Elearning Resources & News

Posted 9:38 PM by George Siemens
Many Tools of Big Brother Are Up and Running (free registration required (NYTimes)
Quote: "In the Pentagon research effort to detect terrorism by electronically monitoring the civilian population, the most remarkable detail may be this: Most of the pieces of the system are already in place.
Comment: Aside from the (frightening) concept of the government knowing who's doing what and when the Total Information Awareness act is notable for the technologies being used: Groove and XML. I've used Groove with students (and colleagues) over the last several years with excellent results in communicating and collaborating.. It is what I think LMS' need to become.

Posted 9:27 PM by George Siemens
EDU RSS
Comment: Stephen Downes has created an "RSS aggregator and seeded it with a dozen or so feed URLs from educational news sources. I've had such a tool on and off for the last few years, but this version is the fastest and most stable by far. I'll probably keep it around for a while and add to the features, so if you have other RSS feeds you'd like me to add to my list, please drop me a line."

Posted 9:19 PM by George Siemens
Protect Fair Use via New Media Musings
Comment: Site committed to "protecting consumers' fair use rights in the digital age"

Posted 9:12 PM by George Siemens
WHAT DO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNERS WANT? via bIPlog
Quote: "Civil libertarians and analysts in the computer field have long expected legal tensions about computer and Internet use to come to a head, but they expected it to happen over something overtly political: transmission of censored content, or software that could compromise computer security, or something related to cryptography...Why copyright? Why did this obscure branch of "intellectual property," this private concern of entertainment and software firms, become the most pressing public policy area of the computer field?"
Comment: Copyright/IP/DRM have been hot topics over the last several years (and will grow in 2003)...and the discussion has generally been antagonistic (content owners vs. content users). Content owners have to achieve their objectives by meeting the needs of the content users. The hard-line Disney approach can only be taken so far. Eventually the users get tired of the abuse.

Posted 9:00 PM by George Siemens
Moblogging
Quote: "I think that "Moblogging" like "Blogging" isn't really something that technically new. It is the popularization and the impact of many people doing it that is exciting to me."
Comment: Nice collection of moblog (mobile blogging) resources...the term moblogging has come up frequently over the last several months, fueled by a rapidly developing wireless culture.

Posted 8:49 PM by George Siemens
Microsoft to buy Macromedia?
Quote: "Microsoft Corp is believed to have trained its acquisition crosshairs on Macromedia Inc, lining up a deal that would throw enterprise Java into a spin, Gavin Clarke writes.
Comment: This purchase would make a lot of sense for Microsoft...I like Macromedia and their products - they are one of the few companies that dominant in a market that Microsoft also plays in...

Posted 8:39 PM by George Siemens
Perspective: Internet law: The year in review
Quote: "Here's a look back on how some of the most important developments in Internet law weighed before the U.S Congress and the courts this year. While headway was made on some issues, not much has changed since the beginning of 2002."
Comment: By Doug Isenberg...lawyer/editor of GigaLaw (an excellent resource for Internet legal issues). This article summarizes major legal issues in the U.S. this last year...and briefly discuss issues in 2003

Posted 8:51 AM by George Siemens
Back to basics - e-learning in 2003
Quote: "In this article, Clive argues that we have only just started to see the true potential for information and communication technology in education and training but that, by getting back to basics and doing the simple things well, we can still expect to see powerful results in the short term...The good news is that you don’t need to take giant steps to make effective use of e-learning. You don’t have to have the technical skills; you just need to know what computers can do. You don’t need to be a highly-talented graphic designer, although you do need to understand adult learning. You don’t need to have installed a giant learning management system, just make a start by getting everyone connected. The use of computers to help people learn is not such a big deal, yet at the same time could be the biggest deal you ever make as a trainer."

Posted 6:48 AM by George Siemens
Hopes for Email
Quote: "The biggest problem with Outlook is that it makes it difficult to categorize/archive mail and make rules. Here's some of the attributes I would like to see:"
Comment: Some great ideas for making email more useful...many of them focused on extending/incorporating blogging ("I could view a thread of interactions with a person as a weblog"). Email as a form of communication is not keeping up with communication needs for most people...it's too isolated, too rigid, too time-consumming. Like many people, I'm finding that RSS and blogs are far more effective than email. I want to see information when I want...not when others want me to. For certain tasks email is very effective (simple communication)...but for information gathering (i.e. listservs), large group interactions...blogs are far more effective.

