Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
July 9, 2010

Pennies of Prosperity
Even a little bit would make a big difference - for health, for education, for prosperity. Equity is the best predictor of educational achievement.

The top 1 percent of Canadians makes 155 times more than the bottom 50 percent of Canadians. Or, put another way, if Canada's wealth were divided evenly, each family would have $360,000. And Canada is among the more equitable nations in the world. Various Authors, Public Service Alliance of Canada, July 9, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Canada] [Comment] [Tweet]

Harvard vs. Steve Jobs
I've never doubted there was a connection between certain professors, their corporate connections, and how much press they get. But I've never gone as far in my allegations as Emily Brill in this piece on Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "What most readers don't know," she writes, "is that the Berkman Center and many of its leading professors have financial and personal ties to Google and other tech companies-ties that are not disclosed when these academics speak or publish." The connections have nothing to do with what they write, these gurus may reply - but don't bother trying getting a Microsoft sponsorship or Google support if you're not writing highly convenient articles, because you know and I know it's not going to happen. Emily Brill, The Daily Beast, July 9, 2010 [Link] [Tags: Apple Inc., Books, Google, Academia, Microsoft] [Comment] [Tweet]

Matters of the Heart
I once thought of having a conference booth for OLDaily. That was back before my NRC days, when employment was uncertain and I thought I'd have to survive on my speaking and writing. And after I saw Farhad Saba's Distance-Educator.com booth I thought, "I could do that." I already knew, from my days at MuniMall, that booths, especially in more traditional communities, were one of the best ways to drive traffic. Maybe a bit less so now, but I certainly wouldn't blame Sheryl Nussbaum Beach for trying. As she says, "having a booth is actually a very positive thing for a company whose premise is building community, connections." Sheryl Nussbaum Beach, Powerful Learning Practice, July 9, 2010 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment] [Tweet]

Seriously? You Call This Flash Bashing Journalism??
Yet more "brand-mongering, SEO-sucking, sensational sillines" from the Chronicle. Never one to miss an opportunity to run shrieking in fear from technology, the Chronicle posted this fear-piece warning of the 'dangers' of Flash. There are no such dangers, except in the minds of the article's author and the technophobic editors. Ellen Wagner, eLearning Roadtrip, July 9, 2010 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment] [Tweet]

This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.

Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.