By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Training the Trainers for Linked Data
Seth van Hooland, Ruben Verborgh, International Conference on Dublin Core, Metadata Applications DC-2014, 2014/10/28
I'm very much a linked-data kind of person; it suits the way I think far more than documents or even things like index cards. That's probably no real surprise to people. This post takes that way of thinking and expands it into a tutorial for practitioners. It's a set of slides (117 page PDF) that defines linked data, explains the advantages, and provides practical guidance in its application through four major steps: clean your metadata, reconcile with authoritative sources, enrich your metadata, share on the (open) web. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Stand Up for Education
Various authors, National Union of Teachers, 2014/10/27
Britain's National Union of Teachers (NUT) has released a manifesto (16 page PDF) addressing changes to the direction of that nation's schools. While the document is focused on the British general election slated for 2015, the document has wider relevance. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Isaac Asimov Asks, “How Do People Get New Ideas?”
Isaac Asimov, MIT Technology review, 2014/10/24
Isaac Asimov was very influential on me ion my youth, and I read many of the dozens and dozens of books he authored. This essay is a previously unpublished article he wrote on creativity, and it is not surprising to see the affinity between my own thought and what he wrote. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Poverty Is Strongest Factor in Whether High School Graduates Enroll in College
Laurie Arnston, Higher Education Today, 2014/10/24
Despite all the emphasis on how important teaching and testing are for improving educational outcomes, the fact remains that the worst results from higher-income schools are still better than the best results from low-income schools. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, IMS Global Learning Consortium, and International Digital Publishing Forum Announce Digital Learning Metadata Alliance
Press Release, IMS, 2014/10/24
According to this press release issued by IMS, the new organization will be called the Digital Learning Metadata Alliance and can be found at dlma.org. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Conversation on Workplace Learning and Literacy
Stephen Downes, Valerie Irvine, John Kenney, YouTube, 2014/10/24
Framed around the LPSS program, and looking at specific issues such as workplace learning and literacy, this discussion outlines some of my views on the problems we are trying to solve, the applicability of the solutions we are creating, and the question of broader social needs being served by the program. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Five Reasons #Gamergate Connects to Educational Technology
John Spencer, Education Rethink, 2014/10/23
We teach people this stuff. We who create technology and media, who shape thought and opinion, who set examples and and work in public - we are the ones who make it OK to shame and harass and threaten and all the rest. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Why Big Data Won't Cure Us
Gina Neff, Big Data, 2014/10/22

One of the flaws of contemporary economics is that it postulates the economically rational consumer who will always choose in his or her best interest. We know, however, that this is rarely the case, and that the economy is beset by forces that are essentially irrational. The same problem applies to big data. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Simple Genius of the Blackboard
Lewis Buzbee, Slate, 2014/10/22
I'm not sure quite what to make of this, but... "The blackboard-centered classroom offers more than pedagogical efficiency; it also offers an effective set of teaching possibilities. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Ministries of ICT, Education, & UNESCO join to formally launch School of Open Africa
Jane Park, Creative Commons, 2014/10/22
Like the headline says: "“This event will help establish a conversation platform for policymakers around School of Open Africa, connecting and synchronising education and ICT policies with the innovative open education programs being led by Creative Commons volunteers in Africa. More...