The shared
items lists of those users are displayed also, similar
with the collections of those who saved a particular resource at del.icio.us. We can
speak here about loosly coupled online communities who share domains of
interest.
ReadBurner
offers language filter, while Shared Reader
publishes tops for shared lists and for the sources of the shared
items.
These new tools are interesting because you can find in
real-time news / information, which are appreciated by many users.
I would say that because the tools process the lists added by
users to their databases, the results are not very relevant.
I pressume it's possible that Google Reader
will provide soon the facility of displaying the items shared by the
most numerous users, also tops of the sites / blogs with the
most numerous subscribers using Google Reader
/ iGoogle.
Google
Reader could publish for each RSS feed, together with the
subscribers number and the posting frequency ( which exist now ), the medium number of users who share items from that RSS per item. For this blog
this could be as below:
Share items of Google
Reader is similar with Clip / Blog This at
Bloglines,
which could also provide the top of the items saved by the most
numerous users.
Here the information for an RSS feed could include not only
the subscribers number, but also the citations
number, the frequency and the medium number of Clip / Blog This
per item. As example, for this blog:
The maximum number of users who can share an item on Google Reader
is equal with the subscribers number of that RSS feed. We can
find this number at Google Reader
/ Discover
/ Search and Browse, providing the feed address.
It would be interesting to be able to seach for a blog address
on ReadBurner
and Shared
Reader ( or Google
Reader ), and to display the items which were shared and the
numbers of shares - this would be another metric for a blog visibility
/ notoriety.
Similar Bloglines
could provide for a blog address the number of items saved
at Clip
/ Blog This.
Despre OS, OER si eLearnTS in interviul din Checkpoint eLearning, cu o zi inainte de Software Freedom Day
09/14/07
Elena-Andreea
Liţă, Permanent Editor, Checkpoint eLearning,
a avut amabilitatea de a-mi adresa cateva intrebari referitoare la utilizarea
sistemelor Open Source, a resurselor educationale deschise in
invatamantul romanesc si la deschiderea mediului eLearnTS de la Timsoft
spre acestea.
Timisoara
(RO), September 2007 – (by Elena Lita)
Open Source, a term proposed in 1998, refers to a set of principles and
practices that promote the access to the process of planning and
implementing various products and resources. The term is primarily used
in relation to software. A wider term is FLOSS (or FOSS) - Free Libre
Open Source Software. Carmen Holotescu, an instructor at the Automation
and Computer Science Faculty - Politehnica University of Timisoara, the
coordinator of the eLearning firm Timsoft, and the author of two
eLearning guides speaks about the use of Open Source in Education.
1. Why should OS be used for educational purposes?
Carmen
Holotescu: The main benefits of open
source software as
concluded by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational
Planning
are adaptable functionality, lower overall costs, vendor independence
(increases choice, competition and transparency), adherence to open
standards, the software’s position as a public good,
interoperability,
and security.
The recommendations of the EU for educational policies are to avoid
lifelong vendor lock-in in educational systems by teaching students
skills rather than specific applications and by encouraging
participation in FLOSS-like communities. This adds value to the skills
learnt by students, such as a positive attitude towards information
technology that favours the ability to create and actively participate
and collaborate rather than just consume.
In Romania, the interest and the use of open source software by
teachers, pupils, and students is very important, but most initiatives
are personal. Many Linux and LAMP users are active in user groups,
building online communities with online support and discussions forums,
but also with periodic face-to-face meetings. Romanian Linux
distributions were developed by teams formed by young students.
A lot of workshops and conferences in which actors from educational
system participate take place, such as Linux and Virtual Learning
Environments at University Vasile
Goldis Arad (, which has convened five times editions),
Linux Open Alternative Days - LOAD , or
the International Conference eLiberatica organized by
Romanian Open Source Initiative.
2. Is OER a viable alternative at this moment?
Carmen
Holotescu: Open source software is
based on and uses
open formats, and for this, it is used to create Open Educational
Resources (OER). In Europe and worldwide, there many projects have been
developed that deal with OER that are the subject of numerous debates,
studies, policies, and educational priorities. The term Open
Educational Resources was adopted at the UNESCO Forum in 2002,
following the analysis of the impact that the Open Courseware projects
have had on higher education.
The Open Educational Resources include materials (content) for teaching
and learning: open courseware and open content projects, free courses,
learning objects directories, and educational journals. The OER are
generally characterised by the following attributes:
the access to open materials - open content - is
free
for educational institutions and individual users;
the content is licensed so that it may be reused
or
modified during
educational activities; to this end, the content observes open
standards and formats;
educational applications are open-source - the
source
is available,
and it can be modified or adapted, or interfaces are made available -
APIs - that enable the creation of new applications.
Information
technologies make it possible for educators to access and
exchange online resources. Until a few years ago, most of the materials
created were protected, the authentification of the users’
identities
being needed. Nowadays, most of the resources are created and posted
freely on the Web using the collaborative systems available via Web
2.0. Just like the FLOSS enables the users to reuse or modify the
software, the OER allow users to adapt the materials and systems to
self-instructional and other learning environments.
