By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The conundrum of creating an open course in a closed site – Storyboard OOC update
Gabi Witthaus, Art of e-learning, 2014/12/23
So this, I think, is the opposite of a MOOC: "We chose to use a platform that requires people to have accounts and sign in, in order to be able to set up and manage the groups effectively." Ironically the letter they choose to drop MOOC is not 'O' for 'Open' but 'M' for 'Massive'. More...
Article at the Open Badges in Education workshop
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Article at the Open Badges in Education workshop
Hans Põldoja, hanspoldoja.net, 2014/12/24
Post linking to an article on the use of open badges in education. Covers badges briefly and most notably, identifies the following use patterns (quoted from the post):
- composite badges can be achieved by completing multiple assignments;
- activity-based badges can be awarded automatically based on measurable learning activities;
- grade-based badges are based on the grades that the learners have received;
- hierarchical badges are divided to several levels, some of which may be composite badges based on lower level badges. More...
How to Write a Resume That Stands Out
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. How to Write a Resume That Stands Out
Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review, 2014/12/25
Yes I know, there's a million of these articles out there already. But this is short, clear, and really good. It made me rethink how I wrote my own c.v. (you get to call a resumé a c.v. is you're looking for an academic position). More...
MOOCs are closed platforms… and probably doomed
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. MOOCs are closed platforms… and probably doomed
Daniel Lemire, 2014/12/25
"Do not be fooled by how savvy MOOC advocates sound," cautions Daniel Lemire. "They do not understand what they are doing." He doesn't me me, of course. "The actual MOOCs that colleges publish are closed platforms, as per Wikipedia’s definition," he writes. Interestingly, you can walk into any university classroom and sit in on a lecture, and nobody will care (if they notice at all). More...
If you were to Start a School from Scratch…
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. If you were to Start a School from Scratch….
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, LangWiches, 2014/12/25
I've actually thought about this question quite a bit. New Brunswick has legislation that makes it comparatively easy to start colleges and even universities, so I've idly scoped out all the buildings in the city, pondering amenities and sitelines, and thinking about the possibilities. More...
Five Reasons the Conversations Have Moved from Twitter to Voxer
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Five Reasons the Conversations Have Moved from Twitter to Voxer
John Spencer, 2014/12/25
I don't know whether Voxer will replace existing social networks, but John Spencer's five reasons were enough to convince me to pay the $2.99 a month (quoted from his post):
- The lack of badges, and metrics "likes" or "favorites" means we aren't playing Relational Fantasy Football. There are no rockstars.
- We don't have to put on a public persona. On Twitter, it often feels less about talking with one another and more about talking to the public. More...
10 Trends to Personalize Learning in 2015
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. 10 Trends to Personalize Learning in 2015
Barbara Bray, Personalize Learning, 2014/12/25
There are some interesting thoughts in this post. The ten trends are divided into four quadrants: learning culture, learning environments, partnerships, and deeper learning. This allows Barbara Bray to look beyond technology and think about things like belief systems, competencies, advisories, project-based learning and assessment as learning. More...
Can a Child’s Creativity and Persistence be Assessed by a Game?
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Can a Child’s Creativity and Persistence be Assessed by a Game?
Katrina Schwartz, Mind/Shift, 2014/12/26
A 'stealth assessment' is "seamless and ubiquitous, providing important feedback to the student and creating a model of the learner that can help teachers tap the individual needs of each student." Consider, for example, the Physics Playground, where the laws of physics act as a pervasive force in the background, silently determining whether the scenario has been correctly constructed. More...
Education Should Step Away from Apple Devices
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Education Should Step Away from Apple Devices
Anthony Carabache, Authentic 21st Century Teaching & Learning, 2014/12/26
This is a conclusion I have already reached and is behind my decision to ditch my MacBook Pro, my iPod, and the horde of other knickknacks that go with an Apple purchase (because the spending on these things never ends). More...
'If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Manage It': Not True
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. 'If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Manage It': Not True
Liz Ryan, Forbes, 2014/12/26
Of course the sentiment expressed in the title has always been false. It is even somewhat surprising how many people act as though it were true. One thing I like about this article is how easily it transfers to education. More...