Edu_Rss

Ex-CFO Resigns From Apple Board
Fred Anderson, who served as Apple's chief financial officer from 1996 to 2004, leaves the company's board of directors after an internal investigation reveals details of stock-manipulation tactics that maximized execs' profits. In Cult of Mac. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 8:45 p.m..

NSA Spy Program Gets Temporary OK
Hold the phone: Warrantless surveillance of international calls and e-mails into and out of the United States can go ahead while a judge's ruling, which called the intercepts unconstitutional, works its way through the appeals process. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 7:45 p.m..

Students take aim at global problems
The Global Challenge teams up US and Asian students to solve real-life issues. Christian Science Monitor | Learning on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Real learning in a virtual world
Harvard has joined the ranks of colleges offering courses with 'Second Life' virtual classrooms. Christian Science Monitor | Learning on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Muppets teach children a land mine lesson
A British charity helps avert tragedy with a children's video on how to spot mines buried throughout Afghanistan. Christian Science Monitor | Learning on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Mary Jo Foley - What Microsoft Still Isn't Saying About WGA and Volume Activation 2.0 - ZD Net
What they're not saying, of course, is whether your copy of Windows will shut down if it spots any unauthorized content, or whether it will shut down only if it finds unauthorized Microsoft content. But really - it will be just too tempting for Microsoft not to sell its shutdown service to software vendors, content providers - anyone who wants to lock down content. From my perspective, this opens a huge gaping hole in the market for a software vendor to sell to people and businesses who demand full control over their own computers. I thought this might be Apple, but it appears they From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Unattributed - British Company Launches Poetry Download Site - San Jose Mercury News
Nothing against poets, but it seems to me that poetry is the art form that would least benefit from a pay-per-listen service. Yes, poetry is hard to do well, but this doesn't stop a million wannabes from trying, which has resulted in a glut in the entire market and almost zero employment prospects for poets. Ironic, too, that the service launched with a reading of Chaucer, which has been public domain for as long as there have been poets, it seems. I guess we'll just have to wait for the Blackboard part of their plan - patenting the idea of reading poetry online. [OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Scott Wilson, et.al. - Personal Learning Environments: Challenging the Dominant Design of Educational Systems - DSpace at Open Universiteit Nederland
Good overview of the concept of the personal learning environment, focusing mostly on theoretical design concepts rather than technical implementations. Not surprisingly, I am in general in favour of this approach. Click on the link to the PDF (View/Open, lower right hand side) (note how the use of Handle here is pretty useless, and subverted by the much more useful direct link to the resource?). [Link] [Tags: OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Leon Cych - Inside the Video Bubble
While I was in South Africa (yeah, that long ago) Leon Cych sent me a note about the work he is doing on a chapter to the forthcoming revision of the Coming of Age book. "With the ability to upload and edit video online at sites like Motionbox, Dabble, Eyespot and Jumpcut... producing content will get easier and easier and even more popular." Some good links, though he will want to add the recent YouTube for Educators link. p.s. Why can't people in ELGG name their blogs? There's no way I'm going to post From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Annalee Newitz - Your Second Life is Ready - Popular Science
Well I made my first Second Life (aka 2L) character a couple of days ago (Labatt Pawpaw, if you're looking for me) and have been exploring a bit. Thus far what I am seeing looks a lot like the MUDs I used to enjoy, except that its graphical and has a lot more casinos. Anyhow, here's a Popular Science article about 2L. The article is pretty interesting but now I'm wondering if the 'Mitchell Kapor' mentioned in the article is the same 'Mitch Kapor' I know online. That would be pretty funny, to not know something like that. But naw, it can't be... can it? A From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Mitchell Weisburgh - Education and Training Research from BMO Capital Markets - PILOTed
Mitchell Weisburgh summarizes the BMO Capital markets' Equity Research on Education and Training report (aside: I never did like the name switch to BMO. Contrived and artificial.) "There were $200 billion of private investments in the education market in 2000. There was $181 million in 2003. This bounced back to $364 million in 2005... Digital content represents about 20% of supplemental content market, but is expected to grow to beyond 25%. Smaller publishers are showing the most innovation, but these small companies are likely to be gobbled up by the larger players. Sales of tutoring se From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Clarence Fisher - Walled Gardens and Open Parks - Remote Access
The walls argument, again. "Without adding pictures and links, without the ability to connect with others and push forward your common thinking, bloggingGate is just online publishing without any of the benefits. A network is formed to drive people forward, to invite controversy and discussion. People need to connect to make this happen. Walled gardens may be put together for a reason, but open parks, spaces where people can roam a bit, see what they want, and sure, sometimes cause a bit of controversy, are the realities of our lives. It is in these commonly built open spaces where we learn ab From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Rob Paterson - Education - The Grail in Sight? - Robert Paterson's Weblog
Not to harp on this... but again, while people call what we're saying radical, isn't it possible that we may be looking at what we have always sought? "Here is Barbara Ganley. Here is Will Richardson. Here is Harold Jarche." [Link] [Tags: ] [OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

