Stephen Downes blog notes May 24:
http://www.aceuk.blogspot.com/atom.xml
it's a great list of free elearning resources incl how to make a picture CD with Google's Picasa, wiki textbooks, copyright-free materials, etc
David Millar
Posts made by David Millar
Dear Chris:
I was quite moved by your idea of enlisting 9-year-olds, as was Daniel Bornstein, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (2004) and 13-year old Craig Kielburger who f. Free the Children in 1995, one of a plethora of NGOs trying to end child labour (google "child labour labor" for an exhaustive list). Among others:
http://www.rugmark.org
http://www.earthaction.org which incl an online course on desertification, with scholarships
Your http://valuetrue.blogspot.com reminded me of the LETS invented by Michael Linton in Comox BC which has since spread around the world. It is a community-based value exchange/credit/jobcreation system, aka "green dollars" -- not to be confused with mere barter or local farm purchase/"agricultural security" schemes, though these are empowered by it. See
http://www.gmlets.u-net.com/
I was quite moved by your idea of enlisting 9-year-olds, as was Daniel Bornstein, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (2004) and 13-year old Craig Kielburger who f. Free the Children in 1995, one of a plethora of NGOs trying to end child labour (google "child labour labor" for an exhaustive list). Among others:
http://www.rugmark.org
http://www.earthaction.org which incl an online course on desertification, with scholarships
Your http://valuetrue.blogspot.com reminded me of the LETS invented by Michael Linton in Comox BC which has since spread around the world. It is a community-based value exchange/credit/jobcreation system, aka "green dollars" -- not to be confused with mere barter or local farm purchase/"agricultural security" schemes, though these are empowered by it. See
http://www.gmlets.u-net.com/
Thanks, Chris and Andy Roberts, for raising the question of social change. You'll find some of my thoughts on it in my Overview posting topics 8-11.
Your "health" links are particularly interesting to me. In reply, here are examples of my own of research & action by NGOs and PIRGs and other online communities.
Your "health" links are particularly interesting to me. In reply, here are examples of my own of research & action by NGOs and PIRGs and other online communities.
This is not a comprehensive list; anyone should feel free to add to it
http://innovativecommunities.org/
http://www.iisd.org/ internships and its knowledge networks
http://www.pirg.org/ and www.eya.ca/yaec/docs/pgpirg/PIRG%20Power.doc about PIRGs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum
http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml world independent journalists
http://www.rabble.ca/ and http://thetyee.ca/ Canadian independent journalists
http://www.leadingdesign.org/cwaSlideShow/slide_show.cfm?num=0 and http://sunsite.utk.edu/FINS/Technique_Democracy/Fins-TD-03.txt Cogniscope process developed by ex-MIT futurist Alex Christakis, and his son Dimitri of UWash Child Health Institute
http://www.corpwatch.org/ formerly Transnational Action & Resource Center, f. George Lakey
http://www.foe.co.uk/pubsinfo/infosyst/other_services.html FOE links to >500 NGOs
del.icio.us search folksonomy, community, social bookmarking
[my interpretation] F2F a waste of time, say business people
Implicit support for Bryan Zug's plea for more e-conferencing comes in an article in 19 May 2006 Montreal Gazette p.C1 "People want less face time, poll finds".
A Decima poll of 1193 Canadian office workers found that 61% wanted fewer F2F business meetings, citing time wasted and travel costs. 38% said all such meetings were unnecessary, that they preferred email or videoconferencing. Of the 59% who teleconferenced, 2/3 said their work-life balance was better because it avoided travel; 3/4 said they were more productive or efficient.
The youngest cohort (age 18-24) said they would use the time saved to go online in the office to friends and family. [This could be defined as IL, or chat at the water cooler, or using company equipment for personal reasons -- take your pick]. 51% of the whole poll said personal needs would get priority. 49% said they would use the time saved for new business projects. [So the corporation gets about half of the benefit.]
[I emphasize again that the "personal" networking may still include IL vital to the employer. Gossip with as wide a range of people as possible is often how we pick up new ideas.]
Implicit support for Bryan Zug's plea for more e-conferencing comes in an article in 19 May 2006 Montreal Gazette p.C1 "People want less face time, poll finds".
A Decima poll of 1193 Canadian office workers found that 61% wanted fewer F2F business meetings, citing time wasted and travel costs. 38% said all such meetings were unnecessary, that they preferred email or videoconferencing. Of the 59% who teleconferenced, 2/3 said their work-life balance was better because it avoided travel; 3/4 said they were more productive or efficient.
The youngest cohort (age 18-24) said they would use the time saved to go online in the office to friends and family. [This could be defined as IL, or chat at the water cooler, or using company equipment for personal reasons -- take your pick]. 51% of the whole poll said personal needs would get priority. 49% said they would use the time saved for new business projects. [So the corporation gets about half of the benefit.]
[I emphasize again that the "personal" networking may still include IL vital to the employer. Gossip with as wide a range of people as possible is often how we pick up new ideas.]