Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
September 4, 2008

Top Ten Online Psychology Experiments
So if you take a psychology test and put it on the web and make it a game, is it still research? Via JT Cobb. I should note that I'm a big fan of Casual Fridays at Cognitive Daily and often take part in these light-hearted trials. Sandra Kiume, PsychCentral, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Research] [Comment]

Quick Introduction to Connectivism Course
George Siemens has created a short video introduction to our online Connectivism and Connective Knowledge course. Also, our MOOC will be the subject of a Fringe Alt discussion (see here and here). George Siemens, elearnspace, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Connectivism, Video] [Comment]

Chrome Is a Desktop Web Application Platform
I think this is exactly what Google has in mind: "It comes dressed as a web browser but is actually a Desktop Web Application platform. It facilitates the creation of Web Applications that are desktop like in functionality." Also, Seb Schmoller runs a quick review of Google Chrome as a guest Contribution from Dick Moore. Ben Emson, Weblog, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Google, Google Chrome] [Comment]

When Corrupting the Youth Is Good
From time to time people raise the question of ethics - what ought to guide our posts? What ought to guide our teaching? And it has seemed to me over time that the principles of ethics and the principles of reason converge - that what is ethical is to write and teach in accord with the principles of good reason (sometimes called 'critical thinking', though I need to talk about this separately some time). Because the only way youth can be 'corrupted' (in any meaningful sense of the term) is when they read uncritically, and when teaching contravenes the ethic and spirit of critical enquiry. Clay Burell, Beyond School, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Third Life - Auricle: the Next Generation
As Brian Kelly warns, "We should be aware of the dangers of associating services with departmental names and specific technologies. This has been well documented, including Tim Berners-Lee's article on Cool URIs Don't Change! - although this is clearly easy to say, but more difficult to implement in practice." That's why I use downes.ca and resist the efforts of companies like Google (or employers like NRC) to make me use corporate domains. Anyhow, as Derek Morrison writes here, Auricle is alive and well in its third (and, one hopes, final) incarnation. Derek Morrison, Auricle, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning, Google] [Comment]

HP's Virtualization Honcho John Bennett: Rethinking Virtualization
Virtualization is something that will occupy more and more attention in the future. Why? "We see a large number of customers spending less than 30 percent of their IT budget on business priorities, and growth initiatives, and 70 percent or more on management and maintenance. With virtualization and with these broader transformational initiative, you can really flip the ratio around." Dana Gardner, E-Commerce Times, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Stephen Downes: Redes de Aprendizaje
Diego Leal has very graciously translated my paper Learning Networks (The Buntine Oration) into Spanish. I gave the talk in 2004, but is remains relevant today. Translation by Diego Leal, .Edu.Co.Blog, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

iLeonardo
Giorgio Bertini writes, "iLeonardo is a Social Utility for connecting to people and their collections of relevant information on the web. People use iLeonardo to build digital notebooks of anything from the Internet. In return the utility displays similar notebooks that other people have created and made public." The idea has a lot of potential, however, right now it has been overwhelmed by someone doing 'voter information' for the U.S. election. Also, the forms to send feedback or request an account pop under the demo video, rendering them unusable. The idea is worth keeping an eye on, though. Various Authors, Website, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Networks, Video, Research] [Comment]

Edmodo
Ines Pinto writes, Edmodo is a "microblogging platform just launched, specially designed for teachers and students, dailly life school management, creation of students or teachers groups in the same school or between teachers or students from different schools in different countries." It makes you log on before you get a glimpse (bleah). And I don't like the choice between 'guys' and 'ladies'. The tool itself is a bit like a structured instant messaging tool. Interesting, possibly worthwhile. Nicely coded. Various Authors, Website, September 4, 2008 [Link] [Tags: Schools, Instant Messaging, Online Learning] [Comment]

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