Edu_RSS
Tale of two transits
In Toronto, riding the public transit in 2005 means being hit with yet another 5% fare increase and yet another impending union strike, while enjoying the same miserable service. Keep in mind that this is after the Ontario government gave the TTC several million bucks (I wrote about what the TTC should do with it here). I can't help but look up for guidance - or rather, looking toward the north, toward York Region. The York Region Transit services these far-flung affluent suburbs, where it is not uncommon to see Boxsters and Benzos parked outside the local WalMart. Apparently, the YRT has From
silentblue | Quantified on March 28, 2005 at 10:54 p.m..
Evangelising usability: Change your strategy at the halfway point
Jakob Nielsen has written an article on strategies for evangelising usability within an organisation. To quote: Paradoxically, the more successful you are at evangelizing usability in your organization, the higher the likelihood that you'll have to change your strategy. The... From
Column Two on March 28, 2005 at 10:47 p.m..
Designing embraceable change
Jared M. Spool has written an article on designing for change, in reference to an intranet project. To quote: One day, last September, the employees came into work expecting things to be just like they'd been for 9 years, only... From
Column Two on March 28, 2005 at 10:47 p.m..
Watch TV Stations From The World Around: Online TV Player
Something like this makes me think back to the good old days of 1999 when
ICraveTV lit up the internet. This, though is slightly different - it is syndicating existing online feeds. Robin Good comments: "Clearly, all of these TV stations are accessible also from their own web sites. The advantage here in fact is in having a simple and unthreatening interface to access easily any preferred channel with just a click of the mouse." By Luigi Canali De Rossi, Robin Good, March 26, 2005 [
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
IncSub Redesign & Relaunch
James Farmer redesigns his site, which specializes in blogs, wikis and content management for educational applications, adds hosting and tacks on a consulting service. By James Farmer, incorporated subversion, March 28, 2005 [
Refer][
Research][
Reflect] From
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
Japanese Study Finds No Negative Impact From P2P
Another study, this one from Japan, adds to the pile of research deflating the myth that file-sharing hurts sales. "The use of 'Winny', the most popular P2P application in Japan, has no effect on CD sales. In fact, the study found that P2P helps to promote music sales and allows for new music discovery were indicated by the research." By Michael Geist, March 27, 2005 [
Refer][
Research][
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
Personal Learning
An article that is winning wide praise, this item asserts that "The key to learning is not the medium nor the message, it is the quality of the dialog with your peers that really matters." The author also echos a growing dissatisfaction with the usual way of doing things. "The traditional practice of determining information needs and competency gaps seems more and more a hollow exercise." Unfortunately brief, and the sketch of some basic principles needs much more filling out.
George Siemens comments, though, "while I'm ve From
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
AAHE Announces Closing
The American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) is ceasing operations later this year. Communities of practice and projects will be would down; members will still have access to the website and publications.
FAQ. Via
Matt Pasiewicz. By Press Release, March 24, 2005 [
Refer][
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement
David Tosh
recommends this paper and in particular a diagram relating increased choice with increased motivation. I would agree that choice impacts motivation, but probably a lot more besides (for example, relevance). Barrett approaches the subject of portfolios from the point of view of assessment, but distinguishes between "Positivist Portfolios [where] the purpose of the portfolio is to assess learning outcomes" and "Constructivist Portfolios [where] the portfolio is a learning environment in which the learner constructs meaning," From
OLDaily on March 28, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..
Turning the Pages
http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation4.html 'Turning the pages' is een programma van de British Library. Het programma stelt de gebruiker in staat om met behulp van de muis op een min of meer natuurlijke wijze te bladeren door de reproductie van een manuscript. De reproductie kan worden voorzien van geschreven of gesproken toelichting. Op de site is een aantal prachtige voorbeelden aanwezig. Het programma is in de eerste plaats bedoeld voor bibliotheken en musea, die hun kostbare manuscripten aan het publiek willen kunnen tonen, en niet zozeer voor wetenschappelijke e From
CHI weblog elektronisch publiceren on March 28, 2005 at 8:00 p.m..
APE -- Assistant for Philological Explorations
http://www.philo.de/ape/ De Assistant for Philological Explorations (APE) is een programma van Dieter Köhler. Het programma is interessant omdat het een bijdrage levert aan het veld van het web-gebaseerd annoteren, waar we bij het CHI aan werken in het EDITOR-project. De programmatuur van Ape richt zich vooral op het oplossen van een lastig probleem bij het web-gebaseerd annoteren, dat van de toepassing van kanonieke referentie-systemen. Wie wil annoteren, moet kunnen verwijzen naar de passage die hij annoteert. Kanonieke referentie-systemen (zoals bijvoorbeeld de manier waarop we naar Bi From
CHI weblog elektronisch publiceren on March 28, 2005 at 6:59 p.m..
