How many software developers would it take to change a lightbulb?
Tom Morris, tommorris.org, February 18, 2014

This would be funnier if it weren't so close to being true. Major language warning; if you don't like bad langauge, don't click on this link.  My favourite bit. More...

We Don’t Sell Saddles Here
Stewart Butterfield, Medium.com, February 18, 2014

I think this software development manifesto. Take the time to read the whole thing. More...

Google Glass: Recording at Schools
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, Langwitches Blog, February 14, 2014
Eventually we'll be referring to these in generic terminology, 'wired glasses', say, but for now the technology is still called 'Google Glass' and shows no sign of a new name. More...

Mobile Learning Curriculum Framework (MLCF)
Adele Botha, Wikispaces, February 11, 2014
The Mobile Learning Framework covers three broad areas, "to know about mobile learning, to be able to facilitate mobile learning and to understand the implications of implementing mobile learning." The framework is led by Adele Botha of CISR Meraka (CISR is the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, a scientific and technology research, development and implementation organisation). More...

Learning and Performance Support Systems
National Research Council Canada, February 12, 2014
I have mentioned in previous posts that I've recently become Program Leader for something called Learning and Performance Support Systems. Well our new program now has an official presence. More...

More States Opting To 'Robo-Grade' Student Essays By Computer
Tovia Smith, NPR, 2018/07/02
The thought of writing an essay that will be read by literally no one feels a bit odd to me, but I guess it's not a great stretch from those essays I wrote which were read by exactly one person. And "with computers already doing jobs as complicated and as fraught as driving cars, detecting cancer, and carrying on conversations, they can certainly handle grading students' essays," writes Tovia Smith. More...

Where are all the classroom teachers at BETT 2014?
Leon Cych, Vimeo, January 22, 2014
Reviews of Bett (or the Bett Show, or formerly the British Educational Training and Technology Show show, or cynically, Better Education Through Tablets) (link here - caution, autoplaying video with sound) are coming in, as the show is now on in London. Here's the Bett Blog (featuring iPads, apps, competitions, simplicity, competitions, big data, and apps). More...

MIght There Finally Be Karma for Comment Spammers and SEO Game Players?
Alan Levine, CogDogBlog, January 10, 2014
Some of the images in this post are over the top, but I share Alan Levine's experiences with spammers (every day I delete comments designed only to pollute my pages with SEO) and I share his sentiments. I'm also pleased he reads the Awl (a lot of content, but just off the mainstream enough to be interetsing) which reports that the golden age of SEO may be over. More...

12.13.13
Karl Fisch, The Fischbowl, January 7, 2014
Karl Fisch, who will be well known to readers of this newsletter, teaches at Arapahoe High School where late last year a gunman killed a student before killing himself. This post is a detailed description of the event from his own perspective, with a remarkable clarity of recollection. It's interesting how many times he refers to his training for such situations. More...

Breaking down the silos
Steve Wheeler, Learning with 'e's, January 7, 2014
I get asked the question "How would you create a MOOC in [pick a subject]" quite a bit. My response is, I wish we could think of online learning as going beyond subjects, to address entire domains or disciplines. More...