A Classic

I wish the original artist signed this!!!

Duty

Southern Flavor - guitar tutorial

Here's my kid throwing down some very nice bluegrass on her guitar with a short tutorial afterward... hope you enjoy!

The Drake Equation

I love the Drake Equation. It attempts to guess the mathematical possibility in our galaxy based on your supplied probabilities to questions and other somewhat estimatable factors, such as how many stars, and stars with planets, etc. But what's funny is, even if you take the very very lowest numbers, there is still a good likelihood that there is more life just in our galaxy alone, and there are BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of galaxies.

Check it out for yourself, it's a fun equation: http://www.classbrain.com/artmovies/publish/article_50.shtml

Notes from IMS Global Consortium, November 2014

#imsglobal #caliper #edtech #lti
Caliper is poised as way forward to integrate lots of data from diverse ecosystem, including learning data, operational data, and career data.
There were two general over-reaching Goals discussed around Caliper: To personalize the learning experience (via Analytics) but also to maintain a quality record over ones educational career, and potentially a lifetime career. Think 'a super transcript'.
To summaraize, Caliper potentially can personalize learning for students and sumarize for stakeholders.

Another big topic around the conference was Competency Based outcomes as a whole.
The dirty secret of Higher Ed, is that faculty aren't ID/eval exprts. Grades are pretty much BS. Activity and competence, which potentially can be mined from tons of data is really what is important.
  --When it comes to Analytics, Grades don't really matter per se. They matter as a data point, but only when coupled with other dimensions, like who actually gave the grade.

Possible Datapoints to be stored are numerous...
    What classes (coupled with instructors) are passed
    How often assignments are turned in early
    How often students watch full videos vs partical videos
    How often they are highlighting text

Big Challenges to storing all of these CBE datapoints:
    Privacy
    Who owns the data
    CBE vs. Traditional models have to both work
    The fact is, they don't actually know which dimensions are important yet.

Solutions:
    Don't expect a single monolithic solution, BUT in general, we are moving away from very specific LMSs and solutions.

Things Higher Ed is starting to realize is important for outcomes
    1. just... learning events
    2. predictive models, ie, if student completes 1st course in 2 months, they are more likely to succeed

Notes:
    Much of what we call analytics isn't at all... it's just... grades. But the more data we can analyze, the better able we are to determine proper analytics
    Lots of talk about CBE... and grades... and how grades don't matter.
    What matters is activity and competence, and recording that activity. Analyzing will come
    Starting to realize that thick LMS's are less useful, and that lean LMS's that are more pluggable, and interoperable are better.


in "Extending the Transcript for #CBE" session w/ registrar panelists #imsglobal
    Transcripts are tools that haven't been changed in 100 years but with all of this data that is really being stored for Analytics can also be used to paint a broader competency based picture.
    In this regard, drivers are coming more from workforce then institutions. Co-curricular experiences are as important as what happens during class.
    Badges seem to try to address this stuff, but maybe not enough. Who knows if badges will even show up on transcripts.
    Kentucky has "attached competences" to every course.


IMS Caliper
Caliper White Paper (good read)