November 10, 2006
OLDaily
[link: Hits] When you say something like this, you know it's not going to be a positive report: "accommodating changing user preferences is not the only priority that drives library decisions." This article identifies the disconnect between libraries and new technologies across three domains: technology, policy and opportunity. In particular, it is worth noting that "services and policies are equally limiting, seemingly guided more by fear of litigation than any other factor." Libraries are obsessed to the point of inability to act by concerns over privacy and copyright. More articles are also available form the most recent
EDUCAUSE Quarterly. [Tags:
Copyright and Patent Issues,
Privacy Issues,
EDUCAUSE] [
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[link: 1 Hits] It should be obvious, but a U.S. court has confirmed that the GPL open source license does not violate antitrust laws. "Calling the defendants 'conspirators' in violation of the Sherman Act didn't advance the plaintiff's case either." Via EDUCAUSE. [Tags:
Open Source] [
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[link: Hits] What I like about this is the way a group of people on the outside show how its done. The focus is the (Australian) ICA05 training package, currently available only as a PDF. The author writes, "I don't have much time for searching through two 600 page PDF documents, cutting and pasting and re-formatting units, and wondered why this information wasn't availiable as a database or an XML file... Well... I had a couple of spare days so I kludged together some code that read the original PDF documents and fed the results into a database... Why stop there? How about: auto-generating moodle module skeletons; programmatically creating tiddlyWiki's for each unit; building a database of activities that address specific learning outcomes, and automagically finding other units that these activities might also be used for - and thats after just 15 seconds of thought, I'm sure you could think of more." Well done! [Tags:
XML,
Course Modules,
Metadata] [
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[link: Hits] Good report, intended to "provide a rich picture of the factors which shape how teachers develop games-based learning in schools." The focus is on the use of games to support learning, an activity that, as the authors note, depends as much on the skill and facilitation of the teacher as on the properties of the game. The success of the activity also depends on those features of games students enjoy (not just any game will do): "having fluid and autonomous control over a responsive environment, or the extent to which it is the enjoyment of using games familiar from home and leisured play in which they can demonstrate expertise." Via EdNA.
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[link: Hits] A ten minute video, well worth the ten minutes. One of the most creative things I've seen in a while. Via a post in Networks. [Tags: ] [
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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.
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