Serious Instructional Technology passes on RSS for syndicating information about learning objects.

Alan Levine's suggestion of RSS feeds about learning objects which are held on servers by various contributing participants in the [future] distributed warehouse of a large number of categorized learning objects.

Levine invites us to see a "...collection of nearly 500 teaching strategies, lesson materials, and projects created at the Maricopa Community Colleges: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/   " 

He also suggests a very different model from the "Modest Proposals" I've introduced about people developing and sharing LOCAL selective small collections - see: http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/Collections/Home.htm

Levine offers his own "modest proposal" for ways of using new info-sharing tools to get beyond depending on "...individuals being the gatekeepers or even guides to selected discipline-specific resources...."  He recommends the use of "...Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication, e.g., see: http://www.newsisfree.com/ He challenges "... MERLOT, [and] the Canadian Object repositories to generate RSS feeds for their collections..." and provides an example from his own institution: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/feed.php

Info about free TLTG 3/11 Webcast about Collections at: http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/Collections/Home.htm

The possibility of (a) free [or at least very low cost] materials and (b)diminished time between conception of learning need and presentation of appropriate materials and processes would be attractive to public, private and home-school educators. I'm impressed, too, but with reservations-- largely having to do with the cart dictating terms to the horse as to the path of travel.

In my experience as a teacher and teacher educator the learning objects too often dictate the learning experience. That is the lesson is delivered (however wrapped) because it is prepared, not necessarily because it is needed. I would want the system of delivery to be locked in and applied only when there is very strong argument that it will provide each learner the learning experiences that will [with high likelihood] deliver growth in high priority personal growth objectives and areas.

Without a tight linking of object to high priority personal growth need, the RSS feeds may only guarantee that there will be quick turnaround on lesson development-- not an improvement on quality or rate of learning.