Commenting on Topics with Connected Points of View
Don Gorges
Visual Communications in Educational Resources,
Open Design, Creative Services, Marketing
__Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection | Tesia Marshik | TEDxUWLaCrosse __ www youtube com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs _
This presentation focuses on debunking this myth via research findings, explaining how/why the belief in learning styles is problematic, and examining the reasons why the belief persists despite the lack of evidence.
Dr. Tesia Marshik is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her research interests in educational psychology include student motivation, self-regulation, and teacher-student relationships.
“Why the Widespread Belief in ‘Learning Styles’ Is Not Just Wrong; It’s Also Dangerous” by Simon Oxenham
Earlier this year on this blog, we addressed the problem of neuromyths including the belief held by 93 percent of British teachers that “learning styles” exist. A new TED talk by Dr. Tesia Marshik, who is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, walks us through the extensive evidence that learning styles don’t exist, before looking at why the belief is so widespread and exploring how the belief can indeed be dangerous:
“When something is so pervasive it doesn’t even occur to people to challenge it. We need to be willing to critically reflect on beliefs even if they are commonly believed. Another reason why this persists is quite frankly: The idea of learning styles is sexy. It sounds good. It feels good. Saying that people have different learning styles is another way of acknowledging that people are different, and differences are important, especially when it comes to the classroom. But me saying that learning styles don’t exist is not saying people are the same. People do differ in many important ways; learning styles just isn’t one of them, and just because some ideas sound really good, just because we really want something to be true, doesn’t make it so….
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__I have a similar issue with LinkedIn’s default display of “Top Updates” / top influencers etc – I’d prefer to be able to choose a default preference for “Recent Updates” – a chronological timeline. _ And, yes, I also hear the ‘algorithmic education’ issues that Audrey raises . . .
Identity, Power and Education’s Algorithms — Audrey Watters
Late Friday night, Buzzfeed published a story indicating that Twitter is poised this week to switch from a reverse-chronological timeline for Tweets to an algorithmically organized one. Users’ responses ranged from outrage to acceptance (after all, it’s hardly the first time that Twitter has made a drastic, unsettling change to the user experience) — but the predominant response sure seemed like outrage, as #RIPTwitter soon began to trend.
Many questioned the decision, pointing out the importance that Twitter’s real-time feed has played in breaking news. Some noted that events like those that transpired in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 were first and foremost spread via Twitter — long before the story of Michael Brown’s death was picked up by the mainstream media. And others pointed out that the story of the shooting and the subsequent protests were glaringly absent from Facebook, whose news feed is displayed algorithmically.
These observations about a filtered and circumscribed access to information get to the heart of the concerns about an algorithmic Twitter: it will reinforce the voices of the powerful and silence the voices of the marginalized.
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In a world gone mad for digital, sometimes it’s just good to cuddle up with a good book.
EDITORIAL: On the craft of printmaking
by Will Novosedlik
last Wednesday evening as I attended the 2015 Veritiv Canada Design and Print Excellence Awards. (Veritiv is the brand name assigned to the merger of two former divisions of International Paper, the world’s second largest paper distributor by sales and production volume.)
It was a gathering of some of Canada’s best designers and printers, invited to rub shoulders, eat sliders, drink cocktails and celebrate together as the winners were summoned to the stage to collect their accolades.
Don Gorges
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The future of learning content – and campus bookstores
Ellis, T. (2016) Developing a course content strategy University Business, February
This article has made me realise the still massive difference between what actually happens on campus and the future we are moving to. This article is written primarily for campus book store managers and makes me think that they don’t know what’s going to hit them over the next few years.
The article was based on a survey that came to the following conclusion:
students and faculty prefer printed textbooks but cost and enhanced learning experiences are fuelling interest in the transition to digital and ultimately to adaptive learning courseware and platform-based products… content creators… will continue to proliferate…conditions will favor retail giants and smaller niche players
The article then goes on (not surprisingly) to argue that campus store managers should play a key role in making decisions about course materials and related services.
Why they are in for a shock . . .
Don Gorges
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McGraw-Hill Education launches free project-based literacy instruction
In an effort to reach all students with meaningful literacy instruction, McGraw-Hill Education, a learning science company, has launched SRA FLEX Literacy Projects Jumpstart, a free introduction to project-based literacy intervention for grades 3-12.
