Tuesday, August 21, 2007

econtent OER Commons: Open Educational Resources. Since my own EduResources Portal closed in July 2007, I've been looking for other useful portal entry points to recommend to students and instructors who are searching for educational resources. I highly recommend the OER Commons as a valuable first stop. The Commons is extremely broad in scope, but so well organized that new users can orient to its resources quickly. The OER materials can be browsed by categories or collections; resources are also searchable with key words. Additionally, the entry page displays the OER Top Ten and the Top 25 Tags for a quick scan of what other users are viewing. Visitors who register can set up their own OER Portfolio and also sign up to receive an E-News newsletter. The "OER Matters" section provides links to News Stories, Articles and Reports, Conferences and Workshops, Discussion Forums, Organizations and Associations, Tools and Technology, and Blogs and Wikis. The Commons was created by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) which is supported by the Hewlett Foundation. OER professionals will want to mark the OER Commons in their bookmarks and visit the site regularly (an rss feed is also available). _____JH ______ "OER Commons is a teaching and learning network, from K-12 lesson plans to college courseware, from algebra to zoology, open to everyone to use and add to." "Learn more about the worldwide movement to make teaching and learning materials free and accessible for use and re-use by everyone." [EduResources Weblog--Higher Education Resources Online] 10:43:35 PM    comment [] biotech First Successful Genome Transplant In Bacteria. eldavojohn writes "Researchers reported the first genome transplant from one bacterium to another, thereby transforming the species from M. mycoides to M. capricolum. The research, published in Science, shows that it is possible to achieve a success rate of 1 in 150,000 genome transplants in bacteria. While this may not seem like very good odds, it's actually a major step towards synthetic life, opening up the possibility of tailoring bacteria to our needs. The article mentions medical uses and fuel production as possible applications."Read more of this story at Slashdot. 11:02:18 AM    comment [] web services Vlingo calls its Find speech recognition software a "breakthrough" for mobile phone users who want to free themselves from "tedious triple-tapping" when searching or downloading content on their phones. http://www.vlingomobile.com/technology.html 11:00:12 AM    comment [] brain control A Neurological Basis for ADHD via Technology Review Feed - Tech Review Top Stories on Aug 14, 2007  Scientists have identified a genetically determined pattern of brain development linked to ADHD. 8:17:39 AM    comment [] health Loneliness is bad for your health via Science Blog - by BJS on Aug 19, 2007 Two University of Chicago psychologists, Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo, have been trying to disentangle social isolation, loneliness, and the physical deterioration and diseases of aging, right down to the cellular level.read more 8:15:21 AM    comment [] health Common virus may contribute to obesity in some people via Science Blog - by BJS on Aug 20, 2007 Scientists have reported new evidence that infection with a common virus may be a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic sweeping through the United States and other countries.read more 8:13:55 AM    comment []

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