Tag: Online Learning

Wiki in the classroom

vermario — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:55:37 +0200

Il corso di Ingegneria del Cinema e dei Mezzi di Comunicazione (nome corto corto) del politecnico di Torino si attrezza con un wiki nascente che verrà usato per mettere a disposizione degli studenti materiale in un formato sempre disponibile e facile da stampare (si spera il meno possibile, le foreste ringraziano).

Oltre a questo però, presto sarà chiesto agli studenti di partecipare per realizzare la solita (ehm) "base di conoscenza condivisa".. Copyright vari permettendo, si spera che possa diventare una risorsa interessante anche ai non iniziati. Ci saranno pezzi volanti di mcluhan, wiener, cinema.. vedremo.

Nel frattempo, io mi guadagno la possibilità di indottrinare su "quanto è ffico il wiki" torme di studenti. Figata! (unico neo, alle 8 del mattino il lunedi!) :D

Nel cuore dell'impero del male

vermario — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:49:00 +0200

Domani trasferta in quel di Milano (anzi, uno di quei posti che finiscono in "ate") (no, non "vergate sul membro"), per un fantastico seminario sull'ultimo ritrovato Microsoft per l'elearning. Che poi finirà per funzionare meglio delle alternative opensource, rovinandomi la giornata...

La trasferta (non pagata, evviva evviva, ma questa è un'altra storia), a parte la scarrozzata con il buon superzuc mi porterà nella bocca del leone, al cuore dell'impero del male, nella tana del lupo: nella sede di Microsoft Italia.

Si raccontano cose strane, di xbox360 davanti alle macchinette del caffè, di freccette con la faccia di linus torvalds e steve jobs, di porte scorrevoli che ti si chiudono addosso stile lame di Prince of Persia se hai un iPod in tasca, di ritratti di Bill Gates alle pareti che ti seguono con gli occhi, eccetera...

Vedremo, ora a dormire, l'appuntamento è alle 6 e mezza, c'è tutta la bellissima tangenziale da fare.

domani aggiornamenti, se non inceneriscono il mio portatile linux all'ingresso! :D

do as you preach

vermario — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:47:17 +0100

At work we are trying to imagine (and set up) new ways you can provide support for the learner using some shiny new toys from the "web2.0 world".

Since what I proposed is to set up a wiki for students to post their notes (plus some other tool that is highly classified :D ), here I am, trying to put my mouth where my ...well.. studies are.

I still have to endure some examinations (yes, endure,all the funny ones are long gone, strangely, and I'm left with the boring and strange ones) and so I'm experimenting this on me.

I'm taking notes on my progress on this exam I have to take shorty. I will put them in the wiki here, and maybe they could be useful for some other fellow unlucky student someday. (my notes are always a bit short and crappy, but still...).

First attempt: Comunicazione territorio e ambiente.

Let's see if it works, and if I'm able to keep it up.

I have to go now,study calls! :D

Conference impressions

vermario — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 20:54:20 +0100

The conference is over. Some reflections:

wireless internet was obiquitous: at the conference, in the hotel. This was very cool, and somehow confusing as well. I feel this must have great consequences on the way we live (in the short future) and we learn as well. I just can't think of a conceptualization for now somehow. It certainly affects the way you listen to conference speeches. But maybe it's just me and the I_have_to_check_email mania I have.
the whole blogging-tagging-pingingback thing is not just taking off. It's something widely accepted and used. Riina Vuorikari proposed to collaborate on the proposal against software patenting saying: "Let's produce material in a distributed way, and let's all use this tag, so Technorati will "centralize" the information. It was just obvious, for me it was something that I knew existed but maybe too fancy and fashionable to be true. But I knew before that finland is a step further. :)
mac users are increasing. ( also, mac geeks were quite many... see pictures to see what i mean) yay! it's great not to be in a (even if golden) niche anymore.
lots of people and effort has been put into this field, and that's great.
reputation is gained through the production of valuable material online. Stephen Downes' talk, for example was highly anticipated. Why? Because of the work he's been doing and publishing and making it available for the community.
Six cups of dutch coffee won't kill you (so do also 2 litres of orange juice) :)

Other perspectives on the conference, then I'll stop, I promise! :) (if you want to know more):

TAGS:
opensource,sigosee,openconference,onlinelearning

Conference, day two - rainy opensource matters

vermario — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:49:53 +0100

The Opensource for Education in Europe conference is over.

