[DDN] Nokia 770 for Education?
What do educators think about students using mobile internet devices for education? For example the Nokia 770. http://www.nokiausa.com/770 Its an internet tablet with wifi built in, 800x480 touch screen, Linux based OS, bluetooth, Opera web browser, GTalk (VOIP), IM, email client, word processor, and I've even seen a Citrix client for it. http://tinyurl.com/lae6e Keyboard is not included but has been known to work via bluetooth. Retails for $359.95 USD. I haven't used this device but I thought it could be handy. Here are more URLs about it. http://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationCatalog www.internettablettalk.com/ -Brian R. __ /__\ \__/ || || || \__ \_ Brian C. Russell Media Activist/Tech Advocate AudioActivism.org ChapelHillWireless.org PodcasterCon.org Yesh.com \__ \__= It's a Mic... ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
RE: [DDN] Missing the point .....
Taran Rampersad notes: Secret formulas like this bother me because they are secret. Hi again Taran, Something of an exaggeration to call something unpublicised secret, however yes, proponents of full disclosure will argue that anything unknown should be knowable by anyone - presumably it is an offence for Mitsubishi and Ford etc. to make the code in the CDI ignition of motor vehicles proprietary... Or the code that keys the world's nuclear arsenals proprietary... All interesting stuff, but something of a diversion from our original discourse. The point of which being that reasons for proprietary developments are not (as you suggest), always monetary. Other factors are at play, and even at the most fundamental, not all proprietary developers are commercial entities (many individuals, NPO's and Govt's develop proprietary software!). In moving away from this point may I suggest we have found consensus. Cheers, Don ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Missing the point .....
Taran, Thinking about Don's comments in disaster management (a field I know *nothing* about, so feel free to shoot me down on this) I'm inclined to think that public image / press / etc becomes an important factor. If this is a closed process, it is open to criticism only in being a closed process...possibly not something that's going to be dragged out into the media every time something happens. However, if this is not a closed process, then you will constantly have reporters digging through the formala, publishing statements after tragedies saying If the house had been painted green, the firemen would have charged into the blaze to save the woman ...condemning rescue workers who act within the constraints of the model. This happens anyway, because our media is sensationalist, but if it were linked to a model, a rule-book that says specifically when and how to assess risk, then the result would be an attack on that model itself, no matter what the model was. This would eventually force police forces, fire departments, and other rescue workers to abandon the model completely, because public relations is a *very* big part of their jobs. I remember seeing an article recently that talked about a person who was in an accident and crawled to the doors of the emergency room, where they died because the ER staff were waiting for an ambulance to come and move the victim indoors. The article was extremely sensationalist, stating that the ER staff didn't budge to help the person because it wasn't in their contract. What do I know about ER's? Nothing, except that they made me wait 6 hours in one before giving me three stitches, once. But the contract these employees were held to, and the fact that they upheld it, was targeted in this article. If this were a disaster management model, it would crucified in the same way. And police forces and firefighters may have more to lose in PR than an emergency room. Just my $0.02... Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Taran Rampersad wrote: Don Cameron wrote: Taran Rampersad asks: Perhaps you could tell us who insisted that some of your code be proprietary? Hi Taran, Great to hear from you again and I hope you are well - May I focus on your query separately to the main thread because the question is legitimate however I think something of a tangent... Just to offer mild correction, I did not state that anyone insisted that some of my code be proprietary, what I in fact wrote was: The formulae was itself proprietary and used with the permission of the authors. It was a condition placed on me that the formulae not be reverse-engineered - a not-so-subtle difference as I'm sure you will agree :-) The reasons for this, in fact the reasons for any code being made proprietary are just as demonstrative of the freedoms we all enjoy as OSS. We all have the freedom to disclose (OSS), we all have the freedom to with-hold (proprietary). I will never tell you about the pillow-talk between myself and my wife late at night :-) This is my freedom to with-hold; my freedom for proprietary content. A basic human right. OK, the example is a bit over the top... Nonetheless the point is valid. It certainly is both over the top - which makes it valid. So leaving the door open for that is important - I don't disagree. Personally, the last thing I want is a committee deciding what I am too fragile to know about, but then again - my perspective is over the top. And of course, that makes it valid as well. Secret formulas like this bother me because they are secret. I've done triage. I've had to make those decisions. I'm not sure that any formula would cover the scope of what needs to be done, and I'm a firm believer in transparency and addressing issues... so in your example, while I understand the point related to people becoming upset about the decision making algorithm... I find it just a bit more disturbing. Especially when it comes to human lives. My problem isn't that it is what it is, my problem is that I don't have any visibility into what it actually is. It's quite similar to profiling. It's done. The public whines about it now and then. But in general, even the people who this works against don't say much. So, yes, I see your point, but I believe that people are strong enough to bear visibility into such things - and if they aren't, they can become so. Understanding how such things happen is an important part of growth, I think. So without the proprietary/FOSS comparison, I look at the underlying issue and see a group of people deciding what they don't want others to know. I think people have a right to know. In general, in Emergency Rooms and in other settings (including a recent death in the family), I've found people are only as weak as we make them. I don't like weak people. I like strong, well informed people
Re: [DDN] Missing the point .....
