Tacit Knowledge Acquisition and Dissemination in Distance Learning
Annel Ketcha, Jokull Johannesson, Paul Bocij, The European Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 2015/12/28

This is quite a good discussion of the concept of tacit knowledge, how it evolved since its original description in Polanyi, and focusing on the the "organisational view supporting the articulation of tacit knowledge" by people like Nonaka and Takeuchi. Tacit knowledge is "is that part of knowledge that is widely embodied in individuals but not able to be readily expressed." In more recent years, one objective of e-learning in organizations has been to disseminate tacit knowledge across the organization, but as the authors note, this use is contentious. "Many researchers argue that means to share tacit knowledge cited by the previous schools are no longer suitable in the current digital era." Maybe so. Or maybe - as I think - all knowledge is tacit knowledge. Either way, the discussions of tacit knowledge in the field are premature. "A major gap in tacit knowledge in e-learning research is the lack of empirical evaluation of tacit knowledge and its flow among online learners and tutors." Image: Nonaka and Takeuchi (1997) (from here) (more).

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Who are the Open Learners? A Comparative Study Profiling non-Formal Users of Open Educational Resources
Robert Farrow, Beatriz de los Arcos, Rebecca Pitt, Martin Weller, The European Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 2015/12/28

With all the fuss about MOOCs over the last few years efforts like iTunes University have been lost in the shuffle. The closed platform didn't exactly make iTunesU feel 'open', but it was and is widely popular. And for today's analysis, the difference in usage patterns is revealing. Viewers skew younger, less educated, and less formal. And they reflect some trends also found in other open education resource (OER) efforts. For example: while many factors influence selection, licensing and attractive presentation aren't high on the list. Also, a significant number of people feel their needs are being met without the need for formal learning. And online assessment doesn't appear to be a major motivating factor.

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Forget laptops – here’s how you can get a 17″ portable desktop PC for $250
Maren Estrada, BGR.com, 2015/12/28

You will probably want to splurge on a keyboard and mouse as well, but you'll still only be ahead of the game. The kit includes two essential pieces:

• Kangaroo - the $99 computer announced in October that's about the size of my Galaxy Note. You'll want the docking port too, for a bit extra. Battery life is only 4 hours - but it's hard to beat being able to carry your computer around with you in your pocket. More.
• AOC 17-inch portable monitor - it comes with a case and connects with USB (which also powers it).
  

Now these precise products aren't the point. It's the way your personal computer can become very portable that's the point. Why carry around all that extra gear in your laptop if you don't need it? Imagine what you could do (in some future world) when you carry your computer in your wallet and plug it into devices and services whenever you need it. Via Doug Peterson.

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