Frank Hecker

A good outside overview of and commentary on the Ben Somers-led/Reed Hastings-financed updated version of the Bloom 2-sigma tutoring study. Key quote: "[The study] is a stronger test of what the full tutoring package can do under ideal conditions. But it will still test the package as a whole. Whatever result it gets, the next question will be: what, exactly, did the tutor add?" Three possibilities: "chooses the right next work", "keeps the child working", "provides good instruction".

Frank Hecker

A good interview with Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider that includes a lot of discussion of AT Protocol and the Atmosphere. Schneider seems relatively politically savvy and eager to give others (like Blacksky) credit for their work---which is an attitude you want in someone leading the dominant player in a technology and business ecosystem.

Frank Hecker

Yet another AI-based edtech startup, albeit one with more history behind it. Uncharitable take: An attempt to resuscitate a stagnant edtech company (Coursera/Udemy) via a AI Hail Mary. Key questions: How much will this incorporate proven learning science and the techniques seen in services like Math Academy, PhysicsGraph, et al? Is a $100M investment in a sense too much, given what small self-funded teams (MA, PG) have been able to accomplish?

Frank Hecker

This is a thought-provoking point about turning bookmarks into more than just bookmarks. It seems similar at first glance to what Sublime is trying to do, but on an open platform. I need to look more into how connections work in Semble and where it would be useful to use them.

Frank Hecker

I need to think more about what this does. Are these tags you add to a web page to point to associated ATProto info?

Frank Hecker

Another attempt to explain the Atmosphere in simple terms.

Frank Hecker

App to link your ATProto identity to your identity in external services.

Frank Hecker

Somewhat of a "put up or shut up" message to Alpha School: tone down the marketing and invite more people in for independent evaluation of how Alpha School works, what results it can produce, and what are the constraints on its effectiveness (e.g., does it only work for selected populations like high-SES, high-IQ, high-motivation students).

Frank Hecker

Another alternative web client for Bluesky and the ATmosphere. Touts as features automated post translations and integrated payments via the Lightning network.