OLDaily

1000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
Rui Ma, Class Central, 2022/02/10

I commented earlier that I didn't think of badges as suitable incentives for professional development. I still believe that, but I admit it's a little inconsistent with what we see here, where Rui Ma writes " I find certificates highly motivating in helping me complete the courses." She is here talking about certificates from universities, major companies, developer platforms, and online learning platforms. All free. This article focuses mostly on free course and certificates for developers, which to be honest is where most such activity takes place. But this has to be a longer term challenge for institutions that charge thousands of dollars for their courses and (most importantly) degrees and certificates. Doesn't it?

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Researchers looked at nearly 3,000 native ads across five years. Here’s what they found
Michelle A. Amazeen, Nieman Lab, 2022/02/10

In the world of ed tech, native ads most often appear as 'guest posts' that serve to disguise the fact that they are content paid for and produced by an advertiser. I get several requests to run guest posts every day, as do I'm sure most other writers and bloggers in the field. It's pretty easy to spot the websites that run the posts, though I'm sure I've been fooled on occasion. After all, the intent is to fool us. I sometimes report on them and where relevant cast doubt on their authorship. To be clear (not that it will stop the inquiries): I do not run guest posts or native advertising ever. Nor do the credible writers in this field. But many commercial publications (including news media) are happy to take them. They should know that they undermine their own credibility. I hope the money is worth it.

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How Big Consulting thinks about Higher Education
Alex Usher, Higher Education Strategy Associates, 2022/02/10

Alex Usher is always at his best when he's responding to real writing that real people (or in this case, consulting companies) have produced. In this case, I thoroughly enjoyed his take-down of the disciplinary 'thought-leadership' of the likes of KMPG, Deloitte, McKinsey and others. As he says, "the foci of most of these consulting firms reveals no more that one would get from faithfully reading Inside Higher Education or World University News for a bit." I concur. But - and this is the worrisome part - research produced inside government for executive and ministerial advice depends heavily on these consultants' reports. I like to think that one of the major services I provide inside government is to be able to provide background and context to these consultants' reports, and to correct for some of the excesses.

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Identity Across the Multiverse
Amy Kind, The Splintered Mind, 2022/02/10

Starting with Arthur C. Clark's A Fall of Moondust and John Christopher's The White Mountains, I read a lot of science fiction when I was younger. As this article notes, science fiction has looked at the question of personal identity every which way. What is it to say that I'm the same person over time? What would we say if I crossed worlds or dimensions or split into multiple entities? As a philosopher I also considered the matter, but I've never been comfortable with the discipline's desire to come up with 'one right answer' to these questions. I think of my own identity one way (specifically: if I think it's me, it's me) and people in the community think of it differently (specifically: physical bodily continuity). The interesting questions revolve not around which of these views is right, but around how these views intersect, for example, in questions about knowledge and skills, responsibility, authority, consent and agreement.

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Intentional learning design
Alexandra Mihai, Educationalist, 2022/02/10

This article is essentially a grab-bag of learning design principles, but they have been rounded up and presented under the heading of 'intentional learning design', which in this case is a slogan describing their use in blended learning. I know that sounds a bit cynical, but read the article and see whether I'm wrong. :p The principles include such standbys as 'focus on the learning not on the tools', 'learning as a flow', 'teacher presence', and 'opportunities for engagement, interaction, feedback, and reflection'. There's nothing wrong with any of these, but I don't see them as speaking specifically (and only) to intentional blended learning design.

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Google-Supported Effort to Help Develop Courses in Responsible AI
Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology, 2022/02/10

I've noticed a recent shift in terminology from 'ethical AI' to 'responsible AI' in tech media. Presumably the latter is something Google can support, while the former is still something it struggles with. Anyhow, a large enough gift from Google is certain to help universities not notice and to get on board with the new program. Let's hear it for "efficacious implementation of artificial intelligence.

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