Ken, Unfortunately, I think you are contradicting yourself. You say that you disagree with the opportunism that Microsoft uses to pry into my computer under the guise of giving me a critical update ...however, there is nothing illegal in what Microsoft is doing. It was all there in an license agreement somewhere that you signed, albeit in tiny print down at the bottom somewhere. Spyware isn't illegal, as long as it's declared...if I sell you a program that emails me personal information about you, but you downloaded and installed it knowingly (especially if you signed a license agreement) then what I am doing is perfectly legal. Free market...if you don't like my product, don't buy it or use it. However, you take the view (as do many others, including myself) that Microsoft is, perhaps, morally wrong in doing this. In using a critical update delivery system to check your software license. In installing software that phones home at intervals, so big brother can keep a close eye on you. How do you know that Microsoft isn't keeping a close eye on what programs you have installed? On how much open source software you're using, to feed into their own development work / priorities? This is their legal right, as long as it was hidden in that agreement somewhere, but it is worthy of condemnation. It violates a user's right to privacy, simply because for many users without the knowledge and experience to use Linux, Microsoft has the monopoly product. It's the only game in town. If you have the freedom to criticize this, even though it is perfectly legal, then you have the freedom to criticize Microsoft's product as well. Whether or not we take the option of switching away from Microsoft products, and exercising our free market rights, we are still capable of criticizing the product. You compared an OS to money, but that's not accurate...no one trades windows CDs to pay for things. And if you buy an operating system and someone steals it, I agree...you should be able to prove ownership before you can demand it back. But you should *not* have to prove ownership every single time the company asks for it, on a daily basis, without even knowing that you are doing so. The makers of the things that were stolen from you did not have the right to come into your home and check to see if you legally owned those products, every day. Perhaps it has now become legal for them to do so, because you have signed an agreement that permits them to do this, but I would not allow anyone into my house on a daily basis in that manner, even if they promised not to touch my other possessions or even take note of anything but their own product. And MS has made no such promise, incidentally. In the end, I think the question is not this is legal, so we can't fault them for it ...it would be legal for you to legally authorize me into your home to check to see if the shirt I sold you is still legally yours. But I think it is reprehensible for an operating system to be sold to end users, when all they are selling is the right to use that operating system on one computer, one set of hardware, with no modifications...in effect, renting. And for a company to use disguised tactics to monitor end users in their use of the software is similarly worthy of criticism. The question is why we are not criticizing and condemning their practices. They can either be forced to change in response to market demands (if you make those demands) or they can continue as they are, because people shrug their shoulders and resign themselves to it. I'm making the switch, actually, and would have done it a while ago if I'd had the time. That's my response. But whether or not users are switching, you *always* have the right to criticize a crappy product or a crappy process that violates your privacy, whether or not it's legally done. Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Ken Callaghan wrote: While I disagree with the opportunisism that Microsoft utilises to pry into my computer under the guise of giving me a critical update, I really don't have a problem with Microsoft jealously guarding their software. Why shouldn't it be proper to prove you own the software before you re-install it? Comparing it with ownership of a house is not the same thing. A house cannot be copied inexpensively to a CD. Why not compare it to counterfeit currency? We would be annoyed at counterfeit currency being handed to us in payment of a bill or as change from a shop principly because I work hard to be able to have genuine money, yet someone else lives off the rest of us and hands over worthless pieces of paper to pay the same bills that I have to pay with my hard-earned cash. I am not pro-Microsoft, but I am not anti-Microsoft either, other than them employing devious means as outlined by Jesse, and Microsoft should realise that such tactics don't help their public image
RE: [DDN] Missing the point .....
