Transforming the Way We Learn: A Vision for the Future of ICT in Schools
Well meaning but bland government report pesented by British Secretary of State for Education and Skills Estelle Morris. Clearly labled as NOT government policy, the report outlines a vision of the use of technology in British schools, including a 'day in the life' of a typical student which looks a lot like traditional schooling but incorporates elements of technology assisted instruction, independent learning (in standard one hour blocks) and access to online resources. More...
RDF Declarative Description (RDD): A Language for Metadata
RDF Declarative Description (RDD): A Language for Metadata
Technical paper proposing an extension to the Resource Description Framework (RDF) representation of information in XML. The purpose of RDD is to provide an extended set of logical relations between entities, such as transitivity, symmetry of relations and inverse relations. More...
The eLearning Forum
I am scheduled to appear live in an online forum tomorrow (January 17) at 12:00 noon eastern (9:00 a.m. Pacific, 1:00 p.m. Atlantic) at Horizon Live's eLearning Forum. More...
OpenCourseWare: Simple Idea, Profound Implications
OpenCourseWare: Simple Idea, Profound Implications
Good article tracing the implications of MIT's open courseware project. More...
Colleges, Fighting U.S. Trade Proposal, Say It Favors For-Profit Distance Education
Colleges, Fighting U.S. Trade Proposal, Say It Favors For-Profit Distance Education
I didn't see this coming (I hate admitting that) but in hindsight I can't say I'm surprised. This excellent article is an overview of an attempt by the United States government to estanlish what amounts to global free trade in education by urging WTO member countries to reduce barriers such as restrictions on satellite reception, rules prohibiting foreign education providers from offering services, and taxes on foreign education provider. More...
Achieving the Embarrassment Level
Achieving the Embarrassment Level
The 'Embarrassment Level' is an instructional technology equivalent of the poverty level: it is the minimum level at which institutions shoudl provide services for all staff and students. It's a pretty generous level - including ethernet and a colour printer within fifty yards - but still a pretty good guide to overall connectivity. More...
Interactive Teaching
Interactive Teaching
Let me call this the "email-me syndrome." It is clearly expressed in this column on creating increased interaction in a class. If you look at the list of ways this instructor interacts with his students, you'll see that most of the items contain the words "email me." This means that the vast bulk of interaction in the classroom is conducted privately in one-on-one conversations between the student and the instructor. More...
A New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses
A New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses
Interesting item in which a mathematical model for evaluatig the effetciveness of a course is presented. The process sums measurements of properties along three major facets of online instruction: the use of different media, the employment of different learning styles, and the degree of interaction in the course. More...
Babel and the Vintage Selection: Libraries in the Digital Age
Babel and the Vintage Selection: Libraries in the Digital Age
While computers are not new to the library, the author asserts, the advent of electronic textx and internet connectivity create a new reality for the librarian. Their very means of interacting with the text has changed. More...
The Teachers' Place
The Teachers' Place
Sponsored by UNICEF, The Teachers' Place provides resources and discussion for teachers interested in learning about and teaching interdependence, peace, social justice and the rights of young people. The resources on the page encourage students to take action on global issues. More...