Comments for The Corkboard

Comment on Stephens and Jones to co-teach a MOOC version of “The Hyperlinked Library” by John T

John T — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:26:34 +0000

Sounds like fun! I’ll look forward to hearing about how it goes. Good luck
-john

Comment on Slides from ALISE 2013 – “Beyond the Walled Garden” by Stephens and Jones to co-teach a MOOC version of “The Hyperlinked Library” | The Corkboard

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:26:33 +0000

[...] You are here: Home → Stephens and Jones to co-teach a MOOC version of “The Hyperlinked Library” ← Slides from ALISE 2013 – “Beyond the Walled Garden” [...]

Comment on Introducing “Library Custom Post Types”, a WordPress Plugin Pack by Custom Post Types in Wordpress with Gravity Forms | Tim Owens

Custom Post Types in Wordpress with Gravity Forms | Tim Owens — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:13:17 +0000

[...] with custom post types before but the best framework I’ve found yet to build off of was Kyle Jones’ Library Custom Post Types which comes as a pack of three custom post types meant for libraries (Databases, Staff Directory, [...]

Comment on Blackboard Buys Open-Source. Surprised? by Kyle

Kyle — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:17:46 +0000

Ted-
Phil’s got an interesting take on the situation. I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying they’re giving up the ghost on the LMS; instead, they’re simply diversifying their product offering to reach into all areas of the market – which he mentions. This isn’t an erosion of their core services, it’s a grab at a bigger piece of the pie. You’re the first person I know of to move to Canvas. We’ll have to talk sometime about your experiences.
~Kyle~

Comment on Blackboard Buys Open-Source. Surprised? by Ted Curran

Ted Curran — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:12:16 +0000

Hi Kyle-
Great post, as always. I’m also curious what’s going to happen next with this acquisition, but I definitely see it as a last-gasp maneuver for Blackboard to stay relevant in a market that doesn’t want what it’s selling.
Our school evaluated MoodleRooms alongside Bb9 and Instructure’s Canvas when we were deciding to switch (BTW: We went Canvas). MoodleRooms offers a package called “Joule” that consists of a suite proprietary add-ons to enhance the core open-source Moodle product. Joule adds features like mobile apps, social networking, content management, and video hosting that Blackboard now sells as “extra” packages. A fully-loaded Joule install costs about 10% (TEN PERCENT!) of what we’ve been paying for the most limited version of Bb Learn. When we asked our Bb rep what it would cost to similarly outfit our Bb install with all those extra features, he… didn’t return our calls!
Phil Hill’s excellent post on the subject posits that Bb is looking at using Moodle as another way to sell its high-priced add-on services– and that its focus is no longer strictly on the LMS itself where it’s clearly lost the war.

Comment on Digital Learning and Badges by Kyle M. L. Jones

Kyle M. L. Jones — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 21:59:11 +0000

I saw that as well. Marked the page for a little more digging when my class gets to my module on badges/digital learning. I was surprised to see so many submissions.

Comment on Digital Learning and Badges by Ted Curran

Ted Curran — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:38:13 +0000

I just saw this news article and thought it was germane to the conversation at hand:
https://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/badge-based-learning-competition-names-winners/35638

I haven’t followed all the links to learn more about the winners yet, but it sounds like they are figuring out where institutions and evidence fit into this puzzle.

Comment on Digital Learning and Badges by Ted Curran

Ted Curran — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:51:42 +0000

Thanks Kyle-
Nicely put. I hope that this trend is also leading to more transparency in assessment as well. I hope that I won’t have to simply rely on Mozilla’s reputation as much as we’ve gotten used to doing with universities, but will instead be able to “drill down” behind the badge and see exactly what tasks the student successfully completed to earn that badge. In other words, I hope we’re moving from faith in institutions to faith in explicit evidence of mastery.

If I were an employer, I’d love to scan down over a list of benchmarks the student had completed so I could ensure that her/his skill set matches the needs of my project.

“So this applicant is an “expert” in HTML5, eh? What has she done?

Basic HTML5 Syntax– Proficient
Advanced HTML5 Syntax– Proficient
CSS3 Stylesheets– Advanced
HTML5 Geolocation– Proficient
HTML5 Local Storage– Proficient
Responsive Design– Proficient
”

etc. You get the idea here.

It would even be great to be able to drill down to the next level and see the actual assignments she completed and her submissions that merited those grades. In this way, employers can get a much clearer picture of the actual strengths that applicants can bring to an organization.

The problem with the above scenario is that (at least in 2012) it still takes a highly-trained human mind to evaluate student work to this level. Though this process will one day be possible to automate (sorry, teachers!) I don’t think we can get too close to that level of detail with current technology.

Comment on Digital Learning and Badges by Kyle M. L. Jones

Kyle M. L. Jones — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:50:57 +0000

Insightful response, Ted. First, thanks as always for stopping by.

You’ve hit on a key point in stating that the crux of the issue is the presence or absence of an institution in the process. Accrediting learning is not something that can be crowd sourced on the web; it has to be thoughtfully discussed by a selection of professionals that understand what needs to be accomplished in learning experiences.

The Mozilla example represents your point perfectly. And to answer your question, I would trust Mozilla because Mozilla has the cachet of a knowledgeable institution. Who better to recognize quality HTML5 work than those who work intimately with crafting spaces on the web? The credibility of badges, it seems, will therefore rely on the credibility of the granting institution.

Comment on Digital Learning and Badges by Badges?!? Do We Need Any Stinking Badges?!?? | TedCurran.net

Badges?!? Do We Need Any Stinking Badges?!?? | TedCurran.net — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:46:42 +0000

[...] written as a response to Kyle M. Jones’ posting on TheCorkboard.org entitled “Digital Learning and Badges” in which he calls for greater discussion around using “badges” to certify [...]