Ken - If we didn't have to prove over and over again that we have the right to use our version of Windows (or whatever) I would have such a beef. Plus, it is difficult to respect Microsoft's intellectual property when MS itself runs roughshod over other entities property and does it's best to stifle competition while treating honest consumers like crooks. It isn't that we have to prove things - that's fine - but we have to do it over and over and over. I should not have to call MS every time I need to reinstall XP (or whatever) on my machine. Also, I think that their dishonesty about how they are beta testing WGA is more than an image issue. It goes to the heart of how they do business. They get away with whatever they can, ethics or fair play be damned, and that isn't kosher if they expect the computing public to respect their intellectual property and play fair. That said, IMO, their model is so bad, the marketplace will take care of them eventually. My guess is that the moment someone comes up with a desktop version of Linux that really has the same flexibility and ease of use as Windows, Windows will be toast. Looking at the minimum specs for Vista, I wonder how well it will do. We'll see. I understand intellectual property laws, but there are limits, especially when we are not talking about commercial reproduction. Squeezing every last penny out of something isn't always good business beyond the PR aspects of the matter. I'm just tired of being treated like a crook when in fact I'm as honest about buying licensed software as you are. There really has to be a better way. Jesse Sinaiko Chicago, IL ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] new job description - public geek
hi Digital Divide Network community - at the public library where i work i asked my supervisor if i could change my job title to public geek. she's a geek herself and laughed approvingly at the suggestion. she then explained that it's a bit involved changing a job title when you work for a city government, but she said it would be fine if i described myself to the public (and co-workers) as the public geek. i was hired with a different job title, but my responsibilities truly are those of a public geek, and so i say... i hold these geeks to be self-evident, that all geeks are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain kinds of skills, and that they pursue curiosity in countless ways in order to better serve the public. and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of our USB Flash drives, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. phil shapiro, public geek takoma park maryland library (washington dc metropolitan area) -- Phil Shapiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro http://philsrssfeed.blogspot.com http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html Wisdom starts with wonder. - Socrates Learning happens through gentleness. -- Phil Shapiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro http://philsrssfeed.blogspot.com http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html Wisdom starts with wonder. - Socrates Learning happens through gentleness. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Seminar on African localization, Washington, DC. 22-6-06
FYI (pardon the crossposts)... African Languages ICT for Development in Africa: Rationale for, potential of, resources to facilitate localization A seminar presentation, midway through the Year of African Languages Thursday 22 June 2006, 2:00 - 6:00 World Bank I Street Building, I1-200 Washington, D.C. During this, the Year of African Languages,* the PanAfrican Localisation project would like to briefly examine the importance of these languages for development in Africa with particular attention to their use in information and communication technology (ICT). This workshop will help raise awareness and set the context for discussion of African languages in ICT for development, and also introduce some resources for localization of software and internet content. The indigenous languages and linguae francae of Africa have tended to be neglected in development discourse and practice and it has been said that international donors and development experts generally see African multilingualism as a hindrance for development on that continent. The occasion of the Year of African Languages provides an incentive to begin with a reconsideration of the importance of Africa's first languages in practical as well as cultural terms. Moreover, with the increasing access to ICT in Africa on the one hand, and worldwide exploration of the multilingual potentials of the technology on the other, we have an opportunity to consider how user interfaces and internet content can optimally meet the complex linguistic profile of African societies (without contesting the utility of Anglophone and Francophone ICT for a certain range of users and uses). The seminar will include a screening of a new documentary on the African Languages and Literatures into the 21st Century conference held in January 2000, and presentations by Dr. Don Osborn, Daniel Yacob on localization in African contexts. The seminar is presented by the PanAfrican Localisation Project, which is funded by the International Development Research Centre and carried out by Bisharat, Ltd. and Kabissa - Space for Change in Africa. For more information, see http://www.kabissa.org/projects/panafrloc-wb-seminar.html or contact Don Osborn at dzo at bisharat.net * The Year of African Languages was declared by the African Union in January 2006 ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] End User Database Searching: A Selection of Sources
