CORDRA: ADL's Federated Content Repository Model
Summary of the ADL Content Object Repository, Discovery and Registration (or Resolution) Architecture, to be demonstrated later this fall and launched early in the new year. The idea is to create a system whereby all learning resources can be given a name and a system where these names can be resolved into physical addresses on the network. More...

Supporting Social Learning Around Collections of Open Educational Content: Open Learning Support
David Wiley and Brent Lanbert presented this overview of the Open learning Support system at the ITI conference in Logan, Utah. Essentially, the system is a mechanism for attaching discussions lists to learning resources, and in particular (to this point) the resources offered by the Open Courseware initiative. More...

How Social is Computer Supported Collaborative Learning: Do Off-task Interactions Exist?
Today's newsletter continues with coverage from ITI in Logan, Utah. Regular link coverage will resume tomorrow. In the meantime, these summaries offer a glimpse into the conference. Please keep in mind that they are being written as the sessions are given, so expect typos, sections in italics, and so on. More...

An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress
The open letter to the U.S. Congress signed by 25 Nobel prize winners has been released. It calls for support for open access to scientific materials. "When a woman goes online to find what treatment options are available to battle breast cancer, the cutting-edge, peer-reviewed research remains behind a high-fee barrier. More...

Redwood Group Maps Managed Learning Environments
After eWeek's take on the Redwood Group, covered here a few days ago, Wilbert Kraan of CETIS constributes with his own, less sensational, take on the group's work. Readers will want to note his reference in this context to the E-Learning Framework (ELF) being undertaken by Industry Canada, Australia's Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and JISC/CETIS. More...

OOPS! A Free Model for Open Knowledge
Description of OOPS, a site that invites people to create Chinese translations of MIT's OpenCourseWare courses. Goof discription of how a chaotic, non-managed project can produce good results. More...

Free Culture
Lawrence Lessig outlines the history of remix - the practice of using materials from previous works to createnew works, and contrasts this with the copyright "insanity" that has come to characterize the legal environment today. Summary of his talk at ITI in Utah. By Stephen Downes, Stephen'sWeb, September 1, 2004 [Refer][Research][Reflect]. More...

USU Instructional Technology Institute
Yesterday's unscheduled interruption in the smooth flow of newsletters was caused by travel from New Brunswick to the ITI in Logan, Utah. Internet access has been a bit of a challenge (though I'm fine now) - if you sent me email, it will be a day or two before I respond, as my email client can't cross the proxy server here in Utah. More...