OLDaily

AI-generated content: does it matter how articles are written?
Terry Freedman, ICT & Computing in Education, 2019/12/16

Noting that the BBC used an AI to writing articles for election coverage, Terry Freedman argues that it does make a difference whether articles are written by a human or by a computer. Part of his argument is based on the (thus far) limited capacity of AI: "these kind of (AI) can at present only create articles based on data." But also, they aren't very good. "These articles are mind-numbingly boring." All true. But what happens when an AI can write as creatively as a McIlvanney? It strikes me that people might give up on writing in just the same way (and for just the same reason) that Lee Se-dol quit playing Go. And that would be a loss.

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Deep Learning and the Curriculum Disconnect
Dean Shareski, Ideas and Thoughts, 2019/12/16

We need to distinguish between 'deep learning' as it's used in artificial intelligence, which is a type of machine learning, and 'deep learning' as it is used in education, which is the same old thing (collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, citizenship, character, communication) but with a new name. In this post Dean Shareski argues, "we may at times get fooled into thinking deep learning is occurring when it may be masked as compliance." For example, "While many of these pedagogies are intended to be student-driven, the reality is they are often heavily orchestrated and driven by teachers." Interestingly (and perhaps ironically), the term 'deep learning' in artificial intelligence often refers to unsupervised learning. I wonder how many 'deep learning' educators would be fine with that.

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On Digital Disinformation and Democratic Myths
David Karpf, MediaWell, 2019/12/16

This is a really good article on the impact of media manipulation and fake news. David Karpf contrasts two narratives: on the one hand, " a story of digital wizards... capable of producing near-omniscient insights into public behavior," and on the other hand, a "more mundane" but more accurate story of "messy workflows, incomplete datasets, and endless trial and error." He also points to the "myth of the attentive public", that is, the idea that people are watching and will hold civic leaders to account for misdeeds (a 'myth' because "American democracy has never had a well-informed public"). The danger, he writes, of telling the first story is that it undermines the myth. "If the public is so easily duped, then our political elites need not be concerned with satisfying their public obligations. If real power lies with the propagandists, then the traditional institutional checks on corruption can be ignored without consequence." Image: CBC. Via Ian O'Byrne.

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Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
Council of Australian Governments Education Council, 2019/12/16

This document (24 page PDF) was endorsed by all education ministers in Australia, so it carries a certain heft. Based on two overarching goals, it basically has four principles: excellence and equity; confident and creative individuals; successful lifelong learners; and active and informed members of the community. Each section of the "ambitious" report is a grab-bag of aspirational statements (high expectations, personalized learning, supporting all sectors, etc. etc.). The important parts are probably the action statements, and of those, the blue pages are probably the ones that will be emphasized the most: strengthening early childhood education, developing world-class curriculum and assessment, and getting quality data. Judging from the coverage, it was well recerived by faith-based and independent schools, but criticized by disability groups. The highlight of the report is probably the artwork by Nerine Tilmouth.

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Global Talent India: Challenges and Opportunities for Skills Development in Higher Education - 2019
Sonal Minocha, Dean Hristov, Global Talent Lab, 2019/12/16

This report is worth a read, though you may find it difficult to do so. It updates last year's edition (68 page PDF). It's presented in a user-hostile format on Issuu with no download available, making a mockery of the CC-by license; I had to put it up on the big screen in order to be able to read the small text. It's based on interviews with students, staff, policy-makers, employers and NGOs in India. Overall, the results point to a gap between academic content and workforce requirements, with the suggestion that courses are predominately theory-based. Employers pointed to a lack of preparedness for employment, while policy-makers stressed the need for entrepreneurship. NGOs pointed to the potential for skills development through capacity-building.

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