By Stephen Downes
March 22, 2004
Low-tech Case Has High-tech
Impact
Good analysis of a recent decision by a
Canadian court on copyright law, one which, while it
asserts that case summaries are subject to copyright (as
they should be, since summarization is creative work - I
know), a wide latitude ought to be granted to assessment of
fair dealing (a.k.a. fair use), essentially fashioning
"exceptions to copyright infringement as new copyright
rights — users' right — that must be balanced against the
rights of copyright owners and creators." Moreover, the
court also "allows the providers of equipment to presume
their equipment will be used lawfully," a ruling that
makers of software that might be used to infringe -
such as Kazaa - would welcome. The author also comments
(correctly) that copyright has moved from the realm of the
commercial into the personal - and that, therefore,
"activities of millions of individuals — including judges —
who will increasingly question standards of what is right
and wrong through the lens of their own actions." As it
should be. By Michael Geist, Toronto Star, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
TypeKey?
Mark Pilgrim somehow
turns a criticism of SixApart's TypeKey authentication feature into a
criticism of Dave Winer. I understand Pilgrim's plaints,
but it's distracting and turns us away from what should be
the main point, which is this: "The first fact to consider
is that TypeKey is the wrong solution, because it’s
centralized. This is more of an axiom, really, and not open
for debate... Also, weblogs are all about
decentralization... There’s not a single instance of a
centralized service in the weblogging community that works
well and scales." That's basicly it. You can read the rest,
but it's just, well, rude. By Mark Pilgrim, Dive Into Mark,
March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Submit and View Problem
Reports
IMS is undertaking a review of the IMS
Learner Information Package v1.0 and Accessibility for LIP
v1.0 specifications. This web site has been set up to
collect problems, and if you're curious (like me), this site lets you view the
publicly available problem descriptions (no doubt other,
more proprietary, issues are kept confidential). By Various
Authors, IMS, March, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards
In today's OLDaily, I provide
extensive coverage of the International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards, the proceedings of which have
just been posted online. In between hoping my translations
from French are accurate and grumbling about the (ironic)
use of PowerPoint and PDF throughout, I am caught between a
mixture of hope - because of the many assertions of
committment to an open and shared global learning culture -
and concern - because of the top-down nature of the
process, the creeping commercialism inherent in
standardization, and the discordant notes sounded by some
participants (and especially the World Bank). There's a lot of stuff here,
and though most of it is a quick read, if you're pressed
for time the "don't miss" items are Jake Knoppers' two
summaries and Jin-Gon Shon's summary of the Korean
experience. By Anonymous, International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Valorisation du patrimoine éducatif : défis
et approches francophones
Presentation to the
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, in
French. We are the heirs to an educational heritage, notes
the author, which raises certain issues with respect to
standardization. Such as: whether standardization with
respect to online learning must also relate to existing
content. But moreover, if so, what part of that heritage
must we bring to online learning. Some definitions
transport not only the value but also the limitations of
traditional learning. "Cette définition contient des
restrictions limitant le patrimoine en cause au monde de l
enseignement et de l apprentissage." Online learning gives
us a new capacity, but also a new responsibiloty, to take
into account the diversity of cultures as integral to the
process of standardization, to put in place specialists
from different cultures, and specifically, from developing
countries as well as rich countries. More good stuff,
including the role of free and open software, and specific
proposals to meet these objectives. By Jean-Pierre Asselin
de Beauville, International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Mondialisation, diversité et besoins
particuliers
Presentation (in French) to the
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards
introducing the topic of globalization, diversity and
special needs. The goal of globalization, notes the author,
is to foster global commerce, to minimize tariff and
non-tariff trade barriers, and to maximinze freedom of
trade (a lot like standards, notice). Cultural barriers,
though, are equally significant, and the author points to
cases where translation errors have led to disasters,
creating a need for "cultural and linguistic adaptability."
