3,007 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2018
    1. At the intersection of technology and pedagogy:considering styles of learning and teaching

      When examining the pedagogy of learning, teacher and student centered approaches, there is additional evidence supporting a model moving more towards technology-based learning. This articles considers the question of technology in the classroom and its' advantages/disadvantages.

      RATING: 4/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. Adult Graduate Student VoicesGood and Bad Learning Experiences

      This article reviews a longitudinal study of graduate students in a Master's degree program that collected both good and bad learning experiences. The comments collect from the participants resulted in themes that were repeated throughout all three years of comments. The comments were compiled to and reviewed to determine adult student perspectives on the learning process. The authors noted that their is a need to balance suppor of students with challenging students. This is a ground work of student perspective and requires further investigation to implement appropriate changes and then review student perspective after the changes.

      Rating: 7/10

    1. Study: Most Teaching and Learning Uses Technology Nowadays

      This article reviews the impact of technology in the classroom. Today over 73% of teachers stated students are using tablets or laptops in the classroom. According to David Nagel, technology not only dominates education but also make students more productive and stimulates them intellectually.

      There is a link on the site to the complete study.

      RATING: 4/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. Six Steps to Personalize Learning

      This pdf is a step by step guide to develop personalized learning. It includes instructions to creating a six-step personalized learning program.

      I enjoyed the at-a-glance chart distinguishing the differences between personalization, differentiation and individualization. The guide is very visual and easy to ready but offers relevant tips.

      RATING: 4/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. Beyond the Frame: The New Classroom

      In this video a discussion of how the school system is broken but cost billions of dollars. 9 billion dollars a year is spent of textbooks that become outdated the minute they are printed according to the author.

      With the new generation of learners, virtual reality will be embracing how most learners learn the best by visual means and not by reading.

      This video short impactfully presents how VR will change the face of education.

      RATING: 5/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. A technology-enhanced transformative learning environment in support of de-veloping reflective practitioners can be a situated learning environment just by dint of integrating it into clinical learning settings where students are developing the skilled know-how and practices of the profession. The tasks, discussions and other learning activities afforded by the technology learning system will be in support of the hands-on learning taking place in the health setting and should be incorporated into the clinical training to create the perception of a single learning environment. A situated learning environment will afford students the ability to practice and ap-ply knowledge and skilled know-how and also participate in social learning such as discussions, group activities and individualized work that will encourage the reflection that leads to transformative learning.

      The education for the professions and clinic education requires a unique perspective and approach, this chapter presents the critical elements of transformative learning environment design: context, critical discourse, and critical reflection, and the health science education need to have a context supportive of critical discourse and reflection for transformative learning by using a technology-enabled learning environment.

      Rating: 8/10

    1. there appears to be a theoretical shift more often than not from Behaviorist learning practices to Constructivist learning practices because of the increased use of educational technologies, and stemming from the fact that many available technologies support Constructivist learning platforms.  However, there are still many learning practices that focus on more Behaviorist learning techniques, and there are arguments in support of their validity as well.  That with the most support currently is more of a blending of the two theories, for they can be used in conjunction as well while utilizing educational technology.

      Two educational theories that form the basis of many of today's educational technology: behaviorism, and constructivism. This article explores the foundations of behaviorism and constructivism in education, and brings the current trends and future implications for these two theories in the educational technology.

      Rating: 7/10

    1. tech access shapes how heavily adults use the internet for professional learning. More than one-third of professional learners with lots of tech assets say they did all or most of their learning online

      Technology facilitates learning among all ages, from the data it shows that adults with access with internet were significantly more likely to engage in personal learning., especially for the adults who wanted to participate in professional learning opportunities.

      Rating: 7/10

    1. The New Learning Environment and AdultDevelopmental Needs

      Identifies adult developmental learning needs. For many years, since 1911, Training at a machining company had been directed to specific tasks. After the company was sold to a new company, the education of employees changed from siloed task training to a atmosphere of learning and integrated team work. This shift in training also changed the culture of the company and built an atmosphere of one team, even across shifts and departments. This article points out how the change from task training to education that included theory of the task improved the decision making process of the employees that resulted in company improvements. Rating: 9/10

  2. content.ebscohost.com content.ebscohost.com
    1. Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning environments

      This is an article from 2002 that identified the emerging need of online, adult learners. One concept is the use of cognitive learning theory as tools for the online learning environment.<br> Several descriptors identified who the adult online student is, primarily adult working women with full time jobs and a family (often single head of household) who are trying to return to school to improve personal circumstances.

      This article is a invitation to review the learning environment that was devised and determine if it met the needs of students then and what changes need to be implemented for today's students.

      Rating 9/10

    1. Towards teaching as design: Exploring the interplay between full-lifecycle learning design tooling and Teacher Professional Development.

      This article explores the theory of training teachers as learning designers to promote innovate and creativity. Included in the article are studies of designers with little teaching experience compared with those that are full-cycle teachers and the effect of TPD and LD upon training.

      RATING: 5/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. A defining condition of being human is that we have to understand the mean-ing of our experience. For some, any uncritically assimilated explanation by anauthority figure will suffice. But in contemporary societies we must learn tomake our own interpretations rather than act on the purposes, beliefs, judg-ments, and feelings of others. Facilitating such understanding is the cardinal goalof adult education. Transformative learning develops autonomous thinking.

      This article explores transformitive learning theory and autonomous thinking. The author focuses on putting theory into practice with adults.

      8/10

    1. This article was found on InstructionalDesign.org. This article is about the Characteristics of Adults as Learners model. This model is designed as a guide in adult learning. The website also has sections on concepts, theories, and models.

      9/10

    1. This article is from a credible, peer-reviewed journal. The source is current and relevant to professional and adult learning. The authors document a study of teachers and their learning and how adult learning theory can improve results.

      7/10

    1. This article is from the journal Professional Development in Education, it is a credible and relevant source. This authors analyze cases in principle professional development in four schools to find common practice. They determine if and how adult learning theory is or can be used to improve practices.

