Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
June 12, 2008

Meetup
I have a meetup coming up in an unusual location, and even though most people won't be able to join me on Gran Canaria I'm still looking very much forward to it. Related to this, I will be announcing tomorrow the most awesome contest in the history of OLDaily. Well, also, the first. But still, you won't want to miss this unique opportunity (no, it's not a trip to Gran Canaria, sorry). In the meantime, if you want to know what a meetup is, you might want to look at this CommonCraft video. Jane Hart, Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Video, Wikipedia] [Comment]

Council of Europe Endorses Open Education Resources
Well worth noting, even if we have no further details at this point. More here. Graham Attwell, Pontydysgu, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: European Union] [Comment]

Living and Learning at the Beginning of the Cognitive Age?
I find it interesting that people do not recognize, generally, that the term 'cognitive' signifies the forms of language and reason that characterize the previous, not the present, era. That's why their attention to categorization, definition, meaning and message seem so irrelevant. For example, according to the NY Times article by David Brooks, "the cognitive age paradigm emphasizes psychology, culture and pedagogy-the specific processes that foster learning. It emphasizes that different societies are being stressed in similar ways by increased demands on human capital." Well there is certainly a 'cognitive age' that fits that description. But we are not living at the beginning of it; rather, it characterizes industrial-age training (hence, also, the abhorrent reference to 'human capital'). If we are at the beginning of an age, I would say we are at the beginning of the 'connective age'. An age when we realize that we are not all atoms in a dog-eat-fog world to be bought, sold, massed and manipulated, but are, rather, independent agents in a shared ecosystem of conversations and connections. Wayne Hodgins, Off Course - On Target, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Ontologies, Paradigm Shift] [Comment]

In Search of Motives More Pure
Interestingly, I have commented on a few occasions that the reason why we see more liberal and progressive teachers and professors is that they are not in it for fame or fortune, but rather, to serve something like the common good. The same, it seems, may not be true of the blogosphere. Which creates an interesting disconnect. Darren Draper, Drape's Takes, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Web Logs] [Comment]

Blogging Mad
The European Distance Education network (EDEN) conference is taking place in Lisbon around now and there ought to be some good blog coverage happening - at least, according to this post by Steve Wheeler. Of course, now that he has the award (congrats) he has to blog the conference. ;) Steve Wheeler, Learning with 'e's, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Networks, European Union, Web Logs] [Comment]

Learning Organizations, eLearning 2.0 and Edupunk : eLearning Technology
I've been hearing bits and pieces about 'work literacy' recently - and this (not edupunk) is the subject of this post. Just so you don't think I'm rickrolling you with another edupunk link. Tony Karrer, eLearning Technology, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Edupunk, E-Learning 2.0] [Comment]

Web 2.0 How-to Design Guide
As usual, I compare any guide to my own practice. This gives me a basis for criticizing the guide. Just kidding. Still, what I read here has a lot in common with what I see and do in my own development. Simplicity. The two-column look. Separate top sections. Bigger text. Bold layout. But there are differences. The central layout, for example. To me, a website that is fixed width is deficient, whether or not it is aligned centrally. And cute icons. Please. Don't. Nobody knows what your icon means but you. Via elearningpost. Ben Hunt, Web Design From Scratch, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning, Web 2.0] [Comment]

Standards and Synapses Are Very Different
What caught my eye was the image juxtaposing a typical learning standards document and a network diagram. Judy Breck comments, "we require students to learn subjects inside of little boxes, while students think about them in highly connected networks." Judy Breck, Golden Swamp, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Networks] [Comment]

Celtx a Free and Open Source Software for Developing eLearning Storyboards
Ignatia reviews this product, saying "Celtx is a great storyboard software." The free software is available for download in a bunch of languages and for Windows, OSX, and Linux. You can also upload and share your projects using their server. This is just another example of the way tools are becoming easily available to help people do pretty much everything. Inge de Waard, Ignatia Webs, June 12, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Project Based Learning, Microsoft] [Comment]

This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.

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. Click here to subscribe.