Stephen Downes

This is interesting. "Researchers applying for grants from Canada's three main federal funding agencies will soon have cause for celebration: the unpopular Canadian Common CV is being phased out in favour of a new narrative CV.... called the Tri-Agency CV, is a maximum of five pages (six in French) divided into six sections." The new format is focused much more on narrative than data, with a focus on things like your 'personal statement' and your 'most significant contributions'. I'm still not a fan of requiring people to fill out a form on a centralized website, but at least it's a bit of movement in the right direction.

In case you thought nothing has changed over the last 60 years Alex Usher provides us with a treat of a review of A Blight on the Ivy by Robert and Katherine Gordon, published in 1962. "Before I go any further, let me stress that this is not a good book," writes Alex Usher. Beyond it's flaws, though, it's worth noting that "it's a book about the dissolution of a certain college ideal—one that involves residential living and enormous dollops of pastoral care from academics—under conditions of massification." It's hard to imagine ever returning to pre-1960s higher education anywhere in the world. And this is a good thing.

As always, my take here is that what we say about journalists can also be said about educators. And this article is a great case in point. The point of departure: "the core professional values that define good journalism... factuality, impartiality, public service, autonomy, and ethics." In this study, though, researchers find that the public wants "approachability, empathy, and skills in communicating clearly and in ways that emotionally resonate." I could recast this by saying people want to see themselves reflected in journalism  - and therefore, education - at least to the extent that what is important to them is reflected in what is considered important by the institution.

I'm not exactly going to endorse the view of ethics ascribed to Daoist thought outlined here, but it's worth noting that my own thinking has been influenced by such considerations. I was asked once what my core philosophy looks like and I described a scene where I was walking down a street in Edmonton and felt, for a moment, in perfect balance - harmony - with everything around me. I have described my philosophy of state similarly: in diversity, harmony. And in discussions online I've noodled around the concept of a 'pedagogy of harmony'. It has a basis in caring and community and culture, but it's centered also in a sense of self and identity and connecting. All as a form of harmony, not conflict, not competition (except in fun).

This report (48 page PDF) briefly outlines open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP), outlining their benefits, and then details the responses to a survey of Ontario institutions' awareness, support and infrastructure supporting OER and OEP.

"For the first time in the history of our species we have technology that performs some of the tasks of teaching," writes Donald Clark. "We have reached a pivot point where this can be tried and tested." Yet "you'd think it was Armageddon." I too am puzzled about the rage against AI. It seems to me to be out of proportion to its impact - critics exaggerate environmental impact, exaggerate social harm, exaggerate corporate ogopoly. But why?