CTL's Weblogs
February 28, 2003
Q of the Week: "reUsability"?
On a slightly different tack from OIT Clippings, we've been thinking that weblog software ought to enable more archived dialogue and commentary, so with that in mind, I'd like to pose a "Question of the week" - encourage folks to comment, and if you've got a question you'd like discussed, please let us know (e.g. email Mike) - so here goes:
Question of the Week: Learning "Objects" - Reuseable and otherwise
Folks ask me fairly regularly something like "Mike, what's up with "Learning Objects?" - or "SCORM"? - or "RLOs"? or other related acronyms and concepts of digital knowledge and learning management, and the specifications that are supposed to enable such use and management.
So, first an observation, and then my question.
Observation: Seems to me there's both more hype and more money chasing “LOs” in and around the discourse and practice of “training” – specifically, corporate training. Less attention (and money) is spent thinking about and developing either “LOs” for higher education, or the discourse of “LOs” within the discourse of Higher Ed.
The question then, is this: what role (or roles) and responsibility does Higher Education have to take in the discourse of “LOs,” both in order that some of the purported benefits of reusability, portability, and searchability can be realized within our bailiwick? Purview? Scope?, and in order that the tools and practices being developed under the rubric of “knowledge” or "content" management systems account for the needs and purposes of higher education?
An example of the discussion about the relationship of elearning and knowledge management:
e-Learning World: Bridging the worlds of e-learning and KM
Even though I think there are serious questions of scholarship and pedagogy that are and should be embedded within these questions, I’m hoping that the context of a weblog environment could foster a collegial dialogue around these questions, with one potential result being to foster some more elaborated collective knowledge about just which questions we should be asking in higher ed about these developments. Or something like that …
-mike
Please comment by clicking on the "Comments" link below …
Category: Faculty Development , Information Technology , Instructional Design , Learning Objects , Standards and Specs (e.g. SCORM)
Educause Quarterly - Academia and Technology
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Volume 26 Number 1 2003
There's plenty to choose from in the latest edition of EDUCAUSE Quarterly - perhaps, even something for you.
For example: Next-Generation Course Management Systems takes up the question of what faculty are looking for in CMSs.
And, in Using Technology to Enhance a Course: The Importance of Interaction", Thomas J. Keefe finds ways of challenging the "no-significant difference" phenomenon.
But there's so much more ... check it out.
February 26, 2003
MnSAT Broadcast URLs: February 26, 2003
The IMS of the Future Task Force homepage:
http://www.oit.mnscu.edu/pages/ims_of_the_future.html
IMS of the Future Final Report
http://www.oit.mnscu.edu/IMSreport2002.html
Volunteer to participate in the IMS RFP evaluation teams:
Barry Dahl, Chair of ASSSC
(Academic Software Systems Steering Committee)
b.dahl@lsc.mnscu.edu
Embanet
http://www.embanet.com
Faye Norton
Instructional Technology Support Services
Faye.Norton@csu.mnscu.edu
651-632-5034
Distance Learning Accreditation
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/26/2003 -- 01
Western Governors U. Finally Wins Regional Accreditation
" Western Governors University, a virtual institution, was granted regional accreditation on Tuesday by a group of four accrediting agencies. Officials at the university believe this will legitimize distance education and competency-based education in the eyes of other institutions.
WGU, based in Salt Lake City, received accreditation at the associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree levels. The decision came five years after Western Governors opened to much hype and anticipation of revolutionizing higher education with degrees based on student competency of subjects instead of course credits."
Because of WGU's special circumstance as a virtual institution that crosses traditional accreditation regions, four regional accrediting bodies formed a group called the Inter-Regional Accrediting Committee to evaluate the university's program.
Earning regional accreditation is important for colleges because it allows students to receive federal financial aid and helps students transfer credits to other institutions. But in WGU's case, it has already been offering student aid as part of an experimental Department of Education program. And the university doesn't offer course credits, so students may still run into problems with transfer, said Robert W. Mendenhall, president of the university.
However, regional accreditation gives Western Governors legitimacy and credibility among other colleges and universities, he said. "It's essentially a validation of our model," Mr. Mendenhall said.
For the full article: Western Governor's U ...
