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A report from the just-concluded Educause conference discusses an innovative use of wikipedia. I've played with this idea but want to thank through how to successfully implement it. Are traditional research papers less useful for student learning than they were in the past???? Is it like still using a typewriter in an age of computing?
I was looking around for some various items at the George Mason website and came across this link - a great approach for graduate students to work together in preparing for their comprehensive exams. It's also useful for undergraduates or just those interested in some of the major historical arguments.
Wikis have found at least one of their purposes - they aren't the sole authority but they are outstanding collaborative spaces.
I just received an email from, Pronetos, a social networking site for professors that appears to be headquartered in Idaho. I know one person listed and the history angle seems to be environmental history. I do know one person IRL (in real life) so it might be interesting to see where it goes. I'll have to add it to my list and see if there are any similar sites that might fit my areas of history study more closely but this is certainly an area to explore.
One group of Cliopatria bloggers is using a great approach to discussing their panel presentations prior to the AHA meeting in January. This approach will certainly get more people engaged before and after the conference and go well beyond the often too typical "dry paper reading" with little interchange except defense.
It looks like CSI: New York has an upcoming episode dealing with Second Life. Thanks for the lead, KJ!
And I like this display for playing podcasts from the Little Rock 9.
In looking at today's New York Times online, I noticed an interactive map that illustrates where the 2008 presidential candidates have been and where they are going.
And, currently on the front page feature, Weekend Explorer, you can take a virtual walk around Brooklyn and learn morea bout the Underground Railroad era.
Great stuff!
Here's an announcement from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about some of the latest infrastructure developments that affect us all much more than we know:
A Faster, Stronger InternetInternet2 announced the completion of its new high-speed network infrastructure today at its annual fall meeting. The nationwide network is built on an optical infrastructure that has a capacity of 100 gigabits per second on a scaleable platform that provides users with additional bandwidth on demand. What it means: Members of the Internet2 organization will be able to share large amounts of data about science research, telemedicine, and performing arts, among other subjects, even faster than on its old high-speed network, called Abilene.
The Internet2 consortium comprises colleges, businesses, and other organizations that share the network for research and other purposes. Rick Summerhill, chief technology officer, said in a written statement that the new network will help make high-speed Web capabilities more ubiquitous: “Just like you switch on a light or turn on a water tap, we envision a future where researchers, scientists, faculty, artists, etc. will be able to ‘turn on’ a high capacity network connection when and where they need it.” —Dan Carnevale
It's clear from this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that the lines are continuing to be blurred between "pedigrees" and that Web 2.0 tools like Second Life level the playing field and emphasize the "what have you done lately" not what brand is on your diploma.
The only mistake that educators have made that I can see is spending way too much money to buy entire islands and lavishly building them using high-priced programmers and designers. They could get a fraction of the land and spend a fraction of the cost and still get value. Of course, if you spend the roughly $10,000 to get a private island and pay the maintenance fees for a year, you have more control, it’s like buying your own network and servers for a small office.There’s a simple explanation for the bitter nastiness of a post like Navin’s, which isn’t encumbered with much experience in Second Life: it’s not a platform that requires MMORPG gaming skills or pedigrees — they are irrelevant. And it’s not a platform that needs IT guys to hold your hand all the time — it’s pretty simply to use after the initial steep ramp-up, not always made easier by a gaming background in fact.
This comment indicates that we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water. Just like we didn't need to learn to program computers to use them, we don't have to know how to design and build in Second Life. While it works well for those incorporating student hands-on projects, it's not as necessary for those in higher education looking for a different type of experience in Second Life. Look how fast designing webpages evolved - now Contribute and even the web publishing features in Office are SO different from having to utilizing programming languages or even command line code.
