Fortnightly Mailing

RIP Michael S Hart

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9 September 2011

RIP Michael S Hart (who founded http://www.gutenberg.org/, in effect inventing eBooks). Gregory Newby's obituary will make you think, and hopefully donate to Project Gutenberg.

[Added 16 September 2011]

You may also want to read Martin Childs's full and fullsome obituary in the Independent.

Many pieces loosely joined - the Scottish Government's interesting take on technology in learning

This short talk by Michael Russell MSP - published on 8 September - is definitely not a run-of-the-mill perspective on technology enhanced learning:

The Norvig/Thrun/Stanford free online AI course: more transparency needed concerning the relationship between Stanford University and KnowLabs

(Other posts tagged ai-course.)

Peter E. Murray pulls together several related comments and questions about the relationship between Stanford University and KnowLabs, the "angel-funded" start-up that is closely associated with the free online course that has attracted mass-attention (and mass enrolments) in recent weeks.

Know Labs - looking to "change the future of education by making it more accessible and less expensive"

(Other posts tagged ai-course.)

Know Labs is the Silicon Valley start-up behind the Thrun/Norvig/Stanford artificial intelligence course:

"We're a Silicon Valley-based startup looking to change the future of education by making it more accessible and less expensive. We provide a high-quality online learning experience using interactive videos, intelligent software, mobile apps, and the social web.  Our initial launch is online this fall: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, taught by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig in partnership with the Stanford University School of Engineering. The class is open to everyone at ai-class.com and is run by the technology we are developing for a larger site: know it."

What interests me is whether Know Labs was already involved (or even there?) when the AI course was originally advertised, or whether the scale of the response either led to the formation of the start-up, or brought it into involvement with Stanford.

See also:

• Over 200,000 people have signed up for the three free Stanford University online courses
• Questions about the AI course

Many lessons to be learned from Finland's National Plan for Educational use of ICT

Finland's school system is held up in the UK as a system to emulate, and it is often portrayed - wrongly - as one that works without much central intervention.

This well thought out, costed, comprehensive, thoroughly referenced, and just plain sensible five year National Plan [1.15 MB PDF] was over 2 years in the making, and looks like it has drawn upon a wide enough range of interests and expertises to be taken seriously.

The plan summarises, in simple language (correction - the English is simple enough to make one believe the Finnish will have been extremely clear accessible) eight areas for action, with cost estimates for each between 2011 and 2015.

1. National objectives and systemic change
2. Learners’ future skills
3. Pedagogical models and practices
4. E-learning materials and applications
5. School infrastructure, learning facilities, purchases and support services
6. Teacher identity, teacher training and pedagogical expertise
7. Operational culture and leadership at school
8. Business and network co-operation

I hope it is not too late in the English Department for Education's rethinking of the National Curriculum, for the wisdom in the parts of the this Finnish document that relate to the schools curriculum to be drawn upon. 

 

Dick Moore's guide to making short instructional videos

Dick Moore (sometime collaborator, friend, and Trustee of ALT) writes a practical and insight-rich "how to" about making short instructional videos on his Tools and Taxonomy blog. It is just this kind of useful material that gets lost (i.e. is not written) when people with knowhow to share take the easy way out and write performative snippets rather than thought-through pieces. (I am as guilty as the next person in this respect.) 

Whether next year's new year resolution will be easy to live up to is another question.

A saucer of beans

Runner beans straight from the pod earlier today.

Over 200,000 people have signed up for the three free Stanford University online courses

By 26 August, well over 200,000 people had signed up for one of the three free online courses being offered by the University of Stanford. The numbers are as follows:

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence - 132,469
• Introduction to Databases - 37,419
• Introduction to Machine Learning - 37,636

I've posted some questions about the AI course (which would apply equally to the other two), and several readers (Stuart Sutherland, Bob Harrison, Pabritra, John Vornle, and Dick Moore) have responded with other questions and comments. Feel free to add your own.

 

Thrun/Norvig/Stanford introduction to artificial intelligence - just short of 90,000 enrolments in 2 weeks

(Other posts tagged ai-course.)

Note - 20/8/2011. In the small font below I am unsystematically tracking the growth in sign-ups for the three Stanford course.

Two weeks ago I wrote something about (and signed up for) the Stanford University online introduction to artificial intelligence, to be taught by Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun. (Stanford's Introduction to Databases [201108200619 - 23,671. 201108242232 - 35,321. 201108261846 - 37,419.] and Introduction to Machine Learning [201108200619 - 25,935. 201108242233 - 35,685. 201108261846 - 37,636.] are also available online this autumn.

Within 2 weeks - after extensive press coverage - just short of 90,000 people worldwide had enrolled on the course. [24 hours later the number enrolled topped 100,000. 201108190712 - 103,290. 201108200619 - 110,775. 201108242227 - 128,477. 201108261846 - 132,469.]

The future of VLEs (Virtual Learning Environments) in tertiary education - Guest Contribution by Jim Farmer

At Blackboard World on 13th July 2011, four publishers announced new products and new services:

• Pearson integrates MyLab and Master learning services with the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This integration gives faculty immediate access to tools, assignments and learning analytics based on their Blackboard logon and returns grades to Blackboard.
• Cengage creates a deeper integration and full interoperability of Cengage Learning’s digital content through automatic sign-on and grade book integration. This added level of integration includes Web-services architecture (MindLinks). The partnership also includes integration of Cengage Learning’s MindTap program and MindTap applications.
• Macmillan provides integration of Macmillan’s digital learning offerings and Blackboard. It automates automated access via Blackboard and upload of grades and performance data into Blackboard’s gradebook.
• Wiley provides seamless access to Wiley’s learning content and tools. Wiley supports access via Blackboard credentials and automatically synchronize grades and other data with Blackboard.

Collectively these announcements suggest learning delivery services (LDS) as a more effective model for online learning than local delivery of static content , integration of the learning delivery and management systems and single sign on [SSO] for user convenience.