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by Stephen Downes
Nov 11, 2016
Presentation
Openness
Stephen Downes, Nov 11, 2016, Regional Forum on ICTs in Higher Education of the Arab States, Beirut, Lebanon
Short presentation at a panel discussing aspects of openness in higher education. I am the first speaker in the panel; the other participants speak, and then there is a fairly good discussion following. I offered the argument that we should think of learning resources as the language we use to communicate and educate, and like words in a language, we need to be able to freely use them.
[Slides]
Share | Presentation
Theories of learning – epistemology of connectivism
Stephen Downes, Nov 07, 2016, Regional Forum on ICTs in Higher Education of the Arab States, Beirut, Lebanon
Presentation of major branches of epistemology, placing connectivism into this content, and then describing learning theories in this framework. This becomes a basis for a discussion of the process of learning underlying learning technologies, from which, ultimately, a learning technology value chain is presented.
[Audio]
Share | Byblos and Beirut, Lebanon
Stephen Downes, Flickr, 2016/11/11
Byblos photos, Beirut photos. Enjoy.
AAEEBL ePortfolio Review
2016/11/11
The Association for Authentic, Experiential, and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL) is announcing the inaugural issue of the AAEEBL ePortfolio Review. They write, "Designed to provide space for emerging thinking about ePortfolio research and practice, as well as a publication opportunity for those working in and with ePortfolio, the AePR focuses on timely, important topics written by leaders in the field" The first issue has been released as a single 74 page PDF.
Educational Technology & Education Conferences #36, January to June 2017
Clayton R. Wright, Stephen's Web, 2016/11/11
Clayton R. Wright has once again published his excellent conference list. He writes, "Some of these events have intriguing themes to guide them, such as 'Changing to Learn, Learning to Change', 'The Politics of Open', 'Respect the Past, Lead the Present, Secure the Future', 'Knowledge Is the Oil of the Future', and 'Democratization and Participation – People’s Roles in the Digital World'.
"For May and June 2017, in particular, I was unable to find dates, locations, and URLs for a number of events. I did send out 300+ e-mails to obtain missing information, but few responded. This is becoming normal now - people generally don't respond, though some do ask for a copy of the list when it is complete. Further, some conference websites do not provide an e-mail address that I can use to contact the organizer of an event. Bottom line: Yes, there are a number of events I unable to find basic information for; thus, I can't publish information I don't have. As usual, the next or 37th edition of this list will provide an updated listing for June 2017."
There is no such thing as western civilisation
Kwame Anthony Appiah, The Guardian, 2016/11/11
This is a terrific article and one that should force us to re-examine the 'traditions' we seek to pass on through the process of education. "How have we managed to tell ourselves that we are rightful inheritors of Plato, Aquinas, and Kant, when the stuff of our existence is more Beyoncé and Burger King?" asks Kwame Anthony Appiah. Against perhaps the prevailing wind of our times, he argues, "We live with seven billion fellow humans on a small, warming planet. The cosmopolitan impulse that draws on our common humanity is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity." Quoting Terence, he says “Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.” “I am human, I think nothing human alien to me.”
When Nerve Cells Detect Patterns for Acquired Knowledge
Mihai A. Petrovici, Johannes Bill, Ilja Bytschok, Johannes Schemmel, Karlheinz Meier, Heidelberg University, arXiv, 2016/11/11
Researchers are coming closer to describing exactly how knowledge is stored as patterns of connectivity in a neural network. They create from a framework "by implementing Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in spiking networks of abstract model neurons." This shows how a neuron can draw an inference from a subset of the data available - a 'partial representation' - selecting from various possible interpretations. It's like: we see stripes in the jungle, is it shadows or a tiger, should we run? and we make a snap decision using this method by sampling the data. The full paper is very heavy in mathematics and neural network theory. The press release is a useful summary. Via Matthias Melcher.
