Wednesday, May 25, 2005

AJAX Buzzword Reinvigorates Javascript [Slashdot:] 12:16:00 AM      Google It!.

IBM Plans to Open the Cell Processor [Slashdot:] 12:14:07 AM      Google It!.

Samsung Announces Flash-Based Disk Drive [Slashdot:] 12:09:52 AM      Google It!.

The College Dropout Boom. Though the primary focus of this article is the growing phenomenon of college dropouts in the United States, the bulk is devoted to an examination of inequality of opportunity. Despite programs designed to ensure accessibility, colleges and universities continue to serve the children of the wealthy while posing often insurmountable barriers to children of the less wealthy. Related: the University of Richmond, despite having a billion dollar endowment, raises tuition 31 percent, to $40,510, to "build a national reputation." Via University Business. Also related: Student Financial Aid Policies, by Sandy Baum, which argues that only the federal government is in a position to improve access to higher education. More, on the weakness of state funding and the coming crisis in funding. Via EDUCAUSE. By David Leonhardt, New York Times, May 24, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] [OLDaily] 12:07:02 AM      Google It!.

Learning Objects R.I.P.. More reaction to the FLOSSE post linked here recently to the effect that the concept of 'learning objects' per se is dead. As Levine notes, the learning object is, in essence, a website , and it can be given an educational context by means of a link. Or as I would say, there is nothing inherent in a resource that makes it a learning object; it becomes one strictly through its use in learning. By Alan Levine, CogDogBlog, May 24, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] [OLDaily] 12:05:38 AM      Google It!.

Ready To Jump Five Years Ahead of the Rest of This Crap?. An interesting set of links to resources that will get you thinking a bit. One link is to Simile, a system intended to enable semantic interoperability in unlike environments. What does that mean? The idea is partly explained through the story of '5', a piece of data in search of a lable. This is good stuff, challenging, and yes indeed, in some sense, the future. By Tom Hoffman, Ed Tech Insider, May 24, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect] [OLDaily] 12:04:18 AM      Google It!.

PalmOne to Become Palm. Two years and two spinoffs later, the hand-held computer company that made its name with the Palm Pilot is changing its name back to Palm. By By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. [NYT > Technology] 12:02:49 AM      Google It!.

University-Press Group Raises Questions About Google's Library-Scanning Project - Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education. Saying that Google's high-profile library project "appears to be built on a fundamental violation of the copyright act," the Association of American University Presses listed concerns and questions about the project on Friday in a six-page letter to Googl [Online Learning Update] 12:00:46 AM      Google It!.