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Robert Darnton about the centrality of public libraries (in the distant 2008): Meanwhile, I say: shore up the library. Stock it with printed matter. Reinforce its reading rooms. But don't think of it as a warehouse or a museum. While dispensing books, most research libraries operate as nerve centers for transmitting electronic impulses. They acquire data sets, maintain digital repositories, provide access to e-journals, and orchestrate information systems that reach deep into laboratories as well as studies. Many of them are sharing their intellectual wealth with the rest of the world by permitting Google to digitize their printed collections. Therefore, I also say: long live Google, but don't count on it living long enough to replace that venerable building with the Corinthian columns. As a citadel of learning and as a platform for adventure on the Internet, the research library still deserves to stand at the center of the campus, preserving the past and accumulating energy for the future. Source: The Research Library in the Digital Age. Available: http://hul.harvard.edu/publications/Darnton_ResearchLibraryDigitalAge.pdf

Thank you very much Kevin for this report. For me has been very ilustrative; my last experience with internet connection, collaboration and public libraries in Spain was that the person in charge of the lecture hall told me I was not allowed to plug the mobile phone charger in (as I was running out of battery with my smart phone), but that I could use the library desk computers (only for 30 minutes per day for free...) I was really disgusted and for me it is great to hear that in other countries these initiatives are taking place. Thanks!

Very nice, this is seriously exciting. good post....

Interesting for several reasons: A MOOC with due dates, and yet only 15% get a certificate of accomplishment. Nearly half of the students watched less than a video a week, that is less than 60 minutes in ten week. Any class with this kind of record would be considered a failure in a traditional setting. Yet it seems, the "teachers" were more interested in the data they gathered on student interaction than on the success of their students. But it is good that you can glean this kind of information from the video - therefore: Good post.

I found this video really interesting. The attempt to emulate a one-on-one learning interaction through the structure of the videos was an interesting, emotionally engaging, concept. The actual completion rate of the particular MOOC discussed wasn't very high, but it would be interesting to look at it in the context of other similar MOOCs. Even though this video was interesting it went the way that many TED talks go. Very emotionally engaging, but left me with lots of questions and wanting more.

Awesome! Interesting and informative.

very interesting and I agree with the responses.

Interesting share! Thank you. I didn't realize that illegal downloads also largely and universally happen in North America before I read this article. Since I grew up in China, and now I've been living in Canada for three years. I know that illegal downloading is quite common in China as there are a large number of websites are providing free access to TV shows, movies, and even American dramas movies musics, and I believe they never paid for them. They are distributing them and selling ads to make profit which is illegal. I though this is not common in Canada and America because some of my Canadian friend told me they are used to buying music from iTunes and they were surprised when I show them all the musics they like can be free downloaded from a Chinese App. However now i can see that this also largely happens in North America. I think the article is good in showing why people choose to illegally downloads, and it's quite interesting. But I think it's also worthy to research on what they are doing with those illegally downloaded stuffs. For example, somebody are just downloading for themselves and some people are actually downloading for sharing it, or even selling it, which is definitely illegal.

I agree with resualts of online survey

Although the respondents would be pre-disposed to using social media as this was the source for the population group for the survey, I was surprised to see how much this, especially Twitter, was used by educators for their own professional self-development and in the classroom. The survey was divided into sections dealing with top concerns of educators, technology in the classroom, professional development for educators and the key benefits of education Twitter Chats, especially #Edchat.