Released in conjunction with the 2016 National Title I Conference, the complimentary 15-day lesson plan covers all five stages of the SRA FLEX Project Experience in an easy-to-follow sequence, aiming to boost literacy skills through reading, writing-centered activities and group collaboration.
The free, introductory FLEX Literacy Projects Jumpstart bundle includes:
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A large proportion of today’s skilled workforce and leadership talent may be on the verge of retirement, but not every baby boomer is ready to throw in the towel
http://www.brightspace.com/blog/is-it-time-to-retire-retirement/
Is it Time to Retire Retirement?
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Health implications of McD’s aside– interesting concept: books instead of toys in happy meals. #ProjectLiteracy
McDonald’s Will Serve Happy Meals With Books Instead of Toys
How the Happy Meal will Provide Children More Books than the World’s Largest Library
Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of Reading is Fundamental
Ensuring children have access to books has proven instrumental in combating illiteracy in children in the United States. Studies prove the simple act of reading a book to a child at bedtime has a direct impact on his or her educational growth and potential. To help fill this critical need, McDonald’s began distributing Happy Meal Books in 2013 and, by the end of this year, will have distributed more than 50 million books to children — enough to provide a book to every child in America under the age of 12.
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Congrats to our friends at RIT! http://hubs.ly/H022wBh0
RIT receives Higher Education Capital Grant to equip AMPrint Center for Advanced Technology
Investment of $500,000 will be used to further develop 3D printing and additive manufacturing applications
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__Apollo Global Management has significant experience investing in the education sector with current and former private equity fund investments in leading companies including McGraw Hill Education, Connections Academy and Sylvan Learning
Apollo Education Group, Inc. to Be Taken Private in $1.1 Billion Transaction
“This new structure will allow Apollo Education Group the flexibility and runway it needs to complete the transformational plan at University of Phoenix, which will enable us to serve our students more effectively during a period of unprecedented volatility within our industry. We will also continue to expand our international operations and remain committed to driving principles of operating excellence.”
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__Ryerson’s Zone Learning Analytics School (ZLAS) will bring in the top analytics-software providers and industry practitioners to give complimentary data analytics training to undergraduate students, professionals, and increase collaboration between engineers, mathematicians, and businesspeople. website: https://lnkd.in/eGHRgvV Twitter: https://lnkd.in/eehMR_d / LinkedIn to come? __ https://lnkd.in/e9Rd3jp
Ted Rogers School of Management launches Zone Learning Analytics School
New zone partner among the few Canadian universities to give undergraduate students and entrepreneurs an edge in the growing field of big data
With the Internet of Things, social media and multimedia revolutionizing the way we communicate, industries are turning more to experts who can make sense of vast amounts of data generated by consumers to identify patterns and come up with solutions – with just a few clicks. To help bridge this skills gap, Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) is launching the Zone Learning Analytics School (ZLAS) to give undergraduate students an opportunity to learn about big data and provide analytics training.
“Thanks to funding from Ryerson’s Zone Learning and support from TRSM, I’m delighted that Ryerson will be among a few universities in Canada to provide big data education to undergraduate students,” said James Tieu, co-executive director and a fourth-year TRSM business management student who spearheaded the initiative. “Business is about decision making based on future outcomes; analytics will help you predict those outcomes more precisely.”
- Ryerson University – Zone Learning Analytics School
- Zone Learning Analytics School
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__”It’s a human+machines future.” _ so, I’m in, with my personal DNA-encrypted Bio-Server, _I’m naming mine Pearl . . .
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What the commercial printer and publisher of tomorrow must do to be successful – Graphic Arts Magazine
IT will drive print’s relevance
Tomorrow’s commercial printer must become as comfortable with Information Technology as he or she is with offset litho. That can stretch from operating a website to harvest jobs, to creating automated workflows that minimize touchpoints so errors can be reduced using management systems. This includes print MIS (Management Information Systems) to record and present up-to-the-minute details of how a company is performing, through to data handling to create personalized communications for customers to talk to their clients in the most relevant way. If that means using social media alongside print, the ‘new commercial printer’ must deliver this.
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https://lnkd.in/eZvw-5t If you get a chance… the reddit commentary on this article is excellent.
