Edu_RSS
Web of Ideas: Wednesday at 6:30 with David Isenberg
We're set: The first in this year's Web of Ideas discussion series at the Berkman Center will be this Wednesday, 6:30-7:45. David Isenberg will be our guest. We'll be talking about how to preserve and extend our Freedom to Connect. It's open to anyone and, yes, there will be pizza. [Map]... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 9:48 p.m..
Peter Morville's findability blog
Peter Morville has started a blog about findability, the topic of his informative and highly readable book, Ambient Findability. [Tags: taxonomy EverythingIsMiscellaneous PeterMorville]... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 8:47 p.m..
Oxfam's first project in America
Oxfam, the venerable relief agency and a personal favorite, has started its first effort on American soil. [Tags: HurricaneKatrina oxfam]... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 8:47 p.m..
Digital Community of Authors ,
It's not really blogging, though the idea is similar, "a free virtual writer's workshop that allows young authors to publish original writing and illustrations right online." In other words, sort of like blogging with guidance and structure. None of the writing is posted yet - this is a brand new service. And the guidence provided on the one hand feels a little thin, and on the other hand feels a little constricting. But the core of the project has merit, I think, and will evolve through use into something more substantial. [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Don't Dumb Me Down , The Guardian
The author characterizes three types of bad science writing in traditional media: wacky stories, scare stories and breakthrough stories. He should have added a fourth, in my view: commercial messages disguised as science stories. According to this article, the proliferation of bad scientific writing is a result of the resistance from descendents of the Romantic movement, people who feel "everything in science is tenuous, contradictory and, most ridiculously, 'hard to understand'." And it is these same people who are responsible for writing, editing and approving copy; "You can be sur From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Saving Secondhand Bookstores , Chronicle of Higher Education
Another article from the Chronicle pining for archaic technology, this time in the form of the used bookstore, and ending with the absurd proposal that "an endowment could be created to provide vouchers -- $500 a semester, maybe -- for graduate students, and possibly undergraduates, to purchase secondhand books." Yeah, or they could buy a computer and tap into the From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Web Site Link Checker , EDUCAUSE Blogs
This isn't really a news item, I'm just saving the link because I'll need it later to help someone out. The program checks links on a web site. I may need to adapt it to work with databases. [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Five Points of Connectivity , EDUCAUSE Review
"By connectivity," write the authors, "we mean the students' and instructors' ability to engage with the course materials in novel ways using technology to enhance the learning process." Which is as odd a definition of 'connectivity' as I have ever seen. The five points are "components of connectivity (that) are necessary for successfully implementing technology in a classroom and for promoting a stimulating learning environment," and more specifically, are: communication, collaboration, motivation, integration, and creativity. Good article, except for the utter misuse of t From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Class Project: Free Wiki Textbook , Kairosnews
I applaud what the author calls "a rather risky experiment" (I don't see it as risky at all), "a semester-long class project whose goal is to create a free wikitext for use as a first-year composition textbook." I see no reason why more classes couldn't create their own textbooks in this way, and moreover, why classes in different institutions couldn't collaborate in so doing. And best of all, it doesn't need to be extensively organized or managed - just start working on the wiki, make it known to other classes in the same discipline, and see what emerges. [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Seymour Papert Articles & Video , SEGA Tech
Links and summary to some of the best of Seymour Papert. I first encountered Papert via his work (with Marvin Minsky) on artificial intelligence. But, of course, he has followed this up with some "radical" ideas in education (I don't see them as that radical, personally). "He's worked under Piaget, helped establish the Maine laptop initiative, and is a distinguished professor at MIT." [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 7:45 p.m..
Out-spend or out-teach
Man kann diesen Artikel als zeitgemäßen Versuch lesen, Marketing und Bildung zu verbinden ("marketing-through-teaching"). "And teaching is the "killer app" for a newer, more ethical approach to marketing." (Etwas nüchterner ist ja auch hierzulande immer häufiger die Rede von "e-Learning... From
www.weiterbildungsblog.de on September 13, 2005 at 6:50 p.m..
TechEd International Conference & Exposition 2006
I’ve never been to this conference, but their promotional material always seems a little over-enthusiastic to my eye. I’ve toned their ad down a bit and offer some of the information here in case you’re interested. TechEd International Conference & Exposition 2006 Submission Deadline is October 10, 2005 Submit proposals at http://www.techedevents.org/2006/callforpresentations/index.asp SESSION TOPICS eLearning Funding Strategies Learning [...] From
Rick's Café Canadien on September 13, 2005 at 3:53 p.m..
