OLDaily

Computing Conviviality
Mark Johnson, Daily Improvisation, 2021/01/19

I mentioned the value of conviviality yesterday; with a nod to Ivan Illich, this article looks at the concept in more detail. "Conviviality occurs when we recognise the problems that each of us face, and relate them to our own problems, whilst recognising that working together can help us all. Coding creates a universal framework for articulating and sharing deep problems - it is not something that is done TO people: that merely creates a new set of constraints of "work as imagined". The magic only works if it is done WITH people." Imagine from an Audrey Watters article in Hybrid Pedagogy, Convivial Tools in an Age of Surveillance.

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Co-creating OER with Students in the Trades
Chad Flinn, BCcampus, 2021/01/19

This is quick post describing "electrical trades students’ experiences as they used and co-created open educational resources." It outlines six themes: the need for resources written in a language and style students can understand, the value of co-creation, the relation between enjoyment and engagement, students' lack of digital literacy skills, the value of peer and self-assessment, and the impact of student agency. These are I think all ways in which adult learning, and especially online learning, are different from the traditional in-class experience, which is why you can't just plug in a camera and lecture as though you were in a classroom. More from Chad Flinn.

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What is machine learning? – A beginner’s guide
FutureLearn, 2021/01/19

This is quite a good introduction to machine learning. If you don't know what it is and would like a quick no-nonsense introduction, this is it. Machine learning is depicted "as the science of getting computers to learn automatically." It's a type of artificial intelligence, which means essentially that they are software systems that "operate in an intentional, intelligent, and adaptive manner." The third point is the most important, because it means they can change their programming based on experience and changing circumstances. The article talks about some types of machine learning systems and outlines some application in the field. It's FutureLearn, so at the end it recommends some course tracks for people interested in making this a career, and just to dangle a carrot, the web page lets you know the median base salary and number of job opening for the program in question.

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Social Media Companies Should Self-Regulate. Now.
Michael A. Cusumano, Annabelle Gawer, David B. Yoffie, Harvard Business Review, 2021/01/19

My first thought on reading the headline was to ask the authors what they thought social media companies were doing up to this point? If they were not already self-regulating, then who was regulating them? Exactly. What we have today is the result of self-regulation, not evidence that we need it. The problem is not that "new industries tend to eschew self-regulation when the perceived costs imply a significant reduction in revenues or profits." The problem is that there's no simple way to self-align with social or political values on a global scale. The 'self-regulation' that worked fine (so we were told) when supporting the Arab Spring or the rise of populism in Eastern Europe is toxic when applied to American democracy. It's the size and reach of these companies that creates the need for external regulation, not some internal self-regulatory failure.

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