Edu_RSS
A course in your pocket
"There's no doubt about it, this is not the ideal way to take a course. But, clearly, if you're in the bowels of a submarine, it's a pretty good alternative" Central Texas College is piloting a program that will allow a small number of students to take an entire college course on a personal digital assistant From
ScotFEICT on November 8, 2005 at 9:46 p.m..
Inukshuk , Inukshuk
For Canadian readers looking for funding: "Inukshuk invites you to submit an Expression of Interest for funding of: either an innovative and creative Content Development Project to develop multimedia and feature-rich learning content, applications or learning environments, or a Connectivity Project which results in the provision of wireless broadband internet access to unserved or underserved communities." Most deadlines for expressions of interest, but some (New Brunswick, PEI) are December 7. Inukshuk is sponsored by Rogers Communications, possibly with input from Industry Canada. [ From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
State Will Zip High School Transcripts , IndyStar
I think we'll see more of this (and, indeed, am surprised it hasn't become mainstream already): schools sending records electronically to colleges and universities. "It's been the Holy Grail of admissions, to be able to transmit transcript data electronically," Nassirian said. "If Indiana pulls it off, it will be a significant. That would be marvelous and it would be a good omen for the rest of the country." [ From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Social Bookmarking in Higher Education , Ruminate
Social bookmarking - the use of systems where groups of people share their bookmarks, and which sometimes involve 'tagging', or unstructured classification - can be used to support learning. As evidence of this, Tony Hirst offers a set of reflections on how social bookmarking can be used, some considerations about managed social bookmarking, and how to encourage students to engage in social bookmarking. Good stuff. Meanwhile, we'll add Tony Hirst's blog, From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Social Bookmarking in Higher Education , Ruminate
Social bookmarking - the use of systems where groups of people share their bookmarks, and which sometimes involve 'tagging', or unstructured classification - can be used to support learning. As evidence of this, Tony Hirst offers a set of reflections on how social bookmarking can be used, some considerations about managed social bookmarking, and how to encourage students to engage in social bookmarking. Good stuff. Meanwhile, we'll add Tony Hirst's blog, From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Why Higher Education Leaders Must Influence Google Print , Higher Education Insight
I think this post serves as a useful caution. While we are quick to cheer programs like Google Print because it opens access to content, the author warns that Google's program is about commercialism, not content. "Google is all about capturing and monetizing the eyeballs of consumers, not getting better content to students." As an example of this, notes the author, take not at the "barrage" of advertising that accompanies any Google service. So higher education leaders should encourage Google to offer "greater access to learning materials in a non-commercial format." Or, they should aband From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Wiki Pedagogy
You've probably read about the use of the wiki in learning, but might not have been certain how to go about it. Author Renée Fountain looks at the use of the wiki in pedagogy in some detail in this e-book, covering pedagogical potential, production, templates, evaluation and examples. A number of From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Open Source Content Management System List
In case you needed a handy list of open source content management systems (hey, you never know when it will come up). Has links to other lists of such systems as well. [ From
OLDaily on November 8, 2005 at 5:45 p.m..
Lernen lernen!
In der Regel mache ich einen Bogen um Appelle dieser Art. Aber dieses Mal steht McKinsey mit seinem 4-Punkte-Reformprogramm dahinter: stärkere Förderung frühkindlicher Bildung; konsequente Qualitätsmessung des Bildungssystems; aber auch mehr Freiräume für Bildungsinstitutionen; und Bildung als Investition: "Bildungsausgaben... From
www.weiterbildungsblog.de on November 8, 2005 at 4:52 p.m..
The 21st-century organization
McKinsey zum Zweiten: Wenn Knowledge Worker in vielen Branchen bereits mehr als 25% der Mitarbeiterschaft ausmachen und wenn man akzeptiert, dass sie die Träger von Innovationen in Form neuer Geschäftsmodelle, Produkte und Prozesse sind, wie müssen dann die organisatorischen Strukturen... From
www.weiterbildungsblog.de on November 8, 2005 at 4:52 p.m..
Saba buys Centra
Saba agrees to buy Centra. This was
announced Thursday while my Weblog was off-line. The combined company evidently will go by the name of Saba, but don't be surprised if the name changes. Early indications seem to be that both product lines will continue, but again, don't be surprised if that changes. From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Looking for podcasts?
