I hate Microsoft Word. It is buggy, ugly, clunky, slow, lacking in features, lacking in standards compliance and massively overpriced. Why, when others could do it more than 20 years ago, can you not even drag a picture to where you want it to be?  

I use it solely for compatibility with others, which is why I am currently using it to coauthor a book. I estimate its bugs and failings cost me an average of an hour or two a day at the moment. 

This error message sums it up for me:

If you cannot read this, it says ‘The document “crowdbookdraftjd.docx” could not be opened. Word cannot open files in the “Microsoft Word Document” format.’

Sigh. 

An interesting paper from the European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning that attempts to redefine Moore’s notion of transactional distance as a distance in understanding between a learner and a teacher that needs to be closed. I’m not convinced by the conclusion – the authors neatly shoe-horn the theory into their own, but at the expense of not seriously considering the control dynamics and the psychological aspects that are perhaps the theory’s most valuable contributions. However, the paper contains a fine analysis of the literature via Dewey’s constructivist philosophy and a thorough examination of the concept of transactional distance from a refreshing perspective. It does begin to sound more than a little like a rephrasing of Vygotsky, which is not a bad thing.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.eurodl.org/index.php?p=current&article=374

A useful article overviewing the technology, social, academic and organizational issues surrounding the Open Badge Initiative (http://openbadges.org). Personally, I think this is a vital technology to break the mould of formal education and rethink how we accredit lifelong learning. This may not be the final solution, but it is an important link in the chain.

Address of the bookmark: http://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/a2k/article/view/381

Further proof, if it were needed, that online learning can outperform face to face learning. But, like everything in education, it ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it. 

Address of the bookmark: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2012/09/idi-7-reasons-why-online-degree.html

Education Technology Innovation 2013 Conference

If you are a researcher, an education R&D company, or a public or private sector user of education technologies, please join us for this upcoming event, hosted by Athabasca University.

May 1st: Workshops
May 2nd – 3rd: Full conference and Exhibitors’ Hall

Location: Radisson Hotel Calgary Airport

During the past decade, the use of technology in education has steadily grown in prominence and influence on campuses and schools around the world. In response, a new generation of educational technology startups has emerged, influenced by the significant flow of capital into the sector. In Canada, entrepreneurs have made a significant impact on education globally through their companies. In university research labs around the country, the next generation of education technology innovations is now being explored. Currently, no national conference exists to bring together education technology researchers, entrepreneurs, practitioners, funders, and government partners. This proposed conference addresses this void and will assist in promoting innovations in education and connecting researchers with startups and startups with funders and purchasers.

Address of the bookmark: http://research.athabascau.ca/industry/edtech-conf.php

Canada Moot, a conference about Moodle, is taking place in February, and is in Vancouver this year. Terry Anderson and I are giving a presentation (details below). Call for abstracts ends November 10th so still time to get involved!

Address of the bookmark: http://moodlemoot.ca/mod/data/view.php?d=5&mode=single&page=23

Points to a couple of the ways that people taking online courses can cheat by paying other people to do the work for them. However, I don’t think this has anything to do with whether the courses are online or not. This is about how to crowd-source cheating, whatever the modality.

I have come across the results of some of these when marking work in both face to face and online courses. They are sometimes easy to identify. Many academic have signed on for such services and I have quite frequently received reports from others who have found my students using them, as well as finding a few myself. The detection process is helped by the fact that many who provide such services, ironically, tend to take shortcuts and re-use not just their own work but the work of others. 

My own approach in courses that I write is to make this kind of cheating too expensive to be worthwhile: linked assignments that are inherently unique, therefore requiring assignment providers to take most or all of an entire course, can significantly reduce incentives for cheating, especially when progress has to be shown through the course so there is no point in hiring someone who already knows how to do it. It’s not infallible, but it’s less fallible than exams, where over 70% of students in North America admit to cheating. When combined with a process that makes it likely that a tutor will get to know a student fairly well and a process that requires students to share work with others, leading the benefit of many eyes (honest students are usually affronted when they find cheating among classmates and willingly report it), it is heading in the right direction.

Address of the bookmark: http://nextbison.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/the-online-cheating-arms-race/