By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Christopher D. Sessums[Edit][Delete]: Where The Action Is, Christopher D. Sessums : Weblog [Edit][Delete] December 30, 2005

Link and discussion of Ulises Mejias's syllabus on Social Software Affordances along with discussion of a related text, Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction (2004) by Paul Dourish. "According to Dourish, tangible and social computing are ultimately centered on the notion of embodiment. Specifically, embodiment focuses on three areas: the role played by the environment in which work takes place; how work really takes place (i.e., not work in the abstract, but in reality - the unplanned, unforeseen, the unexpectedness of working environments); and the recognition of the variety of roles artifacts play in our daily interaction with them. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Jeremy Price[Edit][Delete]: Sticks and Stones and Snap Judgements, Smelly Knowledge [Edit][Delete] December 29, 2005

Jeremy Price responds to a comment posted on this site a couple of days ago complaining about the use of academic jargon. Price argues, "some issues, ideas, concepts, thoughts are complex and necessitate deep and thorough thinking. The issues surrounding the use and nature of Wikipedia is one such topic." I recognize the need to balance accessible content with deep thought, and while I try to post introductory material frequently, I will not back off from taking the discussion to a deeper level if the link warrants it. In the end, you choose what to read: if it's too simple, too academic. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Dave Warlick[Edit][Delete]: What's it all For?, 2 cents Worth [Edit][Delete]2 Cents Worth [Edit][Delete] December 27, 2005

[link: 0 Hits] I ask myself "what's it all for" on something like a daily basis (I am always questioning myself, my motives, and my objectives) and so this short item gets to the heart of what we do. And the response - "to prepare children [or people] for the future" - doesn't satisfy. As Marco Polo asks, "When has mankind ever been ready for the future?" The problem with this isn't with the 'future' (after all, all our efforts are future-directed) or even 'mankind' (though it would be more inclusive to use the word 'humanity'). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Graham Wegner[Edit][Delete]: My Mate, Tom, Teaching Generation Z [Edit][Delete] December 26, 2005

[link: 0 Hits] This is a great story not because it's so unusual but because it's so typical, and it shows how the internet is changing lives, one or two at a time. Today I have internet friendships with people around the world, and while I don't see them very much, if at all, they are important and meaningful to me. And so, too, for many of the billion people now online. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Terry Heaton[Edit][Delete]: TV News in a Postmodern World, Donata [Edit][Delete] December 26, 2005

[link: 0 Hits] Next year's tech trend is probably the easiest to predict in years - next year will be the year of video. You read it last here. "This awakening of creativity among our youth -- and their ability to do something with it -- is the essence of what's known as Web 2.0. We've moved past the early adopter stage with young people, and that will continue to flourish next year". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Robert Ashley: You Can't Be Serious, 1Up December 23, 2005

As funny a post as I have seen in a while, this article looks at some standard 'learning games' - for example, Virtual Leader or A Force More Powerful - and subjects them to a reworking by some well know game designers. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Josie Fraser: Learners as Teachers as Learners, EdTechUK December 23, 2005

Josie Fraser follows up a recent link depicting "children teaching adults the non-lethal use of PowerPoint" and comes up with two more good examples of the younger teaching the older, both interestingly in topics dealing with web safety. "The idea behind this switching of roles is to stimulate communication between children and adults about their internet use". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Dave Munger: High IQ: Not As Good For You As You Thought, Cognitive Daily December 21, 2005

According to this study, "Both IQ and self-discipline are correlated with GPA, but self-discipline is a much more important contributor: those with low self-discipline have substantially lower grades than those with low IQs, and high-discipline students have much better grades than high-IQ students." But what is self-discipline. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Barry Dahn[Edit][Delete]: Blackboard Stuff, Desire2Blog [Edit][Delete] October 31, 2006

[link: Hits] Just keeping up on the Blackboard patent stuff. In case you missed it, here is the text of the EDUCAUSE letter urging Blackboard to drop its lawsuit. Michael Feldstein looks at the economic impact of the lawsuit - in the short run, things are OK, but in the longer run, things get ugly. So far as I can see, there is no future in the LMS market. To wit: 42 percent of institutions have implemented or chosen open source applications software such as Kuali Project, Sakai CMS , uPortal, Moodle CMS, or Open Office. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Paul Reid[Edit][Delete]: Rememberize - Web 2,0's Flashcard App, Digital Chalkie [Edit][Delete] October 31, 2006

[link: 1 Hits] I saw some flash card applications (who didn't?) pre-Web 2.0 and while useful (flash cards are useful - if you are motivated to learn and have the patience for the repetition) they weren't, shall we say, networked. More...