Why Math Word Problems Fail — And How We Can Get Them Right
AK Whitney, Noodle, 2016/02/29

In school I struggled with math. My problems in math centered around applying memorized formulae to specific problems. Word problems weren't a special case for me, but even as I solved the problems here my main difficulty lay in retrieving from memory the right formula for this and that. It's because I don't think mathematically, at least, not beyond a certain level. I agree with the argument in this post that word problems should be more realistic. Counting the sequins in an Oscar dress is the sort of thing we can imagine doing (mind you, as a former restaurant employee, I can also imagine buying 60 cantaloupes). I wish the article said more about the state of mind the Expii website is trying to provoke. But I do like seeing how other people solved the problem, but as always, wish a pox on those who post a formula without a word of explanation. Via David Wiley.

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The 2 views of workplace learning: L&D and Employee
Jan Hart, Learning in the Modern Workplace, 2016/02/29

I really like the diagram that comes with this article (though it could be more readable). It focuses on the very different attitudes employees have toward learning as compared to the traditional learning and development view. Employees use Google to learn something, and they learn a job by doing the job. Workplaces classes and e-learning are things to be avoided if possible and endured if necessary. "In summary then, employees are now well ahead of the game! 'Learning' for them is something they just do as part of everyday work, and they are not enthused by “learning solutions” that are thrust upon that don’t fit well with the way they now work."

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10 reasons why 2015 is the year of the MOOC
Donald Clark, Donald Clark Plan B, 2016/02/29

I like this counter to the oft-spoken sentiment that MOOCs are dead. Here are Donald Clark's ten reasons: demand is massive, MOOC learners are motivated to learn, secondary school students are taking MOOCs, educators are taking MOOCs, MOOCs are a stepping stone to greater achievements, MOOC research is focusing on learner experience, the learning design of MOOCs is progressing (for example, in coding MOOCs), MOOCs respond to real needs, there are increasingly good examples such as the Dementia MOOC. What, that's only nine? Clark left out point number 4. Oh well, nine is good enough.

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Seeking Evidence of Badge Evidence
Alan Levine, CogDogBlog, 2016/02/29

I am in agreement with Alan Levine: " being badged is a passive act, even with blockchain secure authority, it is done to you. As important, is what you do yourself, in active tense, to demonstrate your own evidence. Get badged, yes, that’s one part of showing what you have done. But get out there, get a domain, and show the world what you can do. That is evidence." Nobody would care what I have to say if all they saw were a few badges. But once I put my papers and articles out there, then they seen, and they decide for themselves whether I'm worth reading.

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