By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Katrina A. Meyer: Exploring the Potential for Unintended Consequences in Online Learning, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning September 24, 2005
Though we inevitable predict the future, predictions are tricky business, especially regarding major impacts (such as the introduction of the internet) and distance events. This is because variables are not independent; there is feedback, chaos, and the inevitable unintended consequences. The author skecthes a model or framework for understanding the nature of unintended consequences in prediction, and then maps out scenarios in which these can be expected in e-learning. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Sanjay Jasola and Ramesh Sharma: Open and Distance Education through Wireless Mobile Internet: A Learning Model, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning September 24, 2005

I like this article because instead of simply referring to 'mobile computing' it digs into the nature and functionality of wireless technologies and digital cellular service; you will learn, for example, what the difference is between a third-generation cellular radio transmission technology (3G) and a wireless application protocol (WAP) and how they work together. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Stephanie A. Clemons: Brain-Based Learning: Brain-Based Learning: Possible Implications for Online Instruction, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning September 24, 2005
There is a certain audacity inherent in giving a subsection of your paper a title like 'The Brain: A Synopsis'. Nonetheless, we live in heady times, and this article, from the September issue of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, demonstrates this. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Tom Hoffman: The "IF" in SIF, ESchool News September 24, 2005
I don't write a lot about the Schools Interoperability Framework, largely because of the issues mentioned in this column: it's large and unmanagable, it's nor particularly friendly to open source, and you need big expensive components like a SIF compatable student information system and library information system. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Matt Barton: Onward, Wiki Soldiers: Let's Liberate Composition, Kairosnews September 24, 2005
I don't really like the title (people seem unaware of how much military metaphors have permeated culture) but rest of it reaches me in all the right ways. The author explains, "It begun when I read RIP-OFF 101, a report detailing how the textbook industry is inflating the costs of college textbooks by a variety of means, most of them devious. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Stephen Downes and Teemu Arina: E-Learning 2.0 In Brief, Stephen's Web September 24, 2005
So anyhow, I played my first game of golf in 16 years yesterday, a community social afternoon that stretched into a social evening and delayed today's newsletter 24 hours. Meanwhile, at the crack of dawn this morning I was awake and preparing for an online talk with a group put together by Teemu Arina in Finland. What was significant was not the content of the talk (which was a brief version of a talk I gave in Ottawa last week) but how we did it. For the audio, Teemu gave me a call on Skype, which he hooked into some speakers. We then set up a chat window for all the participants using a CGI:IRC he had installed on his server, which "allows you to use Internet Relay Chat from a web browser without having to use Java." For slides, we used S5. As we planned (all this started Wednesday afternoon) we thought it would be neat if I could advance the slides fom my end; 24 hours later the programmers at Teemu's end had whipped together a version of S5 that uses Ajax server calls to coordinate slide advances. And first thing this morning, I rewrote their server code (because it requires BerkeleyDB, which I don't have). It all worked pretty well, considering it's probably the first time anyone has done this; Teemu took some photos. If you want to try it yourself, here's the code Teemu's team put together, and here's my hacked together server code. Sure, you could buy Centra or Elluminate or any of these expensive conferencing systems, or you could it for free, the way we did. Note that if you click on the link above, the slide how may move around on its own as others access it, and you might start on any given page. Hover your mouse on the lower right hand side of the page to see the navigation options. [Comment]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. NinJam
This is pretty cool. NimJam allows people to collaborate to make music online. The big problem with jamming online is latency - there is a lag between what you play and what the other person hears. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Moviemaker
Before Every Child is Left Behind: How Epistemic Games Can Solve the Coming Crisis in Education
According to the authors, "Epistemic games of all kinds make it possible for students of all ages to learn by working as innovators. In playing epistemic games, students learn basic skills, to be sure. They learn the 'facts' and 'content' that we currently reward". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Moviemaker
This is a toy, of course, but Moviemaker is a fun toy and you can see your work in a matter of moments. I've created my own little movie which demonstrates Web 2.0 in a nutshell. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Bill Gates' Guinea Pigs
So just what is the Gates Foundation doing with schools. This article describes the experience of one school, Mountlake Terrace High School near Seattle, which became five schools. Smaller schools - and that's the core of the rehabilitation program. More...