One additional writing discussing the challenge of Web 2.0 vs LMS's in HEd

The article written by Martin Weller, posted inside Michael Feldstein's blog (e-Literate) brings about once more the issue of the challenge institutions will be facing in dealing with the innovation of web 2.0 tools and the legacy of LMS's, which in fact represents an entire mindset of aggregating learning tools under one monolithic environment. With the speed of change of these tools, and the personal preferences of learners, it is clear that there is a good probability that LMS's might simply become empty.
SocialLearn: Bridging the Gap Between Web 2.0 and Higher Education at e-Literate

It is clear that institutions are aware of that. Some LMS companies are simply adding the tools to the LMS, but as mentioned above this is bound to break or at least not be an effective solution in the long run. The trend does represent a change in paradigm. A personalization of one's learning process. It is the representation of empowering the learners in its full extent, including in the selection of learning tools. I believe it is still not easy to predict the outcome, and the process might actually generate different threads in terms of compromises. An interesting issue that involves technology management, a change in pedagogy, organizational culture and issues of cost-efficiency.

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Lots of people agree, it is just a matter of time...

Should LMS's include more tools in an effort to embrace the web 2.0 trend? What happens with the new tools constantly emerging ? Should we determine the tools that need to be used by learners and restrict creativity, going against the wave of user generated content and the sharing potential of these new tools? Such issues are at the forefront of online education, and have yet to be resolved. Wired Campus has a short note on this today, and the comments following this post are also very interesting...
Wired Campus: The Battle Between Web 2.0 and the Classroom - Chronicle.com

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Great list of the impact of web 2.0

We are changing because of Web 2.0, but it happens sometimes in a transparent and subtle way, everyday. This article is straightfrward and clear about 10 ways that Web 2.0 is changing our everyday habits.
Internet Evolution - The Big Report - Top 10 Ways Web 2.0 Sites Are Changing Society

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Very cool... sketching with audio online...

I just read this in Wired Campus, and I had to immediately try it out - Sktechcast - a new blogging and teaching tool
Just when you thought that online you could have an 'asynchronous' moment of white board plus audio', here you have it. No need to have everyone connected. This could add short audio with simple sketches that can be used over and over again. Great idea.

Very nice, indeed!
It was a bit slow to load everything, but the easiness of drawing and recording was amazing.

To share, one can use a link, like with my own test here: test_sketch - Sketchcast.com
But, one can also embed the sketch very easily:

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I lit 2048....

I just learned about the Darfur wall... a very interesting way to be able to donate to the people of Darfur.
Stella Porto - the darfur wall - 2408


Visit http://darfurwall.org and be one to light one more number and choose to remind everyone that all these lives do have a meaning.

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Despite the setbacks, OLPC is achieving its goals in pockets around the globe

I think I have mentioned this project before to some of my classes... It is the "Negroponte project" that was in the media for a long time, and once in while more recently is reported as facing problems from competition (!) and skeptics. I for one, participated in the 1-month Get one, Give one campaign late last year, when for $400, one could get one machine and send another to any of the developing/underdeveloped countries participating in the project. So did my brother, through me - He lives in Rio and picked-up his machine last weekend when he visited us on his way back from a conference in Las Vegas. The machine is pretty incredible for its size and weight, and my boys use it for class work and amusement (although it certainly can't compete with the Wii...).

In any case, I was happy to read the following report today from Technology review...
Technology Review: Una Laptop por Niño

The machines are in fact getting to the places where they need to me. I just hope that this idea is not forgotten, and this kind of investment continues into the future. One more thing: we also need to concentrate in preparing those teachers. The teachers, who like the children, lack any support to become effective teachers and be able to employ these incredible machines.

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The urgent need to prepare students for a web 2.0 reality...

While in the universities we are still debating the validity of Web 2.0 technologies, those technologies are moving forward and engulfing the enterprise.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Web 2.0 is set for spending boom

Shouldn't we become more proactive in preparing our students for this new reality? In the e-learning arena, not only these tools will be available as part of organizations' infrastructure for learning, but professional will be required to understand and use them in an effective and productive way. Trainers, for example, will  be required to not only know how to use such tools, but also be able to teach others in the use of them in their daily jobs.

We are passed the early and near-sided conclusions that that social networking, blogs, wikis are a simple manifestation of individuals and affinity groups over the web. We are also passed the phase where this is considered as business model to sell and make a profit over the Internet. These tools are becoming part of processes and operations within organizations. Institutions committed to preparing the workforce need to take this change into consideration now, and avoid one more time the gap between what is taught and what is practiced and expected from professionals entering or re-entering the labor market.