92 Percent of College Students Prefer Reading Print Books to E-Readers
With her new book, Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World, Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University, brings more data to the case for print. Baron and her colleagues surveyed over 300 university students in the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Slovakia, and found a near-universal preference for print, especially for serious reading. (She finds that the format doesn’t matter so much for “light reading.”) When students were given a choice of various media—including hard copy, cell phone, tablet, e-reader, and laptop—92 percent said they could concentrate best in hard copy.
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Report: Making Textbooks Affordable: Covering the Costs with #OER: http://ow.ly/XU1zZ by: @HigherEdPIRG @uspirg
COVERING THE COST | Student PIRGs
__Related research: The National Student Financial Wellness Study (NSFWS) is a national survey of [163,714 undergraduate college students; 18,795 responded] examining the financial attitudes, practices and knowledge of students from institutions of higher education across the United States, and was developed and administered by The Ohio State University. _ http://cssl.osu.edu/posts/documents/nsfws-national-descriptive-report.pdf _ http://cssl.osu.edu/posts/documents/nsfws-key-findings-report.pdf _
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We are in the midst of epochal disruption. We have become so beguiled by technology that we have forgotten who it’s for, which may lead to a future that will forget about us. We need to ask hard questions about that, as Hilton does here.
Stop Being More Digital, Start Being More Human
Yet in the midst of all the debates of “Is Digital a channel, a medium, an attitude, a philosophy blah blah blah” I remain perplexed at how much still seems to be about the bright shiny object and not the “why I should care” part.
The features, not the benefits.
The tool, not the task it is intended to accomplish.
And when confronted with a question like “why should we build this piece of tech?” the answer, often delivered with shrug, is typically “why not?”
Don’t get me wrong, I adore the tech industry. The brains it attracts. The bold advances it makes possible. But somewhere in all this coveting of code, many seem to have lost the plot and the ability to suitably answer, “to what end are we doing this?”
They’ve forgotten the human side of the equation.
Don Gorges
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Libraries to head open textbook grant program
The Libraries have been tapped by President Robert Barchi to design and administer a pilot grant program to foster the use of open textbooks at Rutgers. The program will offer $12,000 in competitive grants to university faculty members to help transition their course materials to an open textbook platform.
Open textbooks such as those offered by the Open Textbook Library are peer-reviewed like conventional textbooks but published under open copyright licenses that allow them to be read, downloaded, and printed for free. In addition to cutting costs for students, these textbooks often offer teaching faculty the flexibility to alter or repurpose the material to suit their particular needs.
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- AdvancingEducation Program, Ontario Centres of Excellence
- AdvancingEducation Program | Ontario Centres of Excellence – Where Next Happens
- AdvancingEducation Partnering Forum
- AdvancingEducation Partnering Forum | RIC Centre
- OCE on Twitter: “Announcing OCE’s AdvancingEducation program, supporting up to 10 projects connecting Ontario’s schools with innovative companies. #ADVEDU”
- New program will advance innovation in Ontario’s public education system
- New Program will Advance Innovation in Ontario’s Public Education System – Techvibes.com
- (1) Announcing OCE’s AdvancingEducation: a $5… – Ontario Centres of Excellence
- AdvancingEducation Program | Ontario Centres of Excellence – Where Next Happens
- Programs | Ontario Centres of Excellence – Where Next Happens
- Where Next Happens | Ontario Centres of Excellence – Where Next Happens
- New Fund. OCE launches new $5M AdvancingEducation Program – FundingReport Media Platform
- Commercialization Program – Expenditures – commercialization-program—expenditures-(final)-2015-03-17.pdf
- AdvancingEducation Program – How it Works | Ontario Centres of Excellence – Where Next Happens
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A 2016 Look at the Future of Online Learning – Part 1
In this two-part consideration of the future of online learning, we look at the patterns and trends which will shape online learning in the future and how the various components of the post-secondary education system, such as student population, course design and delivery, assessment, resource bases, teaching and learning models, and partnerships will be different from what we have now.
The first part, A 2016 Look at the Future of Online Learning: Advancing Technology and Online Learning – An Ideal Match for the Future, looks at developments in technology and what potential they offer for better learning, teaching, collaboration, mobility and other key aspects of online learning.
