Edu_RSS
Manila 9.5 Released
UserLand is pleased to
announce the release of Manila 9.5, now avaliable for
download. Manila 9.5 includes powerful new
features like versioning and access control as well as a large number of other improvements and bug fixes. For the technically inclined, see the complete
Change Notes. [
Seblogging News on June 6, 2005 at 10:46 p.m..
links for 2005-06-06
Blogs & Wikis: Technologies for Enterprise Applications? Incl. why wikis won't replace cms systems (tags: social_software enterprise) Introduction to Social Network Methods: Table of Contents (tags: social_networks Intro) McGovern Institute at MIT Explains How the Brain Finds Waldo: Neurons... From
Monkeymagic on June 6, 2005 at 8:46 p.m..
Open Source DUI
From the Tampa Tribune: Hundreds of cases involving breath-alcohol tests have been thrown out by Seminole County judges in the past five months because the test's manufacturer will not disclose how the machines work. All four of Seminole County's criminal judges have been using a standard that if a DUI defendant asks for a key piece of information about how the machine works - its software source code, for instance - and the state cannot provide it, the breath test is rejected, the Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday. Prosecutors have said they do not know how many drunken drivers ha From
Joho the Blog on June 6, 2005 at 6:48 p.m..
Sloganizer Fun!
Hmmm ... just came across the Sloganizer, a site which randomly selects slogans for keywords of your choice. Here's are some of my results with keywords "couros blog": Wow ... that's a bit egotistical even for me. I feel very... From
Couros Blog - Frequent Rants from an Ed. Tech'er on June 6, 2005 at 4:55 p.m..
WSJ.com: The day the email died (Clay Shirky)
WSJ.com has a brief summary of what happened to the workplace during an email outage: So how’d we fare this time around? Well, we’re glad to report that the removal of cold, impersonal email from our workplace reminded us of... From
Corante: Social Software on June 6, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Wikipedia Saves the World (?)
Not as far fetched as it seems...
Stephen O'Grady posts that to control the effects of Avian flu H5N1, it seems one scientist is counting on the
Wikipedia entry about the illness: Citing the impact that Wikipedia had post-Tsunami, Dr. Lucas Gonzalez of the Canary Islands in Spain is attempting to use the publically authored and edited site to help prevent, slow and survive an outbreak. I find this fascinating not simply because it's an illust From
weblogged News on June 6, 2005 at 4:47 p.m..
Two wolves (Wisdom)
Two Wolves One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy,sorrow, regret,... From
Teaching and Developing Online. on June 6, 2005 at 3:57 p.m..
Violence without amnesty
There's an unsettling post by Black Looks on Amnesty International's Nigeria: Unheard Voices on violence against women in Nigeria. She writes: "The kind of violence taking place in Nigeria is hardly different from elsewhere but what is different and important is how Nigerian women are dealing with the violence." Apparently there are a number of programs that provide free access to legal help. She concludes: "Nevertheless, none of these projects or initiatives can be of much use unless victims of violence can access the services and there is a high profile awareness..." [Technorati ta From
Joho the Blog on June 6, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..
Chanuka in Swahili
The Chanuka blog by Pampauka in Kenya explains that Chanuka in Swahili means " lighten up! get into action! Complain less and Act more." Oddly, in Hebrew it also means "lighten up," but in the literal sense :) [Technorati tag: chanukah]... From
Joho the Blog on June 6, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..
RocketBoom and Ring Tone: The Movie
Rocketboom's report today includes a substantial clip from the theatrical smash "Ring Tone," starring my daughter. (Well, it's theatrical in the "theater of your mind" sense.) And don't miss the tap dancing at the end of the RocketBoom report.... From
Joho the Blog on June 6, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..
I Like Jots Lots
So you can add me to the growing list of
Jots fans, a fact that is causing me a bit of angst since I really like
Furl so much as well. But as
Alan has said, Jots just has a cleaner feel, and it's the best of Furl and
del.icio.us in one. (I've never been a big del.icio.us fan, btw.) I like the
bloggy look you get with your bookmarks. I like the easy tagging form and From
weblogged News on June 6, 2005 at 3:48 p.m..
War on Pot is Biological Warfare
The high court today ruled that federal lawmakers have the authority to outlaw marijuana use by terminally ill patients, even if it's prescribed by a doctor for chronic pain, and even if the substance is never taken over state lines. Why marijuana should be given such special (and legally specious) treatment by the courts and our legislative system is a mystery to me. Well, actually, it's not. Remember: marijuana was originally made illegal because hemp fiber worked better than plastic, and this was bad for the chemical business. And now, in an effort to curb a consciousn From
rushkoff.blog on June 6, 2005 at 3:46 p.m..
