OLDaily

It’s Fun, But Is Netflix Right For Workplace Learning?
Amit Garg, eLearning Industry, 2022/01/18

This post makes three points, two obvious, but one less so. The obvious points are that, first, Netflix is usually blocked in workplaces, so the question is moot, and second, people don't really learn a lot by simply watching video. They need to engage in quality practice for learning to take hold. I totally agree. But also, there's this less obvious point: Eran Adi Cioban "did not want to place his learners in front of a huge collection of learning possibilities so that they were dependent on an algorithm to make a selection. Instead, he wanted them 'to be active and inquiring when they choose what they should learn.'" This falls under the heading, I think, of 'learning how to learn'. It's a necessary part of all learning, and students are shortchanged if they don't get it (the earlier the better). Via Upside Learning. P.S., if you are wondering whether there's actually any learning content on Netflix: surprise, there's a lot!

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Disrupting the Disruption: A Digital Learning HeXie Ecology Model
Na Li, Henk Huijser, Youmin Xi, Maria Limniou, Xiaojun Zhang, Megan Y.C.A. Kek, Education Sciences, 2022/01/18

The Chinese term 'Héxié' (和谐) means something like 'harmonious' or 'balanced'. In this article the model presented draws on  Xi's 'Noteworthy Conduct and Independent Character: The Way of Hexie Education', which unfortunately doesn't appear on the English internet. Héxié also reminds readers of the concept of the 'harmonious society' (和谐社会), the centerpiece of President (2003-2013) Hu Jintao's political philosophy, and is also the name of China's high-speed train network. The HeXie Ecology Model itself considers Bronfenbrenner’s 'five levels': the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. In this ecology the authors combine Héxié with a problem-based learning (PBL) framework outlined by Kek and Huijser. The challenge (interestingly posed as a challenge for institutions) is to find that balance between the changes brought about by self-directed learning and institutional resilience, or put differently (following Xi), between action and planning. This paper rewards effort, but it also demands it.

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Seven Habits of Highly Effective Podcasts
Matt Deegan, Matt on Audio, 2022/01/18

As readers know, I love my audio content. There's always music in my ears when I work, an audiobook on when I walk, and podcasts of all sorts when I cycle. And I can say that while this article offers tips for would-be podcasters, it may also surprise the reader a bit. For example: the most successful podcasts have almost always been around for a long time. "Very few podcasts can become instant hits." It takes time to build an audience (which grows mostly through word of mouth) and it takes time to settle into a well-produced and engaging format. One eight factor is missing, though: I have yet to see a successful podcast that features only one speaker. You need the variety and sometimes tension that multiple voices bring.

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A Science Journalist’s Journey to Understand AI
Kathryn Hulick, The Gradient, 2022/01/18

If your understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) is limited, this is a good place to start. Don't let the table of contents at the top throw you; it's a good brisk read that won't take you into too much depth. If you do understand AI, then consider this a guide to the common misconceptions you need to work to correct. It's structured along the lines of things the author "used to think" as corrected by her reading of books, listening to podcasts, or talking with writers. Overall it's accurate; I might complain about some of the emphases and nuances (for example: far less knowledge and skills are innate than she suggests). But the author writes educational books for kids. It's always about the main point, and the main points here are useful and accurate.

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Is the Hybrid Virtual Classroom just a badly photocopied lesson?
Video Teaching, 2022/01/18

I didn't notice this article until it was highlighted in today's OEB newsletter (but the author is now in my RSS reader, so that won't happen again). It's a summary of a conference session with four papers (including the author's (slides on video here)) on hybrid learning, an obviously hot topic during the pandemic. The title underlines the central question: does hybrid mean we are just creating a poor copy of the actual in-class experience? As one student commented, "It is not productive to join an online class to watch a screenshare of a power point – I can do that on my own at a later time." It would have been nice to have links to additional presentations (not that I'm criticizing; I've never done it). And Zac: put your name on your blog. And remember to moderate your comments. :)

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Questioning learning analytics? Cultivating critical engagement as student automated feedback literacy
Antonette Shibani, Simon Knight, Simon Buckingham Shum, Finding Knowledge, 2022/01/18

For learning analytics to be effective, argue the authors, students need to be able to engage constructively with it. This article looks this in detail, studying the responses of 150 students to reports produced by AcaWriter, a tool that analyzes papers for 'rhetorical moves' (along with grammar and spelling, etc) and produces a report. Engagement was rated as 'deep' or 'shallow' and responses were classified as 'agreeing', 'disagreeing' or 'neutral' with respect to the analysis. There are numerous points that could be addressed here; reading it, I questioned the 'rhetorical moves' model, I questioned how AcaWriter detected the moves, and I questioned whether the 'shallow' response had anything actually to do with AcWriter. No matter. This is good clear research on a topic of importance.

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