More Female Podcasters
My "Women in Podcasting List" continues to grow. Please check it out if you haven't done so already, and let me know about any female hosted/cohosted podcast shows I don't already have listed. Here are the most recent additions to my list... From
Contentious Weblog on March 28, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..
More on Passing of Circuits
For an awful long time -- way too long a time -- a lot of industry pundits (and even non-pundits such as myself) have been complaining that newspapers are marginalizing themselves. In the unending quest for the ever-increasing profits demanded by Wall Street, publishers haven't much choice. They can't seem to sell more ads, at least not enough of them, so they have to raise prices and cut costs. The result is shrinking newsrooms, ever-thinner newspapers and, shock of shocks, fewer and fewer readers willing to pay the same or more for a product that delivers less. Jus From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on March 28, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..
Reimagining Print for the Web
Reimagining Print for the WebFor years, people associated with print publications have been predicting that it would be possible with digital technology to deliver the reading experience of magazines and newspapers along with interactive and multimedia elements. This concept has fueled companies like
NewsStand,
Zinio and
Olive Software, all of which are working with traditional media companies to deliver their newspapers and magazines in electronic formats tha From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on March 28, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..
Google News Algorithm: a Mystery
Lots of people have raised questions about the algorithm that
Google News uses to choose, group and prioritize content. An enterprising blogger (
PrivateRadio) just created a script that provides a continuously updated list of sources cited on the first page of Google News. The list is mystifying (click on "order by frequency" to see the most cited sources). As of this moment, the top 5 sources are ABC News, Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Times and the Guardian. All legitimate, respected news sources. But why would From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on March 28, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..
Some Frivolous Fun
OK, so maybe there's a Web site you absolutely hate. Maybe your ex-husband's blog. Or the homepage of the company that fired you. Get your revenge with a NetDisaster! Just go to
www.netdisaster.com, type in the URL, choose a method for destroying that evil page: nuclear weapons, Martian spacecraft, "slow burn," or something else. Then click "Go!" When you see the results, I challenge you not to giggle. Then, for more fun, email the resulting link to others who share your outlook. (Thanks to
Robert Sc From Poynter E-Media Tidbits on March 28, 2005 at 6:54 p.m..
Project Wiki
In my real job, I've been trying to manage the process for changing the current five-computers in a classroom model at my school to something a bit more flexible and scalable, and we're on the verge of selecting some pilot programs to implement this fall. Most notably is one that will involve outfitting about 30 teachers with Tablet PCs to try to see what effect they might have on delivery of the curriuclum, professional development, and student learning. Other pilots will most likely revolve around using iPods and thin client technology. And, like many other schools, we're taki From
weblogged News on March 28, 2005 at 5:47 p.m..
Update: The New AIM TOS
Quick followup: As promised, AOL has indeed revised its terms of service (TOS) for its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service. The new agreement is more in line with what AOL's chief competitors in the online chat space (Microsoft Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, and Skype) offer. From my perspective, here's the new bottom line: AIM's TOS is now acceptable. However, I still won't go back to using it, and I recommend that others steer clear as well. I really don't like that AOL tried to get away with such a major content grab in the first place. They shredded their own From
Contentious Weblog on March 28, 2005 at 4:55 p.m..
Mini-Conference Presentation Day
On Saturday, April 9, the project master's students in Curriculum Studies and Educational Communications and Technology are presenting their projects. Students from our program who will be presenting are: Debi Naigle - Designing a Department Website - 9:00-9:30, Room 10... From
Rick's Café Canadien on March 28, 2005 at 4:54 p.m..
Blog stickies
Further evidence of the penetration of blogs into mainstream culture: Blog Sticky Notes Courtesy of my lovely daughter Leah.... From
Joho the Blog on March 28, 2005 at 4:48 p.m..
Getting rid of those damn bars
For months and months I've been ignoring the ugly horizontal bars that show up in the box at the top of my archive pages. One crosses out "An Entry from the Archives" and the other runs underneath that text. They don't show up in Microsoft IE but they do in Firefox and Safari. Generous reader Miles of TinyApps, a site I never tire of recommending to y'all, scouted out the html code and found the offending lines. Apparently the Style property "text-decoration: none;" renders as blue underlines in Firefox and Safari, although I'm sure it will turn out to have... From
Joho the Blog on March 28, 2005 at 3:48 p.m..