Back home
So my US summer comes to an end. It was a great learning experience - professionally, culturally, personally... It still sinks in - too early to transfer into words - but it definitely changed and clarified many things. Living abroad is a transforming experience. Funny enough living in the Netherlands doesn't feel like "abroad" anymore - it became home - not as much as Moscow, but half way there... I have changed - in invisible and subtle way, becoming richer with insights and relations - so many things to treasure... And I have
Mathemagenic on September 13, 2005 at 2:48 p.m..
Blogging as a coffee table dialogue
Ages ago I wrote a post
explaining why I blog that between other things said:I also blog to keep a feeling of "coffee-table dialog" with my far-away colleagues: "You know, I've just read this article and was triggered with these ideas. What do you think?" That time I didn't know that it works with near-by colleagues as well :) When my colleagues
started Mathemagenic on September 13, 2005 at 2:48 p.m..
Are Podcasts the death of potato chips?
The Berkman Center has a new rule for lunchtime sessions that are being podcast: No potato chips will be served. Apparently, last year the sounds of bags opening and chips crunching drowned out the conversation. What's next? No slurpy soda drinking? No rustling from corduroy-shod thighs?... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 2:45 p.m..
Night Draws Near
Gary Kamiya has as a long review in Salon of what seems to be a remarkable book: Anthony Shadid's "Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War." Shadid is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the Washington Post, an Arab-American fluent in Arabic, who reports on how the war looks to a broader swath of Iraqis than we usually hear from. According to Kamiya, Shadid's book is an attempt to understand the war from Iraqi perspectives, not a political tract, although of course it has political implications. It sounds like an amazing book, and the review is... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 10:48 a.m..
Dr. Eslambolchi at Harvard (small time change)
Dr. Hossein Eslambolchi, AT&T's CTO and holder of 700 patents, is coming to Harvard to give a talk this Wednesday, at 11-12, in the Maxwell Dworkin Building (map), Lessin Auditorium (G115). At 2:15 (not 2:30 as I'd previously posted), he's going to come to the Berkman Center (map) for an informal discussion. I'm moderating it and I plan on asking him about his critique of the End to End architecture of the Internet. Both events are open to the public. See you there!... From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 9:48 a.m..
Live blogging the Roberts hearings, and USAID funding a Gaza blog
Matt Margolis and Tom Goldstein are live-blogging the Roberts Senate hearings. Mark Tapscott talks about why this matters. (Found via Memeorandum.) [Tags: politics JohnRoberts blogs] The US Agency for International Development is funding a blog about the Gaza disengagement. USAID is an "independent federal government agency" that "supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives," according to its About page. The blog aims at providing "minute by minute information on Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip." (Thanks to Hanan Cohen for the li From
Joho the Blog on September 13, 2005 at 9:48 a.m..
Googling Vint Cerf - Sean Michael Kerner, Internet News
Searching for Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the Internet, became a little bit easier today. You just have to go to Google. The head office, that is. Google announced today that it hired Cerf as Chief Internet Evangelist. Cerf is widely recogn From
Techno-News Blog on September 13, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..
Firefox: For better or worse - CNET Blog
Mozilla kicked off the weekend with a bang on Friday, announcing Deer Park, the first beta release of the next version of its Firefox Web browser. The updated browser is expected to feature faster navigation, better usability, updated security features an From
Techno-News Blog on September 13, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..
Vloggers get political in Norway - Clark Boyd, BBC
A video-blogger from Bergen in Norway is turning his camcorder on politicians, ahead of Norwegian parliamentary elections on Monday. Twenty-seven-year-old Raymond Kristiansen weaves quickly in and out of the crowds of locals and tourists on the streets o From
Techno-News Blog on September 13, 2005 at 8:45 a.m..
Open source for education in Europe
Open Source Software (OSS) is of increasing interest in education. It can provide better quality software, increased pedagogic choice, enhanced flexibility and new business and social models. Furthermore, the idea of Open Source is being extended into other areas including the production of e-learning materials. This conference is organised by two European sponsored projects, SIGOSSEE and JOIN, which have been investigating the potential of Open Source and providing services for educational institutions wishing to implement Open Source products, together with the Open Un From
Seblogging News on September 13, 2005 at 6:49 a.m..
Offline break over
I spent some time in Thailand where I happily remained unconnected for a good while. Some photos can be seen as a flickr
slideshow. More to come but I have exceeded my upload limit for this month.The trip home was a bit rough. I got into Frankfurt in the early morning, took a train down to my place, only to fly out again in the middle of the n From
Seblogging News on September 13, 2005 at 6:49 a.m..
Offline break over
I spent some time in Thailand where I happily remained unconnected for a good while. Some photos can be seen as a flickr
slideshow. More to come but I have exceeded my upload limit for this month.The trip home was a bit rough. I got into Frankfurt in the early morning, took a train down to my place, only to fly out again in the middle of the n From
Seblogging News on September 13, 2005 at 6:49 a.m..