Verb of the Day
Slashdot | Verbing Weirds Google
"MoNickels writes "Back in January, the American Dialect Society voted the neologism "to google" as the most useful word of 2002. Now bring on the lawyers! Google's have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Paul McFedries, creator of the famous Word Spy site, demanding he remove google as a verb from his lexicon, or else. Frank Abate, an American editor for the Oxford English Dictionary, points out, however, that you can't claim proprietary rights to a verb." Update: 02/26 03:19 GMT by T: MoNickels writes with an update: "Frank Abate is not an editor of the OED, but he is a former editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary, both published by Oxford University Press." Thanks for the amendment!"
February 25, 2003
Sun Microsystems Give-Away to Faculty and Students
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/25/2003 -- 01
"Sun Microsystems is giving students and professors a free ride. The company announced on Monday that it would no longer charge them for nearly 100 software products, including programming tools."
Category: Information Technology , e-Learning
Info on Virus Hoaxes ("sulfnbk," et al.)
Symantec Security Response - Hoax Page
"Symantec Security Response uncovers hoaxes on a regular basis. These hoaxes usually arrive in the form of an email. Please disregard the hoax emails - they contain bogus warnings usually intent only on frightening or misleading users. The best course of action is to merely delete these hoax emails. Please refer to this page whenever you receive what appears to be a bogus message regarding a new virus, or promotion that sounds too good to be true.
For information on the recent "sulfnbk" hoax, see:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/sulfnbk.exe.warning.html
February 24, 2003
Faculty Planning for Campus Computer Disasters
The Chronicle: 2/28/2003: Preparing for Computer Disasters
"For every story of how an institution was able to save its data, a professor somewhere has a horror story about losing years of research after a fire, natural disaster, or a server crash. And while most large universities religiously back up their main computer servers every night, some only save data on smaller servers once a week. And faculty members may or may not back up information they save on their own machines. Such information, sometimes including grades and research, is often at risk of being lost."
Stronger Federal 03 Budget for Technology
"Ending months of political wrangling, Congress on Feb. 13 finally approved an education budget for fiscal year 2003 that preserves roughly $147 million in educational technology programs that President Bush would have preferred to cut, while increasing funding for Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by some $1.4 billion over 2002 spending levels."
Category: Grants and Other Funding Schemes
February 21, 2003
Internet2 Upgrade
The Next Generation of Abilene
"During the summer and fall of 2002, the Abilene backbone will undergo a complete upgrade. This page was created as both a planning tool and a progress report to connected networks and other interested parties. Click on the titles below to be taken to the appropriate area."
February 20, 2003
Local Online Partnership Spotlight
MnVU Spotlight
Web Design & Development Online through Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical and Rochester Community & Technical College
By Lisa Lorisch
"Southeast Tech and RCTC have merged two popular programs--web programming and digital arts--to create a new, completely online program in Web Design and Development."
February 19, 2003
Explore the Literary Tradition of Los Angeles
A Professor and His Students Explore the Literary Tradition of Los Angeles on a Web Site
By BROCK READ
Los Angeles has a long-standing reputation for superficiality and glitz -- not exactly the stuff of which acclaimed fiction is made, says Scott Bryson, an assistant professor of English at the city's Mount Saint Mary's College. But according to Mr. Bryson, such stereotypes obscure the city's rich literary tradition. It's a tradition that mines the same themes -- glitter and grit -- that dominate the films with which Los Angeles is more often associated.Mr. Bryson and students from a freshman survey course he teaches make the case for their city's literary exploits on a new Web site, Los Angeles Literature. The site collects information on a range of books, including noir classics like Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep and contemporary works like Karen Tei Yamashita's Tropic of Orange.
More ... The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/19/2003 -- 01
Category: Classroom Practices , Instructional Design
February 18, 2003
MIT Open Courseware (OCW) Initiative FAQ
Learn more about MIT's Open Courseware initiative from this Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page.
"The idea behind MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is to make MIT course materials that are used in the teaching of almost all undergraduate and graduate subjects available on the Web, free of charge, to any user anywhere in the world. MIT OCW will advance technology-enhanced education at MIT, and will serve as a model for university dissemination of knowledge in the Internet age. This venture continues the tradition at MIT, and in American higher education, of open dissemination of educational materials, philosophy, and modes of thought, and will help lead to fundamental changes in the way colleges and universities utilize the Web as a vehicle for education."
Category: Information Technology , Instructional Design , Learning Objects , Standards and Specs (e.g. SCORM) , e-Learning
February 17, 2003
Open Source Interview
Open Knowledge and Open CourseWare Initiatives - An Interview with MIT's Phil Long
"The open source software development approach makes the source code of software freely and easily available to almost anyone. Ideally, under the open source approach, a large community of capable individuals contributes to improvements in that source code, while a quality control system manages the interactions. This interview focuses on two initiatives at MIT that are working to apply the open source approach to produce the practices, tools, and content necessary for higher education."
