OLDaily

Presentation
Trends in e-Learning and Virtual Education
Stephen Downes, Jan 28, 2019, 7 Internacional e-Learning Seminar, Online, via Zoom

I outline a number of major recent technological trends in e-learning and virtual education, including the use of artificial intelligence and learning analytics, blockchain technology for resources and recognition, and virtual and augmented reality for immersive experiences. I draw examples from corporate, university, and elementary education development projects and implementations. These in turn inform the discussion of wider trends in pedagogy and curriculum, including new critical literacies, community network development and management, and personal learning management and support.

[Link] [Slides] [Audio]

Patreon and Twitter are right about freedom of speech
Ben Werdmuller, 2019/01/28

I think this is a truism that people would do well to keep in mind: "The mechanisms and legal machinations of freedom of speech aside, any community that allows intolerance to flourish will in itself become intolerant." How this works in a completely decentralized system like Interplanetary File System (IPFS) is a good (and important) question.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Supporting a Connected Galaxy of Knowledge
Gaby Appleton, The Scholarly Kitchen, 2019/01/28

This post outlines four principles which ought to characterize the knowledge infrastructure in the future (quoted):

1. the information system supporting research must be source-neutral.
2. components from different providers in the information system supporting research should work together.
3. transparency... researchers want to know how that recommendation was arrived at, and why it is relevant to them.
4. we must put researchers in control. People should be able to set their own preferences and parameters.

Right now, we don't have this anywhere. The closest we have is Google, which at least works, but which is opaque and beyond our control. In the academic world, none of the four apply. I cannot begin to calculate the cost our confused and fragmented system inflicts on society.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Why Can’t the World’s Greatest Minds Solve the Mystery of Consciousness?
Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian, 2019/01/28

This is generally a good article providing an overview of the contribution of David Chalmers to the consciousness debate. I like the way Chalmers frames the question as "the hard problem". Consciousness is not the sort of thing we can understand by understanding the physical mechanisms that produce it, it seems. But I disagree with the artticle's suggestion that the debate has only recently emerged. The problem of consciousness periodically produces some of the best work in philosophy, such as Thomas Nagel's What is it Like to be a Bat? For those interested in my own position on consciousness, you can always read my paper on the subject here (see also Matthias Mecher's summary and diagram).

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

A Study on Driverless-Car Ethics Offers a Troubling Look Into Our Values
Caroline Lester, The New Yorker, 2019/01/28

I continue to believe we should not look to actual human behaviour for ethical guidance with respect to automation and artificial intelligence. This study underlines my concerns. Drivers faced with critical decisions would make snap value judgements about who they hit (preferring, say, to hit fat people, or homeless people). This contrasts with a recommendation that "In the event of unavoidable accident situations, any distinction based on personal features (age, gender, physical or mental constitution) is strictly prohibited."

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]