Software with Shoulders
Doug Belshaw, April 23, 2014

If you're wondering, Facebook knows pretty much everything about you. Which takes us back once again to the discussion of public spaces and private places. I remember writing about this in 2000, but it wasn't ereally much of an issue back then. But today, with surveillance, clampdowns on public demonstration, and all the rest of it, it is becoming much more so. Doug Belshaw writes: "Public spaces should be public and commonly-owned. Perhaps it’s time for governments to stop fawning over billionaires with technical skills and start providing services for all of us. Maybe instead of dismantling the state to allow for private profit, we can use technology to create a more egalitarian and just society." (p.s. don't bother with David Eggers; novelizations are not evidence, and shouldn't be cited as a way "to dig a little deeper"). 

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Another Post about Hashtags. No, Seriously.
Tressie McMillan Cottom., tressiemc, April 23, 2014

Insightful post about the role and use of hashtags. It's relevant because of the widespread use of hashtags in learning. Hashtags were (and are) produced not by individuals or corporations, but by communities. Though commonly associated with Twitter, they existed before Twitter monetized them, and would continue to exist even after the company discontinues their use (as some carefully placed 'rumours' have suggested). But in the spirit of 'there is utterly nothing that commerce does not foul' the discussion over hashtags has turned to their exploitation (by news and other content agencies) and they ownership (by the people who really created them but who are missing out on the exploitation). It's actually a pretty common phenomenon; hashtags are just the latest victim. #Jazz #Rap #MOOC

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Gates-funded student data group to shut down
Carolyn Thompson, Houston Chronicle, April 23, 2014

A Gates-funded startup is shutting down over privacy and security concerns. "The nonprofit's goal was to give educators a data-based tool to personalize instruction. InBloom, based in Atlanta, offered to store and synthesize student data, such as grades, disciplinary actions and disability records in cloud-based servers."

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An Interview with Donna Fry
Doug Peterson, doug - off the record, April 23, 2014

This interview with Donna Fry gives you a sense of what it's like to teach and learn in northern Ontario, and insight into some of the work being undertaken to support that, including OSSEMOOC. "We need to help school and system leaders build capacity, and connections.  They need to have a good understanding of educational technology, but they also need to know who to consult with before making decisions. So with #OSSEMOOC, we are trying to build that capacity and those connections."

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Open Access Button
Various authors, Open Access Button, April 23, 2014

This is a nifty idea: "Every time you hit a paywall blocking your research, click the button. Fill out a short form, add your experience to the map along with thousands of others. Then use our tools to search for access to papers, and spread the word with social media." Here's the associated crowdfunding press release.

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