OLDaily

Feature Article
Supporting Everyday Learning
Stephen Downes, Half an Hour, 2021/04/20

Based on an actual and active online learning initiative that includes occasional courses, newsletters, videos and presentations, this workshop will outline the thinking behind the design of an everyday learning experience, describe the technology used to acquire learning materials, organize them, and provide them in such a way as to offer day-to-day value for learners. Slides, audio and video on the presentation page.

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Concerns about Institutional Credit for Public Philosophy
Justin Weinberg, Daily Nous, 2021/04/20

I read this before giving my talk today (but too close to it to be able to work it into it at all). The argument presented is that participating in public education - what I would call 'supporting everyday learning' - is harmful, first, because public contributions are not peer reviewed, and second, because these are not recognized for academic advancement and promotion. And I could certainly say that my observation not just today but through the course of my career is that there isn't much interest on the part of academics in talking to anyone other than each other - and maybe students in classrooms, if the have to. But I also don't find that situation acceptable, and I've tried for many years to warn those teaching in colleges and universities that there will come a time when they need the public's support and it won't be there because they haven't done enough to earn it.

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Starting a K-12 classroom drone program
La'Quata Sumter, eSchool News, 2021/04/20

I have two conflicting thoughts about starting a school drone program. It's true that such an experience could be life-changing for the participants. But on the other hand, it's expensive, and won't be available to all schools, nor to all students in the school (and the disadvantaged will be the least likely to be able to participate). This article talks about the educational purpose of drones, and even things like FAA regulations. But it doesn't ask the question of whether the purchase of drones is reasonable in the face of other needs.

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Why There Are So Many Bad E-Learning Courses
Tom Kuhlmann, The Rapid E-Learning Blog, 2021/04/20

The answer in this post, at least as I read it, is that companies don't want to make the investment into good e-learning. "In organization both big and small... the organization buys the software and that’s about it. The developers don’t tend to get much more and must cobble together all sorts of things to build their courses." Also, "When it comes to teaching, we’re very content-centric... There are no supporting activities to practice using it. There’s no opportunity to make real-world decisions and get feedback."

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Two Old Folks in the Park Waxing On About Bookmarklets
Alan Levine, CogDogBlog, 2021/04/20

I sometimes feel like one of those old folks on a bench in the park, watching as the world moves on and talking about "the way it used to be". But there is something to that talk, isn't there? Here, Alan Levine is responding to Tony Hirst's response to his original post. Which is the way it used to be. "This was how things worked on the connected internet before people’s attention span got distilled down to 280 characters, clicking like buttons or reacting with emojis."

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