October 10, 2006
OLDaily
[link: 11 Hits] Though the discussion starts next week, the text of my paper, Learning Networks and Connective Knowledge, has been posted on ITForum (and I have also posted an
MS-Word version on my site). This paper represents my latest effort to ground learning networks in a connective epistemology, and while there are still lose bits and questionable areas I think this is as close as I've come yet. For me, this is a major paper. I hope you enjoy it.
Here's the abstract: "The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the thinking behind new e-learning technology, including e-portfolios and personal learning environments. Part of this thinking is centered around the theory of connectivism, which asserts that knowledge - and therefore the learning of knowledge - is distributive, that is, not located in any given place (and therefore not 'transferred' or 'transacted' per se) but rather consists of the network of connections formed from experience and interactions with a knowing community. And another part of this thinking is centered around the new, and the newly empowered, learner, the member of the net generation, who is thinking and interacting in new ways. These trends combine to form what is sometimes called 'e-learning 2.0' - an approach to learning that is based on conversation and interaction, on sharing, creation and participation, on learning not as a separate activity, but rather, as embedded in meaningful activities such as games or workflows."
[Tags:
Connectivism,
E-Portfolios,
Online Learning,
Experience,
Networks,
Interaction,
Games and Gaming] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 32 Hits] Too good not to pass along, this animation makes a point in 90 seconds that would take - well, a lifetime - to explain any other way. Oh, and for those who aren't sure, I can assure you, the dates and boundaries of the empires depicted are quite accurate (I've studied this). Via
Internet Time. [Tags: ] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 4 Hits] Oooo. Via
CIDER comes this list of journals in the field of instructional technology, including some that have free online content (and the rest, whose writers toil in obscurity, that require subscriptions (how can a journal called 'UAIS - Universal Access in the Information Society' charge a subscription fee? I ask you)). [Tags:
Information,
Subscription Services] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 2 Hits] Podcasts from the Building Learning Communities conference are now available (they were available months ago, but it has taken me this long to link to it). I haven't listened to any of them (which is why it took so long to run the link; I always thought I would have time) but the list of speakers features everybody's favorites. Most popular podcasts will likely be
Brian Mull on the recovery from Katrina and
Bette Manchester on the Maine laptop initiative. Via
Mark Wagner. [Tags:
Portable Computers,
Podcasting] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: Hits] I am in general agreement with this conclusion: "What this paper has said is simply this: three issues - a
dramatic expansion of the scope, duration, and punitive
nature of copyright laws; the ability of DRM to lock-down
content in an unprecedented fashion; and the erosion of
Net neutrality--bear careful scrutiny by those who believe
that the Internet has fostered (and will continue to foster)
a digital revolution that has resulted in an extraordinary
explosion of innovation, creativity, and information dissemination." Well, actually, I think 'careful scrutiny' is very gentle working indeed.
[Tags:
Paradigm Shift,
Copyright and Patent Issues] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 28 Hits] In all the hoopla surrounding the story that
Google bought YouTube I had forgotten about Google Video - funny, because I use it more than I use YouTube (larger video, bigger file uploads). Of course, you can search Google video - and this item shows how to narrow the search to educational videos. So, we'll be looking for that 'educational' YouTube video category. Story link via
Emma Duke-Williams. [Tags:
Google,
Ontologies] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 3 Hits] Blackboard is continuing to consolidate, signing a deal with the Mirapoint email application, thus supporting single sign-on for LMS and email. This is a good thing. And any email solution that isn't Outlook is a good thing. But Blackboard owning the entire university infrastructure (and suing anybody who dares enter that space)? Not a good thing. Via University Business. [Tags:
Blackboard] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 22 Hits] I half-typed a bunch of responses to this item and decided eventually to simply post it here. Let me just say I think it's a bad idea. Yes, a university-sponsored database containing a student's online content seems to have its allure. But how long before that service to students becomes control over students. How long, for example, before use of the university data store becomes mandatory? How long before the university begins applying copyright violation searches and content screening to the database? No, it's just a bad idea - which is why Oracle is selling it to university administrations directly, and not to students. [Tags:
Copyright and Patent Issues] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 3 Hits] A lot shorter than my own list, but still some blogs that are new to me. [Tags:
Web Logs] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
[link: 3 Hits] I find this interesting - Andy Carvin has been vodcasting with Rocketboom's former host Amanda Congdon. "The AmandaAcrossAmerica site,"
writes Carvin, "raises the bar for vblogging (video blogging)." Carvin and Congdon
walk along P Street (I was mesmerized by the background). Here is
Congdon's video with Carvin (shirt untucked). [Tags:
Web Logs] [
Comment] [
Edit] [
Delete] [
Spam]
Projects&Collaborations
Browse through the thousands of links in my knowledge base
sorted according to topic category, author and
publication.
Research
Browse through the thousands of links in my knowledge base
sorted according to topic category, author and
publication.
About Me
Bio, photos, and assorted odds and ends.
Publications
You know, the ones that appear in refereed journals of Outstanding Rank.
Presentations
Lectures, seminars, and keynotes in a wide variety of
formats - everything from streaming video to rough notes.
Articles
All my articles, somewhere around 400 items dating from 1995.
Audio
Audio recordings of my talks recorded in MP3 format. A podcast feed is also available.
Calendar
What I'm doing, where I'm doing it, and when.
Photos
Newly updated! A collection of my photographs. Suitable
for downloading as desktop wallpaper.
Stephen's Web
Since 1995
About this Site
Why this site exists, what it does, and how it works.
OLDaily
Edu_RSS
FOAF
OLDaily Audio
OPML
About the Author
Stephen Downes
Copyright 2006 Stephen Downes
National Research Council Canada
Contact: stephen@downes.ca
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License
.
I want and visualize and aspire toward a system of society and learning where each person is able to rise to his or her fullest potential without social or financial encumberance, where they may express themselves fully and without reservation through art, writing, athletics, invention, or even through their avocations or lifestyle.
Where they are able to form networks of meaningful and rewarding relationships with their peers,
with people who share the same interests or hobbies, the same political or religious affiliations - or different
interests or affiliations, as the case may be.
This to me is a society where knowledge and learning are public goods, freely created and shared,
not hoarded or withheld in order to extract wealth or influence.
This is what I aspire toward, this is what I work toward. - Stephen Downes