OLDaily By Stephen Downes September 6, 2002 Research Officer Before we get to today's regular links, please let me present four links related to employment opportunities in e-learning in Moncton, New Brunswick. I do not normally publish job opportunities in this newsletter, but this is an exception because (a) they're ours, and (b) I wanted to give you a sense of the momentum we are gaining here. The first position advertised is for a Research Officer with the National Research Council E-learning Group. You would be working alongside Rod, Hélène and myself, our computer and admin staff, and collaborating researchers at the University, TeleEducation and the private sector. Apply quickly; the deadline is only a few days away. By NRC, September, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Research Assistants At the NRC E-learning Group in Moncton we are also hiring three research assistants: one in eL market landscaping, one in AI or neural networks, and an information architect or database specialist. Follow the link to apply online, but also send a note to Joseph.Silva@NRC.ca saying that you applied for this program and are interested in the e-Learning Research Group. By NRC, September 6, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Canadian Research Chair The University of Moncton (across the street from us) is hiring a Canadian Research Chair (CRC) in e-learning. This is a prestigious position - just ask Terry Anderson, who is a CRC at Athabasca. The job advertisement is in French, but since the University is a French language institution, if you can't read the job ad then you probably shouldn't apply for the job. By M. Yves Gagnon, Univeristé de Moncton, September, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] TeleEducation NB Finally, TeleEducation New Brunswick should be hiring a new director shortly. Their job advertisement isn't available yet, so I'm linking to their site. If you're wondering what the job is, ask Rory McGreal: it's his old job. By Nobody Yet, TeleEducation NB, September, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] opposesection514.com You know, I hadn't thought of it this way. My work is fairly widely read, and it's certainly replicated (not always with attribution) in journals and books produced by the largest and most prominent publishers. Now section 514 would "shield holders of copyrighted works from liability for their attempts to disable, interfere with, block, divert, or otherwise impair the unauthorized distribution, display, performance, or reproduction of [their] copyrighted work." OK, then. As a holder of copyright material, I now have a license to hack and disable their sites on the suspicion that they might be stealing my stuff. The power... By Unknown, opposesection514.com, September 6, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] The Whole World is Watching You But hey, no pressure... Maine governor Angus King tells grade seven students who received laptops not to misuse them. "The whole world is watching you. They're watching. They're watching Maine, they're watching Shapleigh Middle School." For once, a politician who is not exaggerating. By Ann S. Kim, Portland Press Herald, September 6, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Search the Sites Tired of getting fish tales when you search Google for schools? Try Jay Cross's new specialized edcucation search. By Jay Cross, Internet Time, September 6, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] They Push Pols' Divide Buttons Survey article describing the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), "a nonprofit group that promotes the use of information technology in [U.S.] kindergarten to 12th-grade classrooms. CoSN is best known for building a coalition of support and convincing Congress to enact the 'e-rate' program -- a tax tacked onto phone bills to help pay for telecommunications gear in financially strapped schools." By Elisa Batista , Wired News, September 5, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Personal Toolkit: Knowledge Tools Need to be Personal, Not Personalized As I contemplate a weekend without email - not even my old email - because the Exchange server is down (probably because of the latest version of Klez), and as I think, yet again, how much happier I was before the Institute-mandated Microsoft Outlook, I read this article (the web, at least, works), and thought out loud: oh yes, people DO have their favorite tools. Everybody wants to create the standard interface: the portal or repository everyone will use, the common IM tool, the standardized browser: and yet tools are probably the most personal of all our possessions. And internet tools probably the most personal of all. Now, to see whether I have email yet... By Steve Barth, KM World, September, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Off-Site, Online Good discussion of some of the hurdles faced in the deployment of wireless technologies. Especially useful is the suggestion that thin clients (such as are found on cell phones) are not suitable for wireless because they require a constant connection. By contrast, a more robust client can rely on short bursts of information exchange. This leads to the conclusion, as other commentators have noted, that the best use of wireless to date is the laptop in a WiFi (802.11) network. By Alan Cohen, PC Magazine, September 17, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] La remise en question des modèles des publications scientifiques Review and discussion of eleven major open access or free online scholarship initiatives, including SPARC, OAI, and BioMed. Quick read, with links. The article is in French, with a (poor) translation available here. By Anne-Marie Badolato, Captain-doc, July-August, 2002 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. 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