Author: Stephen Downes

In what was probably an unintentional release of the information, Flat World Publishing made the world aware this weekend that it is ceasing distribution of digital textbooks without charge. Readers of Campus Marketplace were the first members of the public to know, but “The company is making direct calls to

Let me tell you story of the great bear. It’s a story from First Nations People who lived near where I was born in Canada, the Iroquois people. It’s a story from long ago. They didn’t have very much. They had a small community around a campfire. They lived on

We can read about ‘five ideas to reform post-secondary education in Canada in a University Affairs article by columnist Léo Charbonneau. The strategies (proposed by a Globe and Mail reporter in a now-paywalled colum) are old canards, and I’ll debunk them one at a time. 1. A National Strategy Every

A few points: First, on workflow, which is the topic of this post. Here’s how gRSShopper currently works. It’s more detailed than suggested in the post, but contains the same basic idea, with enhancements added through four years of experience running cMOOCs. For the participant: 1. Go to the ‘add

Let me be clear. If there is a way to reduce the cost of education by 30 percent while keeping the quality the same, I’m all for it. Who wouldn’t be? Why would we pay 30 percent more than we have to for the same result? Of course, everybody –

Certain businesses – Down East Coffee on St. George, for example – give you pleasure when you deal with them. Others, however (and the list is long) seem to go out of their way to ruin your day. Pearson Education is one such, as witnessed by reports that an ill-conceived

I would like to make just one point, that it is not “Siemen’s ‘Connectivism,’” that he gave a name to a theory and approach a number of us had been working on for some time. I don’t mind saying I borrow the name from him, but I would certainly say

I previously posted an item on Sir John Daniel’s discussion of MOOCs, but I have added more extensive comments on Tony Bate’s review – I rather suspect it is much more likely to be read by him there than on any site of mine. Here is thus the comment I

A discussion taking place on the OER-Forum Discussion List. Posts by other people in italics. Abel Caine wrote, “I have to intervene with the developing country perspective. Millions of smart, motivated children/students for many reasons do not complete regular school or university. Given the opportunity, these learners have a burning

My response to a comment from Pandora on a post about philosophy > “Isn’t philosophy taught mostly like read this, talk about it, write about it, argue about it.” Yes, but it’s how these are taught that results in the benefits. For example: – “read this” – means more than

Responding to questions from Paul Genge: > My question is about what tools do you think I should use to connect students with genres or communities of practice based on their personal interests The short answer is, whatever tools the experts are already using (presuming they have formed a community

I received a flurry of questions on some articles on my website yesterday, questions from students at Vancouver Island University. Rather than attempt to answer them individually, I’m grouping there here. Sharing in a competitive environment Breanne, Sonny and Marieke asked, “we wonder how as teachers around the province create

by Stephen Downes Responding to Alex Reid http://www.alex-reid.net/2012/08/critical-thinking-is-bogus.html (posting here in case he doesn’t approve the post in moderation): It would be helpful if we understood what you mean by critical thinking, because critical thinking as I understand it (and have taught it) doesn’t really resemble what you describe in

Hiya Peter, Answers to questions follow. 1. What do you think will be the long-term effects of tools like Cousera and Udacity, as well as the online material posted by such schools as Stanford and MIT? Could these tools, combined with the increasing cost of higher education, lead people to

“Can you recommend a good doctor?” This is the final question in an article by Tony Bates about teaching, and it frames the debate nicely. We would be very disinclined to turn over the healing profession to automation, and in the same vein, should be equally hesitant when it comes

Responding to Alfred Thompson’s Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics: Leaving aside the questionable wisdom of framing generic advice within a construct specific to a certain religion… The commandments say, essentially, “don’t take or use other people’s stuff without permission,” which is OK in itself, but the way it is repeated

Once again, as we do at the start of every school year, we are hearing about the rampant cheating that goes on, especially online, but in fact, everywhere, and without remorse or regret. As Nikhil Hoyal writes, “Cheating is an epidemic in schools across the nation. A 2010 survey of 2,000 Stuyvesant students revealed

Following up on this post from Blue Skunk blog, here’s a list of the jobs that I’ve had over the years: – 1970-74 – Newspaper carrier – I started with a 24 Ottawa Citizen paper route from Frank Stanley in 1974, and gradually absorbed every other paper route in Metcalfe,

Responding to Doug Johnson, who in turn is responding to Miguel Guhlin, who has made his RSS work again. 🙂 My managers and co-workers read my blog (though not as speedily as I would like). My mother reads my blog. So I don’t “write as though” they read it; I

Responding to a post from Beth Kanter My giving is focused and specific. In particular, I avoid charities performing functions that ought to be performed by the public domain. Specifically, health care and research, education and social welfare all ought to be managed by the government. These should not depend