Edu_Rss

Inaugural CIDER presentation
Here's something worth your attention (isn't everything in the café?). CIDER (The Canadian Institute for Distance Education Research) is a new initiative for holding cross-country discussions about distance education research. The first session will be by the founder of CIDER.... From Rick's Café Canadien on February 25, 2005 at 10:46 p.m..

Government 2.0 Slammed
I am supportive of the idea of decentralizing government, but not at the expense of placing governance into the hands of undemocratic institutions. I have often made the point that no society is democratic until its institutions are democratic. Its institutions include things like government agencies, corporations, NGOs and non-profits, schools and universities, and the like. Most of these are in no way democratic, and so by this definition we are a long way from democracy. And we would be even further away from democracy were we to put governance into the hands of these institutions, as sugge From OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Revenge of the Blog People!
American Library Association president Michael Gorman has spoken again, this time asserting that "the Blog People read what they want to read rather than what is in front of them and judge me to be wrong on the basis of what they think rather than what I actually wrote." Gorman, recall, argued that "Massive databases of digitized whole books, especially scholarly books, are expensive exercises in futility..." He now writes that he is not against digitization, but "that I do not believe this particular project will From OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Global Digital Divide Narrowing
The global digital divide is rapidly closing, asserts the World Bank, which then uses this information to criticize a United Nations program to increase usage and access to technology in poorer nations. But the digital divide is still significant and so I don't see how evidence that these programs are successful could be an argument for terminating them - but then again, the World Bank has never really impressed me with its reasoning. By Unattributed, BBC News, February 24, 2005 [OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Knowledge Management Systems
George Siemens links to this useful course outline linking to numerous useful works on knowledge management. He comments, "When an instructor puts a course like this online (as compared to a password-protected LMS), many people benefit (and the institution doesn't really lose anything by sharing)." Quite right. Now what would have been really great is a podcast consisting of the professors' lectures. But maybe that's asking too much. By Don Turnbull, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring, 2004 [OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

How Dr. Papadakis Runs a Drexel University Like a Company
I'm not going to say that everything Drexel University president Constantine Papadakis has done is wrong, because that would be in error. Nor will I hard on this Philadelphia University's poor rankings in national surveys, because I don't think these surveys are really accurate measures. There's a lot to like in Drexel's methodology, but there's also a lot to dislike. Running a school like a business sometimes means running it into the ground; in business, after all, failures are common. Schools don't have that luxury. And running it like a business means run From OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

The Odeo Blog
Odeo is supposed to launch today at TED. It will make podcasting simpler. As I write, it hasn't launched yet, so all we have is this blog. But keep an eye out. By Evan Williams, February 25, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] From OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Report Faults Bush Initiative on Education
A report tabled yesterday by a bipartisan panel of legislators condemns the No Child Left Behind Act, calling it "a flawed, convoluted and unconstitutional education reform initiative that had usurped state and local control of public schools." This New York article also cites criticisms of the report by a representative from the Business Roundtable. Perhaps some perspective, as offered by Will Richardson as he cites Ted Sizer from OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Markdown
Sweet. A free and open source Perl script that translates ordinary text into correct HTML or XHTML. Works a lot like a wiki script, except that it can function as a plug-in for Moveable Type, Blosxom, or BBEdit (along with, presumably, your home grown Perl programs). I can't wait to play with it. There's also a PHP port by Michel Fortin. And an HTML to (Markdown style) text, by Aaron Schwartz. By John Gruber, Daring Fireball, December 17, 2004 [OLDaily on February 25, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Friday, February 25, 2005
There is an old Morrissey song titled "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful". From RHPT.com on February 25, 2005 at 8:56 p.m..

Blogging and Digital Narcissism
There was an interesting story in the Leader Post (A3, Feb 24/05) titled "It's all about me baby". The story first details the recent hacking of Paris Hilton's electronic organizer, which has ultimately led to hundreds of celebrity phone numbers... From Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on February 25, 2005 at 8:54 p.m..

Squeamish Blog Advertisers
One of the exciting things about blogging is that the content often is unbridled by conventional restraints felt by mainstream media. You won't find Wonkette's brand of coverage of Washington-D.C. politics, which is often laced with profanities and sex talk, attached to any conventional media brand, for instance. I liken it to the chances that HBO takes with shows like The Sopranos and Sex & the City, which other networks won't touch without watering them down. (I'd rather watch HBO.) From Poynter E-Media Tidbits on February 25, 2005 at 7:54 p.m..

