By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Fredericton band Kill Chicago highlights student debt in new song
Jordan Gill, CBC News, 2016/08/15
This is the problem that needs to be solved. "One of the inspirations behind the project was seeing many of his friend having to continue living like students, even with professional jobs," according to this article. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. BBC micro:bit forms part of Technology Day at Eastlea Community School
Andrew Robertson, Microsoft Developer, 2016/08/15
The story is super-local but the impact of this program is nation-wide. The BBC micro:bit "is a pocket-sized computer that you can code, customise, and control to bring your digital ideas, games, and apps to life." It costs maybe $15 or so. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Deconstructing CBE
Richard Garrett, Howard Lurie, Ellucian, Eduventures, ACE, 2016/08/15
As the press release states, "'Deconstructing CBE' analyzes the diversity of CBE (Competency Based Education) programs and evaluates how CBE can be customized to meet specific institutional needs." The study touts some of the advantages of CBE. "CBE targets a diverse community: The majority of respondents (68 percent) look to CBE to expand opportunities and enhance learning for non-traditional students." More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Obsolesced: The Rise and Fall of Gopher
Tim Gihring, MinnPost, 2016/08/15
People have forgotten, I think, that there was an internet before the web. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Information Technology Strategic Plan 2016-2020
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Govenrment of Canada, 2016/08/15

No doubt the Government of Canada strategic plan will be of interest especially to Canadians, but the areas of focus should be of interest to governments and institutions worldwide. "Each area of focus details specific actions and activities that are underway or that represent new enterprise directions.

• Service IT introduces the use of cloud computing, information-sharing platforms, and technologies and tools to manage IT service delivery and improve client satisfaction.
• Secure IT focuses on layered defences to reduce exposure to cyber threats, increased awareness and understanding to manage these threats, and protective measures to enable the secure processing and sharing of data and information across government.
• Manage IT presents a strengthened governance approach, the evolution of IT management practices, processes and tools, and a focus on innovation as well as sustainability.
• Work IT introduces actions to build a high-performing IT workforce and a modern workplace that provides public service employees with the tools they need to do their jobs."

These are also probably areas of priority for my own organization and for educational institutions worldwide. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Social Clicks: What and Who Gets Read on Twitter?
Maksym Gabielkov, Arthi Ramachandran, Augustin Chaintreau, Arnaud Legout, HAL, 2016/08/12
This excellent paper has been the subject of some recent social media pranks, the point of which are to show that people rarely read the posts they share on Twitter or Facebook. You can read a Washington Post article about it from mid-June. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The lost infrastructure of social media
Anil Dash, Medium, 2016/08/12
The most striking feature of this article is a list, side-by-side, of the sharing and network features that existed in the early days of the blogosphere and those that are available today. In far too many categories, today's listing is "n/a" - in other words, nothing. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Hey, Snapchat, enough is enough
Nicole Lee, Engadget, 2016/08/12
Silicon Valley has a diversity problem. How else to explain the distribution of Pokemon locations? How else to explain how Snapchat came out with what is essentially a racist photo filter. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Inside Twitter’s 10-Year Failure To Stop Harassment
Charlie Warzel, Buzzfeed News, 2016/08/12
Ironically posted on Buzzfeed, this article asserts that "for nearly its entire existence, Twitter has not just tolerated abuse and hate speech, it’s virtually been optimized to accommodate it." More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Facebook teaches schools a 'personalized' lesson
Corinne Lestch, EdScoop, 2016/08/12
According to this report, loosely based on a Facebook post (and probably this week's New York Times article) "The Summit-Facebook system, known as the 'Summit Personalized Learning Platform,' allows students to be in control of their own learning process and complete lessons at their own pace." Can Facebook learn enough about you to offer you personalized learning. More...