July 13, 2012
The Unanticipated Benefit of Content Curation
Beth Kanter,
Beth's Blog, July 13, 2012.
Beth Kanter links to a ginormous map of content curation tools compiled by Robin Good. "His deep knowledge of the practices and the tools is impressive. I’ve learned so much just watching his curation technique over at scoop.it. Robin recently shared his comprehensive map of content curation skills, dividing them into couple of key categories. There are over 250 tools in this collection, so it might be a little bit overwhelming for beginners."
Free Online Sustainability Course
Unattributed,
University of Illinois, July 13, 2012.
Another in the list of open online courses being offered this fall: "'Sustainability: a global introduction' examines the global forces that will determine our sustainable future... The course is completely free, and delivered online. There will be a mixture of readings, short lectures, quizzes, collaborative projects and discussions." The website says that this is the first ever MOOC on sustainability - I don't know, it could be.
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Traditional and Online Courses, Project Based Learning]
What the Supreme Court's copyright rulings mean for you
Peter Nowak,
CBC News, July 13, 2012.
The Canadian Supreme Court came down with sweeping rulings this week upholding the principle of fair dealing (also known as 'fair use' in the U.S.). Here's the most important bit: "The court said that downloading a copy of a song is essentially the same as going to buy it in a store — so no additional royalties should be added beyond what the artist already gets through existing licensing agreements." Things like music previews, photocopies of excepts of books (contra Access Copyright, which "failed to show that photocopying in schools adversely affects the market for printed works") and playing music in games were all allowed without extra royalties, on the grounds that the work has already been purchased and the use amounts to a fair use of the purchased work. See also Michael Geist.
Is online learning really cracking open the public post-secondary system?
Tony Bates,
Online Learning and Distance Education Resources, July 13, 2012.
Tony Bates returns after a month away and jumps into the fray surrounding open learning and impending reform of the post-secondary education system. I like the lessons he draws form his readings:
- Lesson 1: No president with an activist Board of Governors is now safe if the university does not have a clear institutional strategy for online learning.
- Lesson 2: MOOCs may be the answer – but what is the question? May there be better solutions to the question?
- Lesson 3: Governments are increasingly not going to accept the status quo or business as usual.
- Lesson 4: Prepare and train your faculty to deal with change and innovation in teaching, and in particular for teaching online
- Lesson 5: If public institutions do not respond effectively to the challenge of change, they will eventually be swept aside by the private sector – and will deserve it.
Lesson 1 is a bit of a surprise but I think we have been writing about the rest for some time now (I wonder whether Bates has managed to read my ebook - I was hoping he might review it, but maybe not).
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Google, Online Learning, Teaching Online]
Split Screen, a Google Chrome Extension for Convenient Note Taking
Paul Hamilton,
Free Resources from the Net for Every Learner, July 13, 2012.
One of the very first features I looked for in a computer was split-screen word processing. Funny that it has taken this long to get that in the world of browsing (I often use two windows side by side). By default the screen on the left in this Google Chrome extension supports simple note-taking, but of course, what you want is (say) an input screen for your favorite authoring application.
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Google Chrome, Operating Systems, Google]
Smart phones?
Doug Johnson,
Blue Skunk Blog, July 13, 2012.
It's interesting to observe that most people use their smart phone for things other than phoning people. I can relate; I've made maybe one call on my S3 since I got it a couple weeks ago (thoughh I use it every day).
Terminated with Extreme Prejudice
Jim Groom,
bavatuesdays, July 13, 2012.
It was only a matter of time, I guess, but Jim Groom's YouTube account has finally been terminated "due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement." It occurs to me that if it's that easy, we should get together and force Goopgle to take down the Fox News Channel. But I digress, sort of. "Is this who we are giving all of our data over to?" asks Groom. "And while they terminated my account for a reason, it’s my theory that the fact has not created within Google (or any other company that controls your data) any sense of obligation. On the contrary, they reserve the right to do whatever they want whenever they want. Scary. I thought I would feel a bit more gutted and enraged at the idea of losing my YouTube account, but in the end it’s liberating. Fuck the arbitrary arbiters of copyright, they’re no friend of freedom! The bava will abide."
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.