LMS Survey Results
Results of an Learning Management System (LMS) survey hosted by Learning Circuits. Readers submitted responses to a poll. Most reported being satisfied with their LMS, with the centralization of learning management being the most common reason for having installed one. Reporting, compliance tracking and testing were found to be the most valuable features. By Various Authors, Learning Circuits, June 3, 2005 [
Refer][
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
More Nursery School Children Going Online
Well, this one is all over the wires so I may as well cove it here: 23 percent of nursury school children have been online. "Young students don't differentiate between the face-to-face world and the Internet world." They get email, they visit pre-school educational websites. "It helps them become more relaxed, more adventurous, and more willing to take risks as they learn." The articles - more
here - are based on a
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Effective Corporate IT Training: Bursting the E-learning Bubble
More of the negative coverage of e-learning that has been a bit of a trend recently. According to the author, the reason why "e-learning is virtually guaranteed to fail" is that "even the most dedicated workers will lack motivation when there is no structure." How sad, to think that all those years I've spent online learning about technology and e-learning have been a failure. By Roland Van Liew, IT World, June 3, 2005 [
Refer][
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Let Me Tell You a Shibboleth
Overview of Shibboleth, a system used to transfer identity information from one institution to another in a learning resources federation. The author notes that both Moodle and
Bodington (which was new to me), both open source learning management systems, support Shibboleth. He also adds, insightfully, that the same sort of login might work well for health records. By Derek Morrison, Auricle, June 3, 2005 [
Refer][
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Wittgenstein's Pictures
Interesting meander through the concept of the picture in Wittegnstein's thought. As I read this I thought about an
article I had read over the weekend, saying that things that are found infrequently - such as weapons in baggage or breast tumors in women - are harder to find if detected infrequently. We want, said Wittgenstein, to associate a concept with a picture, especially if it is a new concept. But it seems to me that it can't be a new picture either. We form a vocabulary of images in our minds, gener From
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Microsoft vs. Open Source: Who Will Win?
Good analysis that doesn't toe the party line (sadly rare these days). The authors argue that the market edge belongs to Microsoft largely because of its initial position; Linux is playing catch-up. But also, Microsoft can and will leverage piracy to its advantage (people who pirate Windows don't contribute to the bottom line, but they do contribute to the user base, increasing the valkue of Windows). It can also exercise price differentials to strategic advantage (we have already seen this) and to advance the campaign of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) in the corporate market, as From
OLDaily on June 6, 2005 at 3:45 p.m..
Monday, June 06, 2005
A few weeks ago, a friend of ours - let us call him "Monty" - who is ex-Army told us a fascinating tidbit. From
RHPT.com on June 6, 2005 at 1:58 p.m..
Not much to do in kids' online domain
There's not much for kids to do in the "online playground" set up by the U.S. government more than two years ago. They can go bowling with SpongeBob Squarepants at www.nick.kids.us, plunk a piano keyboard at www.music.kids.us, and learn about... From
Teaching and Developing Online. on June 6, 2005 at 1:55 p.m..
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming
Hi, remember me? ;-) Finally able to come up for air and hopefully start posting again. The last 6 weeks have been absolutely nutty for me - in addition to running and completing an RFP for a learning object repository system here in B.C., I also completed a project to review 6 new LORs through Edutools. On top of that were 8 presentations ranging from 'state of the CMS union' talks to 'practical tips on reusability and interoperability' (more on all of these in the coming days) with nary a bit of reuse in the presentations themselves! So without further adieu or From
EdTechPost on June 6, 2005 at 1:51 p.m..
LAMS integrations
While it's already been picked up in
various places, it seems useful to note some recent developments with the LAMS system as I am so far not aware of it getting any traction in Canada. In addition to the
recent announcement of some initial integration work between Moodle and LAMS (
EdTechPost on June 6, 2005 at 1:51 p.m..
How computers make our kids stupid.
The computer is frequently cited by educators as the great motivator. "It's not that you couldn't teach without it," says Brooke principal Barbara Hague, "but we need everything in our power to keep kids engaged." More significantly, however, PCs are... From
Teaching and Developing Online. on June 6, 2005 at 12:55 p.m..
The phrase of the day is "bon journee-vous"
Just got back from a conference from the surprisingly sunny, windless Quebec City. We stayed at the Chateau Frontenac and partook in the charming surroundings of Vieux-Quebec. Oh, and it's very hilly. You could see why the French and British fought to control the city; Fortress Quebec made defending the mouth of the St-Lawrence River (aka La Riviere St-Laurent) a cinch. At the Frontenac, we stayed on the Gold club floor. They have a lettermail chute running down alongside the elevator shafts, and ashcans with the Fairmont logo embossed in the sand. From
silentblue | Quantified on June 6, 2005 at 12:55 p.m..
Desperately seeking search
This article provides a detailed description of enterprise level search systems: It is apparent that search is no longer a single application. It is a spectrum of related technologies that work together to accomplish a wide range of information access tasks. The needs and tasks within one organization may differ between departments, and they certainly differ from one organization to the next. Search is tied to so many complex requirements that From
elearningpost on June 6, 2005 at 12:47 p.m..
