Stephen Downes

I saw Up With People live once at the University of Calgary when they performed in the McEwan Hall ballroom. They were surprisingly good for what they (obviously) were, and I write a nice review of them in the Gauntlet. I didn't know (until now) that they had performed at the Super Bowl.

YouTube video by Open Education Conference Federated Open Learning Resources

My video 'Federated Open Learning Resources' as recorded by the Open Education Conference last fall is now available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Qb...

No newsletter today due to the migration. Existing links should be serving fine though.

Iceland - YouTube Videos from my Iceland trip

Photos are descriptively titled and tagged, so you know what they are.
There's also my Iceland video playlist:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

That completes the archiving of my Iceland trip. I will be returning to cycle Iceland some more in June 2026. This time I will take the ring road clockwise.

2025 07 20 - South Iceland Bikepacking from Keflavik to Vik and then a bus trip to Hofn

All my Iceland photos fro last summer are finally posted:

South Iceland: www.flickr.com/photos/steph...
East Iceland: www.flickr.com/photos/steph...
North Iceland: www.flickr.com/photos/steph...
West Iceland: www.flickr.com/photos/steph...

Parts of my website are not working at the moment as I migrate it to the new VPS

The Questions We Ask About AI in Education AI generated image, 100% human-authored text   Artificial Intelligence has entered the world of education like an explosion, leaving us reel...

The Questions We Ask About AI in Education halfanhour.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...

Squirrrel

Woodpecker

The rest of my photos from today, in full size: www.
flickr.com/photos/stephen_downes/albums/72177720331547013/
#photography

YouTube video by The Strombo Show / House of Strombo The song that rang the alarm bells

Listening to Music When the System Stops Listening, George Stroumboulopoulos. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujs9... You'll want to listen to Billy Bragg just after. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjUA...

The Conference Board of Canada We are the foremost independent, applied research organization in Canada. We deliver unique insights into Canada’s toughest problems.

The Conference Board of Canada is changing its name to Signal49 Research. Because decades of name recognition has no value, I guess.

Stephen's Retirement FAQ As you may have deduced from the title, I am retiring from my position at NRC. On the day of my retirement I'll be 67 and more than ready fo...

Here's the big news I have to start 2026. halfanhour.blogspot.com/2026/01/step...

The idea is twofold:

- to make using RSS really easy for people

- to organize the entries to float the posts by people who post infrequently, so they're not lost among the din of people who post a lot, like me.

Requires Python but that's it.

www.downes.ca/files/localr...

I have written an RSS reader that runs locally on your Windows / Mac / Linux desktop, coded with help from ChatGPT 5.2 (it took a *lot* of guidance to get what I wanted).

It's PRE-ALPHA (please read the readme)

In fairness, that's how I did my assignments too.

There has been a *deluge* of new resources in the learning and technology space over the last few days. The @oldaily.bsky.social account will be busy - you might want to unfollow it for a bit. I'll be spacing all the new stuff over the next week or so of email, RSS, LinkedIn and web editions.

YouTube video by Not Just Bikes This is Why Cycling is Dangerous in America

A remarkable hour-and-a-half video from one of my go-to channels, Not Just Bikes. The video is a detailed take-down of 'vehicular cycling' as advocated by John Forester. According to Forester, cyclists should act like cars, and that bike infrastructure is dangerous. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPd...

Convert your name to a Norwegian one. ainovakit.com/converter/no...

Slides, audio and transcript for the presentation I gave yesterday, 'Training and Educational Data Analytics: An Overview', are now available: www.downes.ca/presentation...

This label will put your journal's research integrity in black and white Commentary on This label will put your journal's research integrity in black and white by Stephen Downes. Online learning, e-learning, new media, connectivism, MOOCs, personal learning environments, n...

My response: www.downes.ca/post/78427

Slides and audio for my talk AI Applications: A Taxonomy www.downes.ca/presentation...

Slides and audio for my talk Federated Open Learning Resources www.downes.ca/presentation...

Now if I could only remember what I promised to present.... ;)

YouTube video by Stephen Downes 35 Days in Iceland - 13 - Breiðdalsvík - Day 19

35 Days in Iceland - 13 - Breiðdalsvík - Day 19

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQk5...

Learning Networks and the Age of AI with Stephen Downes Commentary on Learning Networks and the Age of AI with Stephen Downes by Stephen Downes. Online learning, e-learning, new media, connectivism, MOOCs, personal learning environments, new literacy, and ...

Podcast interview: Learning Networks and the Age of AI with Stephen Downes. www.downes.ca/post/78346

YouTube video by Stephen Downes 35 Days in Iceland - 12 - Djúpivogur to Breiðdalsvík - Days 17-18

Another bikepacking video: 35 Days in Iceland - 12 - Djúpivogur to Breiðdalsvík - Days 17-18 www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_oQ...

ShiftED Podcast #69 From MOOCs to Mindsets: Stephen Downes on Connection, Openness, and the Future of Scalable Learning - LEARN Podcasts Rethinking Education: Is Connection the New Content?The traditional classroom model, built on the transmission of content from expert to learner, is facing a profound challenge. What if the heart of l...

ShiftED Podcast number 69 From MOOCs to Mindsets: Stephen Downes on Connection, Openness, and the Future of Scalable Learning www.buzzsprout.com/2404304/epis...

On Social Media as a Public Servant On LinkedIn today the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat published a short slide deck entitled 'Navigating Social Media as a Public Servan...

On Social Media as a Public Servant halfanhour.blogspot.com/2025/10/on-s...

Higher ed should be free

so that democracy doesn't crumble again.

TGIF

YouTube video by Stephen Downes 35 Days in Iceland - 11 - Stafafel to Djúpivogur - Day 16

35 Days in Iceland - 11 - Stafafel to Djúpivogur - Day 16 - www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h_X... #Iceland #Bikepacking

YouTube video by Stephen Downes 35 Days in Iceland - 10 - Vestrahorn to Stafafel - Day 15

35 Days in Iceland - 10 - Vestrahorn to Stafafel - Day 15 www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ9g...