By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Chalk Assisted Instruction (CAI)
Terry Anderson presents a formal paper on groups and networks (open with MS Word) which draws from my own work on the very topic. The paper resents the concept of the 'collective', as an alternative to groups and networks, though I confess, I have not been satisfied with the account. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Claude Ostyn and Phil Dodds (center).

I didn't know either Claude Ostyn or Phil Dodds, both of whom were pioneers in the e-learning standards movement and both of whom have recently passed away. So what do I say?

I started my day today listening to Jane Siberry:

sail ho heave ho come on let go your time on earth is over
i watch you sleeping on the bed i'm talking to your soul

did you ever think it'd be like this?
did you ever think you'd walk away?
you and me running through the backstreets of the world
like a pack of hounds of two
wanting more and more love and how much is too much?
did you ever think we'd love so hard?
fighting hard and hurting worse
oh...you're sailing away...

it's alright
put your arms around my neck
hold me tight as we drift out now
while i have the stength of ten men
hold me close as we drift out into the darkness
pigeons rushing up past our heads
people in doorways
i think this is europe somewhere
you're so thin you're so light
don't let go hold me
...are these yours? or mine?

When my time comes, I hope to have lived well, fought well and loved well.

Mourning Claude Ostyn. Also, Chuck Allen on Ostyn. On the passing of Phil Dodds. More from Mark Oehlert. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Navcon2k7, Fruit Bats, Terrigal Beach and Love Poems
What are we trying to teach when we teach? Probably one of these:
* Socialisation - the challenge of adapting the child to society
* Acculturation - the challenge of conveying the essence of a culture
* Individuation - that educational fostering of autonomy and authenticity
Artichoke writes, "Harpaz argued that we have a contradiction within schools because we have fused these three ideologies and because these ideologies helplessly contradict each other - we never progress." Which is true enough. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Due Diligence
The filtering argument continues. Doug Johnson links to a defense of filtering from Kurt Paccio, who argues, "not one of those who sigh or are critical of filtering decisions has their job on the line should Johnny access inappropriate content. Would those who are frustrated sit beside me in court or defend me in the court of public opinion?" Johnson responds, "If schools are relying on filters (and tech staff) alone to protect students from inappropriate content, I hope the superintendent gets canned rather than the IT director." You can tell common sense has gone out the window when Paccio asserts, "It's sad but we live in a litigious society." The problem is, justice is inaccessible. It costs too much to defend oneself, and the costs of failure are too extreme. Even if the response is reasonable, the bullies win. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. FON's Wireless Revolution Starts Now
This is a remarkable story. FON is a service that allows you to "make a fraction of your Wi-Fi available as a secure public hotspot, and you get unlimited access to everyone else's Wi-Fi who's doing the same thing." Non-members ay a fee to access, and you get a cut. Now British Telecom has signed on. BT takes the resident's cut. But in return, the resident gets free access to what could be a much wider network. It's a good deal all round - except for existing wireless broadband provider. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Is Text-Only Enough for Today's Students?
This sentence expresses why the rest of this post is worth reading: "I think we're too hung up on the technology and not realizing that we are experiencing an evolution in how humans communicate... Their voice, their graphics, their face, and their typed text all play a role in their future as a communicator in this electronic world." More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. UC Berkeley YouTube Lectures
Probably the greatest thing about broadcasting videos of traditional university lectures on YouTube is that we might finally get past all the complaints about 'e-learning quality'. After people view this, what will they say about proper e-learning: "lectures spend a lot of time on local questions about homework, projects, scheduling and other workaday topics that will be of no interest to outside viewers." Now let me ask, what is it that makes a great education? Is it "questions about homework, projects, scheduling and other workaday topics?" See also the Inside Higher Ed article. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Data and Metadata Reporting and Presentation Handbook
Someone from the Bank of Canada just sent me this URL bu email. This guide, from OECD, is "a single comprehensive reference set of international guidelines and recommendations for the reporting and presentation of statistical data and metadata." What's the significance? If you can get through the (to me, barely literate - I'll buy a definite article for $150, Alex) business English, it's this: "The second imperative driving the need for the development of data and metadata presentation and reporting standards refers to the requirement to minimise the reporting burden of national agencies in their provision of statistics and metadata to international organisations. Emphasis here is on the development of more efficient practices and processes for such reporting which are undertaken within the context of the range of processes and mechanisms described in Section 2.3.1 below such as bilateral exchange, data sharing, etc." What does that mean. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Will Richardson Keynote Presentation at UPEI's New Media Institute
This, I guess, is the 'official' version of Will Richardson's talk last Saturday, as seen on blip.tv. I also recorded my own version while I was there, which I posted on my blog. Are two videos too many? No - for one thing, my own was practice for my own learning- I'm just sharing my 'homework' with you. For another, the two videos back each other up, can be used to create a single video, attest to the veracity of the recording, etc. Also available on video was the new media panel, which was a highlight for me. And Dave Cormier's presentation of Living Archives Project can also now be seen online. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Senor DJ Lamb: Vancouver Virtuoso of Vermin
I was asked yesterday in an email how a person develops synoptic vision, 'the ability to draw together and integrate in a visionary way'. I had to admit that I didn't know; I hadn't thought of it precisely that way. But as Jim Groom illustrates, we have a good example in Brian Lamb, who is able to draw lessons for learning through four slides on vermin and garbage. What I like about Lamb's presentations is that he embodies his thinking; this is yet another example. And what he embodies lies at the very heart of open education. Jim Groom has more on the Open Education conference just concluded in Utah here. More...