The NY Times wants fewer links
A couple months ago, I chatted with someone who said the New York Times was considering going to a subscription model for nytimes.com, similar to the Wall Street Journal. I said that would be a foolish and short-sighted decision on the Times' part; to place their content behind a subscription wall would be to remove themselves from online conversations now and in the future. Adam L. Penenberg, in an article for wired.com on February 24, 2005 about the Wall Street Journal's for-pay approach,
megnut on June 6, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..
History and humility
Quote for the day:"A man who does not know what has been thought by those who have gone before him is sure to set an undue value upon his own ideas" - Source: Mark Pattison, MemoirsI don't really know how... From
Monkeymagic on June 6, 2005 at 8:53 a.m..
Strategy by Design
The entire
Masters of Design issue of FastCompany is now online. This article,
Strategy by Design, by the head of IDEO is a real gem. His five point plan for design thinking can be applied to any kind of work. Here they are: Hit the streets Recruit T-shaped people Build to think The prototype tells the story Design is never done From
elearningpost on June 6, 2005 at 8:47 a.m..
In this edition of WWWTools for Education, we consider parents' attitudes to educational technology, and the range of Web-based tools, services and resources available to them. From
wwwtools on June 6, 2005 at 7:49 a.m..
Web Essentials July CSS Workshops Series (Australia)
Passing on details about an upcoming workshop series on XHTML and CSS titled Web Essentials. To quote: Practical knowledge of the techniques of standards based web design using XHTML and CSS, together with an understanding and appreciation of accessibility and... From
Column Two on June 6, 2005 at 6:47 a.m..
Skype Takes VOIP Upscale
The Swedish company, whose software makes voice over internet protocol possible, launches two premium VOIP services. Good idea -- downloads of the freebie version are topping 100 million. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Mars Rover Escapes Sand Trap
The wheels of Opportunity roll away from a foot-high sand dune and NASA scientists send up a cheer for success. They've spent more than a month manuevering to free the robotic explorer. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Virus Vaccines Show Promise
Canadian and U.S. researchers say they can protect monkeys from the Marburg and Ebola viruses with new vaccines, but it may be five years before the treatments are safe for humans. The diseases are nearly always fatal. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Stem Cell Rift in Golden State
A battle brews for control of $3 billion stem cell research money California voters approved last year. A state Senate vote could derail California's effort to become a world leader in the field. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Apple Switching to Intel Chips?
The story is that Apple is ending its decade-long relationship with IBM and will begin using Intel chips. Steve Jobs is expected to announce the shift Monday at the company's software developers' conference. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
State Raises Stakes in Web Game
Legalize internet poker, entice the $2 billion-dollar online-poker industry to move to North Dakota and generate millions in new taxes. That's the proposal on the table by state lawmakers. By Jeff Howe from Wired magazine. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Laptops for Kids With No Power
MIT's ambitious plan to supply cheap laptops to developing countries is well-intentioned, experts say, but basic challenges like lack of electricity and technical support will have to be ironed out. By Stephen Leahy. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
A Tale of Two Hackers
Our reporter braves sweet, fizzy alcoholic drinks and leeches to get up close and personal with Kevin Mitnick and one of his lesser known accomplices in crime. Patick Gray reports from Sydey, Australia. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Radio Industry Hits Shuffle
IPod-style stations are entering markets and replacing DJs from coast to coast. A flailing industry hopes the format can turn the tide against mounting competition. By Randy Dotinga. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Music Muffled in Star Wars Game
The online Star Wars Galaxies game lets people play Jedis, rebels and Cantina musicians. But even though the fantasy world has few rules, playing original music is strictly verboten. By Katie Dean. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Hollywood Orders: Apple Wed Intel
Apple's marriage to Intel is a shotgun wedding and Tinseltown is behind it. News analysis (actually, pure guesswork) by Leander Kahney. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
New Tech Protects Ancient Torahs
Thieves can get thousands of dollars for stolen holy scrolls on the black market, but two competing systems aim to keep the scriptures safe. By Kevin Poulsen. From
Wired News on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Mars Rover Back in Action
Opportunity, the Mars Rover that made an interplanetary hole in one finally broke free of an interplanetary sand trap. Following the downlink of this Rear Hazard Camera indicating success, the MER Science Operations mailing list was full of excitement and praise this morning as the heroic efforts of JPL engineers were recognized. There is also a lively discussion in #space on irc.freenode.org. More details can be found at Professor Steve Squyres's Mission Update Blog. Congratulations, NASA! From
kuro5hin.org on June 6, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Los desafÃos de la televisión pública en Europa
Mi Facultad ha convocado para los dÃas 10 y 11 de noviembre el XX Congreso Internacional de Comunicación dedicado a Los desafÃos de la televisión pública en Europa. Hasta el 27 de junio se reciben propuestas de comunicaciones para los... From
eCuaderno v.2.0 on June 6, 2005 at 4:47 a.m..
Welcome to Tudor Goode
It's always great to bring fresh blood into the business, so I'm excited to announce today the addition of a new senior consultant: Tudor Goode. Tudor has 10 years of experience in the industry, with in-depth knowledge of information architecture,... From
Column Two on June 5, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..