The second part, A 2016 Look at the Future of Online Learning: Transformations in Learners, Programs, Teaching and Learning, and Policy and Government, is a more in-depth consideration of the inter-related changes we see taking place across online learning and the implications of this for post-secondary education.
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A close look at the challenges, opportunities, and technologies for integrating adaptive learning into today’s classrooms:
Adaptive Learning
In a market that’s been characterized by a few slow-moving giants surrounded by swarms of under-sized small fry, McGraw-Hill’s recently spun-off education unit seems well-placed. It’s been selling adaptive products, some developed in-house and some via acquisition, for years. More than four million students use products such as SmartBook and ALEKS, a math product that has been in development for 20 years, says chief digital officer Stephen Laster.
Tania Sterling – When it comes to learning, K-12 and higher ed more alike than different
Who would have ever predicted that a career as an elementary French teacher would eventually lead me to working for an educational publisher as a researcher and change agent? However, as someone who was nearing the completion of her doctoral studies, conducting research as opposed to teaching in the classroom did seem like the next logical step; a practical way to apply my new skills. In November 2013, when Pearson Canada made the bold commitment to ensure that its products and services have a measurable impact on people’s lives through learning, I decided to accept the challenge of leading the company’s internal and external efficacy research agenda nationally.
Working on the corporate side of education has been a big learning curve for me, but it allows me to continue to focus on the learner, which is what drew me to the profession in the first place. Two years in, the more I work with colleagues and leaders in K-12 and higher education, the more I realize how similar they are. Despite different funding and accreditation models; assessment and evaluation practices; ages, skills, and motivation of students; or the structure of the curriculum vs programs, designing products and services needs to start with a clear idea of the intended learner outcomes.
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This new initiative !!
Announcing the Launch of a New Competency-Based Experiential Learning Exchange
Ready to target your education for career advancement? Ryerson University’s Chang School has launched a new competency-based Experiential Learning Exchange (ELX), a flexible model that emphasizes hands-on, project-based activities and connects learners with coaches, expert advisors, and peers: http://www.ryerson.ca/ce/elx Join us at ChangSchoolTalks on February 17 to learn more! http://www.changschooltalks.ryerson.ca
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__Joining Cengage Learning: Sandi Kirshner – Chief Communications Officer, Sharon Loeb – Chief Marketing Officer __ https://lnkd.in/efNi2ch
Cengage Learning Announces Key Appointments to Lead Strategic Communications and Marketing
BOSTON, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Cengage Learning CEO Michael Hansen today announced the appointment of two industry leaders to head the company’s strategic communications and marketing activities. Sandi Kirshner has taken on the newly created role of Chief Communications Officer, while Sharon Loeb will serve as Chief Marketing Officer.
“As we continue our work to transform student learning and success, it is essential that we have strong leadership in place guiding our communications and marketing,” said Michael Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, Cengage Learning. “I am very happy to announce Sandi Kirshner as our new Chief Communications Officer. Sandi has had an enormous impact since joining Cengage Learning nearly three years ago and I’m confident that she will continue to bring her passion for improving education to her new role.
“I am also happy to announce Sharon Loeb as our Chief Marketing Officer. She brings to Cengage two decades of experience in the industry and will play a critical role in the overall growth strategy of our company,” continued Hansen. “Under the guidance of Sandi and Sharon, I expect our customers and external partners will see an even stronger vision for Cengage Learning that embodies our commitment to the power and joy of learning.”
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__This piece is researched and written by Sarah Hinchliff Pearson – co-author of an upcoming book on open business models – Sarah is a lawyer at Creative Commons
What Gives Your Business Model its Glue? — Made with Creative Commons
A look at what keeps people coming back when you send your copyrighted works out to travel around the Web.
This is the third in a series of six Medium articles connected to the research underway by Creative Commons for its Kickstarter-funded book about open business models to be published in 2016. With this work, we’re exploring how creators, businesses, and nonprofits sustain themselves when they are giving their work away for free using CC licensing. Our goal is to help others find ways to build viable models around open content.