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Learning by reading and interacting via blogs

Tony Karrer's blogpost from yesterday talks about blog learning. And shows several examples of not only learning new things through reading blogs, but the interaction can be very rich. This is especially important, give the reluctance that so many people have when setting up their blogs to allow comments from others. This post is worth checking out. Blog Learning : eLearning Technology

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Summary of findings from the 2007 Distance Education Survey Results

I just read this from Michael Feldstein's blog. His focus is on the LMS trends, related to Blackboard and Moodle, but he summarizes some important findings from the 2007 Distance Education Survey, which covers the impact of e-learning on community colleges. In his note, he also has the direct link to the Survey, which contains highly useful information... see it all here: Bad News for Blackboard, Good News for Moodle at e-Literate

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A great reference site for web 2.0 technologies

I just received this from a colleague (Thanks, Ilene!), who found this gem within Stephen Downes OLDAILY.
Office 2.0 Database - My Office 2.0 Setup
You can visit the database in several ways: through categories, using the set-up where particular applications are set as the best options and then some alternatives are given, or just using the index. The site is clean and easy to navigate. There is also a way to submit an application that you might have used and is yet not part of the database. Signing up for the RSS feeds allows one to keep up with the news applications.

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Trying out Talkshoe...

Interesting tool for synchronous contact. One can create sync interactions online, record the audio and have others join (or not) using PC or phone: Talkshoe
Trial conversation this afternoon at 5:15 pm (EST)
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/12107
Hosted by: sporto
Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 12107

Apple Learning Interchange: more open content

I just read in Michael Stanton's Edumorphology blog an entry about a possible hidden gem of web-based open content...
Apple is the Sleeping Giant : Edumorphology

I visited Apple Learning Interchange site and ran a few searches. Lots of materials, from class activities to collections of presentations, categories are based on tags well adapted to the educational jargon, including grades, subject matter, etc. One has to create an account, but no need for an extra email or user name. Interesting experiments using technologies in the classroom are reported.

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Use of audio within Wikipedia

For the first time, I encountered by chance a full recorded article within Wikipedia. It was a surprise. I was searching for definitions of Podcasting to be used within the MDE wiki on New Technologies (project recently initiated within the MDE faculty community). It made sense to have a recorded version of the full article on Podcast. I went a bit further to find out that one can get access to an entire list of spoken articles within Wikipedia:
Wikipedia:Spoken articles

The addition of audio is a major addition for online students on the go. All books should be coming out with options for RSS feeds of all or some chapters. Recording of excerpts of book by instructor interspersed with comments in a form of lectures, would certainly be a significant addition in supporting students and their different learning styles.

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Other resources for e-portfolios and e-learning

Weebly is another option for those who simply want to create a website. It can also be a blog, but not necessarily. Simple to use and it has a drag and drop interface. Tie this up with Scribd, where you can store your documents, and you can really have a creative and comprehensive e-portfolio. Both sites offer services for free.

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SPRIG (or SPRING) - a good acronym - I used it and didn't know it

Transparent Office: A Moment of Clarity
Michael Idinopulo's just posted something on his blog that rung a bell for me. I just started a wiki within the MDE faculty group, which although had good motivation, didn't have vast planning. In any case, it followed exactly the interesting acronym suggested by Michael as a good way to get a wiki off the ground. SPRIG (or SPRING) stands for: Structure - Populate - Review - I(N)vite - Garden. The Garden is in fact a bit of a repeat of the last few steps, because wiki's are always an ongoing project. Talking about "catchy" acronyms, we could change Garden for Care or Nourish, or maybe add the word Nourish, which will actually play the 'N' in the acronym... In any case, this is certainly a good and simple advice for a starter.

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An interesting debate about SL, virtual reality and web 2.0

This debate includes CEOs of several companies, including Linden Labs (SL), IBM and Sun Microsystems about virtual reality, SL, gaming, immersed environments. Predictions, human behavior and people's interaction are all discussed in this conversation. Worth watching, but it is almost 10 minutes...

Even easier to add content...

Triggit: WYSIWYG Content Insertion from Dion Almaer on Vimeo.

This development from Triggit allows users to add content to any page (for which they have permission), such as a blog, without having to embed any kind of html. Really a major addition in terms of ease of use.

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To understand the Semantic Web

11 Things To Know About Semantic Web - ReadWriteWeb
Excellent article about what we can expect from the upcoming wave, called the "Semantic Web" or sometimes referred to as "Web 3.0", as if it could actually be a sequel for web 2.0. It is certainly not a sequel, as this easy-reading article, explains, but it certainly is a new wave that build more on something that has already been adopted. Some observations that I found particularly interesting from this article are:

• The decline of relational database technology, enabling the possibility of creating "structure" on the fly.
• The focus is now on "integration" and "structure" of information and services
• Vertical search: the use of many tools to create structure in a single domain
• (and here is my favorite) Tagging is THE disruptive technology. We will continue to tag, but now adding more structure.
• If Web 2.0 enabled the community to add "content", the semantic web will allow this community to add "structure" to this content, which in the end adds greater meaning to the content.
  

The tools to add structure will be as easy-to-use as the ones created to add content, thus becoming appealing to the common user to become even more active in his/her creation. Again, the same paradigm that the user adds value remains. And this once more will have a significant impact in learning.

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A little useful guide for Flock...