Posted 8:13 PM by George Siemens
2, 4, 6, 8, Let's All Collaborate
Quote: "This made me consider which collaborative digital tools seem to work? What gets people to coordinate, to work together to a common goal? And my answer: dumb simple ones. Email. Instant messaging. Simple bulletin boards like bugzilla. Voice telephone calls. Weblogs. And, when stepping out of the world of business, SMS."
Comment: The key to technology adoption (for the mainstream) is to take technology (as much as possible) out of the process. Make it intuitive...make it simple. Simple social technologies...

Posted 8:00 PM by George Siemens
Tiki via Ed Tech Dev
Quote: "Tiki is a CMS system based on a Wiki, it has all the features a regular Wiki application has and a lot more."
Comment: I'm completely intrigued by the concept of wikis ("A Wiki is a kind of a website, where anyone who is reading the site can also edit it" What is a Wiki). Educationally, this has great potential...since learning often involves building upon and expanding the ideas of others. My next project will be wiki based...if anyone has experience or suggestions, let me know.

Posted 8:37 AM by George Siemens
What is a Controlled Vocabulary
Quote: "Human beings are natural makers of patterns. That is how we understand what our senses are taking in. When people visit your site, they will immediately begin trying to understand what they see. A well-designed and regularly updated controlled vocabulary can help connect the concepts your users have in their heads to the concepts you present on your site. That is when real communication will occur."

Posted 8:29 AM by George Siemens
AOL Quietly Wins IM Patent
Quote: "In the latest example of a potentially market-defining patent being granted without fanfare, AOL Time Warner quietly has become the owner of a patent, granted in September by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, that covers much of the technology behind instant-messaging services."
Comment: Interesting...could have significant implications for instant messaging (which is only recently gaining credibility as an important corporate communication tool - between staff, and between an organization and its customers). I spoke with an instructor recently who felt that instant messaging is one of the most effective (and under-utilized) teaching tools - learners react to it more positively than time-delayed email.

Posted 8:23 AM by George Siemens
Shots fired in copyright cold war
Quote: "ATTEMPTS to block copying of music CDs will spark an arms race between record labels and hackers...Music companies needed to look at alternative ways of distributing music to the masses...But the music companies would be better advised to invest in solving this problem rather than in a fruitless arms race with hackers."
Comment: I fully acknowledge an artists right to be compensated for content creation. However, I just can't see how an industry can succeed with a strategy that involves conflict with your market. Figure out what your market wants...then create a means of giving it to them, while making a profit. That's economics. Currently, corporations are ignoring what consumers want...and are trying to punish them when they (the consumers) don't accept what's being offered. A brief moment of common sense would be nice...

Posted 8:15 AM by George Siemens
Educational Website Awards
Comment: The usual link-rich offering from Webtools...great examples of elearning - must admit I liked the Children's sites...particularly Building Big and Coolmath. Creators of elearning for children know that learning needs to be fun and engaging in order to retain student's interest. Unfortunately, this understanding often does not extend into formal education/training.

Posted 7:54 PM by George Siemens
Change management and blogs
Quote: "I believe that both are change management problems (known as diffusion of innovations in educational domain): we have a new idea, we believe that it will improve our work and we are trying to get others joining us."
Comment: Very nice description of innovation diffusion...and strategies for addressing people at various stages of innovation acceptance. At RRC, we recently initiated Connect!, an informal knowledge management/sharing group - with blogging at the center of our strategy. Things are progressing slowly. It'd be discouraging if I wasn't absolutely convinced that the process we have initiated (blogging + RSS, face to face sessions, monthly email) will benefit both instructor and institution.

