By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Atom 1.0
The successor to RSS is, according to Tim Bray, "cooked and ready to serve." The question of whether it is widely adopted still depends on the users, but most (if not all) aggregators will support both. Here is a list of the differences between Atom and RSS 2.0". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Longhorn to Require Monitor-Based DRM
Let me ask you, is there any consumer demand for monitors that don't work? I thought not. Howabout software that breaks your monitor? No? How, then, does it make sense to do this: "if Longhorn detects that your monitor is not 'secure' enough, then your premium video content won't play on it until you buy one that is. Who gets to decide? The content providers of course". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. On The Cutting Edge-ucation
Another new blog. "We're building a repository of instructional ideas and strategies for using podcasts in schools. Feel free to post any ideas you have, whether they're brainstorms or refined activities and units". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. An Assessment of the Academic Achievement of Students in Two Modes of Part-time Programme in Nigeria
The latest edition of the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL) is out. The best article in a weak issue is this assessment of learning outcomes in two part-time programs in Nigeria. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. IMS ePortfolio Specification
The IMS e-portfolio specification was recently released. The intent of this specification is to encourage interoperability between e-portfolio systems, as is clear in the use cases. And it seems to reflect a view of portfolios as being used in assessment, or at best, as a sort of resume. I don't know, maybe that's good. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Study Great Ideas, but Teach to the Test
The author argues that teaching a standard way to write a paragraph may help students pass the test, but at the cost of lessening their capacity to write expressively and well. One of a series of ten pretty good articles in yesterday's New York Times. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Education Week General Manager: How We Came to Charge for Premium Content
Michele Givens, a general manager at Education Week magazine, explains the organization's decision to begin charging subscription fees. Some bits don't ring true - like this: "We definitely took a hit on page views when we introduced registration on edweek.org, although they mostly recovered". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. EDUCAUSE Review 20-4
It's interesting to read the articles in the new EDUCAUSE Review, especially in light of Ubiquity's interview with Leonard Kleinrock, the father of packet-switching. Kleinrock: "I should be able to talk to the environment. It could respond with voice, or perhaps displays pop up or holograms. Maybe there's a keyboard around. Maybe there's some kind of other input device, or output device. But I want it to be there when I get there and not have to import all of the technology with me". More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Filtered in Iran
Mahzoon is reporting on his blog that downes.ca is filtered in Iran. He writes (in the right margin): "HELP: Stephen Downes site is filtered in Iran. I told the officials that this is an educational site, but it seems that they have no ear. Can anybody subscribe me to his content." Well, I can't help but feel a little hurt by this. More...
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Price of Canadian Heritage
I would think this will change in time, once our government gets past the idea of charging Canadians user fees to access their own culture and content, but in the mean time it is important to note the sorts of barriers that are being placed between Canadian schools and Canadian culture. More...
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