24-hour post-delivery ritual (assets, checklist, office-hours invite, testimonial ask), and where does it live in your process?