BlogShares
BlogShares just officially launched after a beta test of a few weeks. I've had a lot of fun with this game, and though I'm not (currently) in the top 100 players, I think I've shown that I have some knowledge of the blog market by parlaying my initial (play money) $500 into a $75,000 total worth. More...

Deep in the Hearts of Learners: Insights into the Nature of Online Community
Though to me it seems to take a while to get to the point, this article about online learning communities is well worth reading. More...

Leavitt Says Western Governors University on Brink of Accreditation
For many people involved in online learning, Western Governors' University seems to have dropped off the radar screen. But unlike many similar institutions, the University continues to survive. This article suggests that it is now on the verge of attaining accrteditation. More...

Maricopa Learning Exchange
Maricopa has long been a leader in online learning (an early winner of NAWeb Awards, for example) and so it is not surprising to see it right at the cutting edge of what may be an important trend sweeping through online learning: the syndication of learning objects using technologies like RSS (I will have a lot more to say about this over the next few weeks, so stay tuned). More...

XML Standard Set For Secure Web Services
This article is a little vague and devotees should check out the OASIS website for more information. In essence, the standards group has announced the release of XACML, a variant of Extensible Markup Language, which allows Web developers to enforce policies for information access over the Internet. More...

E-payment as Advantage
"It's no surprise," argues this article, "that colleges and universities would pick up on what Amazon.com and other online businesses learned years ago: Make it easy to pay for goods or services online, and everyone wins." The article describes a number of online payment options offered by colleges and universities in the United States (of course, institutions in many other countries are also dabbling in this area). More...

CAREO RSS Prototyle Goes Live
The second institution to offer learning object syndication is the University of Calgary (Maricopa was first; see below. My feeds don't count because I'm not an educational institution). More...

Rich Site Summary (RSS) Links and Information

I'm still on the road in Ottawa, still struggling with slow dial-up lines, and so way behind in my links. So of course it is this week - perhaps prompted by my railing at IMS last week - that one of my long-time passions is coming to fruition. More...

The Effect of Computers on Student Writing: A Meta-Analysis of Studies from 1992 to 2002
Some people may view this as counter-intuitive, but "on average, instructional use of computers for writing has a positive effect on the quantity and quality of writing students produce," at least according to this metaanalysis of 26 studies conducted over the last ten years. More...

Computer Made from DNA and Enzymes

Ah yes, another day, another entry into the record books as the world's smallerst computer. More...