Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
March 23, 2010

Federating purl.org?
Probably the first link-shortener, PURL was intended to create permanent URLs for documents. PURLs would be used for important structural works, such as standards and specifications. This approach - having a stable URL that would underlie potentially dynamic web addresses - underlies the Handle and DOI systems. But PURL, suggests Any Powell, also presents a single point of failure. What happens when the permanent URL system proves not to be permanent? Hence, "Zepheira, the company developing the PURL software, (has) recently announced a PURL Federation Architecture." Andy Powell, eFoundations, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Project Based Learning] [Comment] [Tweet]

LTSC LOM meeting
The IEEE Learning Technologies Subcommittee (LTSC) has been meeting, and while things like colds and project work and root canals have preventing me from taking part, I am still following the proceedings with interest. This link is a Flash Meeting recording of the Learning Object Metadata meeting, which according to the agenda looked at the what's next document and would have decided where to proceed (of course, since I haven't listed to it, I don't know - maybe someone can report on what was decided). There was also a meeting on competencies, but I don't know what has happened to the recording of that.
Various Authors, IEEE-LOM, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Content Management Systems, Project Based Learning, Metadata] [Comment] [Tweet]

A Parody of the Future of Education

David Wiley offers this "very contrarian" view (that he doesn't really believe) of the future of education. The video is a contribution to Dave Cormier and George Siemens's request for visions of the future (two people who should "never be allowed to work together," he says, lest they lead to the end of the world). "This twisted view of the future of education is completely undesirable, and yet completely possible. What will you do to prevent it from happening?" David Wiley, iterating toward openness, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Connectivism, Video] [Comment] [Tweet]

Connecting Assessment
Clarence Fisher shares a rubric for evaluating social networking activities. This follows the blogging rubric he shared in a previous post. The rubric assesses different levels of achievement in commenting, developing a global awareness, and connecting and networking. "It could possibly be used in a small group setting or as a self assessment tool. I can also see sitting with students several times over the course of a school year (possibly once every two months?) and having a conversation with them about connections and global issues." Clarence Fisher, Remote Access, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Assessment, Schools, Traditional and Online Courses, Networks, Web Logs] [Comment] [Tweet]

The Unfinished Project: Exploration, Learning and Networks
This longish post discusses leveraging the Australian national curriculum to share materials online." In this sense, the National Curriculum isn't a document so much as it is the architecture of a network. It is the way all things educational are connected together. It is the wiring underneath all of the pedagogy, providing both a scaffolding and a switchboard for the learning moment... That is the promise. We have the network. We live in the educational field. We now have the National Curriculum to wire it all together. " Mark Pesce, the human network, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning, Networks, Australia] [Comment] [Tweet]

Conway's Game of Life in JavaScript
Every computer science student knows the game of "Life" as a first-year programming exercise. But it's also a great illustration of how simple rules and autonomous but interconnected cells can produce complex behaviours. This page links to a Javascript version of Life. But if you want to play it, I would recommend using Google Chrome - the Javascript crawled on my Firefox but zipped briskly along on Chrome. Michael Calore, Webmonkey, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Google, Gaming, Google Chrome] [Comment] [Tweet]

iLoveLamp is a planter that keeps you connected to social networking sites
A plant that tweets when it needs water? Yes, it's very silly, and yes, I want one. Naresh, The Design Blog, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Twitter, Networks] [Comment] [Tweet]

PLE vs VLE
Video on personal learning environments (PLEs) in the spirit of the Common Craft 'plain English' videos. "In this presentation," write the students who produced it, "we aim to explore these ideas and enable teachers to begin thinking about how they can tap into a range of approaches to implementing PLEs in their classrooms. We will also discuss how children can be empowered to manage their own learning goals through the use of PLEs." Steve Wheeler, Learning with 'e's, March 23, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Video] [Comment] [Tweet]

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