CFP - Social Software in the Academy (danah boyd)
I am helping organize a workshop on social software in the academy along with Sarah Lohnes. Todd Richmond, Mimi Ito, and Justin Hall. It will take place at USC’s Annenberg Center on May 13-14. We are currently looking for papers,... From Corante: Social Software on February 25, 2005 at 7:49 p.m..

Digital Story Book Projects: Tutorial
A while back, I mentioned that my brother George, a teacher in Alberta, is developing digital story book projects with his grade 8 students. For teachers looking to do similar projects, George has put together a brief tutorial on how... From Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on February 25, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..

1-Click Answers: Answers.com
1-Click Answers provided by Answers.com is an excellent new(er) search tool available for both the PC and Mac (thanks Heather and Brennan). When you download and install the tool, you will be able to instantly search any word in any... From Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on February 25, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..

Is Paid Content Making the the Wall Street Journal Irrelevant?
Wired News "media hack" Adam Penenberg makes a damning and controversial anti-paid-content argument leveled at the Wall Street Journal. He says the successful WSJ Online, which boasts well over half a million paid subscribers, faces "irrelevance" in the long term if it continues with its present paid-content strategy. Why?Penenberg says the WSJ is "leaving only a faint footprint in cyberspace" because it insists on subscription to From Poynter E-Media Tidbits on February 25, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..

The Do Not Call law
(This week's radio essay...) I want to report today on my recent adventures in active citizenship. I've been looking into Indiana's Do Not Call law. You know the one HYPHEN it was passed a couple of years ago, and it prevents most businesses from calling your home to try to sell you credit cards and other unwanted stuff. Hoosiers register their phone number with the Attorney General's office, and they are protected from most of the unwanted calls that used to be so common here at dinnertime.... From Weblogs in Higher Education on February 25, 2005 at 6:51 p.m..

Now Here's an Idea...
From Anastasia Goodstein over at Ypulse: In my fantasy world one or all of the tech companies would outfit every new and older teacher with a brand new laptop full of software, bookmarked with the coolest and best educational sites and resources online and an iPod. Every teacher would attend a three day paid training where they explore these sites, build their own site, create a blog, load their favorite music on their iPod and learn to Podcast. They should create a profile on Myspace or a Live Journal and explore From weblogged News on February 25, 2005 at 6:47 p.m..

Burns: Touchy, Touchy! (Online Vermin, Part 7)
At last we arrive to the end of my seemingly interminable discussion of online vermin... BURNS: These people routinely overreact and take nearly everything personally, in a negative way. They are as socially or emotionally sensitive as burn victims: any contact is risky. Even the slightest touch of communication, the slightest possible hint of an insinuation, can cause them to react with pain: anger, shame, self-doubt, guilt, despair, regret, self-pity, etc. And you From Contentious Weblog on February 25, 2005 at 5:53 p.m..

Website Design From the Left and the Right
No, that headline has nothing to do with politics. Rather, I'm thinking about the new English-language website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest newspaper, which I mentioned earlier this week. Its older sister site, Ynet, is in Hebrew, and the English site is based on it (though significantly different in many ways, including having much original content).Hebrew, of course, is read right-to-left; English, left-to-right. So i From Poynter E-Media Tidbits on February 25, 2005 at 4:54 p.m..

From Blogger to Writer
Once upon a time there was a 30-something woman who used to write a personal diary. Since she was living in the age of the Internet she wrote her thoughts on a virtual diary, also called a blog. The blog got so popular that a newspaper wrote about it. Then a publisher read the article and offered to put all her thoughts in a book -- not an electronic but a printed one. And this is how she became a paid writer.This is the nice story (which can be read in Poynter E-Media Tidbits on February 25, 2005 at 4:54 p.m..

Unnamed fame
There have been two problems, both involving veterans. After receiving the big money, Mark Blount has been about 60 percent of the Mark Blount of a year ago. And then there was the resident star, who has played much of the season in a pout... — Bob Ryan, "Ainge may not be able to wiggle out of this," Boston Globe, Feb. 25, 2005 The resident star is apparently so famous that he does not need to be named. His absence of namingness signals his fame, so to speak. It's takes one-namers such as Madonna and Cher one step further, all... From Joho the Blog on February 25, 2005 at 4:48 p.m..

