Saturday, December 23, 2006

Ambient Devices - Smart Umbrella that Forecasts Rain. It may be too late for most holiday shopping but here is a gift that no one will already have. It is an umbrella that forecasts if it might rain so you will not forget it. It is one of the latest products from Ambient Devices. âo[ogonek]If the chances of rain are 100% the light in the handle will pulse 100 times per minute. If rain is less likely the pulse rate decreases proportionally.âo� I wrote about them a while back, Glanceable Technology: Ambient Devices Opens a New Market. It provides a practical rendition of glanceable technology where physical devices undergo changes based on digital data fed to them through a pervasive low-cost wireless network. I now see that they have come a long way. Here is an idea to watch. Portals and KM, December 23, 2006. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] embedded smarts -- this is a model of how devices can be easy to use and make us "smarter" (if you have enough batteries) -- BL 11:18:17 AM      Google It!.

Flickr Assignment Rubric v1.0 - We're Out of Beta!. Here is the rubric we've settled on together. It's been an exhilarating experience watching the kids develop this. There were several points where Lani and I asked pointed questions about things that needed to be considered. Not everyone participated online. A few more participated in the class discussions we had. We never really got 100% of the students involved but those that did participate made excellent contributions to the document and the thinking behind it. It took me about an hour today to finally bring together everyone's ideas and edit the final version of the document below. Looking back at the process and the thinking that went into it I find it interesting how the Hot Spot category earned the greatest attention and discussion. While there was some discussion about the mechanics of using hot spots (they shouldn't cover each other up) the better part of the conversations we had, and thinking we did, centered around how they can best be used to capitialize on their functio A Difference, December 23, 2006. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 11:09:24 AM      Google It!.

A Computer Game's Quiet Little Extra: Parental Control Software . With all the buzz over the new Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3, there's been little mention of one new feature available in both game consoles: Tucked into the interface of each are content-filtering software tools designed to give parents control over whether their children can play violent... By Mike Musgrove. [washingtonpost.com - Technology - Industry News, Policy, and Reviews] 10:04:29 AM      Google It!.

Robotic Baby Seal Wins Top Award. SilentOneNCW writes "The BBC has an article up about everyone's favourite creature [~] the robotic baby seal. This seal, called Paro, is fitted with sensors beneath its fur and whiskers that allow it to respond to petting. The idea is that by utilizing these sensors and flapping its arms, it can engage in therapy for older patients in nursing homes. It has won a service prize from the Japanese government sponsored Robot Awards 2006. The awards were set up earlier this year by the Japanese government to promote research and development in the robotics industry. Robots are widely used in Japan and are seen as a way to help deal with an aging population, maintaining the labour force and helping care for the elderly." [Slashdot] 10:01:21 AM      Google It!.

Blogging&Reader Response. I'd gotten disconnected from Paul Allison and the thread of National Writing Project blogging. This is an important thread of work, and I'm glad Miguel's post hooked me back up. Anyhow, Paul asks: Is blogging a means (or a tool) to achieve other goals (content knowledge or skills)? ~~ OR ~~ Does blogging have a set of intellectual habits and skills that are worth learning for themselves? The obvious answer is "both." Beyond that, however, English teachers should recognize that from their perspective blogging is most closely related to reader response activities, not discussion. Reader response with an emphasis on intertextuality manifested as hyperlinking. In terms of skills and practices unique to blogging, I think it is most interesting to look at accomplished writers in other genres who don't blog well. The hardest thing for these folks seems to be achieving quick turnaround of short posts, establishing an incoming stream of posts to bounce off Tuttle SVC, December 22, 2006. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 9:58:31 AM      Google It!.

Associated Press - Google's Blogger Adds Privacy Options - AP Wire. Google's Blogger service has been struggling under the load (and a software upgrade and conversion) recently but it may be even more popular after adding privacy settings, allowing users to limit readership to their friends or even to just themselves. [Link] [Tags: Privacy Issues, Google] [Comment] Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ OLDaily RSS 2.0, December 22, 2006. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 9:37:02 AM      Google It!.