The author, an internationally known IT expert of ISO/IEC
JTC1 SC2 (Coded Character Sets) and JTC1 SC35 (User
Interfaces), puts his in-depth knowledge of keyboards,
calendars and vocabulary to goot use to illustrate this
point. By Alain LaBonté, International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Learning in an Inclusive Information
Society
Outlines three major accessibility
principles: "Separate information and structure from
presentation (content+style), separate the function from
the way it is controlled, and provide equivalent
alternatives if this is not possible." The author then
neatly translates the demands for accessibility into the
demands of interoperability: "Every learner with a
disability is potentially an external 'system' that needs
to inter-operate."
By Jutta Treviranus, International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Mondialisation, diversité et besoins
particuliers
(Globalization, diversity and
special needs) Presentation (in French) to the
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards on
behalf of UNESCO. Focuses on e-learning in (sub-Saharan)
Africa. The major issue in Africa, of course, is the lack
of infrastructure and resources: "le manque
d'infrastructure et de ressources éducatives met un filtre
pour écarter le plus grand nombre." Africa also presents
special challenges because of its diversity, creating
"l'opposition entre l'universalité des normes et la logique
d'invidualisation et de granularisation de la formation."
The presentation outlines some projects and calls on the
translation of plans into actions. By Abdoulaye Diakité,
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, March
22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
International Standards - The Good, The Bad
and the Stovepipes
Presentation to the
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards by
Polar Star Enterprises on behalf of Telecommunications
Standards Advisory Council of Canada (TSACC). The point of
view is apparent when the following are described as
"special interest and policy": "World Society on the
Information Society, World Bank, OECD, G7 - G8 (1997)
Information Society Conference." Oh well. At least they
agree that standards should be "Open, Non-proprietary [and]
Scalable."
By David Clemis, International Open Forum on E-Learning
and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Developing an E-Learning
Society
Presentation of the Canadian experience,
from the perspective of the Information Highway
Applications Branch. The last slide first: "Canada
supports: a global society where people will benefit from
the potential that the information society brings to all
areas of human life, capacity building, and sharing our
experience and expertise." The slides reflect also that
Canada is in the process of policy building: "Focus efforts
on three strategic areas: ensure equitable access and
opportunity to use the Internet, using ICTs to build the
world's best learning and skills development system, and
using ICTs to build innovative communities."
By Ross MacLeod, International Open Forum on E-Learning
and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards: Day 1
Very nice summary of the Day 1
discussions that emphasizes the objectives of the
discussion: "1) to reflect global concerns in ensuring that
every human being on this planet needs to be able to have
basic skills in literacy and ability to communicate with
others; and, 2) to serve as a challenge for maximizing
cost-effective and efficient use of information and
communications technologies (ICT) in support of addressing
these concerns and meeting this challenge." Knoppers
concludes, "We need a common educational heritage which, if
not Open source, is at least affordable." But one wonders,
but for the urgings of the World Bank and (perhaps) ISO,
why not Open Source? It is, after all, a common
heritage. Why, then, would not be open and accessible
to all? By Jake Knoppers, International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
e-Learning Trends and Standards in
Korea
Excellent overview of the e-learning and
standards process in South Korea, featuring a great deal of
information that will be new to most readers (new to me, at
least). Slides 4-6 outline major objectives of the Korean
approach: accessibility, interoperability, durability,
reusability, adaptability and affordability. How often
initiatives favour one or another of these at the expense
of the rest! The slides are a wealth of information and
statistics, including this gem: "E-learning is 2 times as
large as that of the game industry (US$ 690M) and 5 times
of the movie industry (US$ 275M). Annual average growth :
32.5% (48% for contents business, 37% for solutions, and
11% for learning services)." By Jin G. Shon, International
Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Challenges & Rewards of Collaboration: an
Australian Case-Study
Mapping of the Australian
experience in e-learning standards, overviwing major
initiatives and outlining objectives: "To develop high
quality reusable online curriculum content, suitable for
Australian & New Zealand schools, to support distributed
access, and to stimulate commercial contributions to the
pool of material." One gets the impression from this that
Australia has a very unified approach to e-learning, but
one wonders whether the commercial bent is universally
supported.
