Edu_Rss

Snuffy
My first week working the night shift at the Lazy-U Motel has been a good experience. I am basically paid to sit on my ass all night and either read Barely Legal or watch infomercials on the TV in the lobby through the bullet-proof, Plexi-glass cage. If it gets too boring, I can take a nap since I never even see my boss, Sergei. Even if he did catch me sleeping, I doubt that Rusky wigger would even give a shit. The time I get to spend not doing anything more than offsets the fact that I get paid jack shit. What do they say...in the end one's greatest commodity is time? I agree. From kuro5hin.org on August 15, 2005 at 9:45 p.m..

Jay Rosen's new lessons
Jay Rosen, writing with his usual brilliance about a panel on "Things I used to teach that I no longer believe," says: I used to teach that the ethics of journalism, American-style, could be found in the codes, practices and rule-governed behavior that our press lived by. Now I think you have to start further back, with beliefs way more fundamental than: "avoid conflicts of interest in reporting the news." If you teach journalism ethics too near the surface of the practice, you end up with superficial journalists. The ethics of journalism begin with propositions like: the world is basically... From Joho the Blog on August 15, 2005 at 8:47 p.m..

The Appeal Manifesto
The KDE project has issued a short list of things the're aiming for in a future release of Linux desktop. Interestingly the first item on their list is &ampraquo;breathtaking beauty&amplaquo;: Breathtaking Beautyputting an emphasis on the form and style of software in addition to the function of itcreating visually impactful interfaces that support usability To me it seems the KDE project is not only trying to improve the look & feel of KDE - they want to include design in their st From owrede_log on August 15, 2005 at 8:45 p.m..

Informal Learning in the workplace
Es ist schon spät, das gestrige Radfahren bei strömendem Regen steckt mir noch in den Knochen, so dass ich heute etwas ziellos umherspringe. Gelandet bin ich bei diesem Eintrag, der einige Eindrücke eines Meetings in Palma de Mallorca zusammenfasst.... From www.weiterbildungsblog.de on August 15, 2005 at 5:51 p.m..

Putting A/B testing in its place
Jakob Nielsen has written an article on A/B testing, when it's appropriate and what its limitations are. To quote: Measuring the live impact of design changes on key business metrics is valuable, but often creates a focus on short-term improvements.... From Column Two on August 15, 2005 at 5:47 p.m..

Academic Commons
While I was flying home from Snowmass on Friday this site was launching. "Academic Commons offers a forum for investigating and defining the role that technology can play in liberal arts education... Academic Commons aims to share knowledge, develop collaborations, and evaluate and disseminate digital tools and innovative practices for teaching and learning with technology." More coverage at KairosNews, CogDogBlog and OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

DTV Free Internet TV
It's only available for Apple computers now, but a Windows download is expected shortly. DTV is essentially a video podcasting system, and like podcasting, will allow anyone to launch their own television channel. I would like to say that they such amateur productions would be no competition for professional broadcasters, but then I notice that on tonight's television the choices are and Fear Factor and I realize that broadcast television is in deep trouble. From OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Four Reasons Why the Blogsphere Might Make a Better Professional Collaborative Environment than Discussion Forums
This proposal outlines how teachers could use blogging as a conversation and collaboration tool. I think it's a bit complex (for now). But read it and judge for yourself. By Dave Warlick, 2 Cents Worth, August 15, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] From OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Eduforge Blogs
As Josie Fraser summarizes, "Eduforge has recently undergone a transformation, with the help of the eXe Editor Project. It's now full of read/write web goodness - including fully featured blogs, Planet Eduforge - a feed aggregator, wikis, and a new teaching tools showcase." I spent some time looking at eXe Editor, which looks like it will have a wide range of uses. By Josie Fraser, EdTechUK, August 14, 2005 [OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Teaching with Games
Mostly a short item with links to resources, but I couldn't resist citing the opening bit: "Parent: How can I get my child to stop playing video games? Me: That's simple. Make "video games" a required subject in school. Give the kids homework, make them write essays and sit exams on video games. They'll stop in an instant!" By Mark Federman, What is the (Next) Message?, August 13, 2005 [Refer][OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Under Pressure
Happily, I can ignore the critics. ;) Still, "Pressure groups are gaining power over the media in this age of distrust. The Internet, in particular, is helping them orchestrate intricate campaigns that make them much harder to ignore. Like HRC, these groups often reflect only one side of a complex issue." What you should note (because the article is a bit misleading) is that organizations with a lot of money or backing - such as the Canadian Recording Industry Association or the Fraser Institute (both named in the article) - can buy much more media clout. Or - in an age of privatized learning From OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Publishers Loosen Rules on E-textbooks
I guess the criticisms stung, as publishers have eased printing restrictions and extended the expiry date on the e-textbooks being sold at Princeton and elsewhere. Too little, too late. Students should be under no illusion that, should the ebooks become popular, the restrictions won't return. By John Borland, CNet News.com, August 15, 2005 [Refer][Research][OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

Snowmass, Colorado
Well, we're into the dog days of August and as I drag myself to the mostly empty office and motivate myself to sort of work the mist outside melts into steam and a persistent ennui settles over the city. Over the weekend I put my Snowmass photos online, which I hope you'll enjoy. I, meanwhile, am going to find a comfortable chair in a shady spot and relax for a while with a tall tale and a cool drink. By Stephen Downes, Stephen's Web, August 15, 2005 [Refer][OLDaily on August 15, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..

BlogHer aftermath
I haven't been blogging for a while In the middle of BlogHer something happened to the computer at home that runs Radio and the one who could fix it has left the house to see me in Seattle. After "BlogHer" I desperately wanted to blog, but somehow I never able to write knowing that it wouldn't be posted anywhere soon, so youll have to read the stories of others (or, start with a summary by Julie Leung). Strong feelings: ...Talking with a couple of blogg From Mathemagenic on August 15, 2005 at 4:51 p.m..

