How It All Comes Together: A Cloud-Based Enrollment System in Action
Bob Burke, Arthur Mahoney, EdTech, January 7, 2014

There are many questions I would ask of this article (like, why do we even have an 'admissions process' in the age of free online learning and cloud technology) but I'll focus on one thing that really stands out as a fundamentasl flaw in many such scenarios. Part way through the story we read this: "When she gives her name to Bob, he quickly checks her in on his tablet and scans her profile and then asks if she has any questions." OK. Well, I've done a lot of speaking and meeting and interaction, both formally and informally, and what I've found it that it's really difficult to look something up and read it quickly (much less find something relevant) while in the process of spekaing or having a conversation. Not to say it's impossible - but how offputting would you be if you are the woman who says hellow to Bob, only to have him zone out for a minute or so as he looks you up.

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The Disappearance of Location-Based Learning
Assorted Stuff, Tim Stahmer, January 7, 2014

So Tim Stahmer cites a piece from a Wired article that says "the future of technology is not really location-based apps; it is about making location completely unimportant." And he rephrases: "the future of school is not really location-based learning; it is about making location completely unimportant." But... this is wrong. Take maps, as an example. In one sense, being able to access a map on your mobile phone means that maps are no longer location-based; you canm access them anywhere. But on the other hand, location is really important when you're using maps - because you need not just the cartography, you also need to know where you are. It's the same with learning. If you're not in a Buick, the Buick-based lessons probably won't apply, but if you are in a Buick, then they're exactly what you want. In which case, you may as well locate the app inside the Buick.

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Breaking down the silos
Steve Wheeler, Learning with 'e's, January 7, 2014

I get asked the question "How would you create a MOOC in [pick a subject]" quite a bit. My response is, I wish we could think of online learning as going beyond subjects, to address entire domains or disciplines. So, instead of (say) a course in mathematics, a MOOC in aviation (which would include mathematics, but much more). As Steve Wheeler says, "the separation of the subjects seems increasingly anachronistic in our diverse, post modern, hyper-connected society."

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IBM reveals its top five innovation predictions for the next five years
Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat, January 7, 2014

The prediction of most interestg to educators is 'the classroom will learn you'. "Sophisticated analytics delivered over the cloud will help teachers make decisions about which students are at risk, their roadblocks, and the way to help them." Essentially correct – but what the article misses is that the ‘classroom’ will be wherever you happen to be, and won’t necessarily be some place you have to go to any more. Other predictions: buying local will beat online;doctors will use your DNA to keep you well; a digital guardian will protect you online; and the city will help you live in it.

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How the NSA Almost Killed the Internet
Steven Levy, Wired, January 7, 2014

Ultimately this story doesn't reveal that much, but it's a good summary of the damage done by the American NSA (National Security Agency) in a widespread spying program started during the Bush years and carried on under the Obama administration. "Microsoft came first, in September 2007, followed the next year by Yahoo. Google and Facebook were added in 2009. Most recent was Apple, in October 2012." Part is the spin is the damage the spying did to American interests worldwide. I can attest to that; just yesterday I had a conversation that went along the line of "We can't use Amazon Web Services, because they're US-based, and the data needs to be secure." But I'm not under any illusions, as we read from time to time about the Five Eyes, "a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand." The lesson: if your own government won't spy on you, it can find a friendly foreign government that will. So what should we take away from this? Well, it exposes the vulnerability of centralized services like Google, Facebook and Yahoo. And in industries where privacy and personal information security matter, like education (including especially corporate learning), the importance of a distributed permission-based system becomes increasingly important.

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