- Open Business Models, Paul Stacey, Sarah Hinchliff Pearson, Creative Commons, Hewlett Foundation, OER Business Models,
- What Gives Your Business Model its Glue? — Made with Creative Commons — Medium
- Open Business Models Canvas Questions – Google Drawings
- Open Business Model Canvas vers. 3 – Google Drawings
- Open Business Models Participation Activities – Google Docs
- Team Open
- Open Business Models – Call For Participation – Creative Commons
- Open Business Models – Call For Participation | Paul Stacey
- Made with Creative Commons: A book on open business models by Creative Commons — Kickstarter
- Creative Commons Global Summit 2015 – Seoul, Korea: Exploring Open Business Models
- oeglobal2015_submission_73.pdf
- Paul Stacey Open Business Models – Google Search
- Traditional Economics Don’t Make Sense For Open Business Models — Made with Creative Commons — Medium
- Open for Business — Made with Creative Commons — Medium
- Open Business Models – Community – Google+
- Creative Commons Open Business Models, Case Studies, & Findings
- open business models | Paul Stacey
- Alternatives To Traditional Market Economics — Made with Creative Commons — Medium
- open business models Archives – Creative Commons blog – Creative Commons
- Creative Commons Global Summit 2015 – Open Business Models book and B…
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__Re: Department of Labor (DOL) – Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Agency _ https://lnkd.in/etgfuAi _ https://lnkd.in/e33AtDQ
ETA of U.S. Department of Labor adopts CC BY licensing policy
For those following along with the Department of Education’s proposal (and ongoing rulemaking) for a similar requirement, it may seem that DOL is following in its footsteps. In fact, though, it has been moving in this direction for years. Starting with its Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants announced in 2011 (which were jointly administered by the Department of Education), DOL has added open licensing requirements in several competitive programs announced over the past few years.
Keeping with this trend, DOL’s new licensing requirement specifies that, “Intellectual property developed under a competitive Federal award process to be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This license allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted work.” Effective as of December 20, 2015, this requirement will apply to several competitive programs DOL has announced for the upcoming year. This includes $25 million in competitive funding for its Strengthening Working Families Initiative grants which invests in education and skills training in combination with customized participant supportive services; $20 million for Training to Work Adult Reentry grants that build out career pathways programs in high-demand sectors for individuals signed up for work release programs; and $5 million for the America Job Centers program that provides incarcerated individuals with workforce services prior to release.
What educational materials (i.e. intellectual property) are produced through these kinds of grants, and what is the value in sharing those resources with others?
- U.S. Department of Labor adopts CC BY licensing policy
- A Christmas Story: Sharing Educational Resources at the Department of Labor | EdCentral
- U.S. Department of Labor adopts CC BY licensing policy department-wide – Creative Commons blog – Creative Commons
- Regulations.gov – Docket Folder Summary
- ETA-2015-0003-0003.pdf
- A Christmas Story: Sharing Educational Resources at the Department of Labor | EdCentral
- Regulations.gov – Rule Document
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__”we can use findings from neuroscience [-] to guide the development of artificial intelligent systems.” __ https://lnkd.in/ej5wbVU
The Secret to the Brain’s Memory Capacity May Be Synapse Size – Singularity HUB
According to Dr. Terry Sejnowski, a pioneer in computational neuroscience at the Salk Institute, your brain can hold petabytes of data — an order of magnitude similar to the entire internet.
It’s a bombshell of a claim, one that’s sexy, easy to comprehend, and solidly rooted in the “brain as computer” analogy. Yet according to Dr. Paul Reber, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University, the claim overshadows the remarkable science behind the study.
Some media reported that this new estimate of the brain’s storage capacity is ten times more than previously thought, but it’s actually remarkably similar to what we’ve guessed before. I also think it’s off, but that’s ok, laughed Reber.
In this case, “how much” is far less fascinating than “how.” How does the brain achieve that impressive storage power? How do we fill that storage? How — if at all — can unraveling the brain’s storage secrets guide us towards more efficient computer algorithms?
The answers, surprisingly, are etched into the brain’s nanoscale organization.
Size = strength
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What Does ‘Open’ Really Mean? to David Wiley
EdSurge published an opinion piece by Stephen Laster, the Chief Digital Officer at McGraw-Hill Education, titled The Future of Education Isn’t Free. It’s Open. The article makes a strong argument for the importance of interoperability among learning platforms, tools and content. I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly endorse this message—interoperability of platforms, tools and resources is absolutely critical to education becoming significantly more effective—and significantly less annoying—in the future.
However. . .