      8/10

    1. Learning Design Process

      The Royal Roads University has created this useful site that offers support and assistance in the design and development of curriculum. What I found to be very useful is the support dedicated for Moodle, the online curriculum software as I have recently signed up for the site.

      The methodology used by the University is focused on an outcomes approach with integration of pedagogical and technological elements and blended learning.

      The site has a research link and the kb was excellent. I was very pleased to have found this resource.

      RATING: 5/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. This article focuses on creating online tutorials for adult learners. Andragogy theory is used to build online programs for adult learners that are learner centered and engaging.

      8/10

    1. An Adult Learner Reflects on Technology in Higher Education

      Elizabeth Cox describes her experience as an adult learner and how technology has positively impacted that experience. She specifically mentions a few learning management systems and online tools and how they were excellent at making the course content available any time and any place. Rating: 5/5

    1. Adult Learning Principles and Presentation Pearls

      This article presents options for applying a variety of adult learning principles to make a course more effective. The author focuses on instrumental learning theories, humanistic learning theories, motivational models and more. Rating: 5/5

    1. Engaging Adults Learners with Technology

      This presentation features a broad overview of adult learning and defines an adult learner. Additionally, the presentation provides multiple technology resources that can be used in an adult learning environment. Rating: 4/5

    1. This article is from a education journal and is credible and relevant. It covers andragogy and transformitive learning as they can be utilized with adult learners. The focus on transformational learning theory is of particular interest.

      8/10

    1. This article was found on the website PHYS.ORG. This website covers many topics including education. The education section is where the reader will find the most relevant information and research to teaching and learning.

      7/10

    1. Learning Needs Analysis of Collaborative E-Classes in Semi-Formal Settings: The REVIT Example.

      This article explores the importance of analysis of instructional design which seems to be often downplayed particularly in distance learning. ADDIE, REVIT have been considered when evaluating whether the training was meaningful or not and from that a central report was extracted and may prove useful in the development of similar e-learning situations for adult learning.

      RATING: 4/5 (rating based upon a score system 1 to 5, 1= lowest 5=highest in terms of content, veracity, easiness of use etc.)

    1. The website Association for Talent Development is a good tool for profession training. This is an adult learning arena and the information is relevant to training and coaching using a learner centered approach.

      9/10

    1. This article outlines the different aspects of a learning environment that is effective for teaching adults. The author provides suggestions for creating effective adult learning environments.

      8/10

    1. Humans participate in social learning for a variety of adaptive reasons, such as reducing uncertainty (Kameda and Nakanishi, 2002), learning complex skills and knowledge that could not have been invented by a single individual alone (Richerson and Boyd, 2000; Tomasello, Kruger, and Ratner, 1993), and passing on beneficial cultural traits to offspring (Palmer, 2010). One proposed social-learning mechanism is prestige bias (Henrich and Gil-White, 2001), defined as the selective copying of certain “prestigious” individuals to whom others freely show deference or respect in orderto increase the amount and accuracy of information available to the learner.Prestige bias allows a learner in a novel environment to quickly and inexpensively choose from whom to learn, thus maximizing his or her chances of acquiring adaptive behavioral so lutions toa specific task or enterprisewit hout having to assess directly the adaptiveness of every potential model’s behavior.Learners provide deference to teachers in order to ingratiate themselves with a chosen model, thus gaining extended exposure to that model(Henrich and Gil-White, 2001).New learners can then use that information—who is paying attention to whom—to increase their likelihood of choosing a good teacher.

      Throughout this article are several highlighted passages that combine to form this annotation.

      This research study presents the idea that the social environment is a self-selected learning environment for adults. The idea of social prestige-bias learning is intriguing because it is derived from the student, not an institution nor instructor. The further idea of selecting whom to learn from based on prestige-bias also creates further questions that warrant a deeper understanding of the learner and the environment which s/he creates to gain knowledge.

      Using a previously conducted experiment on success-based learning and learning due to environmental change, this research further included the ideal of social prestige-biased learning.self-selected by the learner.

      In a study of 167 participants, three hypotheses were tested to see if learners would select individual learning, social learning, prestige-biased learning (also a social setting), or success-based learning. The experiment tested both an initial learning environment and a learning environment which experienced a change in the environment.

      Surprisingly, some participants selected social prestige-biased learning and some success learning and the percentages in each category did not change after the environmental change occurred.

      Questions that arise from the study:

      • Does social prestige, or someone who is deemed prestigious, equate to a knowledgeable teacher?
      • Does the social prestige-biased environment reflect wise choices?
      • If the student does not know what s/he does not know, will the social prestige-bias result in selecting the better teacher, or just in selecting a more highly recognized teacher?
      • Why did the environmental change have little impact on the selected learning environment?

      REFERENCE: Atkinson, C., O’Brien, M.J., & Mesoudi, A. (2012). Adult learners in a novel environment use prestige-biased social learning. Evolutionary Psychology, 10(3), 519-537. Retrieved from (Prestige-biased Learning )

      RATINGS content, 9/10 veracity, 8/10 easiness of use, 9/10 Overall Rating, 8.67/10

  3. Oct 2018
    1. Critical and autonomous thinking must take precedence over the uncritical assimilation of knowledge. Transformative learning is a route to the development of critical thinking.

      The author asserts that adult learning creates ideal circumstances to use transformational learning. Autonomy needed to be and independent learner is created through and seen in transformational theory.

