Article
October 17, 2005
I have presented on the topic of E-Learning 2.0 a number of times in the last few months, but this is the first article covering the topic from beginning to end. Published in today's
eLearn Magazine, the article is, I think, a way to comprehend what lies ahead in the field of e-learning.
[
Comment]
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I spent a couple hours Sunday afternoon in pleasant conversation with Will Richardson and the hosts at
Ed Tech Talk. The
main link is to the show notes. But you'll also want to listen to the audio -
part one (11.7MB, 50:03) and
part two (13MB, 56:56). Because the conversation was broadcast live (gotta talk to them about how they do that) there is an accompanying
chat transcript. And true to form, we pushed the technology beyond tolerance, resulting in a
screen full of errors at jeff Lebow's end. [Tags:
Podcasting] [
Comment]
Links, commentary and more concerning the chaotic session George Siemens and I were a part of last week at a Finnish e-learning conference. The two of us - communicating by Skype and presenting using S5, presented our version of E-Learning 2.0 / Connectivism to them. Among the more interesting aspects of our presentation was not even part of the presentation, a
conversation we had in the conference discussion area prior to our talk (this link is to Juha-Matti Arola’s blog, which also summarizes the talk and contains the full chat transcript). But again, probably the most impressive part of the presentation was that two Canadians delivered a multimedia presentation to Finland for a total cost of, well, nothing. [Tags:
Chat and Chat Rooms,
Web Logs,
Canada,
Online Learning] [
Comment]
Hot on the heels of Blackboard's acquisition of WebCT comes this announcement, issued by press release today, about the open source learning management system called Sakai. "As a non-profit, membership corporation the Sakai Foundation will provide Sakai developers, adopters, and users a place to coordinate their efforts." The creation addresses concerns expressed in some circles that base funding for Sakai was coming to a conclusion, leaving the software without support. "Colleges and universities around the world are watching carefully as Sakai has transitioned from a grant project to a community-based foundation. With it go our collective hopes for a creative future. This is company that's good to be among," Phil Long, Senior Strategist for the Academic Computing Enterprise at MIT, said. [Tags:
Open Source,
Project Based Learning,
Blackboard,
Online Learning] [
Comment]
Dean Shareski sent this useful link after listening to one of my Ottawa podcasts. The author writes, "my circumstances have changed so much in the last few years, and the Web has improved so much, that I'm finding myself spending most of my time on the Web. This is significant because, unlike several years ago, I'm a regular user now. My job isn't in technology. This should worry Microsoft." My use of the web isn't exactly the same, mostly because I write my own web software. The interface I am using to type this post is my primary tool; it is web-based and it is the sole reason why I can manage to do my work whether at home, in the office or on the road. One problem with tools like Flickr, del.icio.us and the others - "They have your data." Of course, I face that same problem with my desktop, something I learned when Windows locked up and destroyed my hard drive. I don't face that problem today. Something worth thinking about. [Tags:
del.icio.us,
Podcasting,
Microsoft] [
Comment]
Are you kidding me? "The patch could lock users out of their PC, prevent the Windows Firewall from starting, block certain applications from running or installing, and empty the network connections folder, among other things." Unbelievable. " The trouble appears to occur only when default permission settings on a Windows directory have been changed." I ask you, who releases a "critical" security patch that works only for default settings? "Even if users experience PC trouble after installing the patch, they will still be protected against any attack exploiting the Windows flaw." Yeah. Well, I could get the same result with a sledge hammer. [Tags:
Networks,
Security Issues,
Experience,
Microsoft] [
Comment]
People in increasing numbers are turning to the web for education-related research. Where do they turn first? According to Nielsen NetRatings, to Wikipedia. The survey shows a 22 percent growth from September of last year and a total audience in the sector of 46.4 million users last month. No word on Nielsen ratings for this website. Heh. [Tags:
Research,
Wikipedia] [
Comment]
A remarkable opinion column is published in University Affairs as Arthur Carty, former NRC president and current science advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, calls for "a culture of sharing" in Canadian science and research. It doesn't get better than this: "Above all, our goal must be to maximize the impact of research for societies everywhere, not just the developed world. People in developing nations must be able to access and contribute to the vitality of the global research information and communications system. An open-access philosophy is critical to the system’s success: if research findings and knowledge are to be built upon and used by other scientists, then this knowledge must be widely available on the web, not just stored in published journals that are often expensive and not universally available." If the Prime Minister is reading this, he can consider his science advisor's view on this fully endorsed. [Tags:
Research,
Canada,
Information] [
Comment]
Excellent! Full podcast coverage, made by a team of volunteers, of the TCEA TECSIG Meeting late last week. Includes: audio of the Keynote Address, Podcasting as Disruptive Transmediation by Wesley Fryer; audio of Podcasting 101, also by Wes Fryer; Reconceptualizing NCLB, by Chris Moersch; eRate Update, by Cathey George; and much, much more, too much to list here. [Tags:
Podcasting] [
Comment]
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