Google loses S
Gary Googlewhack Stock points out that Google no longer provides automatic links to the definition of search terms that end in S: Nothing is delicious (11M pages). No one is anxious (6M). This may be because no one has a penis (24M). In apparent response to GOP fiscal irresponsiblity, nothing remains gratis (131M). Some fail to see the obvious (28M), that Genesis (16M) is not in conflict with physics (56M). Alas! (5M) You know how when you search for, say, anxietyon Google, the light blue bar at the top reports that it's showing Results 1-100 of about 16,900,00 for anxiety... From Joho the Blog on February 25, 2005 at 4:48 p.m..

BT develops e-mail security tool
An anti- virus solution from British telco BT looks for new and unknown behaviour to stop potentially devastating e-mail viruses. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 3:54 p.m..

Free Trial With The Surprise: GoToMeeting Got Me
I am here to report an unpleasant experience I have just had with the extremely effective online service from Citrix, GoToMeeting, which allows anyone on a PC to easily share a PC screen with anyone else on the Internet. Rather... From Kolabora.com on February 25, 2005 at 3:53 p.m..

FlickrFox...
Flickrfox is an extension for Firefox (version 1.0) that lets you browse your Flickr photostreams in a Firefox sidebar. You can choose streams to display including everyone's, friends and family, contacts and groups... Keep up with new photos while you work on the web... (Via Lifehacker.)... From Education/Technology - Tim Lauer on February 25, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..

Prototype blogs
At the Thursday night blogging confab at the Berkman Center, the question of how to define blogs briefly surfaced in a meta way. It reminded me of a page I've wanted for a long time, but apparently haven't wanted enough to build. The idea is that most living terms are impossible to define cleanly. We do much better by pointing to some examples that everyone agrees "If these aren't ___s, then nothing is!" (This is part of the rejection of Aristotelianism built on Eleanor Rosch's work in prototype classification, but that's an example of a different color.) So, if you... From Joho the Blog on February 25, 2005 at 3:48 p.m..

Xerox joins open industry standards consortium
The AFP Colour Consortium is an open industry standards organisation involving firms from across the printing industry. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Worldwide wi-fi equipment revenue reaches €2.1bn in 2004 – report
Worldwide wi-fi unit shipments are to continue to grow through 2008, when they will reach 80.4m, 123 per cent on 2004. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Digital divide significant, but shrinking – UN study
While noting that considerable inequality between countries in terms of ICT infrastructure exists, the UNCTAD report also states that important gains have been made in access to mobile telephones and internet usage. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Microsoft developing telematics solution for Fiat cars
US software maker Microsoft is developing a telematics system that is to include a chip set, processors, a telecoms module and a speech engine. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Vodafone Sweden, Actaris partner for automatic electricity meter-reading
Mobile operator Vodafone Sweden and electricity meters maker Actaris have developed a machine-to-machine communication service that enables power companies to read their electricity meters via Vodafone's GSM network. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Worldwide core, predictive analytics revenue to cross €8.3bn in 2008 – report
Core and predictive analytics revenue is to reach more than €8.3bn in 2008, up from €6bn in 2003. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Marconi launches Europe's first hosted key system application
UK telecoms company Marconi’s Impact Ultra Key solution enables service providers to deliver hosted voice and web services to small- and mid-sized enterprises (SME) over a broadband connection. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Vodafone Netherlands introduces voicemail service with new features
Mobile operator Vodafone Netherlands’ voicemail service is to enable customers to record temporary messages, forward messages with personal comments or deliver one message to multiple voicemail boxes. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

Marconi, Operax provide carrier-class bandwidth management solution
UK telecoms company Marconi and Swedish software vendor Operax are working to provide a bandwidth management solution that enables service providers to set policies for the use of bandwidth resources on a converged network. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 2:55 p.m..

SoFIA Releases First 8 Open Content Courses
Sofia (Sharing of Free Intellectual Assets) intends to do for the community college level what MIT's Open Courseware offers for upper division courses- free, open content courses you can use in whole or part. Free with Creative Commons licensing. The first 8 courses are available from their gallery: The pilot grant open content initiative, Sofia (Sharing of Free Intellectual Assets), was initiated in March of 2004 under the leadership of Vivian 'Vivie' Sinou, Dean of D From cogdogblog on February 25, 2005 at 2:47 p.m..

