Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
August 16, 2010

The 2010 Social Networking Map
Updating the famous XKCD map, this map of social networks has been redrawn for 2010. "The numbers are taken to reflect many new developments in the social networking communities, including Facebook surpassing Myspace as the preeminent online community." I love the depiction of the 'Former Kingdom of Myspace.' Ethan Block, Flowtown, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Running courses openly – fewer problems and more benefits than expected
As registrations for PLENK2010 continue to accumulate, it's worth noting that not only is the open course phenomenon is spreading, it seems to be working surprisingly well. "Sounds like a win-win-win situation, if there is such a thing. With little effort the Professor increases the benefits of his or her teaching and gets to work with motivated and engaged learners (win), enrolled students enjoy a richer learning experience (win), and informal learners have access to a learning opportunity that did not exist before (win)." Jan Philipp Schmidt, Open Courseware Consortium, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Rethinking e-Learning
This sounds right: "This recognition that our processing uses external representations is an important component in looking at ways to support performance. When should we provide tools, whether representational or computational, instead of trying to put all information in the head? We need a richer picture of how we perform, rather than a simplistic and ineffectual model that posits we can know everything we need." And I like what the author calls the seven Cs of 'natural learning':

- Choose what we are interested in
- Commit to do what is necessary to learn about it
- Create expressions of our understanding as application
- Crash when our expressions sometimes fail
- Copy others' performances
- Converse with others about the topic
- Collaborate to co-create a shared understanding as well as an artifact

I'd like to get a 'cooperate' in there somewhere. And maybe a 'cultivate'. And definitely a 'clarify', a 'criticize' and even a 'construct'. Via David Jones. Clark Quinn, Learning Solutions Magazine, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Motoring enthusiast builds 367mph bus
Why? Because everybody needs their own jet powered school bus. Heh. Unattributed, The Telegraph, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Chat between Personal Learning Environment ( PLE ) and Learning Management System ( LMS )
I think it's funny that the PLE boy in this video is named "Stephen." I like how the argument for PLEs is made via xtranormal, a service that helps you create cartoon videos. No, it's not perfect by a long shot. But it's a much better animation than I could create in a month of trying. Spanish subtitles. See al;so this site, referenced on the video page. patob2000, YouTube, August 10, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

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