By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper, study finds
Alison Flood, The Guardian, 2014/08/27

So the premise here is that context has an impact on memory, and that eBooks read on the Kindle lack the appropriate context for remembering. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Learning Vs. Performance -- The Dichotomy
Sahana Chattopadhyay, ID, Other Reflections, 2014/08/26
This article gets at the difference between learning and performance, identifying aspects distinguishing a focus on one as opposed to the other:

• Growth mindset - Carol Dweck, in her research, differentiated between Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset.
• Limiting beliefs – Related to fixed mindset, limiting beliefs constrain us in many ways.
• Fear of failures – This could directly stem from the organizational culture and environment.

In a follow-up article, Sahana Chattopadhyay makes it clear that training is only one aspect of performance. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Let’s stop trying to teach students critical thinking
Dennis Hayes, The Conversation, 2014/08/14
This idea surfaces from time to time and is commonly found with the same central tenets as are found here:

• critical thinking is not a skill - thinking of it as a skill reduces it to second-rate applications of tricks of logic
• critical thinking means some form of indoctrination, typically feminist or Marxist
• critical thinking is itself uncritical and typically involves adopting some perspective

As a long-time teacher of critical thinking as well as a student of the ideas behind it, I think I can unequivocally say that these three points are nonsense. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Recent Research Review -- Reviewed (and Lamented)
Will Thalheimer, Will at Work Learning, 2014/08/22
I will admit that this article is an excellent read and that if you are in the field and haven't read it, you should correct this oversight immediately. If you really really don't have time this overview from Will Thalheimer will do nicely. I think that if you are supportive of mainstream research in training and development you'll have no issue with most of the contents and will appreciate the liberal selection of references to bolster the assertions made. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Punished for Its Mission?
Ry Rivard, Inside Higher Ed, Aug 09, 2014
There's more than a little hyperbole in this story, which describes a small liberal arts college that does not score well on metrics because it's designed to help people get jobs or university placements outside the state of Florida, where it's funded. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. No More 'Collective Begging'
Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed, Aug 05, 2014
Hard to disagree: "Unless and until faculty, including part-time faculty, hit the streets and occupy the classrooms," said Stanley Aronowitz, a tenured professor of sociology and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center, "there won’t be any change of substance." Of course. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web.Mobile Internet Explorer's New User Agent
Alex Chitu, Google Operating System, Aug 05, 2014
It's ironic. It's sad. And once again, it's an example of corporations that just don't play well together, no matter what it costs their customers. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Shots in the heather
Dave Ferguson, Dave's Whiteboard, Aug 06, 2014

Following up from Danieel Lemire's characterization of research (which i endorse) from yesterday: "

Is iomadh urchair tha dol san fhraoch.
(Many a shot goes into the heather.)

That is to say, research (and learning) is about missing the mark as much as it is about success. Without failure, learning doesn't happen. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Student Privacy: Harm and Context
Mark MacCarthy, International Review of Information Ethics, Jul 31, 2014
As the author notes, "Education is on the verge of dramatic changes in the collection, flow and use of student information." One approach, the "harm approach," seeks to advocate the use of these technologies that cause the least harm to students. More...