Digiteen

Unlike Google's traditional search results, the spreadsheet experiment, called "Google Squared", doesn't simply show a set of web links related to a search request. Instead, it fishes through Google's massive database to organize pertinent facts and other content in rows and columns.

When a free web service called WolframAlpha launches in the coming days, the general public will get to try a "computational knowledge engine" that has had technology insiders buzzing because of its oracle-like ability to spit out answers and make calculations.

Passion Pictures Australia is trying a different strategy, using a free online game to bring the delightful Scarygirl to the world's attention years ahead of a proposed animated feature film.

Good example of how an organisation was scrutinised and copped bad public relations. A must read if you are aware of Twitter

Twitter just went through an awful 24-hour stretch. It included taking away a feature some people loved, probably being misleading about it, getting a huge amount of backlash, halfway bringing the feature back, and getting railed by the press for it all - with bouts of downtime mixed in for good measure.

Speed Article

speed

Twitter, Facebook and other similar online services are making it easier than ever for people to share their thoughts with others. But the obsession many people have for posting updates also raises the question: When does sharing about one's personal life cross the line and become too much information?

When does sharing about one's personal life cross the line and become too much information?

Maria's nightmare began after a long weekend when she logged on to check her emails only to find: "The boss added you as a friend on Facebook" staring at her through her inbox screen.

Proceedings from conference in UK

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) I find this disturbing. If the Internet was used in a more meaningful way so that teenagers had a viable online support network and learning community the Internet would be seen as a valid tool to help people when distressed. Governments and community groups should be building this support networks online and not shutting down or blocking online access.

Connecting learners in a global world: why is this important for you? Monday 16 - Monday 23 November 2009 Deadline for emailing contributions: Friday 16 October 2009 This online conference for students will explore why it is important for students to connect with other students from around the world, and how schools can support you to do this. Students are invited to submit resources around the conference theme which could include films, poems or essays.

In an age in which instant news and constant life streams from Facebook and Twitter change the way we communicate, the rules of etiquette surrounding these interactions are still evolving. What happens when I expected a phone call about something and read about it in a status update instead? What's the polite response to a distant friend posting bad news on Facebook? What to do with sensitive information? Making matters trickier, good etiquette on Facebook might not apply on Twitter or in an e-mail. These days, milestones like marriage, pregnancy, breakups and divorce are being described over more forms of communications than ever.

Terry Freedman talks and writes about children and Internet use. Excellent!

Watch the interview with students below in Real Life and Avatar form and then the next one with Vicki see how eloquently she comments on these new learning landscapes. I would hold that interview up as a seminal exemplar of someone who knows exactly what they are doing in this field and if I had my way it would be required viewing for anyone who has doubts about the efficacy of using Web 2.0 tools in education and the systems and infrastructure that can be built around them. I would also point people to the award winning wiki on the global Flat Classroom Project for further reference - the Digiteen project is just one small subset of that whole activity.

Excellent blog post about the pioneers in virtual world education. Excerpt here is from teh section about Vicki Davis and her class who built Digiteen Island in Reaction Grid Open Sim. Watch the interview with students below in Real Life and Avatar form and then the next one with Vicki see how eloquently she comments on these new learning landscapes. I would hold that interview up as a seminal exemplar of someone who knows exactly what they are doing in this field and if I had my way it would be required viewing for anyone who has doubts about the efficacy of using Web 2.0 tools in education and the systems and infrastructure that can be built around them. I would also point people to the award winning wiki on the global Flat Classroom Project for further reference - the Digiteen project is just one small subset of that whole activity.

Great article in CAST UDL Spotlight about the positive influence of our Digiteen project!