By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Zude, Engyte
Some new applications to learn from. Zude hasn't launched yet, but from the demo seems to hit the mix and mash note nicely. See also this article from ZD net. Also, see Engyte, "a Web 2.0 content sharing solution that combines sharing, automatic organization and a... search capability." Explode, meanwhile, has suddenly disappeared. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Are We Destroying Research by Evaluating It?
A topic I think about from time to time, especially as I resist efforts to have my work 'evaluated' by traditional metrics (the NRC criteria are quite broad, which allows a lot of the work that I do to be credited, but there is a constant pressure to narrow the definition of 'work' to include only formal publications, patents and intellectual property). Daniel Lemire points to a paper from Bruno S. Frey and Margit Osterloh, who argue, "path-breaking contributions are exactly those at variance with accepted criteria. Indeed innovative research creates novel criteria which before were unknown or disregarded." Lemire comments (and I agree), "we see a homogenization of research endeavors. All laboratories and departments end up looking the same. Fads are followed religiously". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Cellphone Breakout
I was talking with Julie Zilber yesterday about mobile phone networks (and in "the CDMA standard, which is popular in North America and parts of Asia, and used by Bell and Telus in Canada. The other is GSM, which is used by Rogers in Canada and is the most common cellphone standard outside North America, used by more than 2 billion subscribers in most countries around the world" - worth noting that the mobile phone services in Vancouver for the Olympics in 2010 will be CDMA, rendering inoperable most travellers' mobile phones. Anyhow, this article highlights the very anti-competitive practices of CDMA companies, like Telus, who regard 'unlocked' phones to constitute copyright violation. What is an 'unlocked' phone. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. New Open-Access Medical Journal, Offshoot of CMAJ Firing Fight, Is Launched
This is a long and bitter story regarding the ruin of a prestigious Canadian medical journal because of editorial interference. The result, though, is the launch of a new, open, Canadian journal in medicine, Open Medicine, officially launched Wednesday. "It will be available online only, will have no subscription fees, and no corporate or medical association ownership. It won't accept advertisements for medical devices and drugs - the major advertisers in traditional journals." That's one of the major aspects of open publishing - independence. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Toward a Future Knowledge Society
I like George Siemens and he says a lot of good things, but he is often quite vague, an imprecision that can be frustrating. In this discussion of my work on connective knowledge, for example, his central criticisms of my arguments are not so much wrong as impenetrable. My response is here. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. World's Best Presentation Contest
Is the World's best presentation found on Slideshares? I don't know,. but that's where they will find the winner of the World's best Presentation Contest. Yeah, another 'best of'. I have a presentation submitted - good luck finding it to vote for it among the hundreds of nominees. Meanwhile Andy Powell notes that you can download the actual presentations through the Slideshares interface, in addition to viewing the Flash presentation. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. M.Ed in Informal Learning
The logic is inexorable, that as soon as such a program is created, they should start handing out degrees. I'll take mine with a minor in social networking, thanks (you can find my address on the back of this application). More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. PLE's in Context
Cynical cynical cynical - but accurate. "With these four contexts in mind, it possible to comprehend why PLE's has no appeal to most CLO's, appears to be going mainstream, and is getting so much buzz among us eLearning fanatics. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Future of Online Learning and Personal Learning Environments
My presentation here in Bogota, Colombia. A look at some of the recent accomplishments in e-learning, an outline of network learning, and a description of personal learning environments. Click here to go directly to my (latest attempt at a) nice presentation page display work, with embedded slides and audio, plus links to the ppt and MP3 files. Stephen Downes, Stephen's Web April 19, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Personal Learning Environment, Networks, Online Learning, Audio]. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. These Proposals Are Echoes When We Need Ideas
I have stated before that wealth does not confer expertise. Thus with the campaign by Eli Broad and Bill Gates to reform education via "a call for stronger, more consistent curriculum standards nationwide; lengthening the school day and year; and improving teacher quality through merit pay and other measures." My reaction is similar to Judy Breck's: "the above 3-plank education platform would sound perfectly appropriate for the elections of 1988, or 1948, or 1908". More...
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