Education in America--A Quiz
1. True or False--More than 1/3 of Americans aged 25-29 have a bachelor's degree. 2. What is the ratio of poor adults (from households making less than $35,000) that have a bachelor's degree by age 24? a) 1 in 5 b) 1 in 12 c) 1 in 17 d) 1 in 23 3. What is the ratio for those coming from the richest families ($85,000 a year)? a) 1 in 2 b) 1 in 5 c) 1 in 8 d) 1 in 12 4. True or False--Nationally, high school graduation rates are increasing. 5. True or False--More than 40 percent of students graduating from America's high schools are unpr From weblogged News on February 25, 2005 at 2:47 p.m..

Learning by Doing : A Comprehensive Guide to Simulations, Computer Games, and Pedagogy in e-Learning and Other Educational Experiences
Clark Aldrich is coming out with a new book this April: "Designed for learning professionals who are considering implementing simulations or planning a simulations strategy, this book will help lift the fog around this mysterious new training technology. It includes information about computer-based simulations and discusses how to choose, build, procure, and implement these more mature simulation models. This book explores other t From elearningpost on February 25, 2005 at 2:46 p.m..

New Resource - RSS Software Launched
A new website specific to RSS and RSS Software has been launched. The new website contains information on all different types of RSS and syndication related software solutions. From RSS Blog on February 25, 2005 at 1:59 p.m..

EU and Asia join forces against spam
The EU and 13 Asian countries have agreed to work together to combat the scourge of unsolicited e-mail, issuing a statement this week that encourages countries to develop anti-spam legislation and enforcement. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

BSkyB and Barclaycard to launch interactive credit card
The 'Skycard' can be used in shops like a normal credit card, but can also be inserted into a set-top box to make purchases via the television. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

Telecom Italia eyes up Turk Telekom
The president of the Italian Senate and Telecom Italia's manager for Turkey have said that Telecom Italia is interested in participating in this year's expected sale of 55 per cent of Turk Telekom. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

ProSiebenSat1 to get into pay-TV business
The head of German broadcaster ProSiebenSat1 has announced this week his company's intention to develop pay-TV services. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

Microsoft settles with Dutch portal blocked by MSN anti-spyware
Microsoft is to pay Ilse Media €10,000 in damages after its new anti-spyware programme, available as a beta since January, blocked access to Ilse's portal, Starpagina.nl, and sent websurfers to the MSN portal instead. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

77% of world has access to mobile network - World Bank
The World Bank has issued a report that claims the digital divide between rich and poor countries is closing more rapidly than previously thought. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..

Knoppix as a Classroom Learning Tool
I have just read an interesting post by Ming Chow who is relaying his experience in using the Knoppix Linux Live CD as a classroom learning tool. If you are not familiar with Knoppix, it's basically a distribution of Linux... From Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on February 25, 2005 at 12:54 p.m..

Google movie search launched
Google has created a new 'movie:' operator for its search engine, which allows users to search for film titles, actors, directors, movie genres, famous lines or plot details. From Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe on February 25, 2005 at 12:54 p.m..

The Performance Plan Vision
An einer Frage kommt in Interviews heute kein LMS-Anbieter mehr vorbei: "What about informal learning?" Meistens darf dann der Interviewte selbst vorstellen, was er unter "informal learning" versteht und dementsprechend antworten. Bobby Yazdani, CEO von Saba, einem der weltweit größten... From www.weiterbildungsblog.de on February 25, 2005 at 12:50 p.m..

Blog Advertising: Right for You? - Hollis Thomases, ClickZ
"Blog" may have been the word in 2004, but blog advertising is still in its infancy. Thanks to some shared insight from Henry Copeland, founder of Blogads, I'll provide some smart ways to think about blog advertising, as well as debunk a few fallacies and From Techno-News Blog on February 25, 2005 at 12:49 p.m..

OSDL Tackles Desktop Linux - Jim Wagner, Internet News
The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) wants to find out what's needed to make desktop Linux successful, so it launched an initiative on Monday to find out how to make that happen. Originally drafted by OSDL members, the goal of the document, said Bill From Techno-News Blog on February 25, 2005 at 12:49 p.m..

The Worries over Nano No-Nos - Burt Helm, Business Week
Could the same properties that make the tiny particles so effective also turn them into efficient troublemakers inside the human body? It's one of the most intriguing aspects of nanotechnology: Commonplace materials assume unpredictable and incredible cha From Techno-News Blog on February 25, 2005 at 12:49 p.m..

