{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Stephen Downes","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/www.downes.ca","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"1579294","username":"www.downes.ca","bio":"","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":0,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://micro.blog/photos/200/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG"},"items":[{"id":"88340139","content_html":"

What do universities owe the public? downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79143","date_published":"2026-04-15T18:27:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 18:27","date_timestamp":1776277620,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88340142","content_html":"

Trust is the Silver Bullet: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79142","date_published":"2026-04-15T17:11:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 17:11","date_timestamp":1776273060,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88340143","content_html":"

An Explanation of AI that Could Be Wrong (Which is Good): downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79141","date_published":"2026-04-15T16:43:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 16:43","date_timestamp":1776271380,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88340144","content_html":"

One size fits none: let communities build for themselves: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79140","date_published":"2026-04-15T14:57:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 14:57","date_timestamp":1776265020,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88340145","content_html":"

Literate communities have always looked different to their critics: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79139","date_published":"2026-04-15T14:36:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 14:36","date_timestamp":1776263760,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269256","content_html":"

Whatever Happens to Music Will Happen to AI (2026): downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79138","date_published":"2026-04-14T21:16:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 21:16","date_timestamp":1776201360,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269257","content_html":"

UNESCO’s Higher Education Roadmap: What it Gets Right and What it Asks of Us: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79137","date_published":"2026-04-14T20:55:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 20:55","date_timestamp":1776200100,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269258","content_html":"

A Chapter Closes, the Impact Remains: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79136","date_published":"2026-04-14T18:43:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 18:43","date_timestamp":1776192180,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269259","content_html":"

The impact of AI on software engineers in 2026: key trends: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79135","date_published":"2026-04-14T18:22:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 18:22","date_timestamp":1776190920,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269260","content_html":"

TED, Khan Academy and ETS announce new institute to reimagine higher education for the AI age: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79134","date_published":"2026-04-14T15:11:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 15:11","date_timestamp":1776179460,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88269261","content_html":"

I Thought I Knew When Students Were Engaged in Math Class. I Was Wrong (Opinion): downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79133","date_published":"2026-04-14T14:06:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-14 14:06","date_timestamp":1776175560,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195545","content_html":"

Password Manager Angst: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79132","date_published":"2026-04-13T17:51:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 17:51","date_timestamp":1776102660,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195546","content_html":"

All in the Verbs: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79131","date_published":"2026-04-13T17:01:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 17:01","date_timestamp":1776099660,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195547","content_html":"

An illustrated guide to resisting \"AI is inevitable\" in education: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79130","date_published":"2026-04-13T16:46:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 16:46","date_timestamp":1776098760,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195548","content_html":"

Through the Prism: Illuminating Educational Impact with Brookfield’s Four Lenses: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79129","date_published":"2026-04-13T16:35:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 16:35","date_timestamp":1776098100,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195549","content_html":"

What Happens When Students Stop Believing Their Work Matters: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79128","date_published":"2026-04-13T16:26:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 16:26","date_timestamp":1776097560,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88195550","content_html":"

Supporting AI Literacies for Young Adults Aged 14-19: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79127","date_published":"2026-04-13T13:32:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 13:32","date_timestamp":1776087120,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011899","content_html":"

Redesigning Workflows for AI: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79126","date_published":"2026-04-10T21:15:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 21:15","date_timestamp":1775855700,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011901","content_html":"

What is Mastodon for? downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79125","date_published":"2026-04-10T17:02:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 17:02","date_timestamp":1775840520,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011902","content_html":"

Is #mastodon becoming an echo chamber? downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79124","date_published":"2026-04-10T16:46:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 16:46","date_timestamp":1775839560,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011903","content_html":"

Project Glasswing: Securing critical software for the AI era: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79123","date_published":"2026-04-10T16:35:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 16:35","date_timestamp":1775838900,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011904","content_html":"

Same Data, Different Results: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79122","date_published":"2026-04-10T16:11:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 16:11","date_timestamp":1775837460,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011905","content_html":"

ADAMS: Parents, not government, should decide what children do online: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79121","date_published":"2026-04-10T15:54:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 15:54","date_timestamp":1775836440,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88011906","content_html":"

