|
OLDaily
By Stephen Downes March 25, 2003 Pedantic Web or Semantic Web? Some discussion of what it will mean - and what it will take - for the semantic web to achieve wide popularity. As some commentators point out, it is already changing the landscape behind the scenes, in things like middleware and content management, for example. But thinking about what the semantic web will mean for the wider population still requires thinking out of the box. By Jeff Pollock, Accenture, March, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Your Open Source Plan This article, as George Siemens comments is interestingly placed in CIO Magazine, reports "huge savings in total cost of ownership" in the use of open source software. It also points to the fact that companies looking for custom software development are increasingly receiving RFPs recommending an open source solution. "Free is good. CIOs who don't come to terms with this revolution in 2003 will be paying too much for IT in 2004." How can this possibly work? It turns out that not everybody is motivated by money. "Heroism in these communities means proposing an interesting improvement and getting everyone to acknowledge it. That's the way these guys get their strokes—everyone recognizes that their way of doing it is the best way." By Christopher Koch, CIO Magazine, March 18, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Partnership Provides Free Test Preparation Course For Idaho Students Leaving questions about the appropriateness of such tests aside, this is the direction that we want to see in online learning. It becomes possible (though not required) for students to prepare themselves for these tests. The necessary materials are available for free and available online. Can we say access? By Press Release, Apex Learning Inc., March 19, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect] Slow Start for Long-Awaited Easing of Copyright Restriction As many critics - including myself - said when the TEACH act in the U.S. was announced, "few faculty members around the country are taking advantage of the new law, known as the Teach Act. Faculty members and administrators say it is too complex and too vague about the conditions under which they can put copyrighted works online." The primary problem with copyright has never been the cost, it has been the degree of control exercised by publishers over potential content users. By Dan Carnevale, Chronicle of Higher Education, March 28, 2003 [Refer][Research][Reflect]
Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list at http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/subscribe.cgi
[ About This NewsLetter] [ OLDaily Archives] [ Send me your comments] |
