By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Avoid ‘uncritical use’ of PISA scores, researchers warn ministers
Freddie Whittaker, SchoolsWeek, 2018/12/03
No real surprise, but it's nice to see someone actually come out and say it. More...
25 février 2019
Avoid ‘uncritical use’ of PISA scores, researchers warn ministers
Framing Self-Directed Learning
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Framing Self-Directed Learning
Dennis Sale, SoftChalk Talk Blog, 2018/12/03
This is the first of a series of five posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (forthcoming)) on self-directed learning. While I don't agree with everything in it (references to Hattie and to cognitive load leave me cold) I nonetheless found it a well-reserach and considered treatment of the subject. More...
Another perspective on AI in higher education
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Another perspective on AI in higher education
Tony Bates, Online learning and distance education resources, 2018/12/03
Summary of Klutka, J. et al. (2018) Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Current Uses and Future Applications. What strikes me about this report is how most of the applications of AI in higher education are really to things that have little to do with the education itself, such as admissions, student services, and so-called institutional efficiency. More...
Benefits and Costs of MOOC - Based Alternative Credentials
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Benefits and Costs of MOOC - Based Alternative Credentials
Fiona Hollands, Aasiya Kazi, Columbia University, 2018/12/07
This is generally a good study (10 page PDF). "The hypothesis of the current study is that courses offered as a series with a culminating credential could be even more beneficial than individual MOOCs." I would call the outcome "inconclusive". The authors discuss, for example, credentials such as the micro-Masters, which can be offered at a much lower cost via MOOCs, and appear to have some currency in the workplace. More...
A small blog neighborhood hiding in plain sight
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. A small blog neighborhood hiding in plain sight
Jon Udell, 2018/12/07
If a blog post is written, but nobody tweets it, does anyone hear it? I'm going to say, but the 'bog neighbourhood' will be smaller, more intimate, and more fruitful. More...
Defining the Data Stack
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Defining the Data Stack
Joe Pilla, IAB Data Center of Excellence, 2018/12/07
This report (18 page PDF) looks at data from a marketing and brand perspective, but offers a useful perspective for any digital enterprise, including education. More...
Roundtable on Bryan Van Norden's Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Roundtable on Bryan Van Norden's Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto
Expositions, 2018/12/07
I was engaged in this collection of essays not because I am concerned with the content of philosophy classes in American universities but because while I call myself a philosopher I am very much outside what contemporary philosophy would call itself. The focus of the work is to discuss the call to increase the emphasis on teaching LCTP (Less Commonly Taught Philosophers) and especially those of diverse cultures. More...
SoTL: the party that no one really wants to go to
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. SoTL: the party that no one really wants to go to
Kathleen Bortolin, University Affairs, 2018/12/05
The subhead asks, "Why does the scholarship of teaching and learning remain a hard sell to faculty?" I've always thought that the answer was pretty evident: because they spent ten years of their lives studying and earning a PhD in something else. Which is what they're actually interested in. More...
Companion robot trialled in Victorian classrooms
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Companion robot trialled in Victorian classrooms
Campbell Kwan, ZD Net, 2018/12/05
It's another story about robot teachers. "La Trobe University has teamed up with Waratah Special Developmental School in Victoria to trial a robot called Matilda as a classroom companion for students with special needs... at a time when the implementation of robotics and coding technology in schools... has become a growing and controversial trend in education across North America and Europe." It's not clear where the limits will be for robot teachers. More...
The Facebook emails
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Facebook emails
Ben Werdmuller, 2018/12/05
The Facebook emails (250 page PDF) have been publiched. To me the only thing surprising is that anyone is surprised. Fart of the reveal is that Facebook traded access to data in exchange for ad spending (aka 'neko'). More...