Belonging and Place: A Case Study of Digital Practice at the University of the Highlands and Island: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79120","date_published":"2026-04-10T15:29:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-10 15:29","date_timestamp":1775834940,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87939817","content_html":"

What Happens When You Let Claude Code Autonomously Run Your Meta Ads for a Month: downes.ca

","summary":"","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/79119","date_published":"2026-04-09T19:01:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-09 19:01","date_timestamp":1775761260,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"80674440","content_html":"@tchambers

These are generally safe predictions and feel right to me. My favourites: \"Nostr ↔ ATProto ↔ ActivityPub three-way bridging becomes functional via BridgyFed or another service by end of 2026. The 'protocol wars' narrative collapses into 'just pick your client.'\" Also, \"At least one fully independent ATProto stack - PDS, Relay, and AppView operating without dependency on Bluesky PBC infrastructure - will achieve viability in 2026, meaning it has paying customers or sustainable funding. This will be the year ATProto proves (or fails to prove) it can exist beyond Bluesky-the-company.\"

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/78641","date_published":"2025-12-24T10:44:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-12-24 10:44","date_timestamp":1766573040,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"67060532","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

Doug Belshaw summarizes Ed Zitron's recent article (covered here), does me the favour of introducing me to Guy Debord (the Society of the Spectacle) and gets to what's wrong with Zitron: \"I think that writers such as Zitron have a duty to spell out the kind of utopia that he thinks we should be striving for. As with other techno-critics, it's all very well pointing out how terrible things and people are, but if this is what you are doing, you need to be explicit about your position. What do you stand for?\" In our media space, however, criticizing the system is what gets the clicks.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/78040","date_published":"2025-06-18T10:15:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-06-18 10:15","date_timestamp":1750241700,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"63517435","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

I first encountered the phrase on TWIT Sunday. \"Last week, the phrase 'You can't lick a badger twice' unexpectedly went viral on social media. The nonsense sentence - which was likely never uttered by a human before last week - had become the poster child for the newly discovered way Google search's AI Overviews makes up plausible-sounding explanations for made-up idioms.\" Ironically, the phrase 'You can't lick a badger twice' now has a meaning - but it's meta-metaphorical, meaning something like (to paraphrase), \"garbage in, a workable interpretation of garbage out\". Via Doug Belshaw. 

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77876","date_published":"2025-05-02T14:19:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-05-02 14:19","date_timestamp":1746195540,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"60247966","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

The company that brought you the robot dog is now demonstrating the robot human. The demo model, from Boston Dynamics, is more athletic than I am. As Doug Belshaw says, \"The usual response to this kind of thing is amusement tinged with fear.\" Yes, it could be a lethal weapon. But just add it to the pile of lethal weapons that already exist. As usual, the real danger here is the human operating the system. Meanwhile, \"imagine the robots in these videos doing the jobs that currently require humans doing things that might endanger their health, such as rescuing people from burning buildings, inspecting nuclear reactors, and even doing very repetitive tasks under time pressure in warehouses.\" Oh, and as robot teachers.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77720","date_published":"2025-03-20T07:56:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-03-20 07:56","date_timestamp":1742457360,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"57390567","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

How is AI actually being used. In this report (38 page PDF), which \"analyzed each interaction to map it to its most relevant task category in the O*NET database... on a dataset of one million Claude.ai Free and Pro conversations,\" the authors find that most uses were for creating software and for writing. But there are some caveats. Doug Belshaw observes, \"the occupational classification of a conversation does not necessarily mean the user was a professional in that field.\" Clearly. The report also notes that \"our usage data cannot reveal how Claude's outputs are actually used in practice, and our reliance on O*NET's static occupational descriptions means we cannot account for entirely new tasks or jobs that AI might create.\" I think the next phase of research of this type will be to identify these new tasks or classifications, and in the long run, task descriptions will be generated entirely by AI.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77593","date_published":"2025-02-12T07:25:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-02-12 07:25","date_timestamp":1739345100,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"55982224","content_html":"@mguhlin

