OLDaily

Welcome to Online Learning Daily, your best source for news and commentary about learning technology, new media, and related topics.

Presentation
Introduction to Social Constructivism
Stephen Downes, Dec 15, 2023, Microlearning Series, Online, via Zoom

---

In this presentation I introduce the basic elements of constructivim and social constructivism, outline the relation to critical theory, discuss applications in the classroom, and consider criticisms of social constructivism. Unedited audio transcript.

[Link] [Slides] [Audio] [Video]

Do Product Managers Need to Code?
Dakota Nunley, Udacity, 2023/12/15

---

I had an opportunity six or seven years ago to move into the private sector and become a product manager. Looking at the salaries cited in this article, I wonder about the choice I made (though I would probably have had to be a lot less public about my work). Anyhow, I've always been interested in the role of 'product manager' ever since (the way I was interested in 'information architect' in the early years). This article questions whether product managers need to be able to code. It's a pretty good summary - in my own case, I do know how to code, and I can see how it created some of the issues raised in this article, such as role confusion and inefficient use of time.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Human Nature
Grant Ramsey, Cambridge, 2023/12/15

---

I haven't had time to read this (I found it at 4:05 on Friday) but the topic is some interest. From the summary in Philosophical Progress: "the author develops a trait cluster account of human nature, which holds that human nature is based on the distribution of our traits over our (actual and possible) life histories." It's an interesting way to get around the problem of essentialism. Some say "since human nature is deeply normative: human nature is about how we should be, not about how we are." Sure, maybe. "We may even hold that we ought to strive in this way. But if human nature is an ideal of this kind, it is an invention." Personally, I think that what is, just is - there's no inherent good or bad about it. What makes it good or bad is how it relates to who we are and what we want to do. It's an open access book (66 page PDF) so enjoy it.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Exploring AI Pedagogy - A Community Collection of Teaching Reflections
MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI, HCommons, 2023/12/15

---

Anna Mills writes, "A new place to share what we're trying and how it's going (the good and the bad).
In the spirit of informal, collegial check-ins, (we've) launched Exploring AI Pedagogy: A Community Collection of Teaching Reflections." What you'll find are posts from educators from a variety of institutions on their experiences with AI and learning. Some report experiments, some report on new products, some are just reflections. You can add your own. Image: Medium.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Lean over PISA. Make way for a better future for schools
EduResearch Matters, EduResearch Matters, 2023/12/15

---

This article discusses not only the most recent most recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) assessment but also the release of proposals for Australia's next National Schools Reform Agreement (NSRA). It's easy to get lost in the weeds of studies and policy proposals like these, but this article handles it pretty well, pointing to the overall decline in achievement over the last 20 years, matching it with a corresponding increase in economic disparity, and commenting wryly, "It's almost as if the lower half decided not to try harder." As they say bluntly, "large swathes of rural and low SES schools, even if they can attract teachers, struggle hard enough to offer a rounded senior school curriculum, let alone boast many, if any, high-level achievers. The latter have gone, and they took their high scores with them." Hence the new proposals, which emphasize "the need to increase socio-economic diversity in school enrollments and to do it soon." It will probably take more than that. This may sound like Australia's problem in the reading, but it's not just Australia's problem. The pattern is world-wide.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

We publish six to eight or so short posts every weekday linking to the best, most interesting and most important pieces of content in the field. Read more about what we cover. We also list papers and articles by Stephen Downes and his presentations from around the world.

There are many ways to read OLDaily; pick whatever works best for you:

• Read in your web browser on this web page, updated weekdays
• Receive a daily or weekly email newsletter by subscribing here
• Subscribe to the RSS feed using your favourite feed reader
• Follow @OLDaily@mastodon.social on Mastodon or elsewhere in the fediverse
• Follow @OLDaily on Twitter
• Integrate the open API using the JSON feed