Cal Poly Web Portal
www.KMWorld.com Magazine Archives
"Like many universities, California Polytechnic State University has been exploring ways of improving support to its students, faculty and administration. Turning to the Internet was a logical option for a school heavily oriented toward computer science and engineering. The strategy selected by Cal Poly was to develop a portal that is based on Web services and draws upon many existing information systems. Within 18 months, the university had deployed its portal, my.calpoly.edu, and integrated 20 applications. Cal Poly’s experience provides a compelling story about how good planning and use of resources can result in a strong yet cost-effective application."
E-Learning Alliance Announced
EDUCAUSE, NLII, and MERLOT Alliance
EDUCAUSE, NLII, and MERLOT Announce Alliance
January 22, 2003--'The National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII), a program of EDUCAUSE, and the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) have formed an alliance to promote discourse among their constituencies and to develop joint programs that advance online learning.
The alliance will support national and campus-based initiatives in faculty development, technology use in teaching and learning, shared learning tools, and online community facilitation. EDUCAUSE Vice President Carole Barone, who leads the NLII, said, "This alliance will result in an extension of expertise and focused action plans between two programs singularly dedicated to the transformative role that technology plays in education."
Microsoft Security Plan Raises Concerns
Print: The Chronicle: 2/21/2003: Control Issues
"Computing experts in academe often blame Microsoft for producing software that is vulnerable to viruses and hackers. But, of late, the experts have been criticizing the company's sweeping plan to correct those very deficiencies.
Under the plan, announced seven months ago under the name Palladium, new computers would be equipped with security hardware and a new version of the Windows operating system."
White House Envisions Role for Colleges in Cybersecurity Plan
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/17/2003 -- 03
"The White House wants colleges to play key roles in research and training to help secure computer networks from terrorist and hacker attacks, according to a plan released Friday."
February 16, 2003
Fiber Consortium
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/13/2003 -- 01
"Who is looking: Five Colleges Inc., the consortium comprising Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The colleges are located in rural western Massachusetts. What they are looking for: To buy existing and new fiber-optic cable and install it to form a "ring" connecting the five institutions, with a "leg" connection from the ring to the city of Springfield, Mass., to the south. The four colleges and the university expect to take advantage of the current downturn in the fiber-optic industry to increase their data-network capacity, add redundant links to handle network outages, and reduce their local-circuit charges for data-communications services."
Technology Program for Minority Colleges
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/14/2003 -- 01
"Colleges that serve minority students need better digital and wireless infrastructures if they're going to prepare young people to join the work force.
That was the message five presidents of minority-serving institutions brought on Thursday to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The presidents were called to testify on a bill proposed by Sen. George Allen, a Virginia Republican, that would create a grant program to help historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges develop wireless capabilities and other campus technologies."
February 13, 2003
NSF Initial Bibliography on Distance Ed
This bibliography is not exhaustive by any means, but it is worth looking at. The initial 5-page overview is very informative. Available in HTML & PDF format.
February 12, 2003
Interesting Laptop Proposal in Florida
AP Wire | 02/11/2003 | Teacher's union head floats laptops-for-all idea to governor
"The state could convert 1,680 computer labs to classrooms and save more than $30 million by giving laptop computers to all high school students and teachers, the president of Miami-Dade County's teacher's union told Gov. Jeb Bush.
The conversion would free up the classrooms and save money as the state adjusts to fit the needs of the class-size amendment approved by voters, United Teachers of Dade President Pat Tornillo said Monday.
He said buying the 644,000 laptops would be cheaper than building 1,680 classrooms, and that the computer labs represent the equivalent of 34 high school buildings.
Bush said the idea 'could be a win-win' that improves classroom technology while meeting the needs of the amendment."
Cook County Distance Education Success Story
Cook County News-Herald - Grand Marais, Minnesota
"Jennifer Morawitz, the mother of three young children, woke up one morning and said to herself — “You know, it would be really great to be a nurse. I could help people and have a career where I could help support my family.”
That early morning revelation was a surprise to her — Morawitz said she had never thought she would be the type of person who would want a career, even though her aunt and cousin were both nurses and had been telling her for years that she would be good at it.
