OLDaily

Fragmentary Thoughts on Data (and “Analytics”) in Online Distance Education
Tony Hirst, OUseful Info, 2019/02/08

What's the purpose of using data and analytics on online learning? This seemingly simple question hides a deep divide. On the one hand, we could use it to improve our online materials. That's the approach we almost never take. "That approach also stands in marked contrast to the learning analytics view," writes Tony Hirst, "which is more akin to the current dystopia being developed by Google et al. In this world, data is collected not to improve the thing we control (the course content, structure and navigation) but to control the user so they better meet our metrics. Data is collected not so that we can make interventions in the thing we control (the course content, structure and navigation) but “the product” — the student. Interventions are there so we can tell the students where they are going wrong, where they are not performing."

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An e-textbook scandal rocks Antigua
GEM Report, World Education Blog, 2019/02/08

There's no shortage of e-textbook companies willing to prey on the smaller and poorer nations of the world, it seems. Here we have a case where e-textbooks were bought from FortunaPix for $9 million, but where they levied "an additional licensing fee of US$250 for every eBook user per year." That is a lot of money for textbooks. The UNESCO authors note that "the 2017/8 GEM Report on accountability dedicated a whole chapter to the need to hold private actors to account in education." They add, "Antigua, we showed, is not the only country to fall prey to issues of this kind... many such initiatives have benefited vendors, not students, owing to poor procurement and contract enforcement."

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Connecting Personalized Professional Learning to a Bigger Purpose
George Couros, The Principal of Change, 2019/02/08

I thought this was a good conversation on the pull between personal learning on the one hand and ensuring all learning aligns with the institutional mission on the other hand. The problem I see in the workplace is that employers sometimes equate the latter - 'learning that aligns with vision' - with 'learning what you are told to learn'. But of course the two are not synonymous at all; visions are broad and aspirational, while specific mandates are task-centered and focused - and of limited value. That's why I agree with George Couros when he writes "Having the autonomy to create a pathway for your learning that ties to a more significant purpose of the organization can be something that benefits at the individual and organizational level."

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I Subscribed To Push Notifications From 12 News Outlets For 3 Months — Here’s What I Learned
Cassie Dagostino, Medium, 2019/02/08

Though this article is focused on push notifications about U.S. politics from U.S. mainstream media, the lessons to be drawn are, I think, more widely applicable. Take the time to read the sample notifications. I think that if you study anything - yes, including math and science - you're going to get a similar range of perspectives (this certainly applies in the field of ed tech). Some sources are inherently untrustworthy, some sources focus on specific types of stories, some sources have a certain point of view, and some sources are generally reliable (but with some glaring blind spots). You should never depend on any one source, and you should eliminate sources reluctantly, because even the propagandist is right once in a while.

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