This is the latest installment of Miguel Guhlin's work creating ChatGPT Custom GPTs to help engage with ideas and content. \"The Challenge,\" he writes, that that \"trying to sift through all the 'fake' news, propaganda, false claims, and lies is even MORE important today.\" So this tool blends number of different sceptical methodologies - Melanie Trecek-King's FLOATER, The Orwell Test, Wayne R. Bartz' CRITIC, the SIFT approach - all into one tool. I haven't played with it - I have a lot going on at the moment - but it looks interesting.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77534","date_published":"2025-01-26T05:40:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-01-26 05:40","date_timestamp":1737870000,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"54551579","content_html":"@mguhlin

I think that if I had been presented with an ultimatum on AI like this at the beginning of a doctoral seminar I would have walked out and found something else to do instead. To be clear: this is not because of the professor's position on AI. He can hate it as much as he wants. It's because, as the doctoral level especially, the point isn't to \"train you in the scholarly practices of reading large amounts of textual material quickly and effectively, synthesizing and discussing that material accurately and in detail, and then using the methods, insights, theories and approaches of those texts in your own intellectual work.\" Not that these aren't bad skills to have - I like to think I have them - but if the point is to \"find out what my students think about a topic\" then the 'training' in question is coming way too late in the process. If I haven't mastered \"the process of creation itself\" I don't belong in a doctoral seminar, and if my professor assumes I haven't mastered it, then that's a class I don't want to be in. 

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77460","date_published":"2025-01-08T10:22:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2025-01-08 10:22","date_timestamp":1736331720,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"52400530","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

There are two key statements in this article. The first is that \"the whole point of Higher Education is to allow students to reflect on themselves and the world.\" Now I would use the word 'develop' or 'grow', but the point is essentially the same: education isn't about grades and innovation and all that measurable stuff, it's about something more personal. The second is that \"at the end of the day, I'm studying for my own benefit, and I know that studying with genAI is better than studying without it.\" This is my thinking as well. In a conversation this morning I said that the way to improve education is to improve agency, and AI is something that (greatly) improves agency.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77378","date_published":"2024-12-16T16:04:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-12-16 16:04","date_timestamp":1734365040,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"51672172","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

This is a presentation of multiple AI literacies, influenced by Doug Belshaw's work, describing them as: cultural AI literacies, cognitive, constructive, communicative, confident, creative, critical, and civic AI literacies. Each of these describes a specific aspect of a person's skills or competencies, for example, 'constructive AI literacies describe \"understanding what it means to construct, build, or make something within AI-enabled environments\". Similarly, 'cognitive AI literacies' involve \"developing the skills necessary to navigate various AI environments to build knowledge and understanding effectively'. It's a useful way to look at AI literacies and makes me rethink again my approach to literacies generally.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77353","date_published":"2024-12-09T07:56:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-12-09 07:56","date_timestamp":1733730960,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"50582844","content_html":"@mguhlin

Miguel Guhlin points to this article arguing that \"despite the blossoming body of evidence suggesting technology in schools might actually hinder learning, Australian education has been fooled by the vacuous claims of tech companies and relinquished control of our classrooms to those who care only about lining their own pockets.\" It's important to remember that schools serve two important functions: the first is to provide a free public education for everyone, and the second is to ensure all children are supported and cared for, especially if parents work. We could probably replace the first part with learning technology. But the second is a lot harder to support without schools, as we learned during the pandemic.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77315","date_published":"2024-11-27T11:40:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-11-27 11:40","date_timestamp":1732707600,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"49418276","content_html":"@mguhlin

The most interesting migration in social media these days is from twitter to Bluesky. Here are two approaches to making it easier: the first is a 'starter pack' on people in AI and education. It makes use of the Bluesky Lists feature. The second, via Miguel Guhlin, is based on a hashtag with members listed on a Google Docs spreadsheet. It's cleverly done. You have to apply to be listed on the spreadsheet, and to be accepted you have to use the #Edusky hashtag in your account on Bluesky. Viral. Here's the Edusky feed.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/77245","date_published":"2024-11-11T10:30:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-11-11 10:30","date_timestamp":1731321000,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"45061747","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