Tutorial : Reload Editor y Moodle para crear SCORM
Con este taller se realizará paso a paso el proceso de creación de un paquete SCORM. From Titulares eLearning WORKSHOPS on February 25, 2005 at 11:46 a.m..

California Woman Sues ChoicePoint
The first lawsuit filed against ChoicePoint over its recent data breach could lead to regulations that would better protect consumers' personal data. A Senate committee also announces it will hold a hearing on identity theft and data brokers. By Kim Zetter. From Wired News on February 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

Fight for the Right to Watch Trek
Fans of the recently canceled Star Trek: Enterprise are taking it to the streets: They're protesting Friday in Los Angeles, New York and London. By Cyrus Farivar. From Wired News on February 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

You Have a Rx for That Vibrator?
Even Alabama admits that for some people, sexual aids are necessary to have a fulfilling sexual experience. Yet it continues to defend its laws prohibiting the marketing and sale of sex toys. What gives? Commentary by Regina Lynn. From Wired News on February 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

Ye Olde Winos Blinded By Science
Traditional winemakers in old Europe are in danger of being outpaced by tech-savvy vintners in the United States, Australia and Chile. Is it wine snobbery, or is clever technology ruining wine? By Rowan Hooper. From Wired News on February 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

Watchdogs Sniff Out Terror Sites
Internet Haganah is taking the fight against terrorism online, and it's been able to shut down -- at least temporarily -- hundreds of sites through pressure on ISPs. By John Lasker. From Wired News on February 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

1000 Articles and Tutorials at CommunityMX
It's been over two years since I sat in a Chicago hotel lobby with Ray West, Tom Muck, Steven Grosvenor, and a few others who had published traditional books on web design software. To a person we were amazed and appalled at the amount of work that went into writing a book and the lack of adequate compensation for pulling it off. Ray announced that he wanted to change that whole paradigm and create a subscription-based service that would put the authors in charge of their own destiny. This... From Brain Frieze on February 25, 2005 at 9:49 a.m..

Recordatorio: Videochat en Diario de Navarra
Hoy a las 12:30 en DiariodeNavarra.es tendremos una sesión de videochat. Pueden enviar preguntas. Sigue una relación de las preguntas recibidas hasta ahora:... From eCuaderno v.2.0 on February 25, 2005 at 9:46 a.m..

Harvard President Vows to Temper His Style With Respect
With his faculty threatening open revolt, the president of Harvard University promised that he would begin treating people more respectfully. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Some Economists Say the President of Harvard Talks Just Like Them
The style that economists use when they talk to each other helps explain why Lawrence Summers, once a star economist, is now embroiled in controversy as president of Harvard. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Report Faults Bush Initiative on Education
A bipartisan panel of lawmakers called No Child Left Behind a convoluted and unconstitutional initiative that has usurped local control of public schools. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Report Accuses Schools Chief in Yonkers
The hiring of a man with little accounting experience as a senior accountant for the Yonkers Board of Education violated state civil service laws, a report concluded. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Yale Protesters Seek Reform of Financial Aid Policy
At Yale, students have been waiting, to little avail, for something dramatic to happen. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Case of Former SUNY Official Points to Ethics Law Loophole
A loophole in New York State law grants most employees immunity from ethics inquiries when they leave the state payroll - no matter what their actions while on the job. From New York Times: Education on February 25, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..

Draft of Theme From Podcast
Silly title (homage to Marshall Crenshaw) but another quickie podcast, this time of some guitar noodling that might become a pleasant enough theme for my long-aborning podcast on last Friday night's Paradise Lost readathon. Coming soon to a podcatcher near you! From Gardner Writes on February 25, 2005 at 4:52 a.m..

Snow Today, So Read the E-edition
Some are worried that the Internet is not robust enough to cope with a growing audience and larger amounts of information. They have questioned electronic editions, pointing to the fact that all it takes is a power outage, and suddenly the media is offline, like Wikipedia experienced the other day.But see what happens to the paper edition of Berlingske Tidende when there's a big snowfa From Poynter E-Media Tidbits on February 25, 2005 at 4:46 a.m..

Digital divide narrowing fast.
The "digital divide" between rich and poor nations is narrowing fast, the World Bank (news - web sites) said on Thursday, calling into question a costly United Nations (news - web sites) campaign to bring hi-tech telecommunications to the developing... From Teaching and Developing Online. on February 25, 2005 at 1:46 a.m..

