Group items tagged

"In two different tests, the NTM was asked to 1) learn to copy blocks of binary data and 2) learn to remember and sort lists of data. The results were compared with a more basic neural network, and it was found that the computer learned faster and produced longer blocks of data with fewer errors. Additionally, the computer's methods were found to be very similar to the code a human programmer would've written to make the computer complete such a task."

"It's a problematic mission, to be sure, but digital advertising network Exponential felt it was up to the task when it defined 12 millennial subgroups that marketers should know. At the recent Advertising Week in New York, researcher and Exponential vp Bryan Melmed presented the findings from his team's data analysis of 4 million young adults."

"Competency-based learning turns higher education on its head - starting not with the curriculum, but rather the competencies one should exhibit upon completion (according to, say, employers). From there, course developers design assessments that test for these competencies. Then - and only then - do we turn to the task of developing the curricula that prepares students to demonstrate mastery on the assessments. In a competency-based program, failure becomes an anachronism; students continue until they demonstrate competency."

"Nelson says the new version of the system lets professors quickly divide a large class into groups of up to 12 students. Those break-out groups of students can then participate in a small-group discussion while each student fills out a "structured worksheet" that can be graded later by a TA following a rubric to make sure each student was following along and participating. During the live class, the professor can peek into any of the breakout sessions, either by appearing as one of the participants, or lurking in the background so that he or she can see and hear the students but they don't know the professor is there. The requirement of filling out the worksheet, or doing some other activity like a poll or quiz, makes sure students in breakout groups stay on task, Nelson says."

"An anthropologist who had the unenviable task of sitting through academics' meetings and reading their email chains to find out why they fail to change their teaching styles has come to a surprising conclusion: they are simply too afraid of looking stupid in front of their students to try something new."

"On the first full day at the unconference my "neighborhood," those interested in different aspects of personalized learning area, were tasked with coming up with one, three, and five year plans for personalized learning under the categories of Dream, Do, and Drive. Our collective dream in year one was to develop and sustain effective models and criteria for good teaching and learning-it all starts there. To do so requires the clear creation of agreed upon learning objectives informed by data, student feedback, and peer review. Rewarding good teaching and rewarding learning are ultimately driving this first phase."

"Hemingway is a markdown editor that coaches you to write more clearly, helping you to emulate Ernest Hemingway's trademark sparse, journalistic style. Though I don't use it as my main markdown editor, I've been thinking about ways it can be useful in a variety of learning tasks."

"Although Web 2.0 assists educators with guiding learners to complete tasks and supports the scaffolding of lessons to meet course objectives, there are more advanced pedagogical implications when using Web 2.0 as an instructional tool, such as fostering information literacy and metacognition."