Not Everyone’s Hero
Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, 2016/11/11
Short article mostly intended to expose and denounce Course Hero, an online learning platform that serves essentially as a homework and assignment help site. It focuses on unreliable assignments authored by users in Kenya, "contract cheating under the guise of student support," and of course accusations of copyright violations after tests and assignments were found posted on the site. The article blames sites like this for forcing universities to shift away from assignments for assessment and toward a reliance on a small number of midterms and finals - a shift that was evident even when I was a student well before the popularity of the internet. Giving students assignments to take away and solve all by themselves is the opposite of "wrestling around with problems" and if this were what universities really intended they would adapt their pedagogy accordingly. Instead, they blame sites like this.
What European Leaders in EdTech Think of the State of MOOCs
Yoni Dayan, Class Central, 2016/11/08
I like this three part series (part 1, part 2, part 3) on MOOCs from Class Central. Yes, it's true the term MOOC is being phased out (trend 6). But people are still doing online learning, and even open online learning, and they're doing it in numbers greater than ever before, and MOOCs have found their place (trend 1). They are becoming more diverse, and incorporating more toold (trend 4) and by now they are beginning to professionalize (trend 5).
Collectively Flourishing
Randy Swearer, EdTech Digest, 2016/11/08
Some good thoughts with respect to maker spaces (quoted):
Makerspaces should never be owned by single departments or disciplines; Whenever possible there should be a real-world purpose to the making The flow from construction from studio to fabrication lab is critical. Eliminate barriers to creation by avoiding as many prerequisites as possible.Accdording to Swearer, "The collaborative environment makerspaces create helps students develop a sense of empowerment and resourcefulness. Thus, they acquire the desire and ability to create change through making."
November 2016 Preview Clips
, Ecampus Research Unit | Oregon State University,
Take a listen to our November 2016 preview clips!
Ria #32: Dr. Tom Cavanagh & Dr. Kelvin Thompson On Keeping Up With Reading
, Ecampus Research Unit | Oregon State University,
In this episode, Dr. Cavanagh and Dr. Thompson discuss strategies for keeping up with research reading.
Network-based assessment in education
David Gibson, Contemporary Issues in Technology, Teacher Education, 2016/11/08
Good article that anticipates the sort off network evaluations modern technologies now make possible online. From 2003 but relevant today. "The new technology enhanced conception of assessment stands in contrast to the traditional view of assessments as 'tests' of knowledge remembered. Instead, the new perspective on assessment seeks to create a body of “evidence” of usable and available knowledge observed in natural settings of the learner." Exactly.
There is no university of the future
Alastair Creelman, The corridor of uncertainty, 2016/11/07
I want to highlight a couple of points from this short article. First, "There is no one model for the future, there will be a wide range of different interpretations from traditional to innovative." This is what was wrong with Sebastian Thrun's prediction that after MOOCs only ten universities would remain. These new technologies create a proliferation of models, methodologies, and institutions. Second, and related to this, traditional credentials, while they may persist, will be supplemented by a wide range of qualifications. "If the new credentials are verifiable and trustworthy and employers accept them then they will become hard currency."
Teaching Using Adaptive Learning
Michael Feldstein, e-Literate, 2016/11/07
I can't watch these at the moment but I can't just pass them by. So here's a link, for my own reference. "The entire six-part interview series with McGraw-Hill Education’s adaptive learning experts is now up on YouTube."
BC Open Educational Technology Collaborative
Clint Lalonde, BC Campus, 2016/11/07
I'm not suggesting so much that you join this group (unless you live in British Columbia) as I am recommending this document (and Mattermost, an open source software alternative to Slack) as a model for the formation of your own cooperative with similar objectives. Or as a model of network-based learning generally. As the Cape Town Open Education Declaration says, "open education is not limited to just open educational resources. It also draws upon open technologies that facilitate collaborative, flexible learning and the open sharing of teaching practices that empower educators to benefit from the best ideas of their colleagues."
Planning for educational change: what is education for?
Dave Cormier, Dave's Educational Blog, 2016/11/07
We can't, of course, stop having this conversation. "There was a time, in an previous democracy, where learning how to interact in your democracy was the most important part of an education system. When i look through my twitter account now I start to think that learning to live and thrive with difference without hate and fear might be a nice thing for an education system to be for." When I came back from my hiatus in 2006 this question was top of mind for me, and I addressed a couple of talks to it: here and here.
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Copyright 2016 Stephen Downes Contact: [email protected]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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