But ultimately, the OER imply a fundamental change in the educational
process, favouring the focus on the student.
3. Is there any connection between eLearnTS and the OS
movement?
Carmen
Holotescu: The eLearnTS is an online
environment
developed by Timsoft that can be configured for online courses, for
training in companies, for online communities, or as a collaborative
platform for distributed teams. In our company, we use it to deliver
IT, management, training the eTrainers, online courses for
universities, firms, or for individual learners, and as collaborative
platforms for our European projects.
No matter what the subject of a course is, the learning community
formed by the participants and the facilitator builds a pool of useful
resources for future reflections, too: RSS feeds; blogs of the
facilitator, participants, and other practitioners; wikis with topics
related to the course; collections using collaborative bookmarking
systems; and localization of other open resources.
The platform is based on open technologies - LAMP (Linux, Apache,
MySQL, PHP), and collaborative exercises realized by the participants
frequently use Web 2.0 tools. We consider that each online course, each
new learning experience in which somebody takes part, should be
integrated into the continuous learning process in which the person is
involved.
The
number of computers, especially in the rural areas, should be increased at least
at the value of the EU indicator of number of computers connected per 100 pupils:
11.3.
More
computers should be located in classrooms, in libraries, in teachers rooms.
61% of EU25 schools provide computers in classrooms.
Investigate the
possibility to provide to schools presentation toolkits consisting of
( wireless ) computer / laptop, projector and interactive whiteboard for be
used in the classrooms.
The
provision of other ICT equipments could be taken into account: whiteboards,
laptops, printers, projectors, PDAs, scanners, digital video cameras.
Broadband
access for schools should be provided - now 44% of Romanian schools are connected,
while 67% in EU25.
Assure ICT support
and maintenance: extend the possibility that schools sign contracts for ICT
support or maintenance with professional ICT service providers.
Create a website
for ICT support ( on MERY or MCTI websites ):
with tutorials,
FAQ ( both could
be organized as wiki ),
live chat,
discussions forums,
online courses
for administrators, technical staff, teachers who want to improve their
knowledge,
presentation of free and open source solutions,
download area,
blogs of practitioners,
RSS feeds.
A methodology
and a specific online integrated system are needed to the ongoing monito-ring
and evaluation quantitative and qualitative of ICT use and impact in education
( ARACIP makes no references to the ICT evaluation and doesn't have an online
system for evaluation ).
Such a methodology
is needed to inform decision makers on whether to expand or modify a particular
policy or programme and develop future actions.
The online system
could offer the possibility to schools to evaluate the grade in which ICT
is used and to suggest future steps.
The system to
implement the European indicators and benchmarks [10], Romania has to report
in EU and international programmes.
Open Source
Software
Some specific actions
related to open source software could be:
implement
pilot programmes in schools to evaluate the using of OS
encourage
the use of open source software in schools and in educational institutions
for operating systems, applications, for virtual learning environments and
content management systems, for open educational content development
the
training programmes for teachers and administrators to contain open source
solutions presentations and applications, not only proprietary solutions
teach
pupils and students skills, not specific applications; the ICT and Technological
Education manuals to present both proprietary and OS solutions
implement
a dedicated website ( or an area on the Ministry's website ) which provides
technical support, download area, best cases sharing, online communities
for actors from education systems and other practitioners
organize
( be partner ) round tables, conferences related to open source software
equip
schools with DVDs containing OS software and guides
partnership
with organizations which activate in OS, with user groups.
The educational content
which already exists, mainly in AeL, should be used more intensive by teachers
and students: connections with curricula, the skills they develop should
be more clear; encourage and support the sharing of best practices - could
be published on the MERY website, and aggregated from other sites, blogs
of educators.
Partnership with European Schoolnet and eTwinning
Schools and participation in projects related to OER, presented above. Schools
to be informed and stimulated to participate. It seems that in the autumn
Romania will be a partner in the eTwinning programme, with ISE as the national
coordinator ( update: in October 1st, Romania has become partner
). Also the possible partnership with Romania appears in European
Schoolnet - Work Programme 2007 [20].
Create a repository with
the educational projects in which Romanian schools and educational organizations
have participated, such as Leonardo, Socrates, eContent programmes: trained
human resources, gained experience and skills, produced materials could
be used, projects could be continued or new ones could be started.
Partnership
with publishers, broadcasters, libraries, cultural institutions to provide
access to their own resources.
Implement an online system
for collaborative production of open educational resources by teachers and
students, based on Web2.0 collaborative technologies. OER can make a valuable
contribution to a diversified supply of learning resources, supporting methodological
diversity, and promoting the individualization of the learning process:
content organized by tags,
specifying target groups, disciplines, skills, types of activities in which
to be used; define quality criteria; possibility for peer review, user comments
and ratings, best practices sharing. It is not necessary that the resource
to be created and uploaded on this platform, but it is possible that a link
to a resource elsewhere created by user is shared, and then validated with
the other users
collaborative tools to
create materials; templates could be provided
community - users
profiles could include interests, name, location, skills, inte-rests specified
and searched by tags; users to be able to work together for produ-cing educational
materials, communicating in discussions forums, and using the collaborative
tools; support also for blogs, wikis, RSS feeds
training - self-paced
tutorials, but also online courses could be organized for teachers and students
on this platform.