Daniel Molnar - Authentication - still reading
The diagrams, I think, speak for themselves. [Link] [Tags: ] [Comment] From OLDaily on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 p.m..

A Voluminous New MyBook
Western Digital's latest external drive tops out at 1 terabyte. Plus: Handy tool kit keeps road warriors connected. In Gear Factor. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 5:45 p.m..

Is Euthanasia OK in a Disaster?
Four doctors discuss whether mercy killing is an acceptable option in an emergency like Hurricane Katrina. In Bodyhack. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 5:45 p.m..

Gadget Lab: Car Utopia
Mazda's RX-8 seems to hail from an alternate universe where automobiles are powerful, whisper-smooth and safe. Netgear's Skype phone makes the connection and Oxo kitchen tools get a grip. In Gadget Lab. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 5:45 p.m..

HP Insiders Facing Indictments
Four people, including Hewlett-Packard's former chairwoman, Patricia Dunn, will be charged by California's attorney general for their role in the recent corporate spying scandal. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 5:45 p.m..

When Warthogs Fly
While you're waiting for the next Halo game, try a Flash offshoot starring explosives and a flying ATV. In Table of Malcontents. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 4:46 p.m..

Is Euthanasia OK in a Disaster?
Four doctors discuss whether euthanasia is an acceptable option in a disaster situation like Hurricane Katrina. In Bodyhack. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 3:45 p.m..

A Voluminous New MyBook
Western Digtial's latest external drive tops out at one terabyte. In Gear Factor. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 2:46 p.m..

Plant Hybrids to Drive Biofuels
The processes for growing crops as raw material for fuel and converting it to liquids are in their infancy, so expect ethanol and biodiesel to become much more energy efficient. In Autopia. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 p.m..

Good News, Bad News for Papers
Although print circulation continues falling, major American newspapers are experiencing a healthy rise in traffic to their websites. Most encouraging: The web editions are attracting a younger audience. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 p.m..

Yanks Sweep Science Nobels
A Stanford University professor whose father received a Nobel 46 years ago completes an American sweep of the 2006 Nobel science prizes, winning the chemistry prize for cell research. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 p.m..

The Outsourcing of Your Life
Enjoyable and fulfilling tasks like gaming and praying can now be delegated to wililng peons, leaving you free to do ... we're not exactly sure what. By Vince Beiser from Wired magazine. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 a.m..

Fun With Nintendo's Mii Channel
Now that the Mii Channel lets you insert a 3-D avatar of yourself into video games, the world is your virtual oyster. How about inserting Mario avatars wherever you see fit or transforming your enemies into Anne Coulter simulacrums? Commentary by Lore Sjöberg. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 a.m..

Fake Tan, Real Tan
Scientists develop fake tanning lotions that will look more natural and help prevent skin cancer. By Elizabeth Svoboda. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 a.m..

The Sweet Sound of Lapsed Time
Ever wish you could traverse 42 years of pop music history in 37 minutes? R. Luke DuBois' new CD employs "time lapse phonography" to reduce hit songs to a string of tiny, amorphous sound clips that highlight big shifts in musical taste. By Alexander Gelfand. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 a.m..

Gizmondo's Spectactular Crash
Directors of the game device company went on living large long after their handheld flopped. Then a high-speed Ferrari accident blew their world to bits. By Randall Sullivan from Wired magazine. From Wired News on October 4, 2006 at 6:45 a.m..