    1. Approximate Fisher Information Matrix to Characterise the Training of Deep Neural Networks

      深度神经网络训练(收敛/泛化性能)的近似Fisher信息矩阵表征,可自动优化mini-batch size/learning rate


      挺有趣的 paper,提出了从 Fisher 矩阵抽象出新的量用来衡量训练过程中的模型表现,来优化mini-batch sizes and learning rates | 另外 paper 中的figure画的很好看 | 作者认为逐步增加batch sizes的传统理解只是partially true,存在逐步递减该 size 来提高 model 收敛和泛化能力的可能。

    1. Learning is a subversive act.

      YES! In American schools you are indoctrinated with the premise: "There is no difficult material. There are only difficult learners." The "trial-by-failure" prevalent in the 70's and 80's, that if you repeat a subject you truly do not nor will not ever understand, Algebra in my case, you are somewhat "subversive" to the rest of classroom, the teacher and especially the school. Report card comments: asks too many questions/asks no questions, disruptive/sleeps in class, no effort given, won't get tutored after school labels the learner without labelling the conformity of the classroom: fit in or be shut out. Excellent point!

    1. Current SystemPersonalized Learning System

      This is an excellent characterization of the aspects of personalized Learning.

    Tags

    Annotators

    1. Many detection methods such as Faster-RCNN and YOLO, perform badly in small objects detec-tion. With some considerable improvements in the originalframework of YOLOv2, our proposed SO-YOLO can solvethis problem perfectly.

    Tags

    Annotators

    1. As a convolutional neural network, SO-YOLO outperforms state-of-the-art detection methods both in accuracy and speed.
    2. SO-YOLO performs well in detecting small objects compared with other methods.
  4. Sep 2018
    1. in equation B for the marginal of a gaussian, only the covariance of the block of the matrix involving the unmarginalized dimensions matters! Thus “if you ask only for the properties of the function (you are fitting to the data) at a finite number of points, then inference in the Gaussian process will give you the same answer if you ignore the infinitely many other points, as if you would have taken them all into account!”(Rasmunnsen)

      key insight into Gaussian processes

    1. The basic assumption that underlies typical reading instruction in many schools is that learning to read is a natural process, much like learning to talk. But decades of scientific research has revealed that reading doesn't come naturally. The human brain isn't wired to read. Kids must be explicitly taught how to connect sounds with letters — phonics.
    1. This ideaof deploying dominant culture against the dominant classes is a familiar aspect of South African history. African Nationalist leaders such as Mandela and Tambo were in no way deceived by their missionary education but usedit as a sort of “common school,” arming them for the struggle against apartheid.

      I find this article to be neglectful of our own agency -- that we learn and bring back to our own family and community that which helps us live and work together. And this paragraph holds most meaning to me-- and it reminded me of Sitting Bull who said, "When you find something good on the whiteman’s road, pick it up; but when you find something bad, or it turns out bad, drop it and leave it alone." https://flic.kr/p/NMPuKG

      There are many truths within all of these [I found page 7 of the most interest]. I think about the propaganda that is permeating our online discourse-- and I think we all are getting smarter in our engagement or refusal to do so. And I see more polite disagreement recently. Because, with time, we strive for truth, even when we must revise our own thinking. We choose, no matter what is forced or imposed. Education matters. Schools matter. And learners take that which best benefits them. We see in schools kids not learning that which they deem not relevant-- so the transformation will come from the students expectations, I think. Consider the whole of our world, and what people have done with what they have learned. I don't think the hidden agenda, if there is one, works quite like these academics think -- when we consider the progress -- and how we are overcoming any back steps -- that exists in the world.

      Education is not just school: it's wherever we are and how we connect with others to understand it.

    1. A bit of a personal connection here, but I participate in activities such as these! I recently started my own fanart blog and the feedback I've received boosted my confidence in my art! It also pushed me to improve my technique and learn new styles!

      There's a huge difference between drawing art for a blog and for education. When you're drawing for your blog, it's up to you to push yourself to learn and whatnot. In a way, it's easier to do because you get to choose what you learn, but it's also a nonlinear type of learning. While a professor will typically push you on a linear path on what skills to learn.

    1. But in this brightest and kindest world, the philosophical problems themselves become intimidating. A mind that stays at the same capacity cannot live forever; after a few thousand years it would look more like a repeating tape loop than a person. (The most chilling picture I have seen of this is Larry Niven’s story “The Ethics of Madness.”) To live indefinitely long, the mind itself must grow … and when it becomes great enough, and looks back … what fellow-feeling can it have with the soul that it was originally? The later being would be everything the original was, but vastly more. And so even for the individual, the Cairns-Smith or Lynn Margulis notion of new life growing incrementally out of the old must still be valid.

      This idea that the mind must continuously and infinitely expand is the essence of progression and, seemingly, immortality. As humans, we are constantly growing whether its physically, mentally, emotionally. We are constantly learning and progressing while shedding some old ideas, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, perceptions to become better and more than we once were as individuals and humanity as a whole. It is possible for humans to evolve later into beings that can grow in all aspects, but it is difficult to say that humans could do so in order to breach our minds' capacity and go beyond to reach infinite knowledge and infinite life itself. We are limited by human condition and always capable of more; however, no more matter how much we creep upon it, the infinite will always be out of reach.

    1. predictive analysis

      Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of statistical techniques from data mining, predictive modelling, and machine learning, that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events.

  5. Aug 2018
    1. These social-emotional learning practices have been found in hundreds of studies to reduce negative behavior and violence in schools, making schools safer while also increasing academic achievement. The guidance builds on what we know about how to increase school safety through “conflict resolution, restorative practices, counseling and structured systems of positive interventions.” The guidance also provides research-based resources to address students’ mental health needs, as well as proven practices that make students feel more connected to school and part of a community, so they are less likely to engage in negative and harmful behavior.
    1. Leaming viewed as situated activity has as its central defining characteristic a process that we call legitimate peripheral par­ticipation. By this we mean to draw attention to the point that learners inevitably participate in communities of practitioners and that the mastery of knowledge and skill requires newcom­ers to move toward full participation in the sociocultural practices of a community.