Don Gorges
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__White Paper: _ https://lnkd.in/eSQqbVD _ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: OPEN SOURCE COLLABORATION TO SUPPORT A MARKET-BASED APPROACH TO INTEROPERABLE EDUCATIONAL APPS AND CONTENT
Community App Sharing Architecture (CASA)
Community App Sharing Architecture Background
The Community App Sharing Architecture (CASA) provides a model for publishing and sharing catalogs of applications (mobile, web, embeddable learning tools) including application metadata about features and functions; further, it includes mechanisms for filtering and transforming this data during the publishing and sharing processes. This enables the construction of affinity-focused environments of peers where each peer can apply local policies for both publishing and receiving app catalogs.
- CASA – Simplifying the Curation of Education Resources Webinar -Jan 2016 – YouTube
- Simplifying the Curation of Education Resources Webinar -Jan 2016 – YouTube
- CASA | IMS Global Learning Consortium
- Community App Sharing Architecture (CASA) | IMS Global Learning Consortium
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__Great to hear you’re enjoying your new role at BCcampus, Clint, and the work-research you’re doing with the BC OpenEd Tech group _ Thanks for pointing us to the IMS Global tool – Community App Sharing Architecture (CASA) – the Simplifying the Curation of Education Resources Webinar was very interesting __ https://lnkd.in/eq9guEF
Putting tools into the hands of faculty with CASA
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OER vs. F(ree)ER – Where is the real value?
In the previous two posts, I described Flat World Knowledge’s first two products – a professionally authored, openly licensed textbook and related ancillaries, and a student centered e-commerce experience that would drive a revenue model for the business.
In this third post, I describe our third, and I will argue our most important, product. This third product was an editing platform enabling professors and/or institutions to exploit our open license. This was by far Flat World Knowledge’s hardest product to build and ship. And the demand in the market was also less clear. Intuitively Eric and I believed the demand for control of content locally was huge, but the tools, accepted practice, and business model underpinnings were missing.
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Higher Ed Social Media Toolkit | Student Affairs and Technology
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The Future of Education Isn’t Free. It’s Open. (EdSurge News)
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Why Are Universities Fighting Open Education? | Electronic Frontier Foundation by: @elliotharmon http://ow.ly/XGWyz #OER #openpolicy
Why Are Universities Fighting Open Education?
In December, over 3,000 of you rallied in support in support of a proposed Department of Education (ED) policy that would make ED-funded educational resources a lot more accessible to educators and students around the world.
You weren’t the only ones: the Free Software Foundation, Creative Commons, Public Knowledge, the Software Freedom Conservancy, and numerous other pro-user groups spoke up. Together, we all sent a loud message: Team Internet is on the side of open education.
Browsing through all 147 comments, a pattern quickly emerges. Open web advocates, open education groups, and many education professionals all support the idea of ED-funded resources being shared widely under open licenses (though we might quibble on a few specific details). One group kept confusing us, though: universities. Why were some universities opposing a rule that would directly benefit their students and faculty?
When you dig a bit deeper, it looks like universities’ opposition to open licensing has nothing to do with students’ access to educational resources. What’s really playing out is a longstanding fight over how universities use patents—more specifically, software patents. Open education just happens to be caught in the crossfire.
Don Gorges
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Coursera Business Model vs Open Business Models
As Coursera tweaks its business model to find a financially viable way to offer massive open online courses, critics say its MOOCs are becoming less open and less like courses.
Coursera last week announced the release of dozens of new courses and course sequences, which it calls Specializations, in subjects ranging from career brand management to creative writing. But many of the new MOOCs came with a new barrier to enrollment. To sign up for Michigan State University’s How to Start Your Own Business, for example, budding entrepreneurs have to pay $79 up front for the first of five courses in the Specialization or prepay $474 for the entire program.
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Common Core Insider Reveals Info About LA Bid Rigging Scandal
The fourth video of this Project Veritas series on Common Core shows a former executive for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the country’s second leading textbook publishing company, alleging that the textbook industry is more about politics and money than education. Again, Project Veritas undercover journalists used hidden video cameras to capture what text book executives would never say in public.
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New study I’ve been working on for BCcampus & the open textbook project released today. https://lnkd.in/eqGWYNJ
New Study: Exploring Faculty Use of OER at BC Institutions
How do faculty in British Columbia use Open Educational Resources (OER)? What are some of the ways in which they are using OER, and what are some of the barriers they face when using OER? A new research paper published today by BCcampus looks at these questions.
