I published the last blog before I had completed it – which is why it seemed so unfinished… because it was! The Society for Learning Analytics Research defined learning analytics as “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in […]

I decided that for my learning analytics visualisation activity, I would log how many times I use Google Translate to look up a word in Kiswahili. I have been learning Swahili for a year, and I have two lessons a week, on Skype, with a retired Tanzanian Professor. I live in Nairobi, where English is […]

The Society for Learning Analytics Research defined learning analytics as “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs”   Long, P.D., Siemens, G., Conole, G. and Gašević, D.(Eds) (2011), Proceedings of the 1st International Conference On […]

A few thoughts on the Twitter visualisation exercise. Click below to see the visualisation: My visualisation   Sources: Gašević, D., Dawson, S. and Siemens, G. (2015), “Let’s not forget: learning analytics are about learning”, TechTrends, Vol. 59 No. 1, pp. 64–71 Williamson, B., Bayne, S., Shay, S. (2020), “The datafication of teaching in Higher Education: […]

Here below are 2 summaries of the 4 data and education questions that we were posed during the week. I have included a short answer of my own and a few tweets to give a flavour of the debate.   Eynon, R. (2013). The rise of Big Data: what does it mean for education, technology, and […]

Now that I have started the Tweetorials, I have had a few more thoughts about Open Education in general. One thing that has struck me is that a lot of the research and information that I found on the internet about MOOCs and Open Badges is already over 5 years old, which is digital terms […]

This is just a fun addendum to my blog… Finally Moth Generator (my favourite twitterbot) sent on twitter ‘the Emma moth’. It is procedurally generated. Using a custom algorithm, Moth Generator provides an endless stream of unique winged-creatures whose names and anatomy are engineered the moment before entering existence. It also made me a #idelbot moth. SO […]

The idea that we are blinded by a ‘fog’ is to assume that there is a blind spot in our understanding as educators that can be ‘made clear’ by data. Such an assumption is itself a product of recent orientations towards ‘learning’ as a central concern, and a subsequent marginalisation of teacher expertise. (Knox, J., […]

When I became Director of Studies at Peponi House Prep School, one of my jobs was to start a data tracking system of the pupils, using standardised testing. Peponi House was a little school in the suburbs of Nairobi, which had suddenly grown expedentially, becoming an accreditated member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools […]

An analysis of the open badge course: Take Your Teaching Online (OpenLearn – Free Learning from the Open University) with direct reference to Ahn et al. 2014 (Open badges for education: what are the implications at the intersection of open systems and badging?) Open Production Ahn et al. ask the question ‘Does the source of […]