Janine’s blog

A presentation by Stephen on 27 July titled Learning objects - their use, their potential and why they aren’t dead yet.  Audio is also available. The slides have lots of diagrams and cross referencing to other material and thus read as an historical narrative/critique on learning objects from both technical and educational perspectives with commentary on the current state of play.

Howard Rheingold is one of the original users of the term “online community” from way back. He is currently lecturing at Stanford University offering a course on Digital Journalism. The course outline is available and includes extensive references and readings. Assignments for students include writing their own blog, contributing to wikipedia. The course begins with the topic When old journalism met new media and goes on to include The Emergence of Collaborative Citizen Journalism, Social Software and We Media, Reputation Economies and Information Networks,  Code as Law, Architecture as Politics, What is journalism for, now?

An article by Miles Berry, dated January 2006 which describes how a primary class (year 6) is using Elgg (open source) effectively as a blogging tool. Interesting the he promotes the idea of developing simple html code from scratch in Notepad to develop understanding of what is behind web pages - I have seen that same “wow” factor with adults when they realise how simple the magic is! http://elgg.net/mberry/files/-1/3567/primary_blogging.pdf

From the reading I have done, the way “Web 2.0″ is described is no different to the characteristics of the web  that I have personally valued since 1994 i.e. the power to connect people for communication, collaboration and sharing. The tools have evolved but the essence of it is the same. However, with the simpler, easier to use tools, so much more independence and power is in the hands of so many more users who need less and less to be geeks to participate. As the article below explores, Web 2.0 leaders have embraced the power of the web to harness collective intelligence.

What Is Web 2.0 - Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software is an article by Tim O’Reilly, apparently one of the original coiners of the term who seeks to explain all. It includes a diagram of the “Web 2.0 meme” and other interesting conceptual organisers.

I’ve just finished reading a short article in Directions in Education (Australian Council for Eudcational Leaders), Vol 15, No 11 which makes the point that the issue of girls’ partipcation in IT is complex and is not just a gender issues. There are parallel issues in involvement in Science, as noted in a May 2006 AAP article discussing Margaret Spellings’ comments - highly skilled, high wage jobs of the future ought to include females. It goes on to suggest small practical steps that can be taken at classroom level, citing examples from the “Taking Bigger Bytes” article in the Age - (available at cost). The message here is akin to “think globally, act locally” for the environmental movement. It urges teachers to consider working on group projects that have real life meaning to the girls and the net result may be that firls will get IT and love IT.  It strikes me that the examples given are all on the “soft side” of IT and I am not so sure that that is where the “highly ksilled high wage jobs of the future” might be. Nevertheless, food for thought.