Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
August 20, 2009

Eulogy to _why
David Wiley and I discussed the example of Why's Poignant Guide to Ruby (free version) quite a bit during our talk. So it's sad to report that the anonymous Why has been outed and, as a consequence, has removed his web presence. John Resig, Weblog, August 20, 2009 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

United Breaks Guitars Song 2

The second instalment of 'United Breaks Guitars' is out. Appropriate music for my last post before my vacation. Now that my luggage has (finally) arrived from Air Canada, I can take my vacation and go camping for a couple of weeks. See you in September. Dave Carroll, YouTube, August 19, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Canada] [Comment]

If you had to pay for it, would you still use it?
Doug Johnson cites Miguel Guhlin, who asks, "Should school districts continue to allow teachers to post content online in Web 2.0 services that are 'free' now but may result in cost later?" Johnson adds, "Something in me shares Miguel's concern about the over-use of free resources on the web. Is this an economic model that is sustainable and what will be lost if a free tool goes away? (Especially as we think about moving into Google Apps for Education.)" But, of course, this is not a problem with using free resources online. It's a problem with using commercial services online, and in particular, those offering an 'introductory low low price'. As for the adage, "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch," that's a piece of propaganda that is proven wrong by charities and generous individuals in every city on every day. Doug Johnson, Blue Skunk Blog, August 19, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Schools, Web 2.0, Google, Marketing] [Comment]

Can Separate Be Equal?
I haven't always been of this opinion, but I've come around to it over the last few years. "Four decades of research has found that the single best thing one can do for a low-income student is give her a chance to attend a middle-class school... A low-income student given the chance to attend a middle-class school is likely to be surrounded by peers who are academically engaged and less likely to act out; a set of parents who volunteer in the classroom and know how to hold school officials accountable; and high-quality teachers who have high expectations." Via Tom Hoffman. Richard D. Kahlenberg, The American Prospect, August 19, 2009 [Link] [Tags: Schools, Research, Academia, Quality] [Comment]

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