Remembering the French Laundry
Ages ago, I began the process of moving all my megnut.com entries into a new version of Movable Type, a process I never completed. There are still about seven months of entries from 2002 that never made the transition, and sit only on my hard drive. One of those entries was my tale of eating dinner at the French Laundry, and many people have emailed asking why they can't find it on my site. Well I'm happy to say I've reposted it: It's All About Finesse. All the rest of the stuff is still missing, but for all those who've asked for it, and for myself too, I've got From
megnut on March 28, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Consumerpedia
Consumerpedia Consumerpedia is Wikipedia for products. It's in .00000001 alpha, the site says, but it seems usable, albeit empty. (I put in a review of Thinkpad X40, just to try it out.) The Help page highlights its tools for constructing a hierchical folksonomy: Anyone can create a category, a sub-category, a re-direct (= synonymn), or a related-to (= reciprocal link). It explicitly has avoided creating a top-down categorization scheme.Who's up for a Consumerpedia vs United Nations Standard Products and Services Code System (UNSPSC) Deathmatch! How is it different from ePinions? Fro From
Joho the Blog on March 28, 2005 at 2:48 p.m..
Paul Hester 1959-2005
This is the third and final part of my 1987 interview with Neil Finn of Crowded House. In this part I ask Neil about "Hole in the River," a song about his aunt's suicide. Given the news this weekend that Crowded House drummer Paul Hester took his own life on ... From
Gardner Writes on March 28, 2005 at 2:01 p.m..
Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement
Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement is an excellent paper from Helen Barrett in her role as Research Director of The REFLECT Initiative. I particularly like this diagram from the report: [ diagram is copyright Helen Barrett 2004 ]... From
ERADC Blog on March 28, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..
Controlled and suggested vocabularies: Are tags making us dumb?
This post, by David Weinberger, offers wonderful insights on the pros and cons of folksonomies. Although much is said about the bottom-up, emergent properties of folksonomies, I'm still quite skeptical about the current state of folksonomy implementations. Decentralizing to these extremes always has its limits. Weinberger in his post lists some of these limits. I would add the phenomenon of the '
long tail' and '
elearningpost on March 28, 2005 at 1:47 p.m..
Personal learning
Denham Grey has written a wonderful
post on the principles of learning for the new age: "The key to learning is not the medium nor the message, it is the quality of the dialog with your peers that really matters." From
elearningpost on March 28, 2005 at 1:47 p.m..
Homeland "Security"
I drove the hundred miles (160 kilometers) down to St. Louis from my home in Springfield, Illinois last Saturday, and I couldn't believe how much traffic there was on I-55. Almost all of the cars had out of state license plates. Before 9-11, 9 out of 10 cars on the trip had Illinois tags. Now maybe 1 in 20 has Illinois plates. Clearly, people don't like flying any more. And I don't think it's the terrorists keeping them away. From
kuro5hin.org on March 28, 2005 at 12:45 p.m..
Whither the Blog?
(Warning: Personal reflection and blogging geekery ahead.) I wrote a little
tongue in cheek piece a week or so ago about the 1st anniversary of the blog, but I've actually been giving some thought to where the blog is headed these days. To me the blog has become a personal proving ground for my writing. I find myself more inclined to writing longer pieces, and less towards the simple linking to... From
Brain Frieze on March 28, 2005 at 11:55 a.m..
Amazon Knows Who You Are
Many companies have systems for tracking customer habits, but Amazon has collected info longer and used it more proactively. It now has technology that tracks data on those you buy gifts for, and it reserves the right to sell it all. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:46 a.m..
IRS May Tax Your eBay Sales
Do you have to report the money you make from hawking stuff on eBay? It appears to depend on whether you're running a business or just cleaning out the attic, but the IRS says all income can be taxed. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:46 a.m..
Wanna Buy a Soviet Space Suit?