Looking for podcasts? Yahoo! has launched podcasts.yahoo.com, a search engine for podcasts. Should make it easier to find topics of interest. You can search for podcast series and for individual podcasts. A search on "entrepreneur" returned 16 series and 169 "episodes" (individual podcasts with "entrepreneur" in the title) A search on "e-Learning" returned 3 series and 15 episodes (if educational podcasting is so hot, why aren't there more?) A search on "network marketing" returned 6 series and 137 episodes You can listen to, downlo From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Results-Oriented UI
Results-Oriented UI: WYGIWYS. Wiggy-wiz? Wot U Get Iz Wot U C? Can that be right? If the new Office 12 UI becomes the standard, users will specify the outcome they want, and watch it morph as they select different views or different outcomes. Watch for serious changes in the way we build on-line learning as the dominant user interface metaphors change, on top of our changes in the way we understand learning. Useit.Com:
R.I.P. WYSIWYG. For the last twenty-five years, one user interface style has reigned supreme: From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Dept. of Not News: eLearning Works (for some things)
eLearning works for some topics, but not all. Gotta love the way researchers make things so clear and compelling: “The analysis resulted in an overall weighted effect size not significantly different from zero….” The bottom line being, "distance education is as effective as classroom instruction." Well, at least it's a study that you can cite when the C-Level demands proof that the investment in eLearning will pay off.
Study: E-Learning Implications From Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Untitled
Hosted Learning. I'm too much of an idealist. I would love to see learning begin with connections, not content...and for LMS' to be banished only for the most basic forms of knowledge transfer (compliance training, for example)...and for designers to create a dynamic environment (not course!) in which learning would occur. However, reality sets in. Most often, life doesn't permit ideals. Instead, we need to balance technology, resources, needs, work conditions, etc. So in that spirit, here's a short arti From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Big noise about WebCT - Blackboard merge
Big noise about WebCt - Blackboard merge It's hard for me to get all that excited about this acquisition. I almost titled this "Big noise about nothing" except of course if you are an educator using WebCT, it's not "nothing." However, these two companies between them had a grand total of, what, five or six thousand customers? If you are a corporate e-Learning practitioner, neither Blackboard nor WebCT was ever a concern for you. In the long run, open source is going to split this space with the "roll your own" approach to learning management systems. In the m
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
What is a portfolio?
e-Portfolios explained (and Drupal demo'd). You hear a lot about e-Portfolios as a way to manage online learning, but seldom does anyone explain what e-Portfolios are and how to use them. George Siemens points to a good overview, which is also a good example of how you can use Drupal.
Integrative Portfolios.
Integrative Portfolios: "...a 10,000 foot overview of electronic portfolio practice at the beginning and a bit about the conceptual design From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Articles wanted: Moodle, Drupal
Do you have experience with Moodle or with Drupal? Can you write? I am looking for a couple of articles: Moodle, Drupal. These are for publication in early 2006. As you may know, my "day job" is editing Learning Solutions e-Magazine, the weekly online publication of The eLearning Guild. Circulation of Learning Solutions is to members of the Guild only, but we estimate that each issue gets "passed around" to as many as 10,000 professionals and decision-makers in the e-Learning field. In the past, we have published several articles on LMS and CMS, all of them commercial From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Untitled
Charisma and the Distributed E-Learning Organization. If you want to get something done in an organization, get a charismatic leader. Although distributed, situational, transformational, and many other leadership models abound, it is amazing how often the focus reverts to the classic model of a charismatic larger-than-life individual leading a Pickett’s Charge unto the breach. Granted, one hopes for slightly better outcomes, but, the model is worth examining, particularly in the e-learning organizati From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Open Source LMS
Why aren't Open Source LMS gaining more share? Reading this, I kept having the feeling that some of the interviewees were missing the point about Open Source. Open Source anything, not just LMS. Commercial LMS are "take or pay" -- you get everything, whether you need it or not, and you pay for everything. You are captive to the whims of the vendor's view of what's good for e-Learning. If your vendor merges with another or is bought out, you may just be out of luck and left holding the very expensive bag with no good exit options. With Open Source, you decide what to From
Bill Brandon: eLearning on November 8, 2005 at 4:49 p.m..
Quote of the day.
Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. George Orwell English essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 - 1950)... From
Teaching and Developing Online. on November 8, 2005 at 3:58 p.m..
Yahoo Think Tank
Yahoo Australia is sponsoring a two-week experiment in online creativity called the Yahoo! Think Tank. Rotating teams of creative people from ad agencies in Australia and New Zealand are living and working in a "transparent," fully-functioning creative studio, complete with... From
Teaching and Developing Online. on November 8, 2005 at 3:58 p.m..
[berkman] Christoph Engemann
[Christoph Engemann of the Graduate School of Social Sciences in Bremen and the Faculty of Media Bauhaus University in Weimar is giving a Tuesday afternoon lunch. The official topic from the Berkman site: Engemann will describe how Germany's transition to offering welfare services online has created new responsibilities for German citizens. He says we can think of the state as being a media-system that's in transition form paper to code. Newt Gingrich said "Paper kills," meaning that it slows down the working of institution, sometimes lethally. Germany is planning on issuing a citize From
Joho the Blog on November 8, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..