Wanting to be a nurse is one thing. Getting the training in a community that is 100 miles from the nearest college is something else again."
MIT OpenCourseWare Web Site
You may want to visit the homepage for the MIT OpenCourseWare Initiaitive:
"MIT and the OCW team welcome you to the pilot site of MIT OpenCourseWare. This initiative supports MIT's fundamental mission -- to advance knowledge and education to best serve the nation and the world."
Blended Learning - What Is It And Where Might It Take Us?
"Blended learning--'a combination of face-to-face and online media, with "seat time" significantly reduced--'is an increasing proportion of instruction in U.S. higher education. Supplementing wholly face-to-face courses and wholly online asynchronous courses with technology is nearly ubiquitous."
Video Game Design Certificate Available
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/11/2003 -- 01
"Young renegades who yearn to create abstract puzzles, postapocalyptic worlds, and cartoonish wonderlands may soon be flocking to Southern Methodist University, hoping to become the entertainers of the future. That's because Southern Methodist will soon offer a certificate program in video-game design. The program, called the Guildhall, will be selective, accepting only 100 students at a time, and will cover the business and art of game production. After 18 months and $37,000 in tuition, graduates can seek jobs in the burgeoning video-game industry and may even design the next Doom or Myst."
Wisc-Online Learning Objects Demonstration Repository
Wisconsin Online Learning Resources
Our neighbors in Wisconsin have, with the help of grants from FIPSE and the NSF, begun making some sample learning objects available online.
Of particular interest to some may be the LOs on Bloom's taxonomy, which can be found by hitting the Wisc-Online index page, and clicking on "Professional Development" and then "Online Teacher Training." Here, the taxonomy is deployed in the context of helping faculty and instructional designers think through the complexities of formulating learning goals and objectives, and articulating those goals in terms that will lend themselves to learning assessment.
One thing to watch for: for reasons not understood, the Flash on this site and Netscape 7.0 didn't like each other all that much ... -m
Category: Classroom Design , Learning Objects , Standards and Specs (e.g. SCORM) , e-Learning
February 11, 2003
Poetic Justice: the Hacker Hacked
BBC NEWS | Technology | Prominent hacker Mitnick hacked
"One of the world's best-known computer hackers has suffered the indignity of having his own website hacked.
For the second time in as many weeks, online vandals have broken into the site of Kevin Mitnick's new security consulting company, Defensive Thinking."
February 05, 2003
Center for Digital Education Expands
"Converge magazine, the award-winning education technology publication that covers lifelong learning in K-12 and higher education, is merging to become a greatly expanded Center for Digital Education, a national research and advisory institute for educators and industry leaders.
With this expansion, a full suite of information resources will be available to the 85,000 readers of Converge and some 500 members of the Center, who now have the option to access the Center's programs and advisory services."
See: http://www.centerdigitaled.com
Semantic Web Allows Science Data Sharing
The Chronicle: 2/7/2003: New Web Will Enable Scientists to Share Data Across Disciplines
"One of the principal architects of the World Wide Web, Timothy J. Berners-Lee, gave a progress report last week on his latest work, which he calls the Semantic Web. Billed as a new and improved version of today's Web, the Semantic Web would foster greater productivity in science and engineering research, he said."
Murky Future for E-Learning?
yaledailynews.com - Online education sees murky future
"News that Columbia University's online learning venture, Fathom, will close this spring has led to resurfaced doubts about the future of online learning."
February 04, 2003
Aristotle Online - Bibliography
The Chronicle: Daily news: 02/04/2003 -- 01
"'I don't think anyone's had more influence in philosophy, and perhaps in other areas, than Aristotle,' argues Richard Ingardia, a professor of philosophy at St. John's University, in New York. The proof, Mr. Ingardia says, lies in a project to which he has devoted eight years: an electronic bibliography that aims to collect citations to all research conducted in the past century on the Greek philosopher."
February 03, 2003
* How Do People Evaluate the Credibility of Web Sites?
The Web Credibility Project, from Stanford University's Persuasive Technology Lab, has recently published some of their research about "how people evaluated the credibility of live Web sites" - reports include both general users, and experts.
This research is part of the Project's overall goals of:
- * Performing quantitative research on Web credibility.
- * Collecting all public information on Web credibility.
- * Acting as a clearinghouse for this information.
- * Facilitating research and discussion about Web credibility.
- * Helping designers create credible Web sites.
(Thanks to Keith Ewing at SCSU for the cite/site.)
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