      LPP definition

      The phrase "situated learning" is contested (see pp. 31-35). Lave and Wenger use this definition:

      "In our view, learning is not merely situated in practice — as if it were some independently reifiable process that just happened to be located somewhere; learning is an integral part of generative social practice in the lived-in world. The problem — and the central preoccupation of this monograph — is to translate this into a specific analytic approach to learning. Legitimate peripheral participation is proposed as a descriptor of engagement in social practice that entails learning as an integral constituent."

      At the end of the chapter, Lave and Wenger offer this description:

      "In conclusion, we emphasize the significance of shifting the analytic focus from the individual as learner to learning as participation in the social world, and from the concept of cognitive processes to the more-encompassing view of social practice."

    2. The no­tion of situated learning now appears to be a transitory con-cept, a bridge, between a view according to w�ich cognit'.ve processes (and thus learning) are primary and a v�ew according to which social practice is the primary, generative p�eno�e­non and learning is one of its characteristics.

      Situated learning as a bridge beyond repetitive practice but learning as an actual social phenomenon.

    3. Second, this conception of situated learning clearly was more �nc�m�assi�� in i�tent than �onventional notions of '' learning in suu or learnmg by domg" for which it was used as a rough equivalent.

      "Second, this conception of situated learning clearly was more encompassing in intent than conventional notions of 'learning in situ' or 'learning by doing' for which it was used a rough equivalent."

      LPP came about because the definitions of situated learning were inadequate to describe how people learn while engaged in a social practice.

    1. Self-regulated learning implies that effective learners are actively involved in their own learning through metacognitive, motivational and behavioural processes (Zimmerman, 1990:4)

      self-regulated learning involves metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral processes (Zimmerman, 1990).

    2. the difference between an expert learner and a novice learner
      1. they have more quantity of knowledge
      2. their knowledge is better organized and integrated
      3. they possess better strategies and methods
      4. they are better motivated and more self-regulated.
    1. efficiency has come to mean accomplishing a task with the least possible human intervention—a goal that often turns out to be self-defeating, particularly when efficiency becomes almost an end in itself. Recall Thomas Edison’s famous line that genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration and contrast it with our contemporary enthusiasm for machine-like efficiency

      Interesting connection here between the efficiency mandate and the "talent means no effort required" attitude we see in many school settings.

    1. half of what we learn today will become obsolete five years from now

      Where "what we learn" is defined rather narrowly as the specifics of a "skill" and not the framework which allows us to integrate new skills/knowledge.

    1. They did that to the point where  there were more asterisks on the page than stars in the sky. Despite all this, the annotations did not mean anything to the students.

      Keeping in mind that different people learn in different ways, there's another possible way of looking at this.

      Some people learn better aurally than visually. Some remember things better by writing them down. I know a few synaesthetes who likely might learn better by using various highlighting colors. Perhaps those who highlight everything are actually helping their own brains to learn by doing this?

      This said, I myself still don't understand people who are highlighting everything in their books this way. I suspect that some are just trying and imitating what they've seen before and just haven't learned to read and annotate actively.

      Helping students to discover how they best learn can be a great hurdle to cross, particularly at a young age. Of course, this being said, we also need to help them exercise the other modalities and pathways to help make them more well-rounded and understanding as well.

    1. 6 key principles of experts' knowledge

      1. experts notice features and manful patterns of info
      2. experts have abilities to make sense of the content based on prior knowledge that is organized in some ways
      3. experts' knowledge is not isolated and it related to context.
      4. experts have abilities to flexibly retrieve important aspects of their knowledge.
      5. experts may not have abilities to teach others
      6. experts have flexibilities in their approach to apply to new situations.
  6. Jul 2018
    1. The broadest (but unsatisfactory) definition of 'collaborative learning' is that it is a situation inwhich two or more people learn orattempt to learn something together.
    2. our group did not agree on any definition ofcollaborative learning. We did not even try. There is such a wide variety of uses of this term insideeach academic field

      Diverse perspectives of 'collaborative learning'

    1. Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by developing a public product or presentation for a real audience.

      Good source to further look into PBL

    1. PBL is entrenched in the concept of the elements being “ongoing.” Building a PBL culture in the classroom isn’t just about doing a project every quarter. It’s about using the Design Elements as often as possible. It’s about offering Choice in different assignments, rubrics, deadlines, or partnerships on an everyday basis. It’s about training students to ask great questions not just when creating a Need to Know list, but when using Google, when asking for feedback, or to even develop their own peer-to-peer assessments. The need to teach literacy is also ongoing.

      great descriptor of PBL

    1. The fact that stimuli that have high association values are easily learned and remembered means that it is easier to learn new meanings for stimuli that already have multiple meanings;

      this fact is unbelievably true !

    2. it is much easier to remember places, objects, or rooms in a building by name than by number, because names have higher association values than numbers.

      a clear proof of the importance of association in learning process.

  7. course-computational-literary-analysis.netlify.com course-computational-literary-analysis.netlify.com
    1. There is here, moral, if not legal, evidence, that the murder was committed by the Indians.

      This is a very interesting take on "evidence" as being moral if not legal by Sergeant Cuff. It makes me question exactly what he means by that if there is a way to use computational analysis to find out. We could perhaps start by parsing out "evidence" throughout the text with a machine learning algorithm to help he define evidence and then, going forward, device a way (maybe with sentiment analysis) to determine moral evidence from legal evidence.

    1. The “connected” in connected learning is about human connection as well as tapping the power of connected technologies. Rather than see technology as a means toward more efficient and automated forms of education, connected learning puts progressive, experiential, and learner-centered approaches at the center of technology-enhanced learning.

      Students pursue their interests in the classroom with the support of friends and caring adults while linking this learning and interests to academic achievement.