From the back streets of Eastern Europe to eBay and Sotheby's, the market for 'legally stolen' cosmonaut gear is booming. By Christopher S. Stewart from Wired magazine. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
BigBelly Has Appetite for Trash
Waste management might not be the most glamorous field for aspiring entrepreneurs. But a Massachusetts inventor thinks businesses and cities looking to cut garbage-collection costs will like his trash compactor. By Abby Christopher. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Folded Proteins Get Gold Standard
Stanford researchers have found a way to use gold nanoparticles attached to a protein to determine when it folds and unfolds. The technique could become a speedy diagnostic tool for disease detection. By Kristen Philipkoski. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Silicon Shortage Stalls Solar
The solar energy industry is growing and tech improvements promise to reduce its cost, but challenges loom. A dearth of silicon for photovoltaic cells and anemic government support impede what could be gangbuster growth. By John Gartner. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Global Warming's Silver Lining
Some scientists and academics think Earth's rising temperature is a good thing, especially for people in cold places and those who like large squid. Environmental watchdogs say the optimists have the wrong idea. By David Cohn. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Supreme Showdown for P2P's Future
The entertainment industry goes head-to-head against file-sharing services at the Supreme Court this week. Some fear the Grokster case could have a devastating effect on development of new technologies. By Katie Dean. From
Wired News on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Describing and predicting behavior: The Big Five
The answer to the question "What is personality?" depends very much on why the question is asked. There are many ways to deal with this question. Here, I will focus on the trait-based approach, which is one attempt at describing individual differences and predicting individual behavior. This knowledge is useful. For example, research shows that companies that use knowledge of personality as part of their selection procedures have higher productivity, less employee turnover, and higher employee satisfaction than those that don't. The last twenty years, personali From
kuro5hin.org on March 28, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
Open source - Open Standards
I recently attended a Coimbra Group meeting here in Edinburgh. It was a good event and I was very impressed with the presentation given by Eric Duval. His presentation on Open Source Open Standards was well delivered and I appreciated... From
ERADC Blog on March 28, 2005 at 9:54 a.m..
Monday, March 28, 2005
I do not often mention my association with Baylor University among these pages, but I am a graduate of the biggest Baptist school in the world. From
RHPT.com on March 28, 2005 at 5:57 a.m..
Web Services: Enumeration and Profiling
Web services hacking begins with the Web Services Definition Language or WSDL. A WSDL file is a major source of information for an attacker. Examining a WSDL description provides critical information like methods, input and output parameters. It is important to understand the structure of a WSDL file, based on which one should be able to enumerate web services. The outcome of this process is a web services profile or matrix. The scope of this paper is restricted to understanding this process. Once this is done, attack vectors for web services can be defined. From
Infosec Writers Latest Security Papers on March 28, 2005 at 5:55 a.m..
Personal learning
Denham Grey has written a blog entry looking at the role of personal learning. To quote: My thoughts around learning have been profoundly altered by reading Wenger, Brown & Duguid and von Krogh and focus on collective workplace practices. Have... From
Column Two on March 28, 2005 at 5:47 a.m..
The Dawn of Intelligent Machines
Looks like advances in brain science are giving new impetus to
AI-enabled machines: "Jeff Hawkins, the inventor of the Palm and the Treo, is finally doing something interesting with his life. He is figuring out how to build machines that he believes will truly work like the human brain." From
elearningpost on March 28, 2005 at 5:46 a.m..
Web accessibility
From Heather Ross, here's a neat article on a new bit of research that could have a profound impact on accessibilty of Web resources for people with hearing disabilities: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1110401916292_105811116/?hub=CTVNewsAt11 This is great stuff, but I'm hungry for innovative approaches... From
Rick's Café Canadien on March 28, 2005 at 4:53 a.m..
Let's Go to the Dump
More irrelevant updates on the
home landscaping projects... when we bought our house in 1997, landscaping was a process of adding plants (as there was almost nothing growing here except for a few trees)... 8 years later we are in the process of taking out as much of the desert plants we put in... have gotten out of control. Single prickly pear pads stuck in the ground spread in a complex more than 4 feet wide and 3 feet high... other cactus of unknown identification spreads itself From
cogdogblog on March 28, 2005 at 4:48 a.m..
Pondering the Blog Change
I'm mulling over what many other quicker, maybe wiser, colleagues have done, and migrate my blog software from MovableType 2.661 to
WordPress 1.5. It's not critical, not urgent, but I feel it nagging at me. Last week I dumped a chunk of time trying to get all the perl pieces in place to use the
captcha plugin for MT (actually mainly for other blogs on my server). Trying to get the perl pieces in place for this plugin was a headache and a half. Tried to cpan the need GD.pm modules. F From
cogdogblog on March 28, 2005 at 4:48 a.m..
Books or not, collaborative or not
Will Richardson
asks whether he should write a book and whether it should be an experiment in new forms of collaboration and copyright. I reply: The Code v2 experiment is a wonderful thing, but it's not the only way to frame a project (see
John Miles Foley, for example, at University of Missouri), and... From
Weblogs in Higher Education on March 28, 2005 at 3:52 a.m..
Subliminal Fun!
Good ... something a little less depressing. I remember as a kid scratching the heck out of my records, looking for some sort of backwards message. And I remember spinning "Another One Bites the Dust" (Queen) backwards and listening to... From
Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on March 28, 2005 at 1:55 a.m..