By Jon Mason, International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
E-Learning Strategies: Experiences from WBI
E-courses
Presentation to the International Open
Forum on E-Learning and Standards on behalf of the World
Bank, an organization that seems out of step with the
field, at least, to judge by this presentation. With a goal
"to improve development impact by using distance learning
methods to connect decision makers and agents of change to
a global knowledge exchange," the World Bank offers a
centralized approach that emphasizes videoconferencing and
in-person learning as much as donline learning, and
proposes to ensure that users pay for access in order
ensure that "resources are available for scaling-up the
program." By Sheila Jagannathan, International Open Forum
on E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Standards in
E-Learning
Presentation on behalf of Dublic Core
to the International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards. The usual Dublin Core, with its underlying
theme: "Simplicity wins the day." See slide 7 for a non-SVG
version of James M Turner and Véronique Moal's Standards Meta-Map, a great overview of
the standards realm. By Jon Mason, International Open Forum
on E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Working Together
Presentation to
the International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards on
behalf of IMS. The slides reveal an organization at a
crossroads: "Everyone wants interoperability, and (yet)
everyone must meet local legal, cultural, business needs."
Important diagram on slide 11: Learning Technology Evolves.
IMS appears to be now in the "consensus and consolidation"
phase. By Ed Walker, International Open Forum on E-Learning
and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Learning Technology Workshop CEN/ISSS
WSLT
Overview of activities by Comité Européen
de Normalisation (CEN), presented at the International Open
Forum on E-Learning and Standards which, among other
things, endorses the WSIS goal of "a people-centred,
inclusive and development-oriented Information Society,
where everyone can create, access, utilize and share
information and knowledge." Three cheers! Be sure to see
slide 17, which presents the organization of various
standards bodies in relation to each other. And the main
message: "Communicate. Respect differences." By Mike
Collett, International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Information Technology for Learning,
Education, and Training
Presentation on behalf
of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 to the International Open Forum on
E-Learning and Standards. The slides contain the usual
dense, jargon filled, and and almost incomprehensible
ISO/IEC verbiage, but I think it comes down to one item,
highlighted in red: "The current industry's priorities are
reflected in the current work programme of SC36." That may
be (though one would never know). But it should not be
cause for unequivocal celebration. By Frank Farance,
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, March
22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
International Open Forum on E-Learning and
Standards - Day 2
Summary of the second day if
the International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards,
consisting of round-table discussions. Some great content
here. In the first part of the summary there is an emphasis
on getting return for public money spent on e-learning, and
in particular "something that is durable and re-usable
through time as part of our educational heritage."
Discussion of the WSIS Declaration of Principles led to
discussion of "converting existing learning objects and
learning resources into 'learning assets' as part of a
common heritage and collective asset from a global
perspective." There is a need for better discussions,
though not necessarily another organization. "All too
often, we rush into standards development work without a
clear understanding, let alone consensus, of what the user
requirements are." Still, there appeared to be support for
an "e-Learning Standards Advisory Council" to bring people
together from different standards groups and other
stakeholders in e-learning. By Jake Knoppers, International
Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, March 22, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Education Needs to Adapt to a Changing
World
Coverage of the OECD meetings on education
being held in Dublin this week. The gist of the article is,
as the headline suggests, that education needs to adapt. In
particular, "Education can no longer focus primarily on an
elite who receive the best in higher education, leaving a
rump that benefits only from limited learning
opportunities." And "No longer is it true that a good
education, once received, is good for life. Training
throughout life is a necessity for everyone." By Donald J.
Johnston, International Herald Tribune, March 19, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Education Taps CSC for Database
Job
This is interesting. "Under a five-year,
$34.6 million contract with the Education Department,
Computer Sciences Corp. will develop and operate an
Internet-based database management system for the Education
Resources Information Center, or ERIC." The short article
also notes that "The current database will be online during
build-out of the new ERIC database, which will become
operational later this year." It appears - if this item is
accurate - that ERIC has therefore been saved. The
Department of Education press release on this is also available. By Mary Mosquera,
Government Computer News, March 19, 2004
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
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