Don Gorges
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Good suggestion, Don. We’ll add the questions.
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__Kim Koerber sent Cease and Desist order to Breitbart News re: article on video produced by James O’Keefe – Project Veritas. Hopefully Journalists will add their voices to support Cease and Desist orders against O’Keefe.
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The Top 50 Relentlessly Relevant Brands
What defines a brand today?
Is it a logo, tagline and supporting creative?
Is it a great product?
Is it delightful service?
Is it a rich customer loyalty program?
Of course each of these elements serve as brand pillars. But, what does a brand really mean to someone today?
A brand is something that is experienced. And, in that moment and in every moment that follows, a brand is built upon a foundation of resulting emotions that surface in each engagement…each touch. Brand is everything. So why do so many companies focus on parts of the experience or only brand style guides or completely leave it to chance?
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panOpen: Helping Open Educational Resources Go Mainstream
Today panOpen announced the official launch of its learning platform exclusively based on Open Educational Resources (OER), with nearly 100 pilot programs in place at colleges and universities nationwide. panOpen’s comprehensive application allows faculty and students to quickly and easily use trusted, high-quality materials that enhance their course curriculum and overall learning experience. With additional tools for faculty such as content customization, LMS integration, self-grading quizzes, note-taking, real-time chat and data analytics, panOpen offers a forward-thinking and unique user-experience unlike any other OER platform.
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http://ow.ly/XvLMM Break out the sparkling water! Montellier wins gold at PAC!
Shikatani Lacroix wins PAC packaging design awards –
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Davis Wins 8 PAC Awards
The PAC Global Leadership Awards were presented at the Package Design Matters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Our president Ron Davis was at the …
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__Creative Commons 2015-2020 Organizational Strategy _ CEO Ryan Merkley’s Logic Model: The logically related parts of a program, showing the links between program objectives, program activities (efforts applied coherently and reliably over a sustained time), and expected program outcomes. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has granted $10M to Creative Commons to support this renewed strategy.
- Creative Commons 2016-2020 Organizational Strategy, Ryan Merkley Let’s light up the global commons January 20th, 2016
- Let’s light up the global commons – Creative Commons Blog – Creative Commons
- CC-Strategy-2016-2020-1.pdf
- Let’s light up the global commons – Creative Commons Blog – Creative Commons
- Light up our global commons – Creative Commons – Creative Commons
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__Although I have difficultly understanding the technology and navigating Federated Wiki and Wikity [http://wikity.cc/] – I believe that Michael Caulfield’s ideas and the work he’s doing is potentially very significant in the ways we can/will use the web _ I just want to spread the word __ https://lnkd.in/e2fHZds
Capable Clients and the WordPress API
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Pearson chief brands critics ‘naive and ignorant’ as company cuts 4,000 jobs
Education market will not face the same digital disruption as record labels, says under-pressure boss John Fallon
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__Creative Commons 2016-2020 Organizational Strategy, Ryan Merkley – CC will need to establish a small developer team to develop our own prototypes and tools, maintain our services to licensors, and work with contributors. – CC will assign
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Visual China Group Acquires Assets of Corbis Images – Corbis Entertainment
Unity Glory, an affiliate of Visual China Group, a leading Chinese visual communications and new media business, to own and manage Corbis Images and Motion Content in China and Around the World
Transaction accelerates transformation of Corbis – Corbis Entertainment’s Branded Entertainment Network (BEN) and entertainment advertising businesses retained by Corbis
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__Matt Hodgson and Ariel Diaz of Boundless are out at Valore – VP of marketing Meera Oliva said that “we did undergo a small restructuring at Valore. We continue to pursue becoming a leader in our digital publishing and textbook marketplace businesses and we are making terrific progress in that regard.” __ https://lnkd.in/eB5E8k4
Valore Switches CEOs, Discloses ‘Restructuring’
Valore VP of marketing Meera Oliva said that “we did undergo a small restructuring at Valore. We continue to pursue becoming a leader in our digital publishing and textbook marketplace businesses and we are making terrific progress in that regard.”
“We are focused on profitability and growth and have restructured our team to put us in a stronger position to realize that vision,” Oliva said.
