By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Why the tablets in schools debacle is over
Donald Clark, Donald Clark Plan B, 2016/05/27

I'm writing this post on a three-year old laptop even though I could be using a tablet. Why? The screen is larger, so I don't need to squint to read. The keyboard is hefty and responsive. It's really light (the carbon fibre construction is actually lighter than my iPad). It has HDMI and USB and earbud ports. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. MediaSmarts launches comprehensive digital literacy framework for secondary schools
Press Release, MediaSmarts, 2016/05/27

MediaSmarts (which once upon a time had a much better name, the Media Awareness Network) has released the final installment of Use, Understand & Create: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. “Transforming” Public Schools: Enough already with an Overhyped Word!

Larry Cuban, Larry Cuban on School Reform, Classroom Practice, 2016/05/27

At a certain point of overuse a word loses its meaning. "Transform" is one such word, according to Larry Cuban. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Tallahassee Community College boosts affordability, access in math courses using open educational resources
Press Release, Lumen Learning, 2016/05/27
In 2015 there were roughly 20 million students in the United States. Why is this significant? According to this release from Lumen Learning, which is similar to others I've seen, the use of open educational resources - specifically, open textbooks - saved 4,825 students some $535,000 in that same year. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Unlearning and Other Jedi Mind Tricks – Finding the (Creative) Force
Amy Burvall, AmusED, 2016/05/10

Creativity isn't something you have to have a special talent for. It is something that results from paying attention, following your own interests, and most of all, hard work. This is the gist of the message offered by Amy Burvall as she prefaces a list of 'Jedi mind tricks' to promote creativity. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. I fly 747s for a living. Here are the amazing things I see every day.
Mark Vanhoenacker, Vox, 2016/05/10

I read this a couple days ago while I was in Malaysia. Now I'm in my kitchen in Ontario, typing this out. This is an obvious point, but it's deep and important. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Free Artificial Intelligence (AI) software for your PC
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet, 2016/05/10

The 'artificial intelligence' part of Braina (I keep wanting to pronounce it 'bran ah') lies mostly in the voice recognition software and in its ability to interpret natural language requests. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The brain in your pocket
Daniel Willingham, 2016/05/10

Daniel Willingham has two tried-and-true tools he goes back to again and again: the unproven theory, and the artificial example. In this post he combines them to suggests that the internet weakens our cognitive powers. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. LinkedIn Just Made a Savvy Business Move and Nobody Noticed
John Nemo, Inc., 2016/05/10

LinkedIn has been moving in this direction for several years, and as the Inc. article notes, "Modeled after popular 'freelancer-for-hire' sites such as Fiverr and Upwork, LinkedIn's ProFinder matches customers looking for a specific type of product or service with a qualified professional." More...