Techno-News Blog. Students at a New York high school have protested in recent weeks an online education program developed with engineers working for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the latest challenge to the growing “personalized learning” movement in U.S. education. More...
15 décembre 2018
Students protest Zuckerberg-backed digital learning program and ask him: ‘What gives you this right?’
Who’s Taking Nondegree Courses — and Why?
Techno-News Blog. Most students enrolled in nondegree online programs already have degrees, and a minority actually want a credential, new data show. Alternative credentials pose an increasing threat to the supremacy of the traditional degree as the key that unlocks a career path. More...
14 décembre 2018
Manifestations lycéennes : la faute de Napoléon ?
Depuis plusieurs jours, des lycéens manifestent et bloquent des établissements pour protester contre les réformes dans l'enseignement supérieur. L'héritage du créateur des lycées. Plus...
13 décembre 2018
Numbed by the Numbers, When They Just Don't Add Up
Numbed by the Numbers, When They Just Don't Add Up
Not really a column about online learning, but the lessons in this article ought to inform anyone with an interest in media or public policy. Without context, numbers lose their meaning, and often, the reader must supply the context. More...
Averages and Emergence
Averages and Emergence
Some highly speculative thoughts about the creation of knowledge through synchronous recognition of natural patterns by a group of observers. By Stephen Downes, Learning Circuits Blog, January 18, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]. More...
The Music of Titan
The Music of Titan
To wrap up the day's links on a lighter note, this is the world's first piece of music recorded using sounds from Saturn's moon (it also holds the record for the piece of music with the most distantly separated sound sources). More...
Blink and The Wisdom of Crowds
Blink and The Wisdom of Crowds
Today's newsletter is more of a test of the newly reinstalled system, so I'll keep it short and send just this item, a discussion between Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point and Blink!, and James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds. The format is interesting - a back-and-forth exchange over the course of a week (this week, in fact; the final installment is tomorrow). More...
Embodied Interaction and Seduction
Embodied Interaction and Seduction
This is a bit disjointed - you'll probably want to read the short Guardian article first, then this extended version, both of which describe the use of the camera (or eye toy) to create 'embodied interaction' in games. Then return to the main item, which reports on the use of such devices in game-based learning by boys and girls. More...
University Decentralization Debate to be Watched Closely
University Decentralization Debate to be Watched Closely
This is one of those things that's the thin edge of the wedge, a development that should be, as the headline suggests, watched closely. In general, I favour decentralization and institutional autonomy. But I have also commented that the university system is headed toward a funding crisis. More...
Slope One Predictors for Online Rating-Based Collaborative Filtering
Slope One Predictors for Online Rating-Based Collaborative Filtering
As the title suggests, this paper describes an algorithm for rating-based collaborative filtering. This system calculates what readers like separately from what readers dislike. More...