Social Software Architecture day
On Nov. 15, Corante.com has put together a one-day conference on social software's business and cultural effects. Berkman is co-hosting it. It looks like it'll be a very interesting day. We hope to skip past the basics and get to drill down on some important questions about what a social-software-enabled world looks like. The list of speakers — we're hoping for a relaxed, conversation-oriented style — is excellent. Since I've had a hand in getting Berkman involved and in brainstorming the sessions (and am doing the brief kickoff presentation), I am hereby floggi From
Joho the Blog on November 8, 2005 at 3:49 p.m..
Web 2.0 or not
If you still feel the term »Web 2.0« is not yet well defined you may help out by doing this collaborative definition:
Web 2.0 or NotRelated: From
owrede_log on November 8, 2005 at 3:47 p.m..
Resuming My E-Mail Alerts
On Oct. 17, I wrote that I was putting the Contentious e-mail newsletter on hiatus because it was simply too labor-intensive for me to produce each issue. Well, this morning I tested an alternate approach, and it seems to work well enough. Here's the good news and bad news about this change... The good news is: I can retain the relationship-building value of my e-mail subscription list (which contains a few thousand addresses), and continue to serve people who prefer e-mail alerts to feeds. The bad news is: To make this process sufficiently efficient to ensure that I'll actual From
Contentious Weblog on November 8, 2005 at 2:47 p.m..
Using the Web as a Reporting Assistant
Steve Yelvington, who writes for this blog periodically, noted (in a post to Poynter's
Online-News discussion list) a nice example from his company (Morris) of citizen-plus-professional journalist collaboration on a story. Bluffton Today (South Carolina) reporter Stephanie Ingersoll
asked readers of her blog on the paper's website for their experiences and advice on tipping (that is, gratuities given to waiters, hairdressers, etc.) and got about 70 resp From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on November 8, 2005 at 2:47 p.m..
Un cuatro
A mà tampoco me gustó el estreno de cuatro. Entre otras muchas cosas que ya se han dicho sobre cuatro, no comprendo cómo se puede tirar por la borda un magnÃfico programa deportivo como El dÃa después y poner a Michael Robinson a hacer esa payasada de Maracaná05, que entre ... From
eCuaderno v.2.0 on November 8, 2005 at 11:52 a.m..
The Open University Goes Moodle
Following on from where the New Curiosity Shop leads, The Open University is planning to move its distance learning support Moodle, the world-reknowned open-source virtual learning environment. From
ScotFEICT on November 8, 2005 at 10:52 a.m..
Putting perfect participants in every session
Jared Spool has written an article on obtaining participants for usability testing. To quote: When putting together a design study, whether it is usability testing, field research, or focus group activity, it turns out that the most critical activity is... From
Column Two on November 8, 2005 at 10:47 a.m..
If its ethnography, its gotta be right
Rashmi Sinha has written a blog entry that presents a pragmatic look at the use of ethnography, in corporate contexts. To quote: Lets assume for a moment that its fairly easy to do the qualitative research (its not, but lets... From
Column Two on November 8, 2005 at 10:47 a.m..
Mighty Mouse not so mighty
Tim Bruysten forgot his »
Apple Mighty Mouse« after his presentation on Web Monday meet-up. I took it with me to hand it back to him later. I am using it now. And I have to say: I don't like it. I don't want to go into too much detail, but generally the absence of physical feedback for the three different "buttons" requires the user to get that from the visual/acoustic feedback on screen. The presence of two more buttons is not visible and not haptic. So it remains a mental concept. It is a nice object to explic From
owrede_log on November 8, 2005 at 10:47 a.m..
Web 2.0
Yesterday there was a meetup of net heads close to my appartment. Now I read through the comments and I found people complaining about the spontanous informal character and the absence of something what they call »web 2.0«. The mere fact, that 80 people come together within few days of notice, arrange for beers, beamers, laptops without formal invitation just by
using a Wiki and some keywords (
here,
here,
owrede_log on November 8, 2005 at 10:46 a.m..
Enjoying Aarhus
Having spent a few days in London, I've arrived in Aarhus (Denmark). I must say, it's a lovely city, very easy to walk around, with plenty of good shopping. I've also been made to feel extremely welcome, by not just... From
Column Two on November 8, 2005 at 9:48 a.m..
Enterprise usability
Jakob Nielsen has written an article on what he calls "enterprise usability", which addresses the broader issues and challenges of software (etc) in an organisational setting. To quote: Complex rules often cause enterprise usability problems. For example, airlines are notorious... From
Column Two on November 8, 2005 at 9:48 a.m..