This article (via Doug Belshaw) describes what it calls \"new research has discovered a new personality trait called 'need for chaos.' They just want to watch the world burn and they're happy to help democracy end in flames.\" They, of course, did not discover this, they are simply taking credit for it and assigning themselves naming rights. Putting a post in a Cambridge journal plants their stake in the ground. But the effect is so well known it actually appears in a Batman movie, and to my mind it already has a name - 'the Joker problem' - for the dilemma the existence of such people poses in ethics. Related: 'If journalism is going up in smoke, I might as well get high off the fumes'.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76999","date_published":"2024-09-08T10:31:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-09-08 10:31","date_timestamp":1725791460,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"44225523","content_html":"@mguhlin

How does one reconcile the argument that AI is disempowering with this: \"something that took me WEEKS of hard work, and in some cases I found impossible, was made easy. Like, instead of weeks, it takes 10 minutes.\" People who are actually using AI are reporting this sort of result over and over. Not for all work, and not in all cases. But enough that to me there is a compelling argument to be made here.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76945","date_published":"2024-08-26T10:25:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-08-26 10:25","date_timestamp":1724667900,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"44221189","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

\"As Tunney points out,\" writes Doug Belshaw, \"the world of Open Source is a gift economy. But if we're gifting things to something ingesting everything indiscriminately and then regurgitating in a way that erases authorship, is that problematic?\" Tunney writes, \"if these AIs like Claude are learning from my code, then what I want is for Claude to know and remember that I helped it. This is actually required by the ISC license.\" Looking at my own learning, I would find it impossible to credit everyone I learned from in order to create, say, this post. Sure, where I'm directly quoting someone, I can credit them. That's a trivial problem AI could easily solve when it directly quotes someone. But if AI learns the phrase 'points out' from, say, 500 different examples, does it make sense to credit each of them?

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76941","date_published":"2024-08-26T09:11:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-08-26 09:11","date_timestamp":1724663460,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"38623609","content_html":"@mguhlin

Miguel Guhlin shares this announcement on Perplexity Pages, touted as \"a simple way to turn your research into visually appealing articles. With formatted images and sections, Pages lets you share in-depth knowledge on any topic...log into your Perplexity account, head to your Library to create a Page. Choose your topic, and let Pages guide you through the content creation process on desktop.\" Here's his can sample page.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76660","date_published":"2024-05-31T11:53:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-05-31 11:53","date_timestamp":1717156380,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"34479596","content_html":"@thoughtshrapnel

Some reading from Doug Belshaw this morning led me through a nice day of reading and reflecting on technology, work and freedom. This item, from Ethan Marcotte, led me to the next item (from Alan Jacobs). Marcotte channels it into a reflection on the life of the technologist. \"Our tools keep getting updated, processes become more complex, and the simple act of just doing work seems to get redefined overnight.\" He says, \"Maybe it's time we step out of that negotiation cycle, and start deciding what we want our work to look like.\" Fair enough. Belshaw in turn follow this thought and finds a Mozilla guide for navigating ethical issues in the tech industry, an all-too-brief synopsis that runs from the (correct) observation that \"all companies care about is maximizing profits\" to a history of tech worker organizing. Which leads me back to the Cronin and Czerniewicz paper from yesterday. Image: CBC.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76425","date_published":"2024-03-29T15:31:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-03-29 15:31","date_timestamp":1711726260,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"32984925","content_html":"@mguhlin

Quotes Harold Jarche, who says \"In a few months, maybe a year, the first wave of AI-driven layoffs slash firings are going to hit the economy. And then? They'll just keep going. Executives are going to figure out that a whole lot of work — clerical, administrative, accounting, legal, writing, marketing, customer relations, even decision-making and risk analysis and data analysis — can be automated.\" I think that's true. But as someone who provides the tech to people sometimes, my experience suggests that there will be a need for educators to help people learn how to use these new automated systems. There's going to be a lot of push-back, because it's a lot easier to work with the clerical, admin and other staff that used to manage these processes.

","url":"https://www.downes.ca/post/76346","date_published":"2024-03-06T10:49:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Stephen Downes","url":"https://www.downes.ca/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.downes.ca%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fstephen-small.PNG","_microblog":{"username":"www.downes.ca"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2024-03-06 10:49","date_timestamp":1709722140,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}}]}