By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Things I Used to Teach That I No Longer Believe
I have roots in journalism and to this day think of myself as partially a journalist. And it is in that role I note my agreement with Jay Rosen when he asserts, "If you teach journalism ethics too near the surface of the practice, you end up with superficial journalists." I don'tg see myself as a non-political truth-teller; far from it, for I know that those who write from such a stance leave themselves open to manipulations of 'the truth'. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Feedster Top 500
Feedster has joined the blog ranking game in a big way with its list of the top 500 released today. Sad to say, downes.ca has once again been overlooked in the quest for web fame, despite, according to Feedster itself, racking up 7,988 links (see Feedster, or if you need speed, the screen shot), a number that would put me in 18th place. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. YotoPhoto
Another step forward in the distribution of free content. Yoto photo allows users to search for free photos you can use (licenses vary, most are Creative Commons, with some other open licenses thrown in). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Lloyd's Taking on Open Source IP Risk
When I spoke at the Moncton Cybsersocial last fall about open source, one businessperson took me aside after and asked, "what about liability?" I didn't have a good answer at the time, but in the days that followed, it occured to me: open source liability isn't risk, it's opportunity. Now, Lloyds of London has found that opportunity. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Academic Commons
While I was flying home from Snowmass on Friday this site was launching. "Academic Commons offers a forum for investigating and defining the role that technology can play in liberal arts education". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. DTV Free Internet TV
It's only available for Apple computers now, but a Windows download is expected shortly. DTV is essentially a video podcasting system, and like podcasting, will allow anyone to launch their own television channel. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Four Reasons Why the Blogsphere Might Make a Better Professional Collaborative Environment than Discussion Forums
This proposal outlines how teachers could use blogging as a conversation and collaboration tool. I think it's a bit complex (for now). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Eduforge Blogs
As Josie Fraser summarizes, "Eduforge has recently undergone a transformation, with the help of the eXe Editor Project. It's now full of read/write web goodness - including fully featured blogs, Planet Eduforge - a feed aggregator, wikis, and a new teaching tools showcase". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Teaching with Games
Mostly a short item with links to resources, but I couldn't resist citing the opening bit: "Parent: How can I get my child to stop playing video games? Me: That's simple. Make "video games" a required subject in school. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Under Pressure
Happily, I can ignore the critics. ;) Still, "Pressure groups are gaining power over the media in this age of distrust. The Internet, in particular, is helping them orchestrate intricate campaigns that make them much harder to ignore. Like HRC, these groups often reflect only one side of a complex issue". More...