post updated with official response from Fitbit
I contacted Fitbit Support to ask them about this article, describing security vulnerabilities in the bluetooth radio of the wearable Fitbit devices. I'd sent it through their website, so I don't have the exact text, but it was something like:
Do you have any information for Fitbit users in response to the Engaget article? (with a link to the article)
Their support team responded later that day with this:
Nope. Well, almost nope. Had some HR stuff to finalize before our new Online Learning Environment Specialist starts on the 26th. I'm out of the office until Oct. 23.
Edtechitude
"Indie EdTech is many times a personal; a philosophical, decision. It's also many times a practical; an economical, decision. Open standards are about accessibility as much as anything else."
We're hiring - Taylor Institute Operations Technician
Patrick Finn gave a "Last Lecture" on campus this week. An absolutely amazing, emotional, raw, dangerous and important lecture. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Finn as part of our campus community.
Kelsy Norman has been doing a series of interview podcasts with UofC alumni. Lots of great ones, but he got to sit down with Dr. Cannon for some non-official-chat. Nice. Peer Review 55: Elizabeth Cannon sets her sights even higher
We're looking for a rare combination of technical skills and strength in collaboration and consultation on the use and integration of a wide array of technologies in the new Taylor Institute building. It's going to be an extremely important role, working with everyone in the Taylor Institute, and from across campus, to effectively use the shiny new stuff that's being installed in the building (literally - right now, installation is under way!). Mobile collaboration huddle stations. High end audiovisual systems - with laser powered projectors! Working with folks who are making cool stuff in the Faculty Design Studio. And lots of other stuff that we'll all be figuring out together once the building opens in April 2016.
Big week on campus:
We kicked off the Learning Technologies Coaches program this week, when our Technology Integration Specialist started on Monday! Already so much progress on that project - can't wait to see how it grows and adapts through the first semester.
As usual, had some really great meetings/talks within the Taylor Institute - it's really amazing, how incredible the entire team is. Also, lots of project meetings, and coffee meetings with people across campus. Blah blah institutional yadda etc…
What a great week. Started off by planning my goals for the year. It's going to be an epic year, both personally and for the department, and it's great to see things laid out (and with serious progress made across the board).
We had our Educational Development Unit ePortfolio retreat, where we started putting together the content for the department's ePortfolio. We're tying our activities to our EDU Strategic Plan, and making everything visible as a live ePortfolio. Lots of great ideas. Collaboration across the entire EDU. So good.
Patrick sets up the rehearsal for The Extinction Therapist Beakerhead rehearsal session
Patrick Finn is an incredibly inspiring prof, and we’re lucky to have him here at UCalgary.
His work on helping to transition from critical to loving thinking is extremely important. I’ve watched his TEDxYYC talk a few times, and revisited it again after this week’s Beakerhead theatre workshop rehearsal of The Extinction Therapist - an event led by Patrick, with actors presenting their early interpretation of Clem Martini’s unfinished script. The play was interesting, weird, and thought-provoking - all things we need more of.
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possibly Jim and Tim at work running Reclaim Hosting. Or some other guys.[/caption]Edtech (and tech in general) is largely hostile to humans. It has evolved to try to lock people in so that data about them can be sold and resold. This is why Reclaim Hosting is so important - Jim nails it with a mini-manifesto for the company:
Tim and I aren't "businessmen" (though I joke about it), we're edtechs who have an intimate understanding of higher ed. We have a strong sense of where technology and teaching converge in interesting ways, and remain committed to augmenting what we've helped build at UMW and share it far and wide.
We don't advertise. We don't use our interface to play psychological games. We don't hate-sell through fear and uncertainty as so many in the web hosting world do. We don't and won't take VC funding. We won't be bought, which means we won't sell you out. And while we do have the best service and cheapest prices around, more than anything we have an ethos that is rooted in the vision of helping people understand how the web works and use that knowledge to return teaching and learning to the scale of the individual—the only way it can be done right. That is what education is, and that is what we are all about.
We did the interviews for the Technology Integration Specialist position - hoping to be able to make an announcement early next week. Super excited to get this role up and running, so the Learning Technologies Coaches Program can start ramping up.
One thing that surprised me - in filling out the paperwork, the form asked me the gender of the applicant. Not a difficult question, but my initial reaction was "no. that's a stupid question. I'm not filling that in." - and I thought about it, and couldn't think of a good reason why I should be providing that information about an employee. Anyway. I left that field blank just out of principle.
It was a crazy week. I think the EDU was offering all programming simultaneously - Instructional Skills Workshop, Course Design Workshop, D2L Work Sessions, Curriculum Review orientation, all at the same time. It was great to see so many people coming together in the EDU. Space planning is interesting, and we had to shuffle a few bookings to make room for everyone, but it worked out great. I got to wear a few hats, which is always great - and we had a couple of instructors working in the Faculty Design Studio. Can't wait to see what they make.
In late 2013, our Provost struck a Learning Technologies Task Force, to develop a plan to sustainably implement and support learning technologies across all faculties at the University. The result of that task force was the production of the Strategic Framework for Learning Technologies in the summer of 2014 - a document that lays out some high level priorities and specific strategies to address them. Much of the document directly guides the work of my team (the Technology Integration Group in the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, Educational Development Unit) - I keep a copy of it handy, and have a poster version of the priorities and strategies pinned to the wall in my office. One of the interesting aspects of the Framework is the emphasis on combinations of learning technologies and spaces - that we need to consider the physical as well as digital aspects of the learning environment.