    2. harness these new technologies for learning rather than distraction.

      good point- there is a hard gap to fill between elem grades and middle and high school- harness kids interests and use technology to the best advantage

    3. The “connected” in connected learning is about human connection as well as tapping the power of connected technologies. Rather than see technology as a means toward more efficient and automated forms of education, connected learning puts progressive, experiential, and learner-centered approaches at the center of technology-enhanced learning.

      goes against standardized testing, teaching one to many, or fixed subjects. Connected learning to enhance human connection and technological as well

    1. Spider Web Discussion is an adaptation of the Socratic seminar in that it puts students squarely in the center of the learning process, with the teacher as a silent observer and recorder of what s/he sees students saying and doing during the discussion. Her method is used when the teacher wants students to collaboratively discuss and make meaning of a particular learning concept

      Spider web discussions for collaborative learning

    1. Record your observations 2 Share with fellow naturalists 3 Discuss your findings

      inaturalist website- really cool place to upload nature pics and correspond in discussions with others about identifying the plant or animal species

    1. Project Noah was created to provide people of all ages with a simple, easy-to-use way to share their experiences with wildlife. By encouraging your students to share their observations and contribute to Project Noah missions, you not only help students to reconnect with nature, you provide them with real opportunities to make a difference.

      Looks like a great project to get involved in! Very collaborative (both in the classroom and in online), plus integrate technology while having students explore nature

    1. Having students use self and peer evaluation sheets proved to be beneficial. When they were able to stop and reflect on the work they and their peers did, they were able to identify what was going well and what could be improved. I

      A teacher does a study on collaborative learning and reports her findings: assign specific jobs, determine gender balance of group, self and peer evaluation tools

    1. Collaboration had the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities.

      Wow! I did not know this! I would think that in person collaboration produced greater results, but this is not the case. Great point of how collaboration online can be just as effective!

    2. Rather than spending a lot of time designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday problems. Real world problems can be used to facilitate project-based learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.

      Use real-world problems, not "artificial scenarios" for collaborative learning

    3. Decomposing a difficult task into parts to saves time. You can then assign different roles.

      Assigning different tasks/jobs to each member of the group

    4. Small groups of 3 or less lack enough diversity and may not allow divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create ‘freeloading’ where not all members participate. A moderate size group of 4-5 is ideal.

      goof point about group size for collaborative learning (4-5 students in one group)

    1. Lev Vygotsky’s seminal work asserted that social interaction is a fundamental aspect of learning. And if he were alive today, he would most likely agree with the saying “two minds are better than one.” He might add, “Better yet, how about three or four?”

      Vygotsky- social interaction is fundamental in learning- group work is the perfect way to do this- 2 heads are better than one:)

    1. Recent statistics suggest that the average person spends about 50 minutes per day using Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Add that to the fact that most people spend over five hours per day on their cell phones, and it's clear that we love our technology. While it's awesome to make an effort to cut down on screen time in the name of health (especially before bed!), why not use the time you spend on your phone to your advantage? That's what members of health and fitness digital accountability groups are doing, and they're seeing amazing results.

      This article goes along well with the class reading on "Connected Learning"- using digital accountability and support to reach goals (example: fitness)

    1. What would it mean to consider an educational agenda that includes more flexible, informal, diverse, and interest-driven learning environments? Can we do this in a way that elevates all youth rather than serving the privileged minority?

      Good point- using technology and media capabilities to bridge this gap between the poor and wealthy in education

    2. Despite its power to advance learning, many parents, educators, and policymak-ers perceive new media as a distraction from academic learning, civic engagement,

      Many parents think this is true- while there are differing opinions on technology use, this is one such example where the stereotype needs to be broken

    3. attributes her success to the writing skills she developed in the role-playing world (see Case Study 1).Clarissa’s out-of-school engagement in creative writing is an example of what we have dubbed connected learning—learning that is socially embedded, interest-driven, and oriented toward educational, economic, or political opportunity.

      good example: using "Connected Learning"- role play online to strengthen creative writing

    1. ~32:00 What about the domain of the function being effectively lower dimensional, rather than a strongly regularity assumption? That would also work, right? Could this be the case for images? (what's the dimensionality of the manifold of natural images?)

      Nice. I like the idea of regularity <> low dimensional representation. I guess by that general definition, the above is a form of regularity..

      He comments about this on 38:30

    1. Teaching digital literacy does not mean teaching digital skills in a vacuum, but doing so in an authentic context that makes sense to students. It means teaching progressively rather than sequentially, which helps learners understand better and more clearly over time

      Teachers need to make content more meaningful to students. If students are able to link classroom content to real world learning it gives students a better understanding.

      cofcedu

    1. However, computers and algorithms – even the most sophisticated ones – cannot address the fallacy of obviousness. Put differently, they can never know what might be relevant.

      One goal of systems science and modelling, to explore what might be relevant and give us better heuristics.

    1. I’m thinking about video games, and how I learn playing them.

      Important anecdote for thinking about "gamification". The idea that games produce their own learning, without social structures or personal reflection processes, is over-simplistic.

      (Sidebar: a colleague once said to me "Gamification means making a (crummy) game. I want to make good games with my students.")

    1. This system of demonstrating tasks to one robot that can then transfer its skills to other robots with different body shapes, strengths, and constraints might just be the first step toward independent social learning in robots. From there, we might be on the road to creating cultured robots.
    2. Soon we might add robots to this list. While our fanciful desert scene of robots teaching each other how to defuse bombs lies in the distant future, robots are beginning to learn socially. If one day robots start to develop and share knowledge independently of humans, might that be the seed for robot culture?
    3. If we didn’t have social learning, we wouldn’t have culture. As zoologists Kevin Laland and Will Hoppitt argue, “culture is built upon socially learned and socially transmitted information.” Socially acquired knowledge is distinct from what we learn individually and from information inherited through genes or through imitation.
    4. his imaginary scene shows the power of learning from others. Anthropologists and zoologists call this “social learning”: picking up new information by observing or interacting with others and the things others produce. Social learning is rife among humans and across the wider animal kingdom. As we discussed in our previous post, learning socially is fundamental to how humans become fully rounded people, in all our diversity, creativity, and splendor.
    1. "It's so scary that it works," Perelman sighs. "Machines are very brilliant for certain things and very stupid on other things. This is a case where the machines are very, very stupid."
  8. Jun 2018
    1. The vast majority of studies on online versus face-to-face courses have concluded that purely online and hybrid courses are at least as effective as traditional face-to-face courses at facilitating learning of course content and/or in promoting student satisfaction.