Valore had previously disclosed that it generated $65 million in revenue in 2014, and in the past has discussed the possibility of going public.
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__Also see essay by Michael Geist, Fair Access: Strikes the right balance on education and copyright _ https://lnkd.in/eCnT3XB _ Academic Matters __ https://lnkd.in/eVH9enS
Access Copyright – Addressing the needs and concerns of both creators and users in a changing copyright landscape
Access Copyright has the infrastructure and expertise to best serve universities, says the organization’s Executive Director Roanie Levy.
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__“Faced with these challenges, we are today announcing decisive plans to further integrate the business and reduce the cost base, rationalise our product development and focus on fewer, bigger opportunities.” In total, these actions will reduce Pearson’s headcount by approximately 4,000 FTEs, or 10% of Pearson’s workforce. We are moving quickly to implement this restructuring and are planning to complete the majority of it by the half year, and all of it by the end of the year. __ https://lnkd.in/e3YPPxg
Pearson January trading update
Pearson’s chief executive John Fallon said:
“Our competitive performance during the last three years has been strong, but the cyclical and policy related challenges in our biggest markets have been more pronounced and persisted for longer than anticipated.
“Faced with these challenges, we are today announcing decisive plans to further integrate the business and reduce the cost base, rationalise our product development and focus on fewer, bigger opportunities.”
Pearson’s chairman Sidney Taurel said:
“Pearson is a company with strong market positions, real competitive advantage and a significant medium-term market opportunity. The Board believes that the restructuring that we’re announcing today will help build on these strengths and position Pearson to take advantage of its market opportunities, enjoying sustained growth. I look forward to working with John and the executive team to deliver this agenda.”
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SPARC Innovator Award – SPARC
The SPARC Innovator Award is an initiative that recognizes an individual, institution, or group that exemplifies SPARC principles by working to challenge
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__”The DIY approach may not produce the quality products desired by faculty, students, and administrators. The problem lies in the fact that lone instructors rarely have the time, incentives, budgets, or skill sets required to fully realize the potential of the digital format. Budgets are small to non-existent, and production schedules are notoriously short.” _ https://lnkd.in/eecN9j6
How “Do-it-Yourself” (DIY) is Playing a Key Role in Digital Course Development in Higher Education
Theimpact of DIY on digital higher education has not been altogether positive. While it enables a quick start, the wide-scale adoption of the DIY model may be standing in the way of more instructionally effective and productivity-enhancing approaches to online teaching and learning.
The problem lies in the fact that lone instructors rarely have the time, incentives, budgets, or skill sets required to fully realize the potential of the digital format. Budgets are small to non-existent, and production schedules are notoriously short. Consequently, students are regularly presented with online courses that feature re-purposed classroom materials, such as PowerPoint slides and lecture videos. The sourcing, selection, and integration of other materials from the Internet, whether visuals, tools, assessments, texts, or case studies, takes considerable time and expertise; the pedagogically sound use of discussion boards and online group work requires new skills for instructors and students alike; and the individual creation of learning supports is often beyond the abilities and capacities of faculty. The DIY approach may not produce the quality products desired by faculty, students, and administrators.
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__Ryan Merkley posts announcement too _ https://lnkd.in/eZC2PZg _ “The Board of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has unanimously approved an unrestricted multi-year grant in the amount of $10 million to Creative Commons.” __ https://lnkd.in/eyY_KSV
Investing in Openness – By Larry Kramer
The Hewlett Foundation was an early supporter of Creative Commons, [-] and we are pleased to continue that support with a new grant of $10 million in unrestricted general operating support—the largest gift we have made to the organization.Our hope is to give the people at Creative Commons some room to breathe: an opportunity to think and try new things—to create—without having to curtail or constrain their ongoing work. Creative Commons is the chief steward of a large and growing movement for openness, a movement to make knowledge more freely available, to foster sharing and collaboration, and to spur advances and improvements that make the world a better place for everyone.
Commenting on Topics with Connected Points of View
Don Gorges
Visual Communications in Educational Resources,
Open Design, Creative Services, Marketing
__Thanks, Will. I share your love of print and can relate to those feelings as I recall a similar sense of awe at the state-of-the-art and craftsmanship on first occasion I attended The New York Book Show, and browsing through books designed by Chip Kidd et al.