Basic Education for the Digital Age
In the early part of this Century, education provided tools such as reading, writing, and From WriteTheWeb on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

Ten Signs that You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child.
Many parents do not realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Back in those days, schools were smaller, class sizes were smaller, dropout rates were lower, violence in school was almost unheard of, teachers... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

Education does not create society
While few educators will openly admit it, controlling student behavior is priority number one (if you are going to be treated like daycare, you may as well act like it). Keeping the school board happy by saving money is often... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

School is not Day Care
The truth is parents do not want their kids spending more time at home. Especially when you have single parent or two working parent households, where shorter school days mean higher day care costs. This is why a "less is... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

Quantity is not Quality
All of the teaching and behavior control techniques drilled into each teacher's head in college are worthless if the students are not motivated to learn. All the standards that every politician and administrator want met are worthless if the students... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

You do NOT have a right to an education.
It all comes down to what you believe education is all about. Is education about creating good citizens of the state? Or, is education just about providing knowledge and skills to improve your life. For most of world history the... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

Society DOES create education.
Many of the problems we have in our schools are a result of outside forces, most of which cannot be controlled in any way by the schools themselves. Before we start saying our schools suck, we better acknowledge that society... From Teaching and Developing Online. on October 4, 2006 at 5:07 a.m..

Schools crack down on cellphones - Butch Dill, AP
Alabama was lifting the cell phone ban for its public schools just as New York City was implementing a crackdown. Just about every school system in the nation is facing the same conundrum, with little consensus, about how to balance a modern reality again From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

States Look to Lock Down RFID - Renee Boucher Ferguson, eWeek
In 2005, the actions of a small-town school district in Northern California set off a chain of events that could lead to ground-breaking legislation limiting the use of RFID in California and, if other states pick up the rallying call, across the nation. From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

Roll-up screens 'moving closer' - BBC
Roll-up laptop screens may be a step closer, according to scientists. A Cambridge team have developed metal structures that can morph from flat screens into tubes and other shapes. They say in the future the structures could form the basis for electroni From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

Online Banking Keypads Vulnerable to Hackers - Brian Bergstein, News Factor
Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan said screen-capture programs that attacked virtual keypads emerged as early as 2003, when banks in Brazil fell prey. She said the technique has remained relatively rare because the programs consume a lot of bandwidth From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

Taking passwords to the grave - Elinor Mills, CNET News
William Talcott, a prominent San Francisco poet with dual Irish citizenship, had fans all over the world. But when he died in June of bone marrow cancer, his daughter couldn't notify most of his contacts because his e-mail account--and the online address From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

It's Way Too Early to Dismiss Zune - James Coates, Chicago Tribune
Microsoft's low-key introduction of its brand-new Zune player doesn't mean its war with the iPod is already over. On the contrary, when it comes to downloading movies, Zune owns the catbird seat thanks to Amazon.com, where already more than 30 movie studi From Techno-News Blog on October 4, 2006 at 4:55 a.m..

Congress Sneaks Through Online Gambling Restrictions
Last week, Congress dead-locked on many dangerous surveillance, IP, and other cyberlaw-related bills. But they did manage to sneak a new online gambling ban [PDF] into the port security bill -- it's an embarrassing, disappointing instance of our country throwing its weight around online, crippling a burgeoning industry and taking away a favorite hobby of millions From A Copyfighter's Musings on October 4, 2006 at 4:51 a.m..

Who Killed TiVoToGo?
It's the latest digital media murder mystery: TiVo Series2's TiVoToGo enabled limited portability of recorded content to PCs and other devices, but the TiVo Series3 HD did not include this feature when recently released. In other words, if you want to upgrade to HD, you have to downgrade your TiVo's features. You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to guess that this story somehow involves Hollywood, the FCC, and "digital rights management" (DRM) restrictions. EFF has opposed these restr From A Copyfighter's Musings on October 4, 2006 at 4:51 a.m..

Education Dept. Urged to Recoup $278 Million in Loan Subsidies
The federal Department of Education will have to decide whether to recover the student loan subsidy payments to a loan company that the departments inspector general has found were improper. From New York Times: Education on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 a.m..

Early Repairs in Foundation for Reading
To help identify and treat children with severe reading problems earlier, new diagnostic tests are available to measure a childs fluency with the skills that are the foundation of reading. From New York Times: Education on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 a.m..

On Education: Demoting Advanced Placement
The public school in Scarsdale, N.Y., which is known for turning out some of the nations finest college prospects, is contemplating eliminating Advanced Placement courses. From New York Times: Education on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 a.m..

Activist Ousted From Vanderbilt Is Back, as a Teacher
The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., 78, returned to teach at Vanderbilt this fall, 46 years after the university expelled him for his role in lunch-counter sit-ins. From New York Times: Education on October 4, 2006 at 1:45 a.m..