Is “Why every researcher should sign up for their ORCID ID” Grammatically Incorrect?
Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus, January 31, 2013

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The use of the singular with a universal quantifier is problematic in a world with two genders. the use of either gender alone has political implications, the use of both (a la "his/her") is awkward, and the use of the plural is grammatically wrong. There's where the options end for most people. But there is a way out: drop the universal generalization, and use your noun to indicate scope. Instead of saying "Every researcher should use their..." say instead "Researchers should use their..." Of course, you may think you've lost your punch. But now that you've changed your noun,  world of possibilities opens up, as in "All researchers should use their..." or "Mindful researchers should use their..." or even "Gender-neutral researchers should use their..." In general, when you want to make a point that applies to more than one researcher (or anything else), don't use the singular form of the noun.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Research]

Rules are Rules. Sort of.
Chris Betcher, Betchablog, January 31, 2013

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Maybe it's because I'm Canadian, maybe it's because I understand perfectly the logic behind posting speed limits with the expectation that people will drive 20 or so km faster (depending on he place, the road conditions, the time of day, the risk of moose on the road, etc.) but most of all, I think it's because I understand that when you say "rules are rules" you misunderstand the logic of both rules and the regulation of behaviour. If you are a rules literalist, then you encourage people to follow the letter of the law, often contrary to the spirit of the law. Should I continue to drive 100 kph even if the road is lined with cyclists along one side? The literalist says "but the rules say I can" while the common -sense approach understands that the point of the rule is to drive at a safe speed. The same with copyright notices. There is not a hard and fast rule (contrary to what is implied in this post) that you cannot share something with a copyright logo on it. It used to be, if you kept things non-commercial, you were fine. Now it's a little more grey (and there are guidelines). But if you act as a copyright literalist, you create problems of implementation and, more importantly, comprehension.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Branding, Copyrights, Canada]

Designing eLearning For iPads
Amit Garg, Upside Learning Blog, January 31, 2013

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Very good slide deck with a lot of relevant data on the importance of understanding learning on tablets and some of the design elements that prove to be important (including my fave, 'fat fingers'). Tablets aren't just big mobile phones (or small computers) - they will be used, for example, more often to read or study, but also, used this way in more mobile environments (and often outside the range of connectivity, such as in airplanes or on older city buses or trains). This post consists of a short outline and then a 64-slide presentation. Recommended. Related: Ignatia writes of a call for participation in a project the Advanced Distributed Learning(ADL) Initiative will be conducting a thorough needs analysis in preparation for a new design-based research project named, the Mobile Training Implementation Framework (MoTIF).

[Link] [Comment][Tags: none]

The Truth About Being A Great Manager
Kyle James, .eduGuru, January 31, 2013

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Useful lesson of the day: "to manage is to serve." I don't have much more to say about this that that. If they get that, everything else follows. Because, you know, it's not the managers who are going to go out and build great stuff and generate revenue. or outcomes, or whatever, for the organization,

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Here a MOOC, There a MOOC: But Will It Work for Freshman Composition?
Karen Head, The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog, January 31, 2013

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Interesting post on some of the dynamics of teaching in Coursera. "A representative from Coursera (the platform we must use) contacted recipients of the Gates MOOC grants asking all the recipients to form a collaborative led by a Coursera representative to discuss course design. While the explicit message was one of helpfulness, the implicit message felt intrusive and seemed more about Coursera’s desire to ensure a certain continuity of experience for its users."

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Experience]