DATABASE SEARCHING: TECHNIQUES : DATABASES : LIBRARIES: LIBRARIANS : DATABASE SEARCHING: END USER SEARCHING: A Selected Collection of Sources Discussing End User Searching and Mediated Professional Searching Comparatively and in a Training Context Searching search engines like Google on the one hand and the searching of databases like the education database from the government called ERIC or the medical database provided by the U. S. Government called MEDLINE or PubMed and other commercially available databases made available through public and academic libraries on the other hand are vastly different tasks and demand substantially different skills. Below is a list of articles and other documents that discuss comparisons or end user searching or amateur searching in databases with that of trained professionals like information science professionals and librarians. Here is a sample list of databases from Temple University to put in perspective the kinds of tools this group of articles is considering. All Research Databases http://library.temple.edu/articles/all/index.jsp?bhcp=1 This is a group of articles that considers various issues and relationships about amateur and professional database searchers. This has been an issue since the compact disk databases became available and even before when searching was done via a telephone link to the database provider through a modem on primative computers by today's standards or a decwriter or the like. Therefore sources as far back as the Eighties have been included in this selection of citations. = Librarians Provide More Health Information Than Internet Searches Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail News Article Date: 22 May 2006 - 3:00am (PDT) Medical News Today http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=43782 Marketing Searchers in the Shifting Sands of Search. Abram, Stephen Information Outlook November 2002 v. 6 no. 11 p. 44 'But what do the users think?': an 'intuitive interface' under scrutiny Bale, Julia1 Online Currents May 2000 v. 15 no. 4 p. 7-9 Genesis of an electronic database expert system Reference Services Review 2000 v. 28 no. 3 p. 207 Envisioning the Web: user expectations about the cyber-experience Scull, Craig Milewski, Allen Millen, David Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science October 31, 1999 v. 62 p. 17-24 Conference Paper Language barriers and bibliographic retrieval effectiveness: use of MEDLINE by French-speaking end users Mouillet, Evelyne1 Bulletin of the Medical Library Association October 1, 1999 v. 87 no. 4 p. 451-455 Creating user-centered instructions for novice end-users Nahl, Diane Reference Services Review 1999 v. 27 no. 3 p. 280 From super searchers to dummies: the online research environment continues to evolve Basch, Reva Proceedings of the Internet Librarian Conference 1998 v. 1998 p. 25-28 The impact of an individual tutorial session on MEDLINE use among obstetrics and gynaecology residents in an academic training programme: a randomized trial. Erickson S; Warner ER Author's Address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Medical Education 1998 May v. 32 (3) p. 269-273 Clinical problem solving by computer. Klemenz B; McSherry D; Grundke V Journal Of The Royal College Of Physicians Of London 1997 January / February v. 31 (1) p. 32-36 Library users: how they adapt to changing roles Miido, H1 Proceedings of the 20th International Online Information Meeting 1996 p. 21-28 Constructing Effective Search Strategies for Electronic Searching. Flanagan, Lynn; Parente, Sharon Campbell 1996 Descriptors:*Bibliographic Databases; *Information Retrieval; *Online Searching; *Search Strategies; Access to Information; Computer Uses in Education; Efficiency; Electronic Text; Information Needs; Information Services; Library Automation; Library Catalogs; Online Catalogs; Optical Data Disks; Problem Solving; Relevance (Information Retrieval); User Needs (Information); Users (Information) Identifiers:*Online Search Skills; *User Training ERIC Number:ED400809 http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/ content_storage_01/000b/80/23/2b/2a.pdf A shorter URL for the above link: http://snipurl.com/rtcr Library Users: How They Adapt to Changing Roles. Miido, Helis 1996 Descriptors:*Information Technology; *Librarians; *Library Automation; *Library Technical Processes; *User Satisfaction (Information); *Users (Information); Administrators; Automation; Computer Software; Foreign Countries; Hypermedia; Information Retrieval; Integrated Library Systems; Library Administration; Library Development; Medical Libraries; Multimedia Materials; Online Catalogs; Online Searching; Role; Special Libraries Identifiers:France; Technology Implementation ERIC Number:ED411808
Re: [DDN] Add yourself to the DDN world map!