So, You Wanna Fund a Startup?
Tired of waiting for the next blockbuster IPO? Hoping to get in on the next Google before the herd? Pre-tycoons with a strong stomach for risk have a few options for investing in promising startups. By Joanna Glasner. From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Butterfly Wings on Every Eyelid
If you've ever wished you could festoon your eyelids with butterfly wings instead of the same old boring blue eyeshadow, L'Oreal may soon make your dreams come true. By Rachel Metz. From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
In France, Push Comes to SUV
As SUV sales skyrocket along with fuel prices, environmental activists are taking to the streets to deflate tires on gas guzzlers. Bruce Gain reports from Paris. From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Game Boy Micro Goes Big on Style
Nintendo's svelte new portable loses a few features along with the weight, but will the redesign make Game Boy as cool as the iPod? Chris Kohler gets hands-on. From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Sierra Club Gets Behind the Wheel
The environmental group, one of the auto industry's most persistent critics, throws its weight behind Ford's new hybrid SUV and hosts the debut of a new hybrid from Honda. John Gartner reports from San Francisco. From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Stars Rise at Startup Summer Camp
An innovative corporate incubator keeps student hackers stocked with ramen and Coke over the summer in exchange for a stake in their fledgling ventures. By Ryan Singel. PLUS: So, You Wanna Fund a Startup? From
Wired News on September 13, 2005 at 6:45 a.m..
Cottage industry
Alan Levine's recent post on
CNN vs. Education compares the technology skills and resources of the two realms and concludes, rightly so, that much of what we're doing here in the edu-blogosphere is or resembles a cottage industry: [Unlike CNN, in Education the] development cycle is measured in months, perhaps as summer projects or long term grants, and is pretty much... From
Weblogs in Higher Education on September 13, 2005 at 1:52 a.m..
What Does It Mean to Educate the Whole Child? , ASCD
"In a democratic society," writes the author, "schools must go beyond teaching fundamental skills." For example, how much schooling is focused on happiness? Schools should address such topics as public participation, moral and social issues, and the sense of community and trust. Interesting take. [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
colLib
This is pretty neat. "colLib harvests metadata-records from OAI-PMH-compliant repositories and enables manual 'tagging' of these records to cluster them by subject or other meaningful categories. Tags are represented by pages in a wiki, that can be annotated with links to related tags, external links and any other text deemed relevant." [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
Information-Rich Classroom , 2 cents Worth
Why do people think that schools should fully equip students? Why, for example, do they think schools should provide computers, email, blog hosts, and the rest? It's not that I don't think students should have access to these things, but rather, that, that I think such things should be permanent and personal. Here, Dave Warlick describes the 'information-rich classroom' - and includes in his list a number of things that should belong to students, not the school. In the comments, I offer my own alternative to the list. [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
E-learning Networks , EdNA
As the website says, "Twenty e-learning networks have been funded under the Networks Project and are now up and running! The e-learning focus of these networks varies across client groups, areas of discipline, type of registered training organisations (RTOs) and a range of technologies." I haven't actually joined any of these networks, so I can't vouch for them. But it is worth noting that they exist. The networks use EdNA groups and include Chats, Forums, Resources, and Scorms - yes, Scorms, that is, learning objects (first time I've seen it used as a noun like this - I tried t From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
Gizmos do not a Hemingway or a Copernicus make , Associated Press
So much good stuff out there, and yet readers of the traditional press have to make do with sloppy work like this article, one in which parents are (laughably) advised to "limit a child's Web surfing to three or four sites a day to keep their focus on studying." The main thrust of the article is that there is too much information on the web, and so it - and other 'technology gizmos' - ends up being a distraction. Oh, sure, there's a point there; after all, I too have been pulled away from my work by a silly web game or too fascinating a site on Greek theology. And many of t From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
Call for Free Access to Research , BBC News
More on what is becoming a pervasive trend, the call for free access to publicly funded research. "The eight UK research councils, which control most of the public funding, have proposed making free access a condition of getting grants." [ From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..
Digital Opportunities Falls Short of Ideal ,
In the news today, it turns out that driving a car will do nothing to improve your equestrian skills. And in similar news, "none of the (e-learning) projects made a significant impact in encouraging students to pursue studies in maths or science, or on students staying in school." This project especially, which appears to have consisted of teachers being "dumped on" with Generation XP Microsoft educational products and told to "make do". I don't know why anyone would think that digitizing a bunch of content would magically make students want to learn math or stay in school. Or even that i From
OLDaily on September 13, 2005 at 1:45 a.m..