Tuesday, January 2, 2007

E-Learning for Free - Information Service. For many years I have promoted and encouraged the use of free tools, content and other resources for those involved in designing, developing and delivering workplace learning or post-16 education. I am now building an E-Learning for Free Information Service to create a one-stop place to access a variety of free resources not only to create different learning and performance solutions but to provide the best advice and best practice in doing so. The site is still growing, but here are some of the resources available to view: For creating learning and performance solutions Jane's Directory of Free E-Learning Tools is a growing list of free tools suitable for those involved in developing and delivering learning and performance solutions. The tools in this Directory are listed both by category and alphabetically. Now contains nearly 500 free tools Jane's Guide to Choosing and Using Free e-Learning Tools is an overview of the types of learning and performance solutions that can Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 7:35:34 PM      Google It!.

Welcome, Developing Intelligence!. Chris Chatham's Developing Intelligence, one of my favorite CogSci blogs, is now a member of ScienceBlogs! Chris has a sharp mind, and he's always willing to offer thorough, readable accounts of peer-reviewed research. Now you'll be able to get his insights alongside the other great resources for cognitive and neuroscience we have here at ScienceBlogs. You can see all posts on Brain and Behavior using the Brain and Behavior Channel, or visit the blogs individually via the handy listing in the column over at left. But you'll probably want to start with Chris's latest, a great post on fMRI research on the Stroop Effect. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... Cognitive Daily, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 12:19:24 PM      Google It!.

The Expert on Experts and Expertise. Ericsson's essential point is that expertise is a function of practice not talent. One key point he makes is that: "Successful people spontaneously do things differently from those individuals who stagnate. They have different practice histories. Elite performers engage in what we call "deliberate practice"--an effortful activity designed to improve individual target performance. There has to be some way they're innovating in the way they do things." [Fast Company] There's more wisdom in that old joke on how to get to Carnegie Hall than we care to acknowledge. Ericsson's handbook is $130 at Amazon which feels a bit rich. He has also published what appears to be a more accessible version of the same material in The Road to Excellence. It's still $50 for the paperback version, but that puts it into my range. The Expert on Experts "Successful people spontaneously do things differently." -K. Anders Ericsso McGee's Musings, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 9:02:13 AM      Google It!.

Sparknotes straight to mobile. If your kid called you up in the middle of an exam and asked for help would you be annoyed?I certainly would be, especially when they could have been using their mobile phone to access the information direct. As a... edu.blogs.com, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] on the upside this is a step forward for just-in-time learning and performance support -- BL 8:57:54 AM      Google It!.

Customized Learning - Amy Ellisor, THE Journal. A search engine that adapts to individual student abilities has proven to be an ideal addition to one districtâo[dot accent]s effort to differentiate instruction. One of the fastest-growing and most diverse K-12 school districts in South Carolina, Richland School Dis Educational Technology, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 8:50:27 AM      Google It!.

Google... Please Create a To-Do List!. As most of you know[sigma] I love Google. I love almost everything about them. I have at least tried all of their products I can, and use G-mail, Google Calendar, Picasa Web Albums, Google Video, Google Reader, Google Notebook, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, and Google Maps at least a dozen times each day. This year for Christmas several members of my family bought me Google shirts and other Google Store paraphernalia. I think I am safe in saying I am the biggest Google fan I know. Self-proclaimed as such, I have only one request for Google for 2007. It[base ']s not huge[sigma]. in fact, I don[base ']t even think it would be that hard. I want a to-do list. Now I know this is on the radar. Back when I started using Google Calendar, as the responsible Google user that I am, I went to their suggestion site and tried to suggest a to-do list. They give you a list of categories to give to your suggestion and the very first one was a To-do list. I just added mine on there, but that was over 1 EDUCAUSE CONNECT - Technology In Academia -- Connect @ EDUCAUSE, January 2, 2007. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 8:48:24 AM      Google It!.