OLDaily
By Stephen Downes
December 19, 2003

A Voice in The Void
A compilation of some posts to the CC-Education mailing list in which I propose a mechanism for integrating open content with open source applications. By Stephen Downes, Stephen's Web, December 15, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

We-Learning: Social Software and E-Learning
Nice survey article that tracks many of the threads converging to become what is now being called social software. The author picks her way through instant messaging, collaborative workspaces and blogs, drawing upon good analyses of each technology, to weave a picture where "stand-alone courseware will eventually be replaced completely with workflow tools that integrate knowledge-sharing applications directly into them." I agree with this assessment, provided that social software can resist the blight that afflicted knowledge management, where "knowledge management was hijacked by software vendors... who created IT infrastructure that was 'woefully divorced from anything approaching normal human behavior.'" By Eva Kaplan-Leiserson, Learning Circuits, December 15, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

Open Source Takes on Hardware Biz
I've been waiting for an announcement like this. With the development of proprietary 'trusted' hardware that enforces digital rights management at the microprocessor level, open source and open content advocates faced a wall. With open source hardware, such as the proposed system-on-chip microprocessor, open source advocates are not forced to use technology designed to promote proprietary, not open, software and content. By Amit Asaravala, Wired News, December 17, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

CSU Plans to Reject 4,000 Eligible Students
The thin edge of the wedge grows wider. As University Business summarizes, "California State University officials announced Thursday that they plan to slash enrollment growth to offset unilateral budget cuts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger intended for university outreach programs at disadvantaged K-12 schools." The market for e-learning just grew by 4,000 people. The erosion of the university system continues. By Carrie Sturrock, Contra Costa Times, December 19, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect]

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Copyright © 2003 Stephen Downes
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