Posted 8:35 AM by George Siemens
I attended a "Cyber Plagiarism" session yesterday, delivered by John T. Harwood. Plagiarism is a huge concern for academic institutions...a problem made more complex due to the ease of access to resources via the Internet. For more information see: elearnspace: Plagiarism

Some thoughts from the session:

Penn State (typical of most institutions) reports a study where 17% of students admit to cheating on tests, and 44% to cheating on assignments.
The real issues are ethical, not technical
Many sites are available to assist students with cheating: LazyStudents.com, schoolsucks.com
Problem: Students don't have a clear definition of what plagiarism is...many schools do not define it clearly
Why do students cheat: cost/benefit, too many options, poor time management skills, too busy (working outside of school), etc.
Tactics: use sites like Turnitin.com, Plagiarism.org, educate faculty about cheating, change the role of writing, require work to be submitted in stages (rather than only a completed product), redesign assignments ("make plagiarism more work than actually doing it"), educate students
Resources: Understanding Plagiarism, Cyber-Plagiarism Detenction and Prevention

It's critical to look beyond the act of plagiarism and focus on the conditions that cause it...this is what really needs to be addressed. Certainly detection and prevention is important...but it seems so "reactionary". Ideally, the goal would be to address the problem itself rather than treating only the symptom. For students today, however, this is a real challenge. In every area of their Internet use, they have free access to content (songs, music, information)...and suddenly in an academic environment, they are not supposed to rely on this any more...and instead create their own original thoughts/content. Hard to do if you've come to see the Internet as a source of unlimited information.

Posted 7:50 AM by George Siemens
Top 10 Trends via Techno-News Blog
Comment: Of the items on the list, the one most relevant to education is wireless: "Until now, wireless local area networks have been just another grass roots, hobbyist technology--the purview of home-networking enthusiasts and risk-taking IT managers. But all of that will change in 2003."

Posted 7:39 AM by George Siemens
In a recent article, (The Art of Blogging - Part 1) I made the statement that: "Fostering the fringe - ideas are evaluated based on merit - not on source of origin". Azeem Azhar didn't quite agree...and sent me an email making a solid case why: blogging has developed its own leaders whose voices are heard more loudly than others...and "Right now the emerging social networks, and the commentary around them, is dominated by those who enjoy significant traffic and activity and connectedness. Blogging is one of these networks and is far from the case that the "source of origin" doesn't matter.
What is true is that if you can generate a lot of good ideas consistently and market it well, you can establish yourself as a hub. Once you are a hub, you are a hub, regardless of the quality that you provide. The blogosphere is still to young to establish how quickly a blog loses its reputation. (Especially as reputation is a function of frequency of posting and penetration of other people's blogrolls)."

I agree...and replied: "Ideas are still evaluated largely based on who says it. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that blogging creates a forum where no one can shut out someone else. For example, with newspapers, you have to have a printing press to even compete in the field...rather cost prohibitive for most entrants. In blogging - anyone can start...everyone has the opportunity to have a voice. The only question is how many hear that voice."

Posted 7:28 AM by George Siemens
Navigation: Keep it Simple
Comment: Quick discussion of major navigation formats: main (linear, hierarchical, web) and subtypes (breadcrumbs, sitemap, text)

Posted 7:22 AM by George Siemens
What is RSS?
Quote: "RSS is a format for syndicating news and the content of news-like sites, including major news sites like Wired, news-oriented community sites like Slashdot, and personal weblogs. But it's not just for news. Pretty much anything that can be broken down into discrete items can be syndicated via RSS..."
Comment: Good overview...including a nice chart of various RSS versions. Article moves to technical details and explanations rather quickly (only the first several paragraphs are ideal for beginners...after that, some understanding of XML and Python is needed).

Posted 11:33 AM by George Siemens
IAnything Goes
Quote: "Persuasive navigation is one aspect of a site built on persuasive architecture. A site built to be persuasive needs persuasive navigation but also needs persuasive copywriting, labeling, visual design, and structure. Rearchitecting a site to be persuasive is a large task and, in many cases, may not be possible. Persuasive navigation can be added in quickly and easily, however, and still have a big impact on the effectiveness of the site."
Comment: Article rambles a bit...but makes a good point at the end: "People can be persuaded in different ways, making it even more important to do user research and task analysis, and to develop appropriate personas. After some preliminary research, it might become clear that the wrong techniques are being used on a certain set of users, or, even worse, users are actually being dissuaded. The common mantra of “know your users” is all the more important when trying to persuade them."
When designing online courses, the issues listed above need to be evaluated. What do learners want? need? How are students "directed" through the course? How are they 'persuaded' to complete learning activities? What thought has gone into selecting the techniques to involve learners?

