By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Digital Pioneers?
I like Konrad Glogowski's idea that there may be 'digital pioneers' between 'digital natives' and 'digital immigrants'. And this seems to be right as well: "The 'digital natives' do indeed find the acoustic world, that world of 'oral listening,' more natural but this does not mean that they do not need to be introduced into that world, that they do not need a facilitator who will help them master their voice, online or off". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Hidden Power of Who Matters
Jay Cross runs through some familiar ground, applying social network analysis to an understanding of workflow. But worth noting is the discussion of the sort of communications that occur in a workplace network - some people are 'energizers' while others are 'toxic workers'. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Mobile Blogs, Personal Reflections and Learning Environments
The latest issue of Ariadne is now available, with most articles in this issue focusing on accessibility. In this article, the author argues that "that blogs are generally very useful support for personal reflections and that this can be further enhanced by the mobility of PDAs. These and other blogs can be read into VLEs using syndicated newsfeeds, for which a new Bodington tool offers considerable flexibly". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Problem of Where to File: Is it Possible to Construct the Perfect Classification System?
If you are still creating hierarchies to organize your data (say it ain't so!) this article pretty much closes the case: you shouldn't. "Because hierarchies has been the designated one size fits all solution to all our organizational needs, we break our semantically pure hierarchies by overstretching their bounds. As a result, we end up with messy hierarchies that are unusable and unmaintainable." What, then. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Create vs. Build -- Publishers and Their LMS Dilemma
If I had to define 'useless' it would probably include a description of learning platforms created by publishers exclusively for their own products. As Rob Reynolds observes, "Publishers argue that the LMS platforms available out there don't necessarily provide the best functionality for that content. Well, looking under the surface a bit renders that argument ridiculous." The real reason for such platforms is, of course, lock-in. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Open Source for Digital Curation
Comprehensive guide outlining why curators should consider open source and outlining a number of products and applications. If you are in the museum community this is an essential read. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. New MacTels Using “Trusted Computing”?
There is dismay in the Apple user community as it appears that new systems will prevent owners from playing 'unauthorized' content. "It’s like a blender that will only chop the food that Cuisinart says you’re allowed to chop". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. How To Give A Great Presentation
Not a bad collection of tips, and hence work reading, but won't actually tell you how to give a presentation. I once read a book called Winging It by Keith Spicer that was of vital importance to me. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. e-Learning Tech That is Fit For Purpose, Innovative and Sustainable
Wilbert Kraan asks the question central to e-learning standards: "for a new type of tool, do you agree an interoperability specification first, and then build applications, or build applications first, and then agree a spec later?" A bit of both, he seems to argue; that's why the E-learning Framework (ELF) is being developed iteratively. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. George Siemens: Connectivism: Learning as Network-Creation, Learning Circuits November 19, 2005

This is a first-rate paper by George Siemens that seems to me to offer a subtle revision to connectivism, one that brings it much closer into alignment with my own views (Siemens's characterization may differ). In particular, Siemens takes pains to define 'network learning' and to contrast it with contemporary theories of learning, such as behaviourism and constructivism. More...