Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
December 17, 2009

Phage Wars 2
The last hour just disappeared on me - as I was completely rapt playing this gene sequencing game. "Phage Wars 2 is set up within a testing environment built around genetically modifying viruses. Your goal is to create the most powerful virus ever by defeating all the other genetically engineered viruses in this fast paced, strategy game." Various Authors, Website, December 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Tests and Testing] [Comment] [Tweet]

Web content visualization tool: new e-reader?
FastFlip looks like a good way to see a lot of web content in a hurry - and to read ebooks as well. "Fast Flip is software that runs anywhere the web runs, including mobile apps. It has an Android and iPhone version, and I'm sure there will be a RIM version soon. And when Apple's tablet comes out, and any other ebook/netbook competitor to Kindle, I'm sure Fast Flip will be there." Bryan Alexander, Liberal Education Tomorrow, December 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Visualization, Books] [Comment] [Tweet]

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC36 WG5: Call for Use Cases on e-Testing
eLSACC and the ISO working group are looking for use cases for a new standard on high stakes e-testing. This is for the Canadian submission to the body. They write, "Those tests where the learner responses are automatically marked by computer. e.g., multiple choice item types, drag and drop, list ordering, hot-spots, etc. Out of scope will be free-text questions that are either computer or human marked). Tests that are delivered using the internet, whether the test is taken while online or the test stored locally on a machine shortly before and then for the duration of that test before being removed. Where the test is leading to a formal qualification, or some other recognition – often referred to as 'high-stakes' tests." Fill out the MS-Word form and send your case to Simone Laughton at simone.laughton@utoronto.ca. Simone Laughton, eLSACC, December 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Assessment, Tests and Testing, Canada] [Comment] [Tweet]

Learning Styles and Manuals
Yes, learning styles exist, and Mike Caulfield makes good sense reframing how we should think about them. "Rather than argue about whether we should tailor specific instruction to learning style, presumably so students can better regurgitate material into blue books, why not create environments that function more like the real world, where differences in problem-solving style are the strength of teams and communities (and marriages) – places where the planners can plan and the hackers can hack?" Mike Caulfield, Tran|Script, December 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Learning Styles, Hackers] [Comment] [Tweet]

Idea Paint
I want to be able to write on my office walls. A number of people have linked to this recently (Andrew Watt, Jenny Levine, Angela Maiers, Vicki A. Davis, Fast Company) - Idea Paint turns your wall into a whiteboard. Various Authors, Website, December 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Google] [Comment] [Tweet]

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