Posted 8:56 PM by George Siemens
Learning/technology blog that's new to me: Participo...nicely organized and designed.

Posted 8:32 PM by George Siemens
Personal Knowledge Publishing
Quote: "Personal knowledge publishing has its roots in a practice known as "weblogging" that has been rapidly spreading on the World Wide Web over the last three years. It is a new form of communication that many expect will change the way people work and collaborate, especially in areas where knowledge and innovation play an important role."
Comment: Two-part article...great discussion of blogging as a means of sharing knowledge. Last two sections of Part 2 are particularly interesting: the role of personal knowledge publishing (PKP) in research...and limitations of PKP - a subject not often explored (I can relate well to the limitation of "finding weblogs that one likes").

Posted 1:43 PM by George Siemens
Elearning Framework by Badrul H. Khan via e-learning Guru
Comment: Nice, comprehensive framework that addresses the multiple facets of elearning.

Posted 12:53 PM by George Siemens
You are Here
Quote: "Good ideas tend to precede good technology. Search engines are a classic example. What many old-fangled engines often give is a feast that feels like a famine—a giant plate of options that often fails to deliver what you need."
Comment: Great article on various Internet search options

Posted 5:36 PM by George Siemens
One of my favorite themes is the role of education theory in online learning. This is what initially drew me to elearning. As I started exploring, the theme seemed to focus on technology, not learning...the tools, not the learner...learning objects, not learner needs...cost effectiveness, not the greater role of learning in a society...etc. This is not to say that components like technology and learning objects are not relevant...simply that the learner, the purpose of learning, and the process of learning should be central. A sustainable, effective model must be built from the learner outward. Some things to consider in designing and developing elearning:

Learning styles. Every learner learns differently. Some prefer active hands-on involvement...other like to think things through...and others like to socialize the learning experience. Course design and instruction should accomodate various styles.
Multiple Intelligences. Apparently many different kinds of intelligence exist (visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, musical/rhythmic, logical/mathematical, etc. For more info see: MI Explained
Brain compatible learning (I'll post more on this in the next several weeks). The brain is an organ that functions more effectively under certain conditions. By recognizing and designing according to these conditions, learning quality is increased.
Learning happens at various levels - (Bloom's Taxonomy) - knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation.
Evaluation should be authentic. Skills and concepts taught should be evaluated in the situations in which they will be used. Exams and tests are fine for certain evaluations...but other approaches need to be explored - performances, reflective journals, projects, simulations, demonstrations...
Learner performance should inform instruction. Courseware should not be too rigid. Adjustments are part of teaching/learning.
Learner motivation is the responsibility of both learner and teacher. See ARCS Model and ICE-PAC

Posted 5:28 PM by George Siemens
H2O Project from Nancy White
Quote: "The Rotisserie implements an innovative approach to online discussion that encourages measured, thoughtful discourse in a way that traditional threaded messaging systems cannot. In contrast to the completely asynchronous, broadcast-to-broadcast mode of existing threaded messaging systems, the Rotisserie adds structure to both the timing and the flow of the discussion."
Comment: Looks interesting...discussion forums are very effective...and untouched by innovation. This could be a start.

Posted 5:14 PM by George Siemens
Creative Types: A Lot in Common
Quote: "...many artists are turning to the Web to maximize exposure, yet retain some control over their work. McGuinn is just one of the artists who will publish works under a new set of licenses that offer an alternative to conventional copyright."
Comment: Introduces Creative Commons. An excellent attempt to create a content model for the Internet. Various licenses can be assigned to author/artists work, including: attribution, no commercial, share-alike, no derivative works, etc. This could be significant if it receives the adoption it deserves.

