OLDaily

Welcome to Online Learning Daily, your best source for news and commentary about learning technology, new media, and related topics.

xAPI officially Becomes a Published IEEE Standard
ADL Initiative, 2023/11/22

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As Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) reported today, "On October 10th, the Experience API (xAPI) officially became an open source standard through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC). This new standard "IEEE 9274.1.1-2023" – also referred to as xAPI 2.0 – will be the first open-source standard in the history of IEEE." That is all.

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Stephen Fry Reads Nick Cave' Stirring Letter About ChatGPT and Human Creativity: We Are Fighting for the Very Soul of the World
Colin Marshall, Open Culture, 2023/11/22

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When I first started bikepacking (that is, going on self-supported off-road cycling trips across long distances) a couple of year ago, I explained it to my sceptical family by saying "I want to do something hard." There's value in doing something hard. So I understand what Nick Cave means when he says "ChatGPT rejects any notions of creative struggle, that our endeavors animate and nurture our lives giving them depth and meaning. It rejects that there is a collective, essential and unconscious human spirit underpinning our existence, connecting us all through our mutual striving." But I don't agree with him. We'll always be able to find something hard to do, even if there's an easy e-bike alternative. AI won't change who we are through it may push back against some long cherished myths about the nature of our existence in the universe. We will find that we really aren't so special after all. Anyhow, enjoy the video.

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Case Study: Effective Branching Scenarios for Training
Clark Quinn, Upside Learning Blog, 2023/11/22

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Clark Quinn has been writing a series of posts on the topic of scenarios in learning, including one introducing the idea, and another on what not to do. This particular article caught my eye because it takes me back to the early days of video games. There were two major types of games back in those days: branching scenarios, with lavish production and video laser discs; and environment-based scenarios with poorer graphics but open-ended play. People quickly memorized, then abandoned, the branching games. But the open-ended environments - things like Pac-Man and Asteroids - allowed many different strategies. I think the same logic applies in learning scenarios. People quickly see through the logic of closed scenarios, but are endlessly inventive when they have more autonomy.

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Google Chrome will limit ad blockers starting June 2024
Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 2023/11/22

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Advertising is to my mind the scourge of the internet. If it were just (as it is in other media) a matter of placing some content withing view, it might matter less. But it is far more pervasive than that, insisting that it be seen, insisting that content producers maximize views, while all the while surveiling the population to the point of inserting tracking malware on their computers. That's why I have always used Firefox, not Chrome, and why I have always run ad-blocking software (uBlock Origin). And make no mistake: when Google says it will limit ad blockers in Chrome, it is saying very clearly that your browser belongs to them, not you. If you're using Chrome, contemplate switching to Firefox.

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We publish six to eight or so short posts every weekday linking to the best, most interesting and most important pieces of content in the field. Read more about what we cover. We also list papers and articles by Stephen Downes and his presentations from around the world.

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