Group items tagged

The File Information Tool Set (FITS) identifies, validates, and extracts technical metadata for various file formats. It wraps several third-party open source tools, normalizes and consolidates their output, and reports any errors.

"While I am not a huge fan of MOOCs (See, "MOOCs - The Opium of the Masses," I think that there is one area in which they might actually be extremely useful - ongoing teacher professional development (PD). They are a good fit to help meet a very specific need, which they could do quite well given teachers' experience with education."

David Wiley on a philosophy of Open and the fit / role of Moocs.

"If you want to find out why people might become engaged in OER and Open educational practices (OEP) then you might like to look at the Motivations section. If you are interested in looking at the range of models and approaches adopted for OER Release then the Models page may be useful for you. If you want to know about the impact of the HEFCE funding then we have an Impact section. We have drawn together some critical factors to support OEP for those that want some tips on how to go about this themselves. We have a section that highlights tensions and challenges around OEP and the OER journeys section provides an interesting look at the wider context and how the HEFCE-funded initiatives fit into that. We also offer recommendations. If you contributed to our surveys, polls and interviews then we have a series of supplementary appendices and you can look at out methodology and evidence pages - all available from the main report page http://bit.ly/HEFCEoerReview. We have also produced a summary briefing paper."

Universal Design for Learning. For ALL learners rather than retro fitting for accessibility, different abilities, special needs.

Article from John Egenes at Otago Uni on remix culture. "The internet and our digital convergence are rapidly transforming long-held views regarding the traditional relationship between performer and audience ("creator" / "consumer"). This change is giving a new voice to the audience, literally bringing them into the mix. With unprecedented access to the creative process, and with an audience for their creations, consumers of music are also its producers, and are reshaping concepts of creativity, individuality, and intellectual property. This paper examines fundamental shifts in the way the "Folk Process" works within this context. Remix culture, once a bastion of beat-driven dance mashups, is expanding to include all styles of music, film, theatre and art. I will argue that its long-term significance lies in the notion that it blurs lines between the traditionally separate roles of creator and consumer, and challenges long-held concepts of intellectual property and copyright. Over the protests of many traditional folk musicians and devotees, folk music is entering this new digital arena, where the Folk Process is changing from gradual to immediate, from slow to rapid, adapting to fit the new digital paradigm."

If you own two devices, you want them to be compatible. The same is true for three devices, or four or ten. DLNA Certified® products are built to work together, even though they come from many different companies. Finally, you have the freedom to choose the DLNA Certified device that's right for you, regardless of the manufacturer, and to create a digital network that fits your life.

Gary Stager on why BYOD is a bad idea. His reference point is K-12 and while not completely fitting the HE situation there are matches.

"Some might argue that the analytics tools at our disposal are currently mainly used for boring purposes, such as improving processes and making money. In this paper we will try to define learning analytics and their purpose for learning and education. We will ponder on the best possible fit of particular types of research methods and their analysis. Methodological concerns related to the analysis of Big Data collected on online networks as well as ethical and privacy concerns will also be highlighted and a case study of the use of learning analytics in a Massive Open Online Course explored."

Short post arguing that educating 'young people' in the use of technology is more than teaching them the mechanics of a medium. Can't identify what is being argued in it's place but I think that we need to consider talking about communication and then what tool fits the contextual needs rather than how to edit a wiki, for instance.

"Why aren't students watching lectures on their own, at their own pace, in their dorms? Why aren't we using the 300-person gathering at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday as an opportunity for active peer-to-peer instruction rather than a passive, one-size-fits-all lecture?"

Enterprise immersive software is a collection of collaboration, communication, and productivity tools unified via a 3D or pseudo-3D visual environment. In this computer-generated environment, one or more people engage in work activities like meetings, conferences, and learning and training. The software provides a shared, interactive, multichannel experience through presence awareness, voice chat, active speaker indication, text chat, and many other features, often including avatars. The Enterprise Immersive Software Decision-Making Guide is a use case-based guide designed to aid business decision makers in the enterprise immersive software selection process. In this report, we present "if/then" scenarios and highlight good-fit vendors for common situations, with a focus on the most prevalent use cases: meetings, conferences, and learning and training. The report offers guidance on how to: 1) ask core business questions to frame the discussion, 2) choose a research-and-demo, do-it-yourself, or combination approach, 3) identify requirements based on your use case, and 4) filter your options based on important limiters.

"If the mission of the university is the creation of knowledge (via research) and the dissemination of knowledge (via teaching and publishing), then it stands to reason that giving that knowledge away fits neatly with that mission. And the branding benefits are clear."

BBC 10 min piece on where ebooks fit into the library world - but is it the publishers that are controlling the game?

Post describing use of Grademark at Huddersfield and the larger e-submission and e-marking roll-out.  Some interesting stuff about rubrics and reusable comments that will also fit with Lightwork.

Series of posts on setting up Google Calendar. Not sure yet how much it fits our context.

Doug Belshaw on Openness in education and its fit with digital literacy. Watch slides at end if not seen before.

"Focusing on these essential elements of digital literacies and the principles we wish to instil in young people is, I believe, a better way to teach IT than a narrow focus on procedural software skills. For more on the essential elements of digital literacies, see this Slideshare presentation..."