Aggregation Workflow in gRSShopper
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…
Stephen Downes
The 30 Percent Solution
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…
Downes’s Business Hopelessness Scale
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…
Whose Connectivism?
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…
Daniel on MOOCs
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…
The ‘Course’ in MOOC
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,…
Being a Philosopher
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,…
K-12 MOOCs and Communities
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…
Questions from students at Vancouver Island University
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…
Critical Thinking and Knowledge Domains
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…
Future Learning Interview
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…
The Robot Teachers
“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…
Computer Use Guidelines
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,…
New Forms of Assessment: measuring what you contribute rather than what you collect
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…
Jobs That I’ve Had
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…
Transparency, Radical or Otherwise
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…
My Charitable Giving Profile
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,…
Connectivism as Epistemology
Responding to questions from Vance McPherson 1) What is your response to Rita Kop’s suggestion that connectivism is a new epistemology but not a new learning theory? As I understand…
Feelings of Science
David Hume’s philosophy of morality is distinct from most approaches in that it does not postulate some set of principles or criteria for moral behaviour. Rather, he argues that we…
Experts and Empowerment
We all, as David Wiley writes, want to empower learners. While we read a great deal these days about education as job training and workforce readiness, what we really want…