  9. via3.hypothes.is via3.hypothes.is
    1. he polling was nearly unani-mous that acquiring informationwas the easiest to do alone and thatthe other two goals seemed morecomplicated and would profit frompeer and instructor influence. This,then, led to a discussion of how topursue goals 2 and 3. These goalsare not achieved by reading orlistening to a lecturer—studentsmust actively do things in order tolearn. Students learn best (Davis,1993) when they take an active role:• When they discuss what theyare reading• When they practice what theyare learning• When they apply practices andideas
    1. Mauris vel magna diam. Morbi eu congue urna. Duis mattis sollicitudin ma

      Test

    1. Abstract

      Hydrology is the main reason for the carbon balance of wetlands by controlling the uptake of CO₂ and CH4. Determining the effect of droughts on CO2, fluxes and CH4 emission was stimulated by hydroperiod with three scenarios. These three scenarios affect the rate of drought from being gradual, intermediate, and rapid transition into drought. It resulted in higher net CO2 losses net ecosystem exchange (NEE) over a 22-week manipulation. Due to drought vegetation dieback, it increased ecosystem respiration (Reco), and it also reduced carbon uptake gross ecosystem exchange (GEE). The NEE did not offset methane production during periods of flooding. Changes in precipitation patterns and drought occurrence altered the carbon storage of freshwater marshes. We can determine that with the change in the climate will modify the storage capacity of freshwater marshes by influencing the water availability.

  10. May 2018
    1. The Students at the Center Hub is a resource for educators, families, students and communities wanting to learn more about research, best practices, supportive policies, and how to talk about student-centered approaches to learning.
    1. So & Doering (2016) reports that 75% of 1500 students at the University of British Columbia said they had gone without purchasing a textbook for at least one course. The research on cost reveals that the price of commercial textbooks is affecting students not just financially, but also in terms of their learning.
  11. Apr 2018
    1. Only by channeling dollars away from the institutions which now treat health, education, and welfare can the further impoverishment resulting from their disabling side effects be stopped.

      Did you know Illich invented the term "iatrogenesis", sickness induced by medical activity. Is there educational iatrogenesis. Yes. Anyone who teaches knows this is true. That is why it is so important to hand over the reins of learning to your students as soon as possible. As Blake noted in "Proverbs of Heaven and Hell", the tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction. This is why we 'unschooled' all of our children. Exactly why.

    1. The grade-level breakdown of these kanji is known as the gakunen-betsu kanji haitōhyō (学年別漢字配当表), or the gakushū kanji. (ja:学年別漢字配当表)

      Also known as Kyōiku kanji (教育漢字, literally "education kanji"). see Wikipedia: Kyouiku Kanji

    1. adaptive courseware approach involves using software to guide students along their own particular learning pathways, with assis-tance often provided by intelligent tutoring software, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver customized responses
    2. Digital Learning

  12. Mar 2018
    1. A rhizome ceaselessly establishes connections between semiotic chains, organizations of power, and circumstances relative to the arts, sciences, and social struggles.”
    1. MOOC provider offering career education and prepartion courses and provides skill set education.

    1. Clavier has been part of that unexpected sequence of events and the network which has stretched around the world has seen me working with colleagues in Egypt, Poland, Sweden, Australia, the USA, Spain, Finland, Canada and the UK! 

      global network connected

    1. the connected approach to learning and teaching has been overwhelmingly positive for me

      connection connected learning

    1. artificial neural network

      El deep learning incluye redes neuronales

    2. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and deep learning

      Explicación gráfica de artificial intelligence, machine learning y deep learning

  13. Feb 2018
    1. The purpose of these four summits is to create a community of practice focused on developing a culture of shared norms and values that establish an inclusive learning environment, one that prohibits anyone from being disadvantaged or unjustly treated because of social identity or status. The Student Success Summits will offer information, strategies, and guidance to support the identification, integration and implementation of inclusive pedagogical methods that promote discipline-specific learning objectives.
    1. The results of data analysis in this study showthat there isthedifferencein the gain score of knowledge on normal distribution application between students wholearn online tutorial content in non-linear learning model and thosewho learn online tutorial content in conventional learning model.
    1. Here’s the problem: The map doesn’t exist, the measurement is impossible, and we have, collectively, built only 5% of the library.
  14. Jan 2018
    1. Blended Learning is optimal because it supports multiple perspectives and experiences which are easily accessible over the web
    2. In 1896 one of the Olympic founders, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, proposed the idea for a unified motto and symbol to reflect the unified International Community.

      Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cn6FYNS6dg

    1. Otherwise, changes in the school institution and tradition will be looked at as the arbitrary inventions of particular teachers; at the worst transitory fads, and at the best merely improvements in certain details—and this is the plane upon which it is too customary to consider school changes.

      I think this quote serves as counterpoint to the Connected Learning and Research Agenda quote on Page 14 (Connected learning recognizes a tension... ... competition for scarce opportunities.) The tension that the Agenda describes is an incomplete implementation of connected learning that some may consider as a fad in the eyes of Dewey. Again, to make sure that the Agenda policy makers can implement the alternative connected learning pathways, policymakers must take on Dewey's broader social view that we must undertake the learning paradigms that enhance student learning...

    2. Only by being true to the full growth of all the individuals who make it up, can society by any chance be true to itself.

      This is powerful. What are we doing to ensure that our students won't "slip through the cracks"? How can we provide individualized opportunities for growth?

    1. whether available technology tools will enhance or detract from the learning experience.

      Each student learns differently, technology tools will definitely enhance or detract student learning experiences, but it is impossible to say which or to utilize technology in a way that only enhances learning. I think that it is about giving students a chance to find a medium that can be used by all of them.

