Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
April 17, 2009

Papers On Cloudworks Developments
In 'Cloudworks: social networking for learning design' Conole (with Juliette Culver) writes, "Engestrom (2005), drawing on the work of Knorr-Cetina (see for example Knorr-Cetina in Schatzki, 2001), puts forward a compelling argument for the need to adopt an approach to social networking based on 'object orientated sociality'." I agree with this to a certain extend, and think that people use digital objects as 'words' in a post-text-based vocabulary. But I'm not thrilled with the expression "object orientated sociality" to describe this, partially because of the potention to confuse between this and "object-oriented" programming, and partially because while objects are used, they do not (necessarily) constitute the 'orientation' of the discussion. So I think that an over-emphasis on object, rather than semantics, intent or use, of a discussion, may be misplaced. Grainne Conole, e4innovation.com, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Networks] [Comment]

Blackboard Invented Nothing!
I think we all knew this, but now the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is coming to that conclusion as well. As Desire2Learn states in its blog: "all 57 claims of Blackboard's 6,988,138 patent have been rejected - the original 44, plus the ones they attempted to add during the re-examination process." Oh, and a note to bloggers: pasted images of Twitter posts are user-hostile and useless. Don't do it. Use text to represent text. Barry Dahl, Desire2Blog, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Desire2Learn, Twitter, Patents, Copyrights, Blackboard Inc., Web Logs, Patents] [Comment]

Garrison Research Profile
Randy Garrison was Dean at the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta while I was there in 1999 - 2001 and worked quite a but with Terry Anderson, who I know well. So it's interesting to read this overview of his career, which looks at the influence of presences in a community of inquiry. "Garrison attempts to reconcile the impact of others, including teachers and peer learners, in the learning environment." Note to Bloggers: the Scribd format makes it more difficult, not less difficult, to read. Use text to represent text. Jennifer Maddrell, Designed to Inspire, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning] [Comment]

ScreenCastle Wins Round One
Another entry in the field of web-based screen-casting applications. This stuff is getting more powerful than can be imagined. Barry Dahl, Desire2Blog, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Help Save the Clark Aldrich Wikipedia Entry From Deletion!
I don't see why Wikipedia can't list everyone. I mean, what's the problem, lack of space? And if the can't, then there should be a 'wikibiographica' created with the slogan, "Every human that has ever existed." I mean, why not? Clark Aldrich, Weblog, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Wikipedia] [Comment]

Will Bandwidth Caps Be the Next Battle for Network Neutrality
Rogers currently has a bandwidth cap that does not impact me, but if I were to start streaming movies it might. So this is a concern to me, especially as Rogers has a vested interest in keeping me watching television (just as Bell, Telus and Aliant have a vested interest in keeping people making long distance phone calls). I have to agree with Bill St. Arnaud: "Internet connection advancement in the U.S. and Canada has been purely an interest of the corporations that provide them and not about serving the consumer-- you--and the advancement of technology in America in general." Bill St. Arnaud, Weblog, April 17, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Video, Canada, Bandwidth] [Comment]

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