By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Micro-Learning as a Workplace Learning Strategy
Sahana Chattopadhyay, ID & Other Reflections, 2015/04/02
The focus of discussion on micro-learning is the short duration of learning events - 5 or 10 minutes - implied in the name. But more significant, I think, is the means of production. "Working out loud on the enterprise collaboration platform is not only narration of work but also entails the use of principles of micro-learning. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Life in the freezer
Steve Wheeler, Learning With Es, 2015/04/02
Steve Wheeler reports on his visit to Antarctica to give a talk on distance learning. And he reports, "The college has already invested heavily in correspondence courses, and is also gearing up to deliver its first MOOC later this year once they get their internet connection. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Career ready: Towards a national strategy for the mobilization of Canadian potential
Ken Coates, Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), 2015/04/01
The core of the message is in the headlines: cut university enrolment and expand colleges. It is a shot across the bow. "Canada needs to become more effective in matching skills, training and education with workforce requirements," writes Ken Coates for the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Techno Fantasies
Audrey Watters, Hack Education, 2015/04/01

Audrey Watters takes on Kevin Carey's book The End of College and does so with what is, I think, exactly the right tone, which is to say, distrust, scepticism and outright hostility. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. 3 Important Shifts in Education
George Couros, Connected Principals, 2015/04/01
I honestly don't think any of these three shifts is a real thing. I could be wrong of course. But they have the air and feel of representing things that (some) people would like to happen, rather than what's actually happening. Here are the shifts:

• from 'digital citizenship' to 'digital empathy'
• from 'student voice' to 'student leadership'
• from 'growth mindset' to 'innovator mindset'

It's not that I actually oppose any of these. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Learning the Netflix way
David Hopkins, Technology Enhanced Learning Blog, 2015/04/01

I came back from my trip last night to find my Netflix payments had expired. This puts me into the mode of questioning whether I want to renew. I'm not so sure I do. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Major publisher retracts 43 scientific papers amid wider fake peer-review scandal
Fred Barbash, Washington Post, 2015/03/31

This has been in the news for the last week or so. To me it suggests peer review is struggling to maintain its viability. Thee main scandal is a ring of people who manipulated the peer review system to support each others' works. More...