No Newsletter Tuesday and Wednesday

Tomorrow I get on an airplane and leave Edmonton permanently to make my new home in Moncton, New Brunswick. So there will be no Newsletter Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll be back with an expanded edition (just like this one) on Thursday.

What Happened to MathWorld MathWorld is back online - and with it, this cautionary tale about how a publisher obtained rights to reprint the website, then turned around and sued its author for copyright infringement because he continued to make the website available. By Eric W. Weisstein, MathWorld, November 6, 2001.[Refer]

Oxford Reference Online: The Core Collection In a period of rocky returns for eBook publishers (Questia just laid off half its staff), Oxford University Press announces that it will put 100 "well-known and trusted dictionaries and reference books" online, joined with a single front-end, charging a fee for access. Launch is slated for March, 2002. By Unknown, Oxford University Press, .[Refer]

Intellectual Property: The Attack on Public Access to Culture The opening line of this article says it best: "Under the guise of a response to the digital age, the corporate ?content industry? has targeted our basic right to free speech, including satire and social commentary.The insidious vehicle: copyright law." A scathing commentary, drawing largely on a book by the counterculture band Negativland and supplemented with numerous examples. PDF Format. By Howard Besser, Processed World, Fall, 2001.[Refer]

The Project Teaches Them What Big Means This isn't really online learning, but I love the concept (and it captures the flavour, if not the technology, of what I think online learning is about). Students in New Virginia, Iowa, created a giant inflatable whale in the school gym, then took turns walking through it. Crazy cool. By Tom Suk, Des Moines Register, November 24, 2001.[Refer]

Schools Expel Channel One; New Policy Also Limits Ads, Logos The battle in Seattle is over: school trustees have formally punted Channel One from schools. They have also enacted measures limiting advertising on school property. By Keith Ervin, Seattle Times, November 22, 2001.[Refer]

Roman Baths Come Virtually Alive on Web For someone with a continuing interest in the Roman Empire (such as myself), this online simulation of Roman baths is a fascinating exploration into the potential - and usefulness - of virtual reality. "As far as distance learning is concerned, this is the top of the curve." By David Lore, Columbus Dispatch, November 24, 2001.[Refer]

Taking Discussions Online Good introduction to the topic of online class discussions or conferencing. A useful diagram shows how the discussion software works (several screen shots are also provided). The article lists some advantages of online discussions and a provides a list of tips to help ensure successful discussions. By Unknown, Web Teaching, November, 2001.[Refer]

Universities Should Resist E-imperialism This column by a Kingston University vice chancellor endorses caution on the part of universities in moving into e-learning. Fair enough, but what's interesting is the reason offered: e-learning results in the commodification of learning, meaning that universities will inevitably succumb to corporate supply chain methodologies. Too true: which is why it is important that universities resist the lure of dollar signs, but at the same time, venture into e-learning with their traditional principles firmly in hand. By Peter Scott, The Guardian, November 13, 2001.[Refer]

Web Classification is Essential I have agonized over the topic of web classification - the big problem being the proliferation of categories - so I'll let this article speak for itself. While I do not necessary agree with the conclusion - that classification is essential - the article provides some good arguments in its favour. By Gerry McGovern, New Thinking, November 26, 2001.[Refer]

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