We wouldn't be able to use Frappr, then - we would have to set up our own Google Map from scratch. Technically this is possible. But there's no way this could be a priority in the short term, because the limited money DDN has is going to transferring DDN to TakingITGlobal, and hopefully offering stipends to editors. Anything after that will have to be decided by the TakingITGlobal team after I'm gone. andy Dave A. Chakrabarti wrote: Andy, A great resource, and one that is much appreciated. Would it be possible to include a location field in our profile information, which automatically adds us to the map? I know this is possible in some content management systems, but not sure how hard it would be to add this functionality to DDN...but it'd be great! Other ideas: adding website URL information to the map information popup, so it's easier to find information on people we find. I just found a fellow Chicagoan on DDN who I didn't know, but there's no easy way to find out more about his organizations / work... A lot of requests, I know...but thanks for the map! Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, I've just added a new DDN community for hosting a copy of the map: http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/map You can use this page to explore the map or add your on pin to the map. It's also a featured community, so there's a link to the community on the homepage, under the name DDN Member Map. andy Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, Just for kicks, I've created a new DDN member map on Frappr.com. Frappr uses Google Maps to let you create a map showing the locations of people affiliated to a community of interest. With the Frappr map, DDN members can pinpoint their location in the world and let others know where they're located. Please feel free to try it out here: http://www.frappr.com/digitaldividenetworkmembers Would be curious to hear from any regular Frappr users if they think the tool could be useful to DDN. thanks, andy ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. -- -- Andy Carvin acarvin (at) edc . org andycarvin (at) yahoo . com http://www.andycarvin.com http://www.digitaldivide.net http://www.pbs.org/learningnow -- ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] bill gates transitions
hi DDN community - that's quite some news that bill gates will be stepping down from his full time job at microsoft. i was totally surprised to hear that he has also accepted an entry level position at red hat. considering the overwhelmingly dominant role microsoft has played in computers until this point, this might signal a turning point in the history of computing. with increasing diversity in operating systems and application software, new doorways of opportunity will open for those who previously have lacked access. new doorways will also be opening in the entrepreneurial realm as society moves away from the monolithic computing paradigms of the past. phil shapiro (only kidding about the entry level position at red hat.) -- Phil Shapiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro http://philsrssfeed.blogspot.com http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html Wisdom starts with wonder. - Socrates Learning happens through gentleness. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Nokia 770 for Education?
I think the device has tremendous potential. And no, that's not just because I've been drooling on my keyboard reading the specs for the past month or so. Why? Because we're moving towards urban wifi in a big way. Chicago's taking unprecedented steps to ensure network neutrality and open infrastructure in their wifi RFP. In the United States, I will soon be able to say that pretty much everywhere I need it to work, a wifi device will work for me. That will justify the $350 tag for me easily. Being able to get online on a screen a little larger than a phone is nice, but wifi is better...because it frees me from having to pay a cellular service for my internet data. This means I can check email from anywhere, everywhere. IM and browsing are nice too, of course...and if you're a Drupal user, this means you can add content to your site while you're stuck on the train. Who needs GPS if I can do Google maps on my wifi? For that matter, how long before someone develops software that'll track your location and movement anonymously for muni wifi networks to act as pseudo-GPS, complete with ultra-local advertising? The killer app will be Google talk. Why? VOIP. This means that, theoretically, I'll have free cellular calling on wifi...no bills. If I want to be able to do true mobile phone calls, I'll have to pay something like $5 a month for an incoming number ($5 a month for free incoming calls is nothing to sneeze at, especially for parents with kids) or wait for a provider like Sunrocket to figure out how to interface with the system, in which case I'll pay $16 per month for unlimited local and long distance, incredibly advanced voicemail, and two incoming lines. The catch? Wifi is a bursty protocol, and my experiments with Sunrocket over a wifi link have not been very promising. It'll take some major bandwidth and a very reliable connection for VOIP over wifi to be anything approaching reliable. For someone who never uses a cell phone, like me, it'll be cool...but for most of the world, it's not going to replace cellular all that soon. For developing nations or rural locations, it may be much harder to justify the cost of this device given the difficulties in locating wifi infrastructure...the inherent mobility of the hardware may be lost, since you may be tied to the few wifi locations available. I'd question its use in India, for example...in most parts of India, you'd be deploying the device and then deploying an accompanying wifi connection for it to work from, meaning that you've effectively purchased an overpriced, tiny-screened desktop computer. At the price range, I'm also not entirely sure it's particularly innovative...how does it compare to say, a Dell Axim with built-in wifi and bluetooth? Same price range, the Dell's got a significantly faster processor, the Nokia might have a larger screen...other differences? And while we're at it, the Ipaq line's probably in the same price range as well. I'd expect mobile wifi to drop into the $150 price range in the near future for entry-level devices, which should make it significantly more affordable to deploy. I also expect the developing world to jump on the wifi bandwagon quickly (faster than the US if this country isn't careful, given how much control the telcos have over legislation here), which means that though this device may not have immediate significance as an educational tool for much of the world, it (or devices like it) will very soon. Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Brian Russell wrote: What do educators think about students using mobile internet devices for education? For example the Nokia 770. http://www.nokiausa.com/770 Its an internet tablet with wifi built in, 800x480 touch screen, Linux based OS, bluetooth, Opera web browser, GTalk (VOIP), IM, email client, word processor, and I've even seen a Citrix client for it. http://tinyurl.com/lae6e Keyboard is not included but has been known to work via bluetooth. Retails for $359.95 USD. I haven't used this device but I thought it could be handy. Here are more URLs about it. http://maemo.org/maemowiki/ApplicationCatalog www.internettablettalk.com/ -Brian R. __ /__\ \__/ || || || \__ \_ Brian C. Russell Media Activist/Tech Advocate AudioActivism.org ChapelHillWireless.org PodcasterCon.org Yesh.com \__ \__= It's a Mic... ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org
[DDN] Me in DC July 7 - 17
I'll be in Washington, DC July 7 - 17. If anyone in the area would like to meet face-to-face for whatever reason, please let me know ASAP. -- Ms. Jayne Cravens MSc Bonn, Germany Services for Mission-Based Orgs www.coyotecommunications.com International Development Studies Work www.coyotecommunications.com/development Contact me www.coyotecommunications.com/contact.html www.ivisit.com id: jcravens.4947 ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
RE: [DDN] Add yourself to the DDN world map!
I was going to chime in earlier about this being a possible future feature but knowing how much effort it was I was curious to see if anyone would bring it up... :) On TakingITGlobal we recently migrated our databases to being able to do this over a 6-month period but it was quite a bit of effort because it meant migrating our old database of plain-text city/state fields (for users, organizations, events, and projects) to actually matching them up to a database of cities and states with Long/Lat information. It's something we can explore in the future for DDN but requires a lot of massaging for existing data to make it match up nicely. It enables some cool features though for us at TIG, like Members Online Map: http://www.takingitglobal.org/members/membermap.html and Organizations by City: http://www.takingitglobal.org/resources/orgs/orgmap.html?CountryID=2Zoo mCityID=2818343 We'll keep it in mind as a rainy-day project once some of the other improvements have been taken care of! Cheers, -- Michael Michael Furdyk | Director of Technology TakingITGlobal | www.takingitglobal.org -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andy Carvin Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 9:46 AM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] Add yourself to the DDN world map! We wouldn't be able to use Frappr, then - we would have to set up our own Google Map from scratch. Technically this is possible. But there's no way this could be a priority in the short term, because the limited money DDN has is going to transferring DDN to TakingITGlobal, and hopefully offering stipends to editors. Anything after that will have to be decided by the TakingITGlobal team after I'm gone. andy Dave A. Chakrabarti wrote: Andy, A great resource, and one that is much appreciated. Would it be possible to include a location field in our profile information, which automatically adds us to the map? I know this is possible in some content management systems, but not sure how hard it would be to add this functionality to DDN...but it'd be great! Other ideas: adding website URL information to the map information popup, so it's easier to find information on people we find. I just found a fellow Chicagoan on DDN who I didn't know, but there's no easy way to find out more about his organizations / work... A lot of requests, I know...but thanks for the map! Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, I've just added a new DDN community for hosting a copy of the map: http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/map You can use this page to explore the map or add your on pin to the map. It's also a featured community, so there's a link to the community on the homepage, under the name DDN Member Map. andy Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, Just for kicks, I've created a new DDN member map on Frappr.com. Frappr uses Google Maps to let you create a map showing the locations of people affiliated to a community of interest. With the Frappr map, DDN members can pinpoint their location in the world and let others know where they're located. Please feel free to try it out here: http://www.frappr.com/digitaldividenetworkmembers Would be curious to hear from any regular Frappr users if they think the tool could be useful to DDN. thanks, andy ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. -- -- Andy Carvin acarvin (at) edc . org andycarvin (at) yahoo . com http://www.andycarvin.com http://www.digitaldivide.net http://www.pbs.org/learningnow -- ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Add yourself to the DDN world map!
