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11 septembre 2019

Blackboard Financials: Why Are Insiders Still Dumping the Stock?

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Alfred Essa[Edit][Delete]: Blackboard Financials: Why Are Insiders Still Dumping the Stock?, The NOSE [Edit][Delete] December 5, 2006
With all the attention being paid to the company as a result of the Blackboard patent, questions are beginning to surface about its long-term viability. Alfred Essa, for example, asks why Blackboard insiders and continuing to dump Blackboard stock. "Even Forbes recently took notice ("five insider selling plays") listing Blackboard as one of the top five companies with significant insider dumping of stocks. More...

11 septembre 2019

Open Source Projects Threatened by e-learning Patent

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Ryan Paul[Edit][Delete]: Open Source Projects Threatened by e-learning Patent, Ars Technica [Edit][Delete] December 4, 2006
There has been much more discussion about the Blackboard patent case following the filing of two separate appeals to the U.S. patent board last week - in addition to the one filed by the open source LMS organizations, as Seb Schmoller reports in detail, Desire2Learn files it's own appeal with the U.S. Patent Bureau. Ars Technica focuses on the open source application. Coverage from Inside Higher Education. The Chronicle, meanwhile, remains the one source of coverage you can't read (don't know why they even bother, really). Sakai's statement and FAQ. . Michael Feldstein argues that the challenges have less to dfo with open source than with the fact that it's Blackboard's customers that are taking this action. More...

11 septembre 2019

Nintendo's Wii Selling Out in Japan

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Masaki Kondo[Edit][Delete]: Nintendo's Wii Selling Out in Japan, E-Commerce Times [Edit][Delete]E-Commerce Times [Edit][Delete] December 4, 2006
I think the deployment of Nintendo's Wii (pronounced 'wee') has many more implications for online learning than does Second Life (though I can imagine an interesting sub theme around the idea of Wii-enabled SL interaction). What makes the Wii revolutionary is that its wireless controllers send input to the program based on its location and movement, and not merely what buttons have been pushed. I've been watching people play with the Wii in the local tech shops. The interaction with the game is a much more bodily interaction, much more analogue. I think (based on what I've seen) that it will be especially popular with women and girls. I think the marketing has been pretty good. But this video will really give you a feel for the product (ignore the offensive title and comments). More...

11 septembre 2019

Futurist: To Fix Education

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Martin LaMonica[Edit][Delete]: Futurist: To Fix Education, Think Web 2.0, CNet News.Com [Edit][Delete]CNET News.com [Edit][Delete]CNet News.com [Edit][Delete]CNet news.Com [Edit][Delete] December 4, 2006
Well, web 2.0 in learning has been anointed. John Seely Brown: "Rather than treat pedagogy as the transfer of knowledge from teachers who are experts to students who are receptacles, educators should consider more hands-on and informal types of learning. These methods are closer to an apprenticeship, a farther-reaching, more multilayered approach than traditional formal education, he said". More...

11 septembre 2019

10 Reasons to Go Short on Second Life

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. 10 Reasons to Go Short on Second Life, This is going to be BIG [Edit][Delete] December 4, 2006
I have been less than enthusiastic about Second Life, and this article captures some of the reasons why. In fairness, here are some responses to O'Donnell's criticisms. To me, though, there are two major problems with Second Life. First, it's a single company, which means there's no democracy, no user rights, and therefore, none of the freedoms people online have come to expect. Corporations like it, sure, so it gets a lot of press. But it ends there. Second, though it appears because it is a visual web (as opposed to the more mainstream text-based web) it is only one way a visual web could work, and a rather boring one at that. There will be a visual and multidimensional environment that goes mainstream, but it won't be owned by some company and it won't simply be an online version of the real world. More...

11 septembre 2019

The Form of Informal

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Stephen Downes[Edit][Delete]: The Form of Informal, Half an Hour [Edit][Delete] December 4, 2006
I have a couple of recent items. In The Form of Informal, I argue that critics of informal l;earning equivocate between two senses of the word 'form', and that 'informal' does not mean 'without structure'. Also, in Virtues Education I look at the argument offered by Paul Tough in a recent New York Times article. The methods described by Tough may appear to work, I write, but they are not scalable, and even if they were, the sort of cultural subversion he describes creates far more harm than he imagines. "Indoctrination, however much it appears to work in the short term and on a small scale, is not the answer. Empowerment is, and only ever has been." [Tags: ] [Comment] [Edit]. More...

11 septembre 2019

NYC eduCamp

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. NYC eduCamp
Speaking of educamps - I wanted to link to this educamp that was held a few days ago in New York. The New York rules were slightly different, more in the 'camp' tradition: "Attendees must give a demo, a session, or help with one, or otherwise volunteer / contribute in some way to support the event ("Contributing" something to EduCamp can mean many things. You can attend someone else's workshop and simply engage in discussion, or help clean up the breakfast plates! We just want to make sure people are actively involved.) All presentations are scheduled the day they happen." More here More...

11 septembre 2019

Educamp Ireland

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Educamp Ireland
Here is a link to an Irish eduCamp, from last June. "It will focus less on bitching about the Department of Education and Science and more on getting free technology, leveraging local ITexpertise and exploring low-cost effective information technology for schools without money." Also, here's the Stanford eduCamp, which tool place in September, with a large number of proceedings, notes, pictures, whatever. More...

11 septembre 2019

Students 2.0 Edublog Pre-Launch: Help Spread the Splash

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Students 2.0 Edublog Pre-Launch: Help Spread the Splash
One of these things I'd like to see succeed. Clay Burell writes, "I have watched this handful of impressive students young adults from around the world working tirelessly for the last three weeks on an endless Skype chat to prepare the launch of the new Students 2.0 edublog. And I've been amazed at how much more they know than any adult I know about many things technical and pedagogical." There's a list of things you can do to participate in the launch, which takes place in a couple of days. More...

11 septembre 2019

Facebook Privacy Basics...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Facebook Privacy Basics...
One of the rules of eduCamps - and bar camps in general - is that there is a lot of online participation - photo sharing, content sharing, more. It's like the tour we took in New Zealand last year, which was an extended bar camp. Everything went online. It is with this in mind that I link to Brian Lamb's post on Facebook privacy basics. Case in point: I saw my Facebook profile on public display at the conference today. Everybody walking by stopped to look at it. It makes me think twice about what I'm posting there (well, not so much, because I knew it was pretty tame - but you know what I mean). Related: Alan Levine complains about Facebook bacn. Totally agree. More...

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