December 29, 2005

OLDaily

Jeremy Price[Edit][Delete]: Sticks and Stones and Snap Judgements, Smelly Knowledge [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 0 Hits] Jeremy Price responds to a comment posted on this site a couple of days ago complaining about the use of adacemic jargon. Price argues, "some issues, ideas, concepts, thoughts are complex and necessitate deep and thorough thinking. The issues surrounding the use and nature of Wikipedia is one such topic." I recognize the need to balance accessible content with deep thought, and while I try to post introductory material frequently, I will not back off from taking the discussion to a deeper level if the link warrants it. In the end, you choose what to read: if it's too simple, too academic, or just plain uninteresting, skip over the link and read the next - my target is to give you one thing each day that will be useful; anything else is gravy. [Tags: Wikipedia, Accessibility, Academics and Academia] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

Miguel Guhlin[Edit][Delete]: Image Printing Service and Software, Mousing Around [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 0 Hits] Online service that creates wall-sized posters out of your images. Language and content warning, but a cool tool. My thanks, too, to Miguel Guhlin for practically writing this issue (and a few issues this week) for me. [Tags: Cool] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

Miguel Guhlin[Edit][Delete]: Open Source Boondoggle? and Video Editing on Linux, Mousing Around [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 0 Hits] My experience with multimedia on Linux has been pretty poor, so I am sympathetic with the comment that prompted this post. I will look at some of the resources listed here for vide on Linux - but without a lot of hope. Right now, I can't even play video in my browser, much less create or edit it on the Linux system (and don't get me going about the work involved installing plugins for Firefox on Linux, or making wireless work (like this open content comic, which is probably good, but simply crashes my browser on Linux) - I have just about had my limit with this)). Why can't we get a middle ground: software that works, without proprietary formats, DRM, and other associated nonsense? Software, in other words, built for people, rather than vendors. Isn't there a great big business opportunity there? [Tags: Web Logs, Wireless, Experience, Open Content] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

Wesley A. Fryer[Edit][Delete]: Classroom Audio Podcasting, Tools for the TEKS [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 1 Hits] Nice article, not too long, that introduces the idea of classroom podcasting, outlines some of the uses and some of the benefits, and offers a few examples. Good overview at an introductory level. Via Miguel Guhlin, who adds some urgency to the debate: "We either use computer labs to support information literacy or do online state assessments/test prep. We either train teachers on how to help students learn information-problem-solving strategies or how to help their students maximize scores on tests. We can no longer do both." [Tags: Web Logs, Assessment, Podcasting] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

Joseph Hart[Edit][Delete]: College and University Feed Directory, EduResources Weblog [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 0 Hits] Handy. "The Thomson Peterson's directory provides a categorized collection of rss and atom feeds from higher education institutions; major categories include Blogs, Journals, Libraries, Podcasts, Research Centers, and Technology. The collection's feed titles and descriptions are searchable to facilitate locating useful feeds." [Tags: Rich Site Summary (RSS), Content Syndication, Thomson Corporation, Ontologies] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

Alan Levine[Edit][Delete]: Kiwi Artichoke Barks At Learning Objects, Cogdogblog [Edit][Delete]CogDogBlog [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005
[link: 0 Hits] Alan Levine cites Kiwi Artichoke, who says on learning objects: "When I question the digerati it seems that learning management systems are all about managing content for consumption, and digital learning objects all about creating the content for consumption." And the rumbling continues. Contrast this to RenaissanceU, "an organization dedicated to uniting technology and education to offer increasingly effective learning at a lower cost, announces the release of its customized textbook product line." [Tags: Books and eBooks, Online Learning, Learning Objects, Customization] [Comment] [Edit] [Delete] [Spam]

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Stephen Downes

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National Research Council Canada

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I want and visualize and aspire toward a system of society and learning where each person is able to rise to his or her fullest potential without social or financial encumberance, where they may express themselves fully and without reservation through art, writing, athletics, invention, or even through their avocations or lifestyle.

Where they are able to form networks of meaningful and rewarding relationships with their peers, with people who share the same interests or hobbies, the same political or religious affiliations - or different interests or affiliations, as the case may be.

This to me is a society where knowledge and learning are public goods, freely created and shared, not hoarded or withheld in order to extract wealth or influence.

This is what I aspire toward, this is what I work toward. - Stephen Downes