    2. Faculty development.

      Physical spaces for technology-based learning do not have to be student-only spaces, and actually giving faculty the choice to use these spaces as well may keep the curriculum fresh, the faculty updated on what works best for the students and students interested and feeling like their learning needs and styles are being met.

    3. it also required elusive buy-in from administrators and a new approach to thinking about the classroom experience.

      There are benefits and drawbacks to such modern learning spaces. On one hand, the space(s) being used for technological advancement need to be designated, built/remodeled and shown to be used regularly by students, this process takes a long time and a lot of funding to perfect, which is what administration do not want to hear. Such spaces do not have to be used only for online courses and studying, which is a point made later in this article, it can be versatile and useful for all students if designed right. As technology improves, educators with more training in technology are becoming more widespread and students utilize online resources and technology more, the necessity of having these spaces increases.

    4. active learning and technology engagement.
    1. Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.

      This is a great overview/definition of PBL.

    1. So there is that danger in the language of learning. In part of my work I go even further because I think that learning in itself is also a very particular way in which we engage with the world, for example.

      Two options here then: Critique the word "learning" and stop using it (Biesta) or reframe and redefine it (perhaps what Britzman or Kress have done?)

    2. . And learning can mean different things so I often give a couple of examples where the word learning is used like learning to ride a bike or learning that 2 and 2 equals 4 but also learning to be patient or learning that you’re not good at something.

      I like the examples here. And the anxiety and frustration that goes with learning that you are not good at something (Britzman)

    1. personalized learning is not a one-size-fits-all method.

      Right. Isn't this what "personalized" means?

    2. to edtech skeptics that fear computers will replace teachers

      I think the criticisms are a bit more nuanced than this F.U.D.

  15. Dec 2017
    1. nteraction analysis can be partly automated.

      verbal interactions are the key!

      • Mirroring to guiding
    2. how technology can fulfil collaborative functionalitiesthat are not available in face-to-face situations

      technique #1 to promote colloboration

    1. climate protection

      https://www.nextgenscience.org/pe/hs-ls2-7-ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

      HS-LS2-7 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

      This paper investigates a means to optimize carbon storage potential through knowledge of biodiversity mechanics and the idea of sinking carbon into plant life in order to lower atmospheric CO2.

      https://www.nextgenscience.org/pe/ms-ls1-7-molecules-organisms-structures-and-processes

      MS-LS1-7 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

      It is important to understand the nature of the carbon cycle, and how carbon is utilized within organisms as biomass.

      Teacher's Resource:

      The removal of atmospheric CO2 reduces pollution, but it comes at the cost of creating plant conservation sites to store the carbon from CO2.

      This paper focuses upon the utilization of biodiversity in order to to increase carbon storage for economic purposes. By increasing the amount of carbon that can be stored in a hectacre of grassland, it will become much cheaper to reduce pollution via carbon sinks.

      Hungate et. al performed their investigations through past experiments that compared the carbon uptakes of grasslands of varying biodiversity over a period of 50 years.

      Findings support a positive correlation between biodiversity and carbon uptake levels. Therefore, increasing biodiversity in carbon sinks will increase efficiency and will make carbon sequestration more affordable as a result.

      While this paper shows a 'soft cap' (decreasing marginal effects) on these carbon uptake gains from biodiversity, this effect might be proven to have synergy with other efforts to improve carbon sequestration in the future.

      Discussion Questions:

      1. Why does adding to the biodiversity not linearly add to the carbon uptake rates?

      2. Is the resource competition (resulting from biodiversity) limiting or benefiting the flora in carbon sequestration?

      3. What is the 'sweet spot' of biodiversity that optimizes highest carbon storage per dollar spent?

      4. Do the results of this study have qualities that could be generalized to a other grasslands or possibly even other types of habitat? SC

    1. Most of the recent advances in AI depend on deep learning, which is the use of backpropagation to train neural nets with multiple layers ("deep" neural nets).

      Neural nets consist of layers of nodes, with edges from each node to the nodes in the next layer. The first and last layers are input and output. The output layer might only have two nodes, representing true or false. Each node holds a value representing how excited it is. Each edge has a value representing strength of connection, which determines how much of the excitement passes through.

      The edges in an untrained neural net start with random values. The training data consists of a series of samples that are already labeled. If the output is wrong, the edges are adjusted according to how much they contributed to the error. It's called backpropagation because it starts with the output nodes and works toward the input nodes.

      Deep neural nets can be effective, but only for single specific tasks. And they need huge sets of training data. They can also be tricked rather easily. Worse, someone who has access to the net can discover ways of adding noise to images that will make the net "see" things that obviously aren't there.

  16. Nov 2017
    1. This means developing a flexible learning environment in which information is presented in multiple ways, students engage in learning in a variety of ways, and students are provided options when demonstrating their learning.

      These are also best practices in teaching and learning, which says something about human cognition and motivation generally and how we think about people who need "accommodations." In other words, maybe we all need "accommodations" that serve our need for autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

    1. The aim is to demonstrate the distance travelled on their journey in the form of tangible, trackable learning outcomes and applications.
    1. Rather than framing everything at the course level, we should be deploying these technologies for the individual.26

      Obvious question: what about groups, communities, networks, and other supra-individual entities apart from the course/cohort model?

    2. In the accompanying article "Innovation Reclaimed," we share some projects that are working toward the vision of educational institutions reclaiming innovative learning on the web.

      Speaking of “counting them”.

    3. an environment unlike anything they will encounter outside of school

      Hm? Aren’t they likely to encounter Content Management Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, Intranets, etc.? Granted, these aren’t precisely the same think as LMS. But there’s quite a bit of continuity between Drupal, Oracle, Moodle, Sharepoint, and Salesforce.

    4. mandate the use of "learning management systems."

