By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Google Vs Everyone: 10 Markets Where Google Wants to Win
Interesting list of ten major technology applications - from search to video to social networking - describing Google's application in the area and then a list of the competition. This is true: "Google is the 600-pound gorilla: the company that no one wants to see build a competing product. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Party Train

Monday night the entire conference population took a right up the lakeshore on this train, an event that reminded me of the FLNW train ride in New Zealand. I tell anyone who will listen that Moncton should have a train connecting the world's highest tides at the Rocks in the Bay of Fundy through Hillsborough to Moncton and thence to the beaches at Shediac. This train is an example of what I mean. Stephen Downes, Flickr July 11, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Flickr]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Percolations: Museums and Social Networking Sites
Normally when I go to a conference I avoid the social events because they're essentially a bunch of people in a big room eating food that is too small off a napkin that is too floppy trying to think of something to talk about. But I want to commend the organizers of the conference here in Duluth for thinking to have social events in museums - at the aquarium on opening day and at the railway museum last night. I was like a kid in a candy shop taking photos of animals, climbing on trains, and just having fun. To me, museums have always defined the way I like to learn - on my own, unfettered, choosing my own direction. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Bridging Differences
Education Week has ventured into the world of blogs, including this column featuring a conversation between Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch. The issue is the usual set of questions around testing in schools - the usual fare for mainstream media. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Write Nonsense
We haven't heard much from Jakob Nielsen recently. As this post from John Connell suggests, we can understand why. I lost interest in his article when I read this, under an illustration: "Histogram of expertise scores for 1,000 authors. Each dot is one person". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. PoducateMe Podcasting Guide
I didn't have a chance to read this guide written by Micah Ovadia; it is rather more substantial than the one I linked to a few days ago. But Tony Vincent's recommendation carries some weight with me. You can read the guide online - the PDF you would use to print it, though costs money. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Eagle

I am still in Duluth where I have been enjoying the museums as much as the conference (which reflects well on both museums and conference). Wireless access has been plentiful and reliable here (except in my hotel) which makes me happy. Stephen Downes, Flickr July 10, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Flickr]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. SREB-SCORE
From a comment in a session today... Created by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) "SCORE (Sharable Content Object Repositories for Education) places reviewed course content in databases (repositories) to which all participating states have access... SCORE membership is limited to SREB state education agencies and schools or colleges designated by the state agency." Some useful resources - such as SREB's principles of Effective Learning Objects - but I would prefer to see open, not limited, access. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Most Poisonous Force in Technology
A cutting and biting commentary from the perspective of an IT manager on why SLN2.0 (SUNY learning Network), an integration of "several carefully chosen Open Source projects, each with strong technical compatibility, resulting in a whole far greater than the sum of its parts," was rejected. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Podcasting
Useful article describing and outlining case studies in the use of podcasting in learning: "the creation and distribution of lecture archives for review, the delivery of supplemental educational materials and content, and assignments requiring students to produce and submit their own podcasts". More...