Synchronous Learning On the Web
Audio and video conferences have never seemed to me to be a very efficient means of providing online learning. But synchronous conferencing has its place in education, albeit not the place where we see it most often. By Stephen Downes. More...

Field Studies Done Right: Fast and Observational
Jakob Nielsen could have made the same point without insulting anthropologists but his message is sound: if you design something - a course, say - then you should watch people use it to see what they do. More...

Modeling Units of Study From a Pedagogical Perspective: The Pedagogical meta-Model Behind EML
EML stands for Educational Modeling Language and it is a DTD-based learning object metadata framework based in the Netherlands. EML is designed to answer, in part, the question, "Where is the learning in e-learning?" Their answer is simple to state, but entails a significant development program. More...

New Book by Critic of Distance Education Describes Privacy Threats
It's not like we haven't heard David Noble's arguments before, but the publication of his new book - mostly a collection of his essays - still brings out the critics. More...

Scholastic, Corp. Push
Scholastic Corp., a global children?s publishing and media company, has launched a new educational imprint called Push directed at schoolchildren and their parents. More...

Kidspeak
Are we ready for democracy in our public schools? We may have to be, if the owners of this newly launched website have their way. Kidspeak is dedicated toward supporting the right of freedom of speech for kids and takes on such issues as the right to watch Harry Potter. More...

Beijing Language and Culture University
According to the Asian Studies WWW Monitor, relayed to me via the edresource mailing list, "BLCU, the only international univeristy in China commissioned to teach Chinese language and culture to foreign students, has launched its online programs of Chinese language and literature. More...

Educators Question AltSchool’s Pivot: Where Does Silicon Valley’s Philanthropy End and Profits Begin?
Jenny Abamu, EdSurge, 2017/12/06
This is another story where a Silicon Valley technologist convinces investors to offer millions of dollars to reshape schools only to see them flounder in search of a business model. More...

Fraud and Misconduct in Research
Nick Roll, Inside Higher Ed, 2017/12/06
Summary of a book that "serves as a look at how (academic)0 fraud, and the response to it, has changed over the years" followed by an interview with the authors.  "Fraud in research reflects a systemic problem and does not reflect only an individual level," they write. More...

Against the 3A’s of EdTech: AI, Analytics, and Adaptive Technologies in Education
Maha Bali, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2017/12/06
"I agree with all of Audrey Watters‘, Chris Gilliard’s, Autumm Caines’ and Benjamin Doxtdator’s critiques on these topics (also: it’s scary how my Google docs app immediately recommended their websites when I started inserting the links here)," writes Maha Bali. More...