Today I've attended to some live demos of interesting platforms, met some new people, drank up to 5 cofee and had a lot of juice. (mmm not so interesting) :)

What's interesting is that from the conference will start a distance collaboration to produce a petition to stop the second round of the software patenting in the EU.

So we will be writing an online petition that will stress how important it is to avoid software patents particularly related to online learning. I'm not an expert, but I will try to cooperate in writing it if I manage, and of course to translate it into Italian when it's done.

As for me,I got the card back from the bank (apparently I'm too stupid to use a dutch cash machine)..

And I'm preparing to leave tomorrow, maybe I will do a small stop in Aachen that is on the way (should't be ugly as some germans say). Let's see!

Conference, day one - foggy opensource matters

vermario — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 22:30:14 +0100

First day at the "Opensource for education in Europe" in Heerlen Holland: lots of intesting keynotes and speeches. I met lots of people including the folks of the Join Project and what I will call from now on the Guru, the dude, his Dudeness: Stephen Downes.

I had a presentation as well, talking in horrible english, presenting our lab to the masses (ok, some 15 people,but "good" ones!). As soon as I manage to upload it somewhere you'll get the audio (that's for historical purposes only!) :)

Also, you can have a look at pictures from today!

Also, from now on I will try to put somewhere here that actually has something to do with Online Learning and so on... I subscribed to the Edublogger Community on Frappr. (Thank you Josie for pointing that out!) Let's see, if I manage to start talking about "serious stuff" I'll stay there...If I go on just on bulls**t, I'll get out. :)

I've been walking around this town: for now It has been covered in thick fog all day and night: i also managed to get my creditcard eaten by a friendly ATM machine. (insert bad words here). So I won a wonderful trip to the bank tomorrow morning, and a headache as a bonus.

Update The audio is up! If you like long files, with lots of ambient noise, go ahead and get it!

a human satellite navigator :-)

vermario — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 22:37:08 +0100

I arrived safely in Heerlen. See the picture as a proof!! :D

(i lost my way only once. I'm impressed!)

off to Holland!

vermario — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:17:40 +0100

I'm leaving for some days to Holland, where I'm supposed to give a presentation about what we do at work at a conference called Opensource for Education in Europe.

I say I'm supposed because probably I'll end up somewhere in Germany, since I'll have to drive from Duesseldorf to this place in holland called Heerlen, and as you might know, I'm really bad at orienteering! Let's see... Germany is a nice country anyway! :)

'60 Tv was great

vermario — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 20:35:45 +0100

I have an exam coming. It is more or less centered of the works of this funny fellow named Marshall McLuhan.

Of course he was a very famous scholar, author of many now mainstream expressions like "the global village" we are supposed to live in, "the medium is the message", and so on: really a genius, he foresaw many technical aspects and social uses and consequences of the media we are currently using and "living in".

The only problem is that he liked to write somehow cryptic prose, with examples just sketched and never really explained, so you just go on reading, hoping for the explanation to come... but it does not. :(

Today, i found at the CBC archive some old radio and TV shows in which he was interviewed: problably he was delivering "McLuhan for dummies" presentations, but it really shed some light where its book had failed (At least, on me).

So now I have some lessons directly from him to listen to. Now try to do it without the 'net.

Also, I noticed there are no TV shows here and now that would deal with such themes: we of course like much more important things. Back to the '60s?