How Intrusive Will the Next Generation of Learning Be?

^{What intrigued me about the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting 2013 was the theme: "Advancing the Next Generation of Learning."   The description goes on to say:}

^{The next generation of learning involves the orchestration of a broad range of innovations and campus resources.  It focuses on the rapid evolution of learning technology, charting its migration from the desktop to the cloud and highly mobile devices. It explores the ecosystem of the learning environment, looking to provide a personalized experience that contributes to greater student success. It entails seeking evidence of impact, recognizing the need to evaluate and share what works. In short, the move towards the next generation of learning is higher education re-inventing itself.}

 The original context of this blog was social media which resulted in the tagline "Shaping your online identity to balance community with privacy".  I'm moving into the realm of learning in higher education so I'm debating whether to change the tagline, keep the tagline but go off topic, or start a new blog.  I highlighted "provide a personalized experience" which suggests adaptive learning (see my master-based learning board on Learni.st).  That means we (educators) need to know what you know.  As a consequence (to be on topic), you may not be able to shape your online identity - it may follow you.

My own work with case-based exam progressive Bloom questions suggests that I need even more information about my students to really understand who they are before I can engage them in a way that suits their state of cognitive development.

I'm looking forward to the questions the conference hopes to address:

• ^{What are the frameworks for the next generation of learning?}
• ^{Which course models advance new models of learning that maximize student engagement and persistence?}
• ^{What does teaching and learning research say about emerging technologies and practices?}
• ^{What rubrics and methods do we need to evaluate our efforts?}

  Perhaps I should change the tagline to "Shaping your online cognitive identity to balance community learning with privacy".  Let me know what you think about the proposed tagline.

Monetization or Greed – Why Not Share the Wealth?

Several years ago my father excitedly showed me his first check for the banner ad impressions of his likeness on a regional airline website.  The celebration of his good fortune and good looks well exceeded the payment he received.  Yet it was a highlight for him knowing that the ad agency had kept their part of the bargain that any use of his likeness would be compensated.

Social media was abuzz today (December 17) of Instagram’s fine print (i.e., terms of use) that any of your photographs posted after January 16, 2013 could be sold by Instagram without notification and you would be liable for any legal claims that arose from Instagram using your photos without your prior knowledge.  

 The terms of use (retrieved December 18, 2012) states:

"2. Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."

“4. You represent and warrant that: (i) you own the Content posted by you on or through the Service or otherwise have the right to grant the rights and licenses set forth in these Terms of Use; (ii) the posting and use of your Content on or through the Service does not violate, misappropriate or infringe on the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, trademark and/or other intellectual property rights; (iii) you agree to pay for all royalties, fees, and any other monies owed by reason of Content you post on or through the Service; and (iv) you have the legal right and capacity to enter into these Terms of Use in your jurisdiction.”

CNET had the sensational headline Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos that was tweeted over 35K times in less than a day.  The comments from photographers (beautiful pictures I might add) from Time.com Toolbox Unfiltered: Photographers React to Instagram’s New Terms were more reasoned.  I can’t tell if it is an overreaction or just poorly worded terms of use [update Dec 18: Instagram founder clarified they aren’t going to sell your photos to others without compensation].  However, one has to wonder whether greed is taking over.  Why not pay me at least a little if you want to use my photo.  For the camera phone crowd who don’t do it for a living (see Is Instagram the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Photography?), would it not encourage them to experiment with even more photos knowing that they might get a check to brag about just like my dad?

Your artistic merit displayed through filtered photos is also part of your “online identity”.  We are seeing the terms of service creep so user beware.  Some day these free services may actually get greedy when sharing might be better for business.

What is my Facebook profile worth? Doubletree's Social Loyalty offer

I received an offer for a social way to earn bonus points from Doubletree Hotels today. The email message stated:

Getting to know our guests is at the heart of all the little things we do at DoubleTree by Hilton™. That's why we are bringing HHonors members a unique way to connect with us on Facebook. You'll receive unique offers related to your personal interests and earn 500 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points.

I thought - sure - for a Facebook like (see the Hampton Inn offer) I'll click through on the FB Connect button.  As you can see in the screen capture (and text) they want a little more than a "Like".  Thankfully I didn't click "Go to App" before reading the information that the DoubleTree Social Loyalty app will receive - essentially everything.

Wait a second!  I don't let anyone but my closest friends have access to my entire profile.  This raises the question, the tagline of this blog "Shaping your online identity to balance community with privacy", how much is my privacy worth?  Do I trust Doubletree, or any business, to use my profile in a manner consistent with my own Facebook settings?

ABOUT THIS APP

You are logging into DoubleTree Social Loyalty as 

Who can see posts this app makes for you on your Facebook timeline:

THIS APP WILL RECEIVE:

• Your basic info
• Your email address (nk50@aub.edu.lb)
• Your profile info: description, activities, birthday, education history, groups, hometown, interests, likes, location, questions, relationship status, relationship details and religious and political views
• Your stories: events, notes, photos and status updates

I teach the core course on information systems in our BBA program. One of our case studies by David Kroenke, Singing Valley, speaks to the dangers of email marketing based on incomplete information.  The example was a wheelchair-bound former guest who received a special offer for extreme skiing and the wife who found out that her husband had been ...  you get the picture.

Does a Facebook profile provide enough context to target a particular market segment?   To what degree of access will Facebook privacy become a concern?  Do we need a marketers setting on our Facebook profile to reveal what we want them to know?

Readers - chime in - would you accept this offer?  Should I?