Stephen Downes, author of OLDaily, is possibly the original social media influencer—long before this was a term people knew and a profession one could aspire to, and definitely long before TikTok dances. Back in the mid 1990s, Stephen … Read more
As generative AI becomes more and more capable, both the opportunities and the challenges for education become more and more significant (Wiley, 2025). One area stands out in terms of challenges: Assessment. Generative AI, in particular agentic AI, … Read more
Prof. Dr. Rick West from Brigham Young University is a prominent figure in the field of educational technology, known for his contributions to open education, learning communities, micro-credentials, instructional design and creativity. Many of his writings can be … Read more
In order to encourage participation in online communities or other informal learning settings, and to facilitate users’ professional development, a “badge” system offers recognition of an individual’s achievement and contributions. Photo Credit Manada Torak-Renn, flickr creative commons. Badges are … Read more
Community of Inquiry A community of inquiry (COI) is what it sounds like—people gather to learn from each other. I argue that a COI can be preplanned to engender a robust learning environment. What that entails is under … Read more
I attended Appalachian State University’s (AppState) 1-day, virtual, Free-Learning Conference in July. Their website stated it would be “…a day of exploration designed to promote and evaluate effective uses of technology for teaching and learning while also providing … Read more
Assessment plays a vital role in delivering, evaluating, monitoring, improving and shaping learning experiences on the Web, at the desk and in the classroom. In the process of orchestrating educational technologies instructional designers are often confronted with the … Read more