May 24, 2012
Google Doodle Honors Bob Moog - inventor of Moog Synthesizer
David Andrade,
Educational Technology Guy, May 24, 2012.
I've been playing off and on (literally) with Google's recent Moog Synthesizer doodle. While I think it lacks a bit as a musical instrument (though it does play a mean Dr. Who theme) what's interesting about it is the way it demonstrates the way different controls have an impact on the sound. Though I think the educational aspects could be a bit more out there - I'm still not clear on what "attack', 'decay' and 'sustain' mean. Though help like this video helps. The doodle could also be a bit clearer about where files are saved - a lot of the recording URLs simply open up my google.com search page, and not the recording at all.
ETT21 #167: The Reboot
Alex Ragone,
EdTechTalk , May 24, 2012.
I haven't seen people using ooVoo much recently, but they've expanded their offering a bit, and made it possible to have multiparty video conversations. To get a sense of it, have a look at this Ed Tech Talk video using ooVoo. (Sadly, it's the MP3 audio only).
Fear of a YouTube Planet
Jim Groom,
bavatuesdays, May 24, 2012.
It looks like we're in for another round of video deletions on YouTibe. As Jim Groom says, "I’ve probably had around 50 copyright complaints, and they have been coming fast and furious as of late. There must be some crackdown in the office of YouTube." What I don't understand is why the creators (or, more accurately, the copyright holders) of a film like The Wild Bunch don't understand that their property becomes more valuable when people use a clip of it as part of their everyday vocabulary. Oh well. I guess it's back to cat videos - they'll never become illegal (unless Disney decides it owns the rights to cat videos).
Grockit Wants to Build a Pinterest for Learning
Sarah Kessler,
Mashable, May 24, 2012.
... because without imitation, there might not be any technology industry at all. Hence: "the founders of social test prep startup Grockit want to re-configure online content such as YouTube videos, Wikipedia entries and ebooks into ordered lesson plans. Their new product, Learnist, works a bit like a Pinterest for learning. Soon anyone (the capability is still invite-only at launch) will be able to compile content pieces onto a board or 'learning.' A nifty bookmarklet makes it easy to collect content from other sites." Once again, for the record: supporting learning isn't simply a matter of posting a bunch of content to a bulletin board.
MITx, Khan Academy, and Online Education Are No Substitute for In-School Learning
Politics World Business Culture Science Media & Tech Millennials MITx, Khan Academy, and Online Education Are No Substitute for In-School Learning Andrew Hanson,
PolicyMic, May 24, 2012.
I think people aren't asking the right question. Instead of asking "Are Khan and online learning, etc., worth the same as a traditional university education?" they should be asking "Are Khan and online learning, etc., <i>plus $150,000 in the bank</i> worth the same as a traditional university education?" I'm not saying the answer will come out differently, necessarily, but it's a rather different calculation now.
Essentialism & Connectivism
Keith Hamon,
Communications & Society, May 24, 2012.
Keith Hamon ties himself in knots trying to reconcile essentialism and connectivism. And I don't think he helps himself adding DNA to the mix. "Richard Cartwright has defined essentialism as 'the view that, for any specific kind of entity, there is a set of … attributes all of which are necessary to its identity and function.'" But there are many things for which essentialism is false. As Wittgenstein famously argues, consider the definition of 'game'. There's nothing essential to being a game. For every property you can think of - competition, rules, points - there are exceptions. Or consider membership in a family. People in a family resemble each other, but there is no one trait that their all share. What makes them a family is that they are connected, not that they share some essential trait. In many ways, connection replaces essentialism, and does not need to account for it.
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