      Therein lies the rub. Mandated systems are a radically different thing from “systems which are available for use”. This quote from the aforelinked IHE piece is quite telling:

      “I want somebody to fight!” Crouch said. “These things are not cheap -- 300 grand or something like that? ... I want people to want it! When you’re trying to buy something, you want them to work at it!”

      In the end, it’s about “procurement”, which is quite different from “adoption” which is itself quite different from “appropriation”.

    5. institutional demands for enterprise services such as e-mail, student information systems, and the branded website become mission-critical

      In context, these other dimensions of “online presence” in Higher Education take a special meaning. Reminds me of WPcampus. One might have thought that it was about using WordPress to enhance learning. While there are some presentations on leveraging WP as a kind of “Learning Management System”, much of it is about Higher Education as a sector for webwork (-development, -design, etc.).

    6. Five Arguments against the Learning Management System
    1. “I want somebody to fight!” Crouch said. “These things are not cheap -- 300 grand or something like that? ... I want people to want it! When you’re trying to buy something, you want them to work at it! [Instructure] just didn’t.”
    2. two quarters of pilot courses on Instructure’s Canvas platform
    3. To the surprise of those behind the initiative, about two-thirds of faculty members said they were satisfied with the Blackboard system, deployed on campus in 1999.
    1. the terrible, horrible, no-good university administrators are trying to build a panopticon in which they can oppress the faculty
    2. If you recall your LMS patent infringement history, then you'll remember that roles and permissions were exactly the thing that Blackboard sued D2L over.
    3. (At the time, Stephen Downes mocked me for thinking that this was an important aspect of LMS design to consider.)

      An interesting case where Stephen’s tone might have drowned a useful discussion. FWIW, flexible roles and permissions are among the key things in my own personal “spec list” for a tool to use with learners, but it’s rarely possible to have that flexibility without also getting a very messy administration. This is actually one of the reasons people like WordPress.

    4. Do you know what the feature set was that had faculty from Albany to Anaheim falling to their knees, tears of joy streaming down their faces, and proclaiming with cracking, emotion-laden voices, "Finally, an LMS company that understands me!"?

      While this whole bit is over-the-top, à la @mfeldstein67, must admit that my initial reaction was close to that. For a very similar reason. Still haven’t had an opportunity to use Canvas with learners, but the overall workflow for this type of feature really does make a big difference. The openness aspect is very close to gravy. After all, there are ways to do a lot of work in the open without relying on any LMS. But the LMS does make a huge difference in terms of such features as quickly grading learners’ work.

    5. Why, they would build an LMS. They did build an LMS. Blackboard started as a system designed by a professor and a TA at Cornell University. Desire2Learn (a.k.a. Brightspace) was designed by a student at the University of Waterloo. Moodle was the project of a graduate student at Curtin University in Australia. Sakai was built by a consortium of universities. WebCT was started at the University of British Columbia. ANGEL at Indiana University.
    6. Let's imagine a world in which universities, not vendors, designed and built our online learning environments.
    7. the backbone of for a distributed network of personal learning environments
    8. the tools shouldn’t dictate the choice
    1. The H5P format is open and the tools for creating H5P content are open source. This guarantees that creatives own their own content and are not locked into the fate and licensing regime of a specific tool. Read more about how H5P ensures that the content remains yours in our blog.
    1. JavaScript widgets create simple graphs to quickly and concisely display activity by exhibit and by student

      Wonder if these were custom-made or if they relate to other initiatives.

    2. The data is sent to a LearnShare LRS for storage.

      Was wondering which LRS they used.

  17. www.torrancelearning.com www.torrancelearning.com
    1. xAPI and Next Generation Learning Get the right data about the learning experience and its impact on performance. We’re among the early adopters and leaders in the Experience API (xAPI) and its application in performance & analytics. As winners of the xAPI Hyperdrive, eLearning Guild Demofest and Brandon Hall Awards with our xAPI-based solutions, we’re inspiring others with fresh thinking. As hosts of the xAPI Learning Cohort we’re supporting hundreds of pioneers and experimenters in learning and working with the xAPI.
    1. Any questionable or surprise patterns might deserve an extra look or perhaps a redesign in how that material is presented.
  18. courses.openulmus.org courses.openulmus.org
    1. Currently, Canvas and Sakai are the only LMSs reviewed which has somesupport for xAPI (emphasis on some). Blackboard, D2L, Sakai and Canvas all have support for IMS Caliper, a more edu specific format.
    1. Mount St. Mary’s use of predictive analytics to encourage at-risk students to drop out to elevate the retention rate reveals how analytics can be abused without student knowledge and consent

      Wow. Not that we need such an extreme case to shed light on the perverse incentives at stake in Learning Analytics, but this surely made readers react. On the other hand, there’s a lot more to be said about retention policies. People often act as though they were essential to learning. Retention is important to the institution but are we treating drop-outs as escapees? One learner in my class (whose major is criminology) was describing the similarities between schools and prisons. It can be hard to dissipate this notion when leaving an institution is perceived as a big failure of that institution. (Plus, Learning Analytics can really feel like the Panopticon.) Some comments about drop-outs make it sound like they got no learning done. Meanwhile, some entrepreneurs are encouraging students to leave institutions or to not enroll in the first place. Going back to that important question by @sarahfr: why do people go to university?

    1. An institution has implemented a learning management system (LMS). The LMS contains a learning object repository (LOR) that in some aspects is populated by all users across the world  who use the same LMS.  Each user is able to align his/her learning objects to the academic standards appropriate to that jurisdiction. Using CASE 1.0, the LMS is able to present the same learning objects to users in other jurisdictions while displaying the academic standards alignment for the other jurisdictions (associations).

      Sounds like part of the problem Vitrine technologie-éducation has been tackling with Ceres, a Learning Object Repository with a Semantic core.

    1. Often our solutions must co-exist with existing systems. That’s why we also invest time and money in emerging standards, like xAPI or Open Badges, to help connect our platforms together into a single ecosystem for personal, social and data-driven learning.