http://www.mapbuilder.net it took me a day to teach my public highschool class here in New York. (their projects will be featured at eyebeam atelier for the next month, using this as a locative sound mapping tool). best, daniel p. On 6/16/06 9:45 AM, Andy Carvin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We wouldn't be able to use Frappr, then - we would have to set up our own Google Map from scratch. Technically this is possible. But there's no way this could be a priority in the short term, because the limited money DDN has is going to transferring DDN to TakingITGlobal, and hopefully offering stipends to editors. Anything after that will have to be decided by the TakingITGlobal team after I'm gone. andy Dave A. Chakrabarti wrote: Andy, A great resource, and one that is much appreciated. Would it be possible to include a location field in our profile information, which automatically adds us to the map? I know this is possible in some content management systems, but not sure how hard it would be to add this functionality to DDN...but it'd be great! Other ideas: adding website URL information to the map information popup, so it's easier to find information on people we find. I just found a fellow Chicagoan on DDN who I didn't know, but there's no easy way to find out more about his organizations / work... A lot of requests, I know...but thanks for the map! Dave. --- Dave A. Chakrabarti Projects Coordinator CTCNet Chicago [EMAIL PROTECTED] (708) 919 1026 --- Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, I've just added a new DDN community for hosting a copy of the map: http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/map You can use this page to explore the map or add your on pin to the map. It's also a featured community, so there's a link to the community on the homepage, under the name DDN Member Map. andy Andy Carvin wrote: Hi everyone, Just for kicks, I've created a new DDN member map on Frappr.com. Frappr uses Google Maps to let you create a map showing the locations of people affiliated to a community of interest. With the Frappr map, DDN members can pinpoint their location in the world and let others know where they're located. Please feel free to try it out here: http://www.frappr.com/digitaldividenetworkmembers Would be curious to hear from any regular Frappr users if they think the tool could be useful to DDN. thanks, andy ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Are online social networks a fad?
Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know about a blog entry I just wrote in response to a C|NET News article that debated whether or not online social networks are a fad. In it, I look at the history of online community building, from the earliest bulletin board systems and email lists to community networks and online social networks. Here's a snippet from the blog: In a June 14 article for C|NET News, Stephanie Olsen examines whether online social networks like MySpace are here to stay or are a passing fad. The article, which looks at the issue mostly from a business perspective, suggests the jury is still out. But from a human perspective, history suggests otherwise. The Internet has always been about community. Sure, when it was developed in the late 60s, the idea was to have a decentralized computer network that could survive a nuclear holocaust. But even when the very first computer network was set up, there was at least one person behind each of those computers. And when you connect two people together, you have the minimal requirements for forming a new community. And in this case, the more the merrier: as Metcalfe’s Law suggests, the value of a network is intrinsically connected to the number of people communicating over it. More people, bigger network. Bigger network, bigger community. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, of course, but it does help you reach critical mass. Of course, for many years the Internet didn’t seem like a community because it was so research-oriented, but that didn’t stop people from using the technology to forge bonds with each other. As Ethan Zuckerman recently pointed out in his lightning-fast history of the Internet at the Harvard Beyond Broadcast conference, the first email discussion list was created more than 30 years ago, in 1975. By the late 70s, we had USENET bulletin board discussions, which continue today in the form of Google Groups. And in 1982, France introduced the Minitel interactive TV system - which just happened to have a chat feature, presaging the development of instant messaging. snip Now, of course, you can barely turn on the TV news (or check your RSS feed) without hearing about an online social network. They’re certainly the “big thing” in many circles, which is why venture capitalists are debating their future, as is the case in the aforementioned C|NET article. Whether or not they continue to be the darling of investors remains to be seen. But their fundamental purpose - giving people a platform for congregating, interacting and creating new things - isn’t going to go away when the fad is over. That’s because congregating, interacting and creating new things is what the Internet is all about. It’s what communities are all about. And pioneering educators, like always, are right in the middle of it. The question, though, remains whether the rest of the K12 community will embrace these tools or shun them snip http://www.pbs.org/learningnow permalink: http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/learning.now/2006/06/are_online_social_networks_a_f.html thanks, ac -- -- Andy Carvin acarvin (at) edc . org andycarvin (at) yahoo . com http://www.andycarvin.com http://www.digitaldivide.net http://www.pbs.org/learningnow -- ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
