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OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
January 14, 2010

Massive cuts to higher education in Britain
The story of the year will be economic bottom falling out of our field. Tony Bates has two items. One, electronic textbooks will be required in California. The other points to huge cts in Britain. Just remember, we all need to make sacrifices in order to ensure that the bankers' bonuses can flow unabated in this time of economic hardship. Tony Bates, Weblog, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Great Britain] [Comment] [Tweet]

Lecturecasting on a Shoestring with a Macbook, Ustream, CamTwist, MPEG Streamclip and Blip.tv
A lot of institutions are about to get fleeced (again), this time on lecture streaming. It can be done cheaply, as Wesley Fryer points out. "Here's the problem with scaled lecturecasting for instructors as well as institutions: It can cost a LOT of money to purchase and support lecturecasting solutions." Ironically, I think using all this tech to record a lecture is overkill. I recorded my JSON talk on a Flip Cam, and once I get decent bandwidth, I can upload it directly to blip.tv. But hey, I imagine you could splurge for the computer and the UStream service. Wesley Fryer, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Apple Inc., Bandwidth] [Comment] [Tweet]

Lecturecasting on a Shoestring with a Macbook, Ustream, CamTwist, MPEG Streamclip and Blip.tv
A lot of institutions are about to get fleeced (again), this time on lecture streaming. It can be done cheaply, as Wesley Fryer points out. "Here's the problem with scaled lecturecasting for instructors as well as institutions: It can cost a LOT of money to purchase and support lecturecasting solutions." Ironically, I think using all this tech to record a lecture is overkill. I recorded my JSON talk on a Flip Cam, and once I get decent bandwidth, I can upload it directly to blip.tv. But hey, I imagine you could splurge for the computer and the UStream service. Wesley Fryer, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Apple Inc., Bandwidth] [Comment] [Tweet]

Reflections on CETIS's "Future of Interoperability Standards" Meeting
As standards bodies rush to formalize interoperability, experts question whether it's all to quick. "Interoperability standards in the Learning, Education and Training domain have failed miserably (and in other domains, as I pointed out recently in the context of W3C standards). And we have seen a huge range of technological innovations which are being adopted enthusiastically by many in the user community where there hasn't been a significant focus placed in the development of new standards." Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Interoperability] [Comment] [Tweet]

Boy, 4, Chooses Long Locks and Is Suspended From Class
A 4-year old, banned from school for long hair, reminds us the objective of school is conformity. "The boy's parents, Delton Pugh and Elizabeth Taylor, have argued that it is unfair to punish Taylor for his longish locks; it suggests, they shttp://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2010/01/boards-longhaired-tyke-vs-the-mesquite-tx-school-board.html">Russo. James McKinley Jr., New York Times, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Schools] [Comment] [Tweet]

Four possible explanations for Google's big China move
Ethan Zuckerman offers four reasons why Google might no longer censor search results in China. 1. Google decided to stop being evil; 2. Google retreated from a very tough market; 3. Google abandoned Chinese users; 4. Google is about to join the front lines of the anticensorship wars. I am wondering, though, whether Chinese attempts to hack Google accounts may have played a role. Google was reacting after a data theft originating (say reports) from Chinese sources. Google reports, "we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists." Ethan Zuckerman, My heart's in Accra, January 14, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Google, China] [Comment] [Tweet]

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