Writing

Selected essays

A selection of my writing on education technology and the craft of building software schools depend on. The full archive lives on my main site, joanurevbu.com/writing — I publish there under my maiden name, Joan Urevbu.

The Best School Software Is Invisible

Nobody thanks the system that simply worked — and that's exactly the point.

Designing for the Last Bar of Signal

Building software for low-bandwidth, intermittent-connectivity realities.

A School Talks to Parents One Message at a Time

On institutional communication, timing, and the slow building of trust.

The Register Is a Promise

An attendance register is really a promise about who is safe and who is missing.

What an SMS Actually Costs

The real economics of reliably reaching every parent by text.

What a Fee Reminder Teaches You About Respect

The message about money is the most delicate thing software sends for a school.