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nge de Waard links to this collection of xAPI case studies - these are "short (average 15 min) videos covering xAPI in a variety of settings.... real stories on how people in EdTech are using Experience API in their context. The videos were taped during the Orlando happening, and they include wonderful experts." See also the Connections Forum.

Icon Norm Friesen takes an entire essay to get to making this point, but it's worth the wait: "A curriculum -whether in Nippur or New York-- is not a description of development, it is a prescription for it; and this is the difference that separates a relativist study of inscriptive and expressive practices from the practical realities of education." What that means is that literacy isn't some sort of invariable, but rather, is the result of layers upon layers of cultural norms that have piled up over the years, and it is one that is (importantly) created through education, and not merely revealed through it. oldaily2015 102

As a philosopher, I find it flattering that people think that my field of study demands innate brilliance. The problem is, I don't believe there is such a thing as innate brilliance. Anyone could be as brilliant as I am thought to be, though there are some preconditions: they have to have good pre- and post-natal nutrition, as I did, they have to receive early childhood education, as I did, they have to live in an environment where academic success is valued and expected, as I did, and they have to have the resources to promote self-study, as I did. These are usually (but not always) the consequences of privilege. The same people also tend to be taller and to live longer. That's why there is this perception that they are somehow superior. But this perception is false. Often, people with these advantages do not live up to their potential. And often, people without these advantages find other advantages. Via Academica. See also The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed.

I have long argued that the solution to the problem of motivation lies in providing students with subjects they want to study and become proficient in. To my mind, this article to some degree validates that argument. The authors conclude, "Distance learners learn with different goal profiles that are associated with different learning patterns... distance learners who endorsed both mastery and performance-approach goals engaged in deep learning using adaptive strategies consistently throughout an academic year. (They) remained interested in learning and had confidence in their learning abilities across three different survey points over the year."

This, to me, signifies the success of a cMOOC: "Our study also shows that top ten nodes with the highest in-degree were primarily hashtags. This suggests that people were connecting around thematic markers of common interest, referring to them and making them popular. In fact, thematic analysis of the same dataset confirms that the learners were more focused on the topics of interest, rather than those suggested by course facilitators, and that those topics emerged quickly in the course, and were maintained by the groups of people that adopted them." Fascinating paper; if you're interested in cMOOCs don't miss it.

Technology and the Imminent Disruption of Higher Education: Is Fear the Path to the Dark Side? David Wheeler, Academica Forum, 2016/01/14 Good article from Cape Breton University president David Wheeler examining some of the major trends in university education today. Here's a quick summary (quoted from the article): Gamification - enhancing emotional engagement with learning Rewards - from points and badges to certificates and degrees Adaptive learning - from artificial intelligence to tutoring Simulations - from apprenticeships to virtual reality Social learning - reproducing the classroom and peer support online One of the strengths of Wheeler's article is that he clearly identifies the impact of the trend on learning and provides examples of companies or applications that are innovating in this space. He also links back to a Guardian article from a couple weeks ago citing studies which show clearly the idea that knowledge is a web of associations, and not like disk storage or memory tape. And his message has a hard edge: "If an institution cannot support flexible, high quality, and competitively-priced learning journeys for students of all ages and backgrounds, then another institution will, and it may be based anywhere from Arizona to New Zealand." [Link] [Comment] oldaly