OLDaily

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

Zines in Higher Education with Meredith Tummeti
Geoff Cain, Brainstorm in Progress, 2026/01/07

---

This short article links to a podcast on zines in education, but I want to highlight this longish quote that is essentially an aside: "there is a lot of concern in education circles around 'AI proofing' one's curricula and the so-called cognitive decline that students are experiencing from the use of AI. I don't think we need to worry about the first issue because it can't be done (any more than you could 'internet proof' your curriculum), and the cognitive decline is based on yet another MIT education study that has too few subjects ('We recruited a total of 54 participants for Sessions 1, 2, 3, and 18 participants among them completed session 4.')." Exactly.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post][Share]

Diversity Strenghtens Discovery
Malinda Smith, University Affairs, 2026/01/07

---

This is a pretty easy argument to support, and I appreciate the effort Malinda Smith has taken to be precise about the various sorts of diversity that need to be considered. "If intellectual breakthroughs depend on anything, it is the collision - rather than convergence - of distinct ways of thinking. Critics of diversity often frame inclusion as antithetical to excellence, implying it compromises standards. This view misinterprets how knowledge is produced, debated and applied." We're familiar (I think) of the phenomenon of arguing for "viewpoint diversity" as important as well. I'm open to this, with one really important caveat - the viewpoint cannot be one that opposes or undermines other forms of diversity.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post][Share]

Short videos. Your community. Your rules.
Loops, 2026/01/07

---

If you like the idea of TikTok but didn't like the idea of who owns it or how it is controlled, here's an alternative: Loops. "Loops is federated, open-source, and designed to give power back to creators and communities across the social web. Build your community on a platform that can't lock you in." Looking for people to follow (besides me, I mean)? Try explore. Or search for a hashtag. You can comment on and stitch videos, just like TikTok. You can follow me on Loops - here's a video I've uploaded. How much will use it? I have no idea - we'll see how much value I get out of it (where value() = f(interaction+creativity+fun)).

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post][Share]

We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI'
Emily M. Bender, Nanna Inie, Tech Policy Press, 2026/01/07

---

This article complains that we use anthropomorphizing language too much when talking about AI and recommends instead that we talk about it in terms of functions. That is, we talk about it as though it's human, and we shouldn't. "A more deliberate and thoughtful way forward is to talk about 'AI' systems in terms of what we use systems to do, often specifying input and/or output... Rather than saying a model is 'good at' something (suggesting the model has skills) we can talk about what it is 'good for'." So, I guess it would be saying an AI is 'good for' translating Harlequin romances, rather than saying AI is 'good at' translating them. Seems like a small difference to me. But the real question concerns our use of anthropomorphizing language. Does it really matter? Are we really fooled? We use anthropomorphizing language all the time to talk about pets, appliances, the weather, other people. Are we really making specific ontological commitments here? Or are we just using a vocabulary that's familiar and easy? Via Ton Zijlstra.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post][Share]

Open funder metadata is essential for true research transparency
Hans de Jonge, Katharina Rieck, Zoé Ancion, Impact of Social Sciences, 2026/01/07

---

This article is in response to two recent reports. "The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) released best practices for journals on formatting funding statements, while the International Science Council (ISC) linked funding transparency to combating mis- and disinformation." In addition, though, the authors point to "the need for funding information as open metadata." They note that "The ISC highlights the 'playbook' phenomenon—strategies where the relationship between funding sources to research is disguised... (and) cases where governments engage in the spread of misinformation, to advance their anti-science agendas." They argue that "including funding statements in articles, while necessary, is insufficient. Funding information as open metadata creates high value for the whole research community." I agree. Via Octopus monthly updates.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post][Share]

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.

There are many ways to read OLDaily; pick whatever works best for you:

• Read in your web browser on this web page, updated weekdays
• Receive a daily or weekly email newsletter by subscribing here
• Subscribe to the RSS feed using your favourite feed reader
• Follow @OLDaily@mastodon.social on Mastodon or elsewhere in the fediverse
• Follow @OLDaily on Bluesky
• Read OLDaily as a LinkedIn Newsletter
• Integrate the open API using the JSON feed