A Newbie's Guide to Flock | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone
The other day, I made a comment about Flock, and this guide is actually excellent to explain what is great about Flock. The quick equation of Flock = Firefox + web 2.0_friendliness really explains it very well. I have been extremely pleased with Flock so far. All the web 2.0 buttons at the tip of your fingers, including: organizing RSS feeds; blog on things that you find on the Internet with one click; search videos, without having to actually use a full browser window, are just some of the niceties of this browser.

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Wow! A great list of the open-source apps you need now...

The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives | WHDb

Just found out about this web post through Diggs. In less than a day, it had already more than 1200 diggs! Totally worth it, thought!

Check out the list. I'm sure you will find several applications that you use and you have to here and there pay for upgrades, which are very annoying. The list contains Opensource alternatives, which are ALWAYS evolving. Adopting Open source is becoming a way of life... it tells something about us and who we support. I would say it makes sense in the same way that recycling and not using the grocery store plastic bags makes sense. Enjoy!

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Open Source ePortfolio software

Mahara Project

"Mahara is a fully featured open source electronic portfolio, weblog, resume builder and social networking system, connecting users and creating online communities. Mahara is designed to provide users with the tools to demonstrate their life-long learning, skills and development over time to selected audiences."

"Established in 2006, Mahara is the result of a collaborative venture funded by New Zealand's Tertiary Education Commission's e-learning Collaborative Development Fund (eCDF), involving Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Victoria University of Wellington."

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Some good recent findings... worth checking out!

• e-Consultant = Excellent list of categorized web 2.0 apps: http://web2.econsultant.com/
• Flock = Amazing browser, with seamless access to preferred web 2.0 apps: http://www.flock.com (I have made it my default browser - putting Safari and Firefox to the side)
• Goowy = Exciting widgets added to your blog or website: http://www.goowy.com

Project MOSEP on e-Portfolios

Just read in Graham Attwell's blog about the project MOSEP. The associated wiki is an incredible source for materials about e-portfolios. It has a form of a tutorial and also includes interesting multimedia components.

The possible connection between PLEs and the institutions

Just read Graham Attwell's post, which refers to Scott Wilson's diagram on "PLEs and the institutions". This goes beyond the discussion of the importance of PLEs and how they are evolving. It directly helps to answer the question of how institutions might be able to embrace the new paradigm. I'm really grateful for this graphical description, because it serves as a map to the necessary change. For larger institutions, the path to such new environment might just not be smooth, but it is inevitable. It is inevitable, because the choice of using the available tools are coming from grassroots and are not part of an institutional plan.

My personal experience with the power of Podcasts

I have read much about Podcasts and the use of it, but I have to say that after acquiring my first iPod, and in this case an iPod Touch, I can speak to the values of this tool in a more authentic way. It is another channel with the world and one you take with you... Moreover, it stimulates another sense, so it brings a relaxation from reading (online or print) and supports learning. Those, who work online full-time, will appreciate that... I found incredible input on what's out there for free (beyond iTunes) through this Pick the Brain article (BTW, Pickthebrain is a great site).

Again PLEs..

I was just reading Graham Attwell's paper on PLEs and his discussion of the future of PLEs in e-learning. My immediate internal reaction was: "Yes, yes!" I would also direct my attention to using PLEs beyond the boundaries (?) of informal learning, i.e. the potential of having such an environment within institutions... For working adults, isn't the goal to marry informal with formal learning as part of a rich and ongoing learning strategy? The ultimate goal is to connect new knowledge with existing one, building synergy between theory and practice. These social software based tools/services, that are the base of PLEs, have potential of becoming the necessary bridge between these two worlds of learning.

A different perspective towards an online environment...

My earlier post on Web 2.0 LMS's is some way discussed by Tony Karrer in his blog on July 2006: http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2006/07/do-you-want-lms-does-learner-want-lms.html.

Would the PLEs be exactly as what I referred to as an LMS that capitalizes on existing, and even lets the user select each tools to use? The environment mentioned by Karrer is a bit different from the one I'm focusing on. My focus here is on online teaching at the higher education level. So, the little tidbits of content, which is the interest in the corporate environment is now substituted by bigger chunks that will be used within courses, which then compose entire programs.

Would PLEs using Web 2.0 technologies be a possibility for institutions? This would allow a better bridge between tools used in the workplace and those used in the academic setting. There is no reason why this gap shouldn't be reduced.

--Stella.

Web 2.0 LMS's

Given the growth of services available on the net on a rapid pace, and the growth in the number of users of these services, it seems reasonable that some of them just (like browsers did) will eventually become commodities (in some sense). A lot of these services are based on existing and growing specialized databases, which again re-enforces the importance of the users, also as creators of value-added. Moreover, the concept of mash-ups is becoming common in the generation of new services or combination of services.

Would it make sense to think of LMS’s as shells that would capitalize on existing services, and provide internally just those services inherently proprietary, such as grade recording, syllabus information, etc.? Let’s say there was a way to establish policies in this more decentralized environment, would such a model make sense? If not, why? And if it makes sense (even if partially), how far are we from such environments? Or are we already there?