By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Validating Author Services Providers: Q&A with Donald Samulack
Angela Cochran, The Scholarly Kitchen, 2015/09/16

Pubklishers are (slowly) realizing that their days as gatekeepers are over; that's why Angela Cochran writes "Offering “author services” is the name of the game right now." This has long been one of the primary rationalizations for publication or subscription fees. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. New landmark OECD PISA study on 'Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection'
Michael Trucano, EduTech, 2015/09/16
Here's the study. Michael Trucano summarizes: "Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection finds that, despite the pervasiveness of information and communication technologies (ICT) in our daily lives, these technologies have not yet been as widely adopted in formal education. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Is Moodle “Bigger than Martin”?
Michael Feldstein, e-Literate, 2015/09/16

Interesting posts that to me suggests that Moodle is at a turning point. Most of the post is about the Moodle community's loyalty to Moodle founder at person-in-charge, Martin Dougiamas. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Yes, There Is a War on Advertising. Now What?
Maureen Morrison, Tim Peterson, Ad Age, 2015/09/15

Probably one of the most unloved industry on the planet is the advertising industry. Sure, it's a $58.6 billion business. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Against Intellectualist Theories of Belief
Jack Marley-Payne, Minds Online, 2015/09/15

"Intellectualism is the view that the connection between belief and speech (and also conscious judgement) is to be prioritized." It is a popular position, especially among educators. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Most New Psychology Findings Can’t Be Replicated. So Now What?
Simon Oxenham, Big Think | Neurobonkers, 2015/09/15

If you can get away with it, print this statement out and past it to your manager or CEO's office door. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Hackers vs. Academics: who is responsible for progress?
Daniel Lemire, 2015/09/14

This is a pretty cynical view of academics - but having said that, it's not entirely false. "Could it be that the hacker spirit is really want is responsible for our progress?" asks Daniel Lemire. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Poverty, Grit, and Teachers
Taylor Williams, Mr. Williams' STEM Education Blog, 2015/09/14

Another much-needed challenge to the recently popular 'grit' narrative: "The 'grit' narrative says that if someone works hard enough, then they can escape poverty. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Micro and the Macro of the EdTech World
Jenny Mackness, 2015/09/14
Summary of two keynotes at this year's Alt/C conference in Manchester, as experienced virtually (both links to YouTube recordings): "Jonathan Worth’s keynote (I’m not sure if there was a title for this – if there was I didn’t see it) and Laura Czerniewicz who talked about Inequality in Higher Education." More...