Blog Posts

Year one: Calgary

Absolutely fantastic video project by a UCalgary business student. I love that a student can produce something like this as a personal/indie/small-scale project. Fast, cheap, out of control!

learning objects must die

A recent joint announcement from two of the pillars of the open education community, McGraw-Hill and Microsoft, threatened to breathe new life into the concept of “learning objects”. David Wiley responds with a refresher on the concept of the Reusability Paradox - basically, if something is super-useful in your context, it’s likely not very useful in someone else’s. That’s where the concept of Learning Objects™ falls apart.

The Reusability Paradox typically leads designers of learning objects to attempt to “strike a balance” between effectiveness and reusability. This generally results in materials that are neither particularly effective NOR particularly reusable across contexts.

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https by default

I’ve had an SSL certificate installed on my website for awhile now, but it only kicked in if someone manually typed in HTTPS (which I’ve been using when I login to the site to do stuff). I’m trying to reduce ways in which my activities online expose privacy (for both myself and the 3 people who read my blog), so it’s time to throw the switch for the default to be encrypted HTTPS SSL access to this site. I’d held off because I wasn’t entirely comfortable that my SSL certificate would be accepted by all browsers, but it seems to be working. I’ll be switching to the new Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS system as soon as it’s up and running. Hopefully this summer.

on tracking users

Audrey Watters has opted out of tracking people on her websites. It’s a good read. I agree 100%.

I’ve felt creeped out by the pervasive tracking networks online - analytics, ad networks, cookies, super-cookies, browser fingerprinting, etc…. This surveillance ecosystem is the end result of an arms race to find out about people reading web pages online. There are a few reasons, but my gut says it boils down to 2:

Pearson and surveillance of students

Pearson is apparently monitoring social media, to detect signs of cheating during exams. That’s insanely creepy, and a horrible violation.

“And for those who think “Well, its Twitter, its public”, remember this: So is walking down the street. But is it OK for the government to monitor us with street surveillance cameras and send us fines for not crossing with the crosswalk?”

via Pearson Caught Spying On Students. Big Brother Is Here.

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on learning spaces and technologies

As an institution, we design learning spaces and select learning technologies, and implement them in ways to make them available to enable and enhance student learning. But, the design decisions made in the development, selection, and implementation of these resources shape what is perceived to be possible. The resources may not be technically restrictive to specific usage patterns and pedagogies, but through design decisions there are paths of least resistance that will naturally be found.

slow motion invertebrates

I did my BSc in zoology, and wound up focusing on invertebrates. There’s an amazing diversity and beauty in them. There’s just something about radial symmetry that still mesmerizes me.

via Jason Kottke

Mighty Peace to Eyeopener helmetcam

EFF on online harassment

The Electronic Freedom Foundation is taking on online harassment as a serious barrier to freedom of speech:

Just because the law sometimes allows a person to be a jerk (or worse) doesn’t mean that others in the community are required to be silent or to just stand by and let people be harassed. We can and should stand up against harassment. Doing so is not censorship—it’s being part of the fight for an inclusive and speech-supporting Internet.

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Reclaiming Educational Technology: flexible and open

Episode 3 of Reclaiming Educational Technology, looking at the transition from monolithic vendor-provided enterprise solutions to more flexible and adaptive projects. Some of the segments are also used in episodes 1 and 2, but in order for this to work as a standalone piece, needed to be re-included here as well. When I do a longer supercut version, I’ll remove the duplicate clips.

Reclaiming Educational Technology - episode 3 from UCalgary Taylor Institute on Vimeo.

My top posts of 2014

After consulting the available stats and readership metrics, I compiled the following likely-comprehensive list:

1. I don’t know.
2. I have no idea.
3. Who tracks this kind of stuff?
4. Seriously? Stats are bogus anyway.
5. LOL stats don’t tell you anything about what’s important.

Reclaiming Educational Technology: fostering a culture of innovation

Episode 2 of Reclaiming Educational Technology, focusing on the DTLT unit at the University of Mary Washington, and how they are able to successfully foster a culture of innovation.

Reclaiming Educational Technology - fostering a culture of innovation from UCalgary Taylor Institute on Vimeo.