In general, the teachers
training programmes should contain topics related to OER, new licenses and
tools to create educational materials in a collaborative manner.
Encourage a competitive market for educational resources production,
guarantee transparency of supply and equal opportunities to market actors.
Define
a set of quality criteria:
pedagogic
principles:effective learning and teaching, the focus from presenting content
to engaging learners in productive learning activities. assessment, improve
practical and cognitive skills
An
online system to evaluate the educational software with a database of suppliers
could be implemented.
A
central portal can be created to provide the connections with all the categories
of resources above.
Collaboration
and Sharing - Web2.0 technologies
Inform, train, and encourage the teachers and pupils to use Web2.0
technologies: RSS, blogs, podcasts, wikis, collaborative bookmark
systems, social networks.
Topics such as online
plagiarism, new licenses, online security should be discussed with pupils.
The educational websites
should offer information related to these issues.
Provide RSS feeds for
all the educational sites developed, for better monitoring by possible users.
Promote blogs written
by innovators in education.
Offer hosting service
for educational blogs and wikis, using open source solutions.
Encourage and support
schools and other educational institutions to use virtual environments for
learning and collaboration based on these solutions.
Personalisation
of Learning - Virtual Learning Environments, eAssessment, ePortfolios
Start with a pilot program to investigate
the impact on education of a 21th century open school, having an
integrated online platform, based on open source solutions and open source resources
and practices:
spaces
for communities of learning and interest dynamically created
traditional
courses supported by a virtual environment with online resources and discussions,
being accessible from anywhere, anytime, from home too, open also to parents
to monitor their children's progress
online
tool to assess pupils knowledge and skills, and to provide online guidance
and materials for development
support
for pupils ePorfolios which will be ongoing developed during their lifelong
learning; learners set up and develop their own ePortfolio for documenting
and reflecting on the progress and results of their study work
school
online resources accessible to the community
online
projects collaboratively developed with other schools
blogs,
wikis to share experience.
Teachers
Training - flexibility, online courses, new technologies
The
standard for ICT skills for teachers to take into account the new skills
recommended by EC, required to collaborate, to share practice, to use the
new technologies, to moderate online environments.
Encourage a competitive market for training programmes, guarantee
transparency of supply and equal opportunities to market actors.
During
the training programmes, teachers should be able to know and practice new
collaborative and communication technologies.
The training programmes for teachers to contain open source solutions
presentations and applications, not only proprietary solutions; also OER, new licenses, tools to collaboratively
create educational materials.
The
possibility to acreditate online courses would assure flexible in-service
training, assuring the tailoring to the specific needs, and would give examples
of good practices
Competences
developed via formal, informal and non-formal to be recognized, as recommended
by EC.
Implement
an online system to assess teachers ICT competencies and to offer guidance
for future development.
Peer
mentoring and collaboration in online communities - with online tutorials
and guides, case studies, discussions - assure experience sharing, learning
from the others experience.
Encourage the use of blogs,
wikis to share experience and to continuously learning.
Train e-trainers, use
the experience of organizations which activate in this domain, in Leonardo,
Socrates, and Grundtvig programmes too.
Please consider each blog in the
Romanian
Collection ( over 600 ) as a recommendation for ..
The BlogDay rules specify that the
recommended blogs should be new, different from the own culture, point of
view and attitude.
It's hard to select only five, but here's an attempt.
I've recently discovered the following 6 (!) blogs written by BlogHers, and I'm sure you will appreciate them too:
Public Policy Watch
- my own interests are in urban, education, and
economic development policies; the focus will be on Republic of Moldova, since
this is my current location; the 31th of August is the Romanian Language Day in Moldavia - please read Lucia's note on this topic.
Mihaela Berneaga -
words about branding, publicity, PR, journalism
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t search around and look for the “coolest” book you can find. Do what’s
actually next to you.
Learning Design - Rob Koper, Colin Tattersall, Springer: "MOT+,
described above, provides a powerful graphical language which aims to provide
learning designers with the tools which they require to define any structure
which they may need."
Update - and look, the competencies presented by Nancy are shown by
herself in such a simple, concrete, but also surprising way for me: she already
wrote
two comments at my note telling that:
Following the i link you can find
more information on the notoriety of these blogs.
BlogsBattle gives you the
same information on the other blogs at
Most influential.
Blog/Categorii
Timisoara
(RO), September 2007 – (by Elena Lita)
Open Source, a term proposed in 1998, refers to a set of principles and
practices that promote the access to the process of planning and
implementing various products and resources. The term is primarily used
in relation to software. A wider term is FLOSS (or FOSS) - Free Libre
Open Source Software. Carmen Holotescu, an instructor at the Automation
and Computer Science Faculty - Politehnica University of Timisoara, the
coordinator of the eLearning firm Timsoft, and the author of two
eLearning guides speaks about the use of Open Source in Education. 
39
