Call it wealth extraction, excessive economic rent, whatever – make no mistake, we pay the bonuses

Financial services now constitute a kind of tax on the real economy as well as distorting its priorities; short-termism and the search for impossibly high returns are rife. The culture, of which systematic insider trading is part, is having a growing impact on business ethics. via guardian.co.uk Will Hutton and the Equality Trust are two … Continue reading Call it wealth extraction, excessive economic rent, whatever – make no mistake, we pay the bonuses

Discipline

I am going to be leading a workshop on "Investigating teaching in your discipline" next Wednesday. The outline is attached to this page (below). Discipline is an interesting word, which we often use without reflecting on the complex valency of meanings that it bears. I have been reading Foucault's Discipline and Punish in preparation for … Continue reading Discipline

Does it matter if students stop using courseware when the course ends? Digilit musings

However, a bigger concern is for those services where I was able to track usage was that after the course ended, so did student use. via scienceoftheinvisible.blogspot.com This experience mirrors ours, though I only have anecdote to support it. Courses where PebblePad is used do not seem to engender an extended adoption of the platform … Continue reading Does it matter if students stop using courseware when the course ends? Digilit musings

If the Twitterverse isn’t fed from outside, it is just an echo chamber #pcthe

The question of whether you can rely on Twitter to filter your reading is problematic. Yes following 8,000 people (or however many) will probably serve to satisfy most information needs. I am sure that by some number (10? 100? 1000?) a Twitter follower will be deep into a long tail of duplication. The other 40,000,000 … Continue reading If the Twitterverse isn’t fed from outside, it is just an echo chamber #pcthe

US Government Cloud Computing strategy; where is the UK in this respect? #ssbr

The Federal Government will transform its Information Technology Infrastructure by virtualizing data centers, consolidating data centers and operations, and ultimately adopting a cloud-computing business model. via govcloud.ulitzer.com This article reports a Booz Allen Hamilton report on the cost model being used to drive US Govt data policies towards the adoption of "cloud computing" platforms. They … Continue reading US Government Cloud Computing strategy; where is the UK in this respect? #ssbr

Wi-Fi Direct: a step towards the mesh? via Slashdot

Wi-Fi Direct will connect at existing Wi-Fi speeds-- up to 250 mbps. Wi-Fi Direct devices will also be able to broadcast their availability and seek out other Wi-Fi Direct devices. via mobile.slashdot.org Some of you might have heard me witter on about widely distributed databases (e.g. bit torrent) and mesh networks (e.g. OLPC). I made … Continue reading Wi-Fi Direct: a step towards the mesh? via Slashdot

Fascinating bi-modality in charts of social media use by young Europeans via @GrahamAttwell

European survey data on how young people are using social media. via pontydysgu.org Either they use it or they don't. Not much middle ground. 25% use the Internet more than 20 hours a week; 30% less than 5 hours. Well, it is more complex than that, of course, but even stronger bimodality is showm with … Continue reading Fascinating bi-modality in charts of social media use by young Europeans via @GrahamAttwell

Why blog? via @AJCann – useful for anyone introducing blogging into their teaching #pcthe

My blog: is a place where I think, plan and reflect forces me to read in order to gather the input I need for my output is a place where I play with technology and ideas often surprises me is a place where I collaborate is currently the most satisfying part of my job is … Continue reading Why blog? via @AJCann – useful for anyone introducing blogging into their teaching #pcthe