Rapid E-Learning
Rapid e-learning is a hot topic among many workplace learning and development practitioners. In a study of Fortune 500 companies conducted by Larstan Business Reports, 85 percent said they planned to expand the role of e-learning. More important, over 80... From Teaching and Developing Online. on February 25, 2005 at 1:46 a.m..

US slipping off technology edge.
It sounds like a combination horror movie title and ill-researched CBS Memogate report. I have read the Electronic News story, "U.S. Technology in Danger of Falling Behind" several times now...(and it does not say that we're falling into the Digital... From Teaching and Developing Online. on February 25, 2005 at 1:46 a.m..

Obviam Schola
John Taylor Gatto, a former educator who was "New York City Teacher of the Year", wrote an article in 2001 for Harper's Magazine, entitled "Against School". He starts by saying that for the thirty years that he was in the... From Teaching and Developing Online. on February 25, 2005 at 1:46 a.m..

Against Schools
How public education cripples our kids, and why By John Taylor Gatto Against School, by John Taylor Gatto... From Teaching and Developing Online. on February 25, 2005 at 1:46 a.m..

We Have to Operate, but Let's Play First
This makes sense when you realize that playing video games is a form of practice, although most of the time the pattern you practice are quite basic. In this case, however, the manual dexterity pattern finds a useful application: "The complex manual dexterity required to be a stellar video gamer and minimally invasive surgeon are strikingly similar, said Dr. Rosser, chief of minimally invasive surgery and director of the hospi From elearningpost on February 24, 2005 at 11:46 p.m..

No Books, No Problem
According to this author, a high school chemistry teacher, "The students in my general chemistry class almost never open their textbook. My reason: The less I use the book, the more they learn." Over the last few years, he writes, he has banished textbooks from his classroom - for the better. "Most bore my students and frustrate me... Many promulgate scientific misconceptions or even outright errors... They present ideas didactically as discrete facts to be accepted, rather than as clues of principles to be discovered and explored." By Geoff Ruth, Edutopia, February, 2005 [OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

In Defense of Citizen Journalism
Steve Outing writes, "In the journalism of tomorrow (and to an extent, it's already here), everyone will get to have his or her say. While acceptance of that among traditional news editors is gaining to a degree, there's plenty of skepticism and defensiveness still." In the column attached to this quote he looks at several objections raised by newspaper editors to the idea of citizen journalism and responds with a firm insistence that down this path lies the only real future for traditional media. This item follows a flurry of similar stories, including two from the Washington Post ( From OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Future of FLOSS in education: Interview with Alan Levine
I'm listening to this interview witn AlanLevine recorded by Teemu Arina (you may recall heinterviewed me a couple of weeks ago). What we get fromAlan is a wonderful romp through the future, from whichArina extracts this zinger: "In contrary to large andrigid content management systems, educators and studentshave noticed easy personal publishing on a wide scale. Oneweblog related to education is created every secondaccording to statistics provided by Technorati. Google haslaunched a specially branded service called EduBlogger From OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Real Software Slams Microsoft's Patent Effort
Presumably unaware of Aristotle, Microsoft is attempting to patent the 'ISNOT' construction in basic. "The only reason a company would want to lay claim to such a patent would be to sue anybody who tries to implement that idea." It's the sort of tactic one would expect from a company that appears to deliberately sabotage other software. By Darryl K. Taft, EWeek, February 21, 2005 [Refer][OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Guru of the Obvious
Preparing to rule us all with an iron fist in a velvet glove, the king of the long tail, Leon Ipglips is coming to get us. Like the rest of the bloggers on his hitlist, I welcome our new Oblivious Overlord. Funny. By Leon Ipglips, Guru of the Obvious, February, 2005 [Refer][Research][OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Multi User Weblogging
A number of people have asked me about multi-user weblogging (that is, setting up a single installation to support multiple writers, as a teacher might do for a class). I guess they have been asking other people, and it's James Farmer who comes through with the goods, a really nice overview of options for people who want to support multiuser weblogging. Manila, Drupal, Movable Type, WordPress - I;ve tried all these tools too, and have confidence they will do the job. Have a look at Farmer's outlines - it's like a smorgasbord. By James Farmer, incorporated subversion, February 2 From OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Community Blogging
Text of the talk delivered to the Northern Voice conference. There is no centralized place that constitutes community, there are only people, and resources, that are distributed. By Stephen Downes, Stephen's Web, February 19, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] From OLDaily on February 24, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..