Wissensmanagement: Elemente für eine neue Lernkultur
Wie stellt man einen Satz von 99 Folien (!) angemessen vor? Vielleicht so: als kleines Kompendium zum Thema "Wissensmanagement", das unter anderem folgende Themen streift: Wissensgesellschaft, Wissenstreppe, Wissensgenerierung und Wissenskommunikation, träges Wissen, Konstruktivismus, problemorientiertes Lernen und vieles mehr. Auffallend ist,... From
www.weiterbildungsblog.de on November 8, 2005 at 8:52 a.m..
Estrenando un Sony Vaio
El 2005 encara la recta final, y a la vista de mis propósitos, llegó el momento de abordar el cambio de portátil. Me decidà por un Sony Vaio. Buscaba conectividad WiFi y una excelente resolución de texto en pantalla, y la verdad es que resulta sobresaliente en ambos aspectos. ... From
eCuaderno v.2.0 on November 8, 2005 at 7:52 a.m..
Coloriuris: un Creative Commons a la europea
Arranca en fase beta Coloriuris, un esquema para definir contratros de cesión de derechos de autor para contenidos en lÃnea: Mediante la combinación de herramientas informáticas y jurÃdicas que garanticen los efectos legales de las cesiones de derechos en los paÃses de origen de los autores, conforme al Convenio de Berna, ... From
eCuaderno v.2.0 on November 8, 2005 at 7:52 a.m..
Sneaking Ads Into Games
Advertisers hope to reach that elusive demographic -- young men between 18 and 34 -- by slipping a few ads into the video games they like to play. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Grokster Goes Down
In a surprise move, the company settles a piracy lawsuit by taking down its file-sharing service. A new fee-based version of its software will be available from a new parent company. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Revolution's Cooking Up a Storm
Nintendo producer Hideki Konno dishes about Revolution and the challenges of developing Nintendo's first-ever online game. Plus: Video-game concert PLAY! set to tour next year. From the Wired News blog Game|Life. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Personal Tech Is Almost a Party
Laptops, PDAs and cell phones are often blamed for isolating people. But a group of New York artists has commandeered the technology to orchestrate a participatory, playful performance. By Rachel Metz. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Stat Geek Hits Nothin' but Net
A basketball-obsessed statistical consultant to the Seattle SuperSonics analyzes unusual patterns to gauge talent and give the team a competitive edge. By Hugo Lindgren of Wired magazine. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Some Technologies Will Annoy
Not all of today's most talked-about technologies of the future will be big tomorrow. Professional futurists share their thoughts on which are likely to flop or under-deliver. By Joanna Glasner. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
Stem-Cell Hopes Hit Home
When South Korean stem-cell star Hwang Woo-suk put out a call for research volunteers last week, thousands of paralysis patients lined up in hopes of being selected -- and possibly cured. Here's one of their stories. Commentary by Steven Edwards. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
History's Worst Software Bugs
Coding errors have sparked explosions, crippled interplanetary probes -- even killed people. Here's our pick for the 10 worst bugs ever, but the judging wasn't easy. First of a three-part series by Simson Garfinkel. Plus: interactive fun with bugs. From
Wired News on November 8, 2005 at 7:46 a.m..
The First Census of Digital Media in Spain
It seems a titanic and burdensome task, but someone has done it. In this case, researchers from four universities in Spain -- Navarra, Pas Vasco, Santiago de Compostela, and Mlaga -- have created the first census of digital media in Spain. The main conclusions are: There are almost 1,300 digital-media outlets. Almost 60 percent are generic and 40 percent are specialized. Spanish is the most-used language (76.3 percent), followed by Catalan (11.6 percent), Euskera (4.5 percent), and Galician. Only 21 percent of them were born on the Internet and therefore hav From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on November 8, 2005 at 6:50 a.m..
Goodbye Telco; Is the Newspaper Next?
For several months, I've used an Internet broadband company,
Vonage, for my home-office phone service. Yesterday, I made the break from the local telco,
Qwest, complete and switched my home line over to Vonage, too. I hear that my next-door neighbor has decided to do the same thing. Among my circle of friends and acquaintences, I know of a few other broadband-phone converts. While not among the earliest adopters, we're part of one of the first waves moving away from depending on the old-line telco businesses.< From
Poynter E-Media Tidbits on November 8, 2005 at 6:50 a.m..
oeIt Takes a Child to Raise a Village!!
A letter from Debbi Pushor I’m passing along… Dear Friends and Colleagues, On behalf of Communities for Children (C4C): SaskatoonTMs Planning Council for a Child and Youth Friendly Community, and SuccessBy6® Saskatoon please find enclosed our invitation to oeIt Takes a Child To Raise A Village, a meet and greet luncheon extravaganza!!. C4C and the early years community working group, SuccessBy6® [...] From
Rick's Café Canadien on November 8, 2005 at 6:49 a.m..