Posted 7:13 PM by George Siemens
ABC's of Elearning
Quote: "E-learning is not meant to replace traditional schooling; rather, it uses technology to create a virtual learning experience that augments the physical classroom. In the working world, we will rely increasingly upon e-learning to keep ahead of our jobs’ learning curves."

Comment: Article doesnt' say anything new, but does highlight the utilitarian aspect of elearning - it only has value when it does something for the learner or organization.

Posted 11:19 AM by George Siemens
This can't be good: Yahoo bows to Chinese Web laws

Posted 9:02 AM by George Siemens
The media titans still don't get it
Quotes: "New technology thing came along. Couldn't figure it out. Seemed important. Threw a lot of money at it. Down a hole. It's over now, thank God....And that would be the story's end, if it weren't for one stubborn fact that refuses to vanish -- instead it just sits there, center stage, after the curtain has dropped behind it, thumbing its nose at the booing crowd: The Internet itself hasn't gone away."

Comment: Focused on clash between existing media and new media...though I think the article says much about people "not getting it" when it comes to technology and education. Too often, elearning gets dismissed by people who have never taken a course online (very appropriate example of this in the article - a Time Warner/AOL executive doesn't understand an aspect of marketing online, to which a colleague responds "Rich, why don't you invest $21.95 in an AOL subscription and consider it due diligence?"). How true. If online learning doesn't make sense, take an online course. The experience is in the doing, not the discussion. In education, like media, "the peculiar, unique traits of the Net are shaping a new kind of human discourse."

Posted 7:24 AM by George Siemens
Super PDA could replace the PC
Quote: "You should be able to roll into your office, take the e740 out of your pocket, and plug in a desktop PC keyboard and monitor for word processing and Web surfing...Do you still need a desktop PC?"

Comment: Complaint I usually hear when trying to convince others that the future is PDA/wireless is "sure it's convenient and portable, but I can't work on a small screen like that." Ok...this article takes care of that argument. The expansion module for this PDA allows a user to connect a monitor...so, essentially the PDA becomes a desktop you take with you. Cool.

When Online Services Reflect Bad Policies
Quote: "By designing services for online access from the student’s point of view—and especially by using a holistic, integrated approach—many policy and procedural issues within the campus can be addressed. Just as integrating technological tools into the teaching and learning process has forced a re-examination of policies and practices in the classroom, so do these tools become an opportunity to re-think how the whole institution provides services to students."

Comment: YES!!!

Quick snap shot (basic) of the current elearning industry: A Moving Target: eLearning Vendors Take Aim in a Changing Environment...also lists variety of learning management systems.

Wireless computer nation expected in five years via Ray's Techno News Blog
Quote: "In five years a wireless network will spread worldwide, said education professor Curtis Bonk, who specializes in computerized education."