The Deadly Duo: Spam and Viruses, July 2005
The summer vacation season is an opportune time for phishing; while many are taking summer vacations, viruses aren't. From ClickZ Stats on August 15, 2005 at 4:45 p.m..

Andrew Rasiej call and blog
Andrew Rasiej, who is running for NYC Public Advocate, is blogging at the Talking Points Memo Cafe. His first post is about using the Net in civic life and why the Dems are trailing the Reps in this. Also, this Wednesday there's a conference call for political bloggers, with Andrew and some surprise guests on the line. If you're interested, send an email to inforaisej.com [Tag: AndrewRasiej]... From Joho the Blog on August 15, 2005 at 2:48 p.m..

Join Cindy's vigil
MoveOn.org is sponsoring nationwide vigils on Wednesday night in support of Cindy Sheehan's vigil outside of Crawford, Texas. I'll be at the one at Washington Square in Brookline. Want to know why? I'm not sure I can tell you. I don't have a simple solution to the war we were lied into, and I have no sympathy for the dictator we deposed. But I'm heartsick about an administration so abstracted from reality that our president can't cut short his two-hour bicycle ride or his fund raising to speak with a gold star mom. And I am scared shitless by a... From Joho the Blog on August 15, 2005 at 1:46 p.m..

Participatory Culture Foundation Launches DTV
Check it out - the Downhill Battle folks have launched a beta of their DTV software, an open source platform for  acquiring and viewing video online.  It's Mac-only right now, so I haven't had a chance to try it out, but it looks terrific.  You can also use their Broadcast Machine to publish "channels" of your own content or video from around the Web. From A Copyfighter's Musings on August 15, 2005 at 1:45 p.m..

Bully Pulpit Exchange
On August 2, Deborah Elizabeth Finn wrote: ...today I had the notion that a blog is a kind of bully pulpit, and that it would be fun and possibly even edifying for nonprofit bloggers engage in a bully pulpit exchange. In other words, we should get a group of folks who work for or with mission-based organizations, throw their names in a hat, and randomly assign each one to be a guest blogger for a day on somebody else's nonprofit blog. If you'd like to participate in the Nonprofit Blog Exchange on a date to be announced, you should send... From Joho the Blog on August 15, 2005 at 10:46 a.m..

Real Student Journalism
Bud's thinking about getting his kids involved with YourHub this fall, the community news portal for Denver's Rocky Mountain News. It's a great idea, and it of course makes me yearn for the classroom once again. There's just so much I could be doing with my journalism kids: blogs, rss, social research, wikis, Skype interviews, podcasts, photo stories at Flickr, all published to From weblogged News on August 15, 2005 at 10:45 a.m..

HIV Treatment Raises Cure Hopes
A strategy to awaken dormant HIV gives a glimmer of hope for patients to get off the lifelong regimen of meds and consider themselves cured. Some experts warn it's doubtful the treatment will be that effective. From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

Pill Monitors Athletes' Body Heat
A few NFL teams are trying out a capsule that measures core body temperature. Trainers hope the protective device will prevent death from heat exhaustion, symptoms of which are sometimes masked until it's too late. From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

Data Dumped in Secure Flight Test
Information about airline travelers collected to test a new passenger-screening system is being destroyed by the feds, leaving some privacy advocates wondering why. By Kim Zetter. From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

TV Tries Shaky Hand at Podcasting
The networks are jumping into your iPod with mixed results. News shows and episode commentaries are big, but forget about an audio version of 24 for now. By Randy Dotinga. From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

Nanotubes May Heal Broken Bones
Carbon nanotubes could buttress brittle or broken human bones. New research brings the buckytubes one step closer to the clinic. By Aaron Dalton. From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

Feds Push Flier Background Checks
Homeland Security officials quietly lobby Congress to ease oversight of the planned Secure Flight passenger-screening program and allow private databases to help probe travelers' lives. By Ryan Singel. PLUS: Data Dumped in Secure Flight Test From Wired News on August 15, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..

The "Zero Tolerance" Approach to Fighting in Schools
Many school districts have recently implemented "Zero Tolerance" fighting policies. What this means varies from locality to locality, but it generally involves severe punishments for anyone involved in fighting, without regard to any details of the case. In practice this means that those who attack others and those who defend themselves are punished equally. Recently a student has sued his school district because of severe injuries sustained in a fight where he did not fight back out of respect for the policy. These cases pose several interesting questions about the way schools are From kuro5hin.org on August 15, 2005 at 12:45 a.m..

Bring some 'bling' to your Web site - Elinor Mills, CNET News
Want your Web site to rank higher? Make sure search engines can link to all your pages, use specific keywords when tagging content, promote popular products prominently and use software to track visitor traffic. In a silly take on a somewhat serious topic From Techno-News Blog on August 14, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Saving the World With Cell Phones - Rachel Metz, Wired
As cell phones evolve to include souped-up games, streaming video and MP3 players, some University of California at Berkeley professors and graduate students want to slip a pollution detector into the mix. They are working to develop cheap wireless senso From Techno-News Blog on August 14, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..

Yahoo Bets Big on China - Susan Kuchinskas, Internet News
Yahoo on Thursday said it will pay $1 billion cash for a 40 percent stake in the Chinese Internet company Alibaba. "Yahoo's investment underscores our long-term commitment to the Chinese market," Terry Semel, Yahoo's Chairman and CEO, said in a statement From Techno-News Blog on August 14, 2005 at 11:45 p.m..