Automerge
GitHub, 2018/02/16
This is a "JSON-like data structure that can be modified concurrently by different users, and merged again automatically." So how might that be useful? Here's one case: imagine a cMOOC has been developed and released, with all its contents defined in a JSON file. More...

Universities and the “democracy of the gullible”
Jean Winand, UNESCO Courier, 2018/02/16
This is a good article and a weak article at the same time. It's a good article in the sense that it raises a significant issue and discusses it clearly and precisely. But it's a weak article in that it overstates the problem (it's simply not true that "no one thinks of criticizing the technical elite") and offers an overly broad resolution, taking a classic 'defense of the humanities' position. More...

Anger at Google image search 'peace deal'
BBC News, 2018/02/16
The essence of the deal Google struck with Getty Images is that it has removed the 'view image' button from its image search application. Now I personally don't know why you would search for images unless you wanted to view them. But more to the point, it seems wrong to me that one company with a few million commercial images would dictate the terms of access to an entire web full of billions of all sorts of images (including my openly licensed images that I want people to be able to view). More...

What are the priorities for L&D in the modern workplace? Our survey says …
Jane Hart, Modern Workplace Learning, 2018/02/15
The term 'L&D' is being used as a noun in this survey, as in 'the Learning & Development Department'. So we see questions like "Do you think that L&D should manage social learning in the workplace?" The answer to this one, courtesy of 173 responses to Jane Hart's survey, was 'yes' at 33% and 'no' at 57%. I'm not sure how an L&D department would manage social learning. More...

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Consensus Algorithms
Zane Witherspoon, Hacker Noon, 2018/02/15
A 'consensus algorithm' is a mechanism for verifying transactions in a distributed network. A transaction doesn't take place until everyone (or a large enough subset of everyone) agrees that it can take place (ie., it isn't contradicted by some previous transaction). But how do you get to have a say in these consensus networks? That's what the algorithms decide. More...

Facebook spamming users via their 2FA phone numbers
Jack Morse, Mashable, 2018/02/15
This article is a bit off in that its original title appears and then is obscured by the newer title. The original title? "Facebook is so desperate for engagement, it's spamming users via their 2FA numbers." I like it better than the original. '2FA' stands for 'Two Factor Authentication' and here refers to the practice of having people enter their phone numbers so they can verify logins via text messages. More...

Badges? We Don’t Need No Stinking Preprint Badges!
Phil Davis, The Scholarly Kitchen, 2018/02/15
To date when people have talked about badges they've talked about badges as something people earn. But what about artifacts, like academic articles? It makes sense. Badges would function a bit like awards (the way films are labled with the 'Palm d'Or badge') or a bit like certification (as in the Good Housekeeping 'Seal of Approval'). More...

I Wrote Down Everything I Learned While Programming for a Month
Sung Won Cho, Dnote, 2018/02/15
What if you wrote down what you learned every time you learned something. It would be a bit like taking classroom notes, but in real life. When I joined NRC people used to use scientific notebooks where they would capture everything. I use this newsletter for the same purpose, partially (but I don't capture all kinds of knowledge, like how to parse OPML files, for example). More...

Computer-Assisted Language Learning & Media Selection
Sandra Rogers, AACE Review, 2018/02/14
This is an application of Chapelle's media selection criteria for computer assisted language learning (CALL): language learning potential, learner fit, meaning focus, authenticity, positive feedback, and practicality. Once the domain of programmed instruction systems like Plato, CALL today is "based on the communicative approach to second language acquisition (SLA) with authentic communication derived from meaningful activities beyond academia." More...

Macmillan Learning Intros Curated OER Course Materials
Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology, 2018/02/14
I don't think the real problem with OERs is quality. Sure, it's nice to choose the better of two resources, if given a choice, and limited to using only one. But why limit yourself. Look at both! But of course looking at both is exactly the opposite of the model where course designers select the one-and-only resource from a library to create prepackaged courses to students. More...