OLDaily

A plan to redesign the internet could make apps that no one controls
Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review, 2020/07/03

I think the headline is a bit overstated, but there is something interesting in this plan. "Dfinity is building what it calls the internet computer, a decentralized technology spread across a network of independent data centers that allows software to run anywhere on the internet rather than in server farms that are increasingly controlled by large firms, such as Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud." It's a bit like taking the cloud, and putting it into the cloud. And it's the sort of model we've seen before - "It joins a list of organizations developing a range of alternatives, including Solid, SAFE Network, InterPlanetary File System, Blockstack, and others. All draw on the techno-libertarian ideals embodied by blockchains, anonymized networks like Tor and peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent." But these aren't easy to build, they aren't easy to manage, and they aren't easy to prevent from doing more harm than good.

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What Makes an Excellent Online Teacher?
Emily Boudreau, Usable Knowledge, 2020/07/03

I think this is an unusual perspective, and I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's worthy of note. Excellent instruction, according to Rhonda Bondie, "is based on decision-making — how teachers decide to respond to and engage with students, select curriculum materials, organize learning, and use communication strategies." This article summarizes Bondie's book Differentiated Instruction Made Practical (co-authored with Akane Zusho). The role of decision-making is only accentuated in an online environment. “Now, teachers need to make deliberate decisions about how students will feel belonging in a classroom community in a space without walls, see themselves reflected in the virtual space, feel both independence and belonging, and share power dynamics intentionally.” Teacher as decider. No, I'm not sure I agree at all.

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MIT apologizes, permanently pulls offline huge dataset that taught AI systems to use racist, misogynistic slurs
GeoffreyRockwell, Theoreti.ca, 2020/07/03

Theoreti.ca reports, "Another one of those 'what were they thinking when they created the dataset stories' from The Register tells about how MIT apologizes, permanently pulls offline huge dataset that taught AI systems to use racist, misogynistic slurs." The problem, in my view, is not merely that they were careless in creating this dataset, but that they are being educated in an environment where these sorts of things simply aren't considered. So long as elite educational institutions are reserved for the wealthy, these sorts of incidents are going to continue to happen. Cause. Effect.

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Global Citizenship Education after the COVID-19 crisis?
Marta Estellés, World Education Blog, 2020/07/03

It makes sense that we should revisit the idea of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) after the end of Covid. But what would that education look like? asks Marta Estellés. That's the problem, she writes. " most GCED models have been framed as evolutionary and redemptive models, reinforcing neo-liberal perspectives of minimizing both the public sphere and governments’ obligations toward their citizens. With some noted exemptions, GCED models tend to promote an 'entrepreneurial self'." But that's the sort of thinking that got us into the current crisis. "The problem is not only that there are individuals who are not able to imagine and carry out forms of cooperation with other citizens around the world, but also –and perhaps more importantly– that many governments are not willing, nor demanded, to do so." We need to learn to cooperate, to form consensus, and work toward the global good.

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The Ultimate Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons for Educators
Kathleen Morris, Sue Waters, Ronnie Burt, The Edublogger, 2020/07/03

I'm sure people will like this new guide to copyright, and that's why I'm passing it along. At the same time, though, I think that it and similar resources have the wrong focus. They're all about convincing people to avoid violating copyright. Sure, that's fine, but the "5 main rules" are overly publisher-centered. If I really wanted you to learn about copyright, I would begin with how copyright protects you. So my 5 main rules would be something like:

1. Everything you create and post online is automatically protected by copyright. This means other people can't use it without your permission.
2. You can share something you create by licensing it. For example, a Creative Commons license tells people they can use what you created for free.
3. You can share what you create with conditions. For example, you can tell people they cannot charge money for what you created, or you can tell people they cannot alter or change what you created.
4. If you share your content on a website, that means you are giving people permission to view what you created, but not to take it for their own use.
5. If you share content on a platform like Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, that means you are using their license to share your work, which gives them permission to use it however they wish, and to share it with whomever they want.

These are to my mind probably the most important things to remember about copyright. Remember, it's not about publisher rights - it's about your rights. If we can start there, we create a genuine reason to respect copyright, rather than an abstract 'here are the rules' reason.

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Happy July, everyone!
Robert Kelchen, Twitter, 2020/07/03

This widely read Twitter thread predicts what is essentially a doomsday scenario for American higher education this summer. Robert Kelchen writes, "Residential colleges will take a devastating hit. Auxiliary revenues will go to near zero for another several months, resulting in layoffs--not just furloughs--of a lot of employees." Or, as one reply states, "Or, we can put billionaires in a 95% tax bracket. Definitely solve New York higher ed." But even if we're collecting taxes from billionaires, is providing that residential experience for rich students how we want to spend our money?

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Universities Won’t Fix Distance Education - And They Might Endanger Elearning Forever
Cristian T. Duque, LMS Pulse, 2020/07/03

I found myself nodding in agreement at numerous points through this article. Here's the gist: "I am not alone in believing that not only universities play essential roles in society, but perhaps their goals would be much better suited the more distance they take from teaching and degree granting... All we need is to take away their ability to influence and compete for the financial decisions of people. Campuses could play better, more open roles and support learning, collaboration and vigorous debate, free from the pressures of higher education." There's a lot more here - have a look and see whether you don't start agreeing.

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