Emerging Technologies – The eLearn Blog

Privacy, Trust, and Big Data

Janet Clarey — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:00:49 +0000

This post, to me, is really about what Mark Federman has called “unanticipated consequences” or “unintended consequences.” (Federman is Chief Strategist at the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology so his statements are informed by Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” paradox.) It’s a good read. Anyway the post I’m referring to here is Audrey Walter’s interview of Terence Craig, co-author of “Privacy and Big Data.” As our channels for learning become more digitally dispersed, one has to wonder how that data will eventually be used. While Craig is talking about consumer privacy, the same issue exists internally at organizations. Ultimately it’s about transparency. Are you creating an environment where employees trust? Trust goes a long way in creating a safe environment for online learning.

What Does Privacy Mean in an Age of Big Data? Audrey Walters, November 2, 2011

ARG – Canaries in a Coalmine

Janet Clarey — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:06 +0000

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has come out with an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) called Canaries in a Coal Mine. Created by EdGE (Educational Gaming Environments), the game starts with a futuristic video which, after viewing, players then act on messages in the ‘real world.’ In the game, players can also play some mini-games about birds including Name That Tune. There’s a map of community members and bird sightings, chat, forums, new feed, and activities. The mission of the game is to work as a group to solve the mystery behind the video message. It appears to be a work in progress. Registration is required to play. EdGE is located at TERC (Technical Education Research Centers) a not-for-profit math and science education organization and received funding for the came from the National Science Foundation. An interesting new learning environment worth exploring.