Posted 1:29 PM by George Siemens
Elearning's Unique Capability
Quote: "What does e-learning make sense for? Does e-learning have capabilities that make it unique?...Among all the learning media, e-learning is the only one that has the potential to have meaningful and renewable contact with learners over time."
Comment: Article details four learning effects (spacing, delayed feedback, relearning, and reducing the retention interval)...and asserts the characteristics of elearning uniquely meets those effects. Particularly valuable statement: eleanring as means to extend the learning timeline through us of "pre" and "post" learning event activities...as well as the learning event itself. Simple concept, but like the author states, not really being explored.

Posted 11:37 AM by George Siemens
Moving Beyond the Classroom With Executive Education
Quote: "In today's fast-moving business environment, companies lose competitiveness if their executives and employees can't keep pace with advancing knowledge in their disciplines. The good news: Great strides have been taken on research and technology to deliver new levels of adult learning. The less-than-good news: There is still much debate on what works, what doesn't, and little research into how face-to-face and distance learning can be combined into an effective hybrid program."
Comment: An excellent resource that applies to fields well beyond executive education. Several articles and video clips are available (as much as I like video...I still find that its lack of "surveyability" is frustrating for online content consumption).

See: Marrying Distance and Classroom Education and Designing Hybrid Online/In-Class Learning (.pdf)

Quotes from videos:
John Seely Brown: "We spend too much time bringing the classroom out, rather than bringing reality in"
Lynda Applegate: "One of the biggest challenges is to design a learning environment that allows learners to engage at different levels and in different ways."
Chris Dede: "One of the biggest challenges...is moving beyond automating conventional instruction, to reinventing teaching and learning.

Posted 7:44 AM by George Siemens
Copy protection logjam shows signs of breaking via The Shifted Librarian
Quote: "The goal is to let consumers access content from any "compliant" device on a private network, while providing end-to-end encryption security. If content is stored in a non-compliant device with no associated rights, such as a PC's hard-disk drive, SmartRight technology would block it from being displayed on a screen, Jaboulet said."
Comment: Currently, the debate of copyright and content use is framed as having content providers (i.e. Hollywood, record labels) on one side of the battle line...and consumers on the other side. Is this idiotic? Don't content creators understand who buys their products? Shouldn't the needs and desires of consumers play a role somewhere in the content use equation? Sure...you might win and secure your product so no one can use it for any purposes other than what you intended...but in the process you sever your potential audience.

Posted 8:27 PM by George Siemens
Lessons tailored to fit the learner, not vice versa
Quote: "Though it may look like only a handful of students are paying any attention to their teacher, more than half of Doll's 27 students have their own individual academic plans. They are written documents that outline goals for the student and how the student, teacher and parents will work together to achieve them.
The plans are part of a larger effort to mold education to fit the student, instead of forcing the student to fit the education."
Comment: This doesn't really have much to do with technology (though the process could be simplified if it were used appropriately). Basically, each student creates a learning plan (with parent and teacher involvement) consisting of goals and strategies to achieve them. Very simple...yet apparently quite effective. It's interesting how most students never set goals - just show up at school, and do what you're told to do (at least that was my time in school - doubt it's changed much as a whole).

Posted 8:00 PM by George Siemens
Sociopranos
Quote: "A new sociology/social psychology/philosophy discussion group"

Posted 8:34 PM by George Siemens
Edge Power
Quote: "The Internet lowers the cost of the tools of communication and creativity, making them affordable to individuals and small businesses. This phenomenon might be called Edge Power, because it increases power around the "edges" of the network, in contrast with broadcast media, where power is centralized."
Comment: Another article extolling the value of the Internet as a user-focused medium...where power and control no longer rest in the hands of the few, but rather the many (at least in theory). Great quote: "Many studies show that innovation tends to originate on the edge, rather than in large incumbent companies. Amar Bhide points out that large incumbents have low tolerance for ambiguity. Joel Barker gives many examples of innovations that were rejected by incumbent industries, including digital watches rejected by Swiss watchmakers and photo-copying rejected by large photography firms."