By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Abandoning MySQL - Switching to #MariaDB for Moodle
Mig, Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org, February 15, 2013

I'm not on the verge of switching from MySQL but I watch developments like this closely. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. T3S1: Digital Literacies with Dr. Doug Belshaw
Doug Belshaw, Slideshare, February 18, 2013
Good set of slides from a Doug Belshaw presentation to #etmooc on Monday (hard to gauge the exact time - the schedule says "all times eastern" but then posts times inside a Google Calendar, which automatically corrects time zones). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. graphic2sm
Brian Lamb, Flickr, February 14, 2013

Here's why you follow feeds even though they're obscure and unremarked (sorry Brian): because when you keep an eye on interesting people, you eventually see interesting things. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Captain Kirk calls Chris Hadfield at space station
CBC News, February 8, 2013
Sometimes being Canadian is ordinary, it's like having any other generic nationality, but sometimes, like today, it's a bit special. William Shatner, the legendary Captain Kirk, chatting with Chris Hadfield, the commander of the International Space Station. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. F# Promises a Big Return on Big Data
Tara E. Buck, Ed Tech, February 6, 2013
Here's a chance to learn a new programming language at tjhe dawn of its useful life, F# (pronounced 'F Sharp'). "Last week, Microsoft Research unveiled a new web-based platform, Try F#, to further the language’s use and open development." The link points to an online learning site where you can learn to code using F# in your browser (how's that for using online learning to support a new product?). More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. LearnDash
LearnDash, February 4, 2013
Audrey Watters notes this website in passing in her weekly summary: "LearnDash (is) a WordPress plugin that lets you create courses, set up quizzes, and track user info. It also takes advantage of the TinCan API (which I [Watters] wrote about here)." Note that even though WordPress is an open source application, this plug-in is not free. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Educon: Unraveling the Textbook
Tim Stahmer, assortedstuff, February 4, 2013

Tim Stahmer, reflecting on Educon (and linking to a few of the wonderful reflections written by others) jots down a few short notes about textbooks. "A replacement for the textbook should

• be accessible on any device, anywhere
• allow users to add comments
• allow certain users (teachers, trusted students) to add and update materials
• have a social media component to allow users to discuss the materials
• have content controlled by educators, not publishers."

The fact that this would completely disrupt the textbook industry should tell us something. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. 21st Century Literacy: New Initiative Makes the Case that Learning to Code is for Everyone
Mimi Ko Cruz, Berkman Center for Internet, Society, Jul 11, 2014

You have to admire their capacity to win research grants. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Extended Artificial Memory. Toward an integral cognitive theory of memory and technology
Lars Ludwig, Kluedo, Jul 11, 2014
Lars Ludwig wrote to tell me about work he has done on the possibility of extending memory with machines. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Personal Learning Networks, CoPs Connectivism: Creatively Explained
Jackie Gerstein, User Generated Education, Jul 04, 2014
OK, with some or another of these analogies I would probably have issues because the metaphor is not exact. But it doesn't really matter because what I really like is the way the author finds different ways to creatively express the essential nature of communities of practice. More...