Interesting Reads This Week

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I have been in Berlin this week, attending OEB 2023. I will write up a full report soon, but first let’s catch up on what I read this week. Of course, I need a bit of local flavor, so you’ll have to bear with a short foodie tour - we’ll consider it part of my expense report that I submit for this trip.

Sometimes the bear will eat you, sometimes you’ll eat the bear

I love to eat (and it shows), and I most often enjoy hole-in-the-wall spots or street food. I had quite a bit of that this week, but I should tell you about a fine dining experience I had at a place called Nobelhart and Schmutzig. The restaurant specializes in hyperlocal cuisine, using ingredients only from the local Berlin region. In November, you may think that might be limiting, but it was extraordinary. It was the best meal I have ever had.

They don’t allow photos in the restaurant, so you will have to experience the place and the food with two of my favorite comedians, Richard Ayoade and Roisin Conaty who filmed a piece there for a travel program. If you don’t know Richard and Roisin, you should watch QI and the Big Fat Quiz Shows.

I like to think of myself as the Richard Ayoade of EdTech, though in truth the only thing we likely have in common is an innate grumpiness and the fact that we both look like we are strangers to our hairbrushes. And that we both hurt at the end of our meals at Nobelhart and Schmutzig.

The AI playbook that is everywhere and nowhere

Complete College America released an AI playbook for higher education aimed at helping colleges and universities use AI to bolster student success and improve completion rates. I was quite excited when I saw the announcement, as I find most writing about AI in higher education quite bland and lacking concrete advice. My excitement was misplaced.

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