Posts from — July 2003

Open-Source Development.

HBS Working Knowledge has an interview with Siobh‡n O'Mahony who discusses her research on foundations formed around three projects: Debian, GNOME and Apache. Some excerpts:

The hacker culture prizes autonomy and self-determination. Eric Raymond defines hackers as those who love programming for the sake of doing it, for the sake of obsessively solving a problem. Thus, hackers who contribute to the open source community are often intrinsically motivated.

[E M E R G I C . o r g]

I'm actually not sure that the hacker culture prizes this at all. I think this is put forth by certain people as something that it prizes, but really, i've not seen any proof that it does, and looking around hackers seems happiest when they are working with others on something….. independent projects seem to come together….

Grading Standards for Writing Assignments in an Online Course. In theory, living in the web world would lead to improved writing skills.  After all, most of the communication is done through e-mail, discussion boards, instant messaging, and chat.

Most instructors of online courses point out that in many cases, just the opposite has occurred.  Instead of fully formed thoughts supported by plausible evidence, the average paper becomes a sketchy affair written in a kind of e-mail-ese that consists of rants and choppy, disconnected thoughts, non-standard spelling, and pseudo-plagiaristic “borrowing” that manifests as unreferenced segments of online articles copied and pasted into the body of a paper.

In addition, it is important to help students come to realize that the standards for non-Internet-based writing should apply to Internet-based writing.  Online courses should not have different standards than onsite or traditional courses.  If anything, there should be higher standards, given that the writer is potentially writing for a larger audience who will read the work on the screen as well as on paper.

The first step in writing is learning how to organize one’s thoughts.  Writing is all about thinking.  It is not about mechanistic goose-stepping to grammar.

For an essay, such as those required in college first-year composition courses, the criteria may be summarized in the following manner:

 Content:  The essay reflects the original thought of the writer, centered around a central point, idea, or thesis.  The idea and key terms are clearly defined, and the points are supported by relevant, credible, and referenced evidence.  The concepts cover ideas from more than a single field or source, and cross disciplines.

 Organization:  The essay is organized in a manner that can be followed by the average reader. Whether the structure follows inductive or deductive logic is not as important as overall coherence of the argument.  Each point is well-developed and balanced.  Sentences are correctly constructed, and follow established norms of syntax and grammar.

 Presentation:  The presentation should be appropriate for reading on the screen or on paper.  Ideally, paragraphs are short, font size is readable, and subheadings are used to cue the reader and organize the thoughts and points.

 Diction:  Word Choices and Tone:   The essay contains word choices that are appropriate for the topic, with a tone that is appropriate for the audience and the subject matter.  Wrong words and awkward constructions are avoided.

 Mechanics:  Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling:  The essay follows the standard grammar, punctuation, and spelling of American English.

 Citing Sources:  Sources are cited in a consistent manner, following the conventions in an agreed-upon style guide.  Citations are not presented in a back-to-back manner.  The author’s original thoughts dominate, and citations serve to reinforce or support the primary thesis.

 Because the standards are fairly subject to interpretation, it is important to provide examples of successful essays.  However, there is a danger in this.  The more insecure student will use the sample as a model and will not deviate from it.  Such slavish adherence to the model of the sample essay leads to a less than ideal learning experience.  Deep learning takes place when the individual makes connections between the subject of his or her essay and her own experience and life.

 More useful is a template, guide or flowchart.  This will help the student structure the initial draft, but does not constrain him or her in terms of subject, style, ideology, or overall tone.

 The  key to success is the human touch.  The student will gain confidence as the instructor provides timely and relevant feedback.  Instead of punishing and “correcting”, the instructor should guide and encourage intellectual risk-taking.  Grading guidelines and standards are fluid and flexible.  They are meant to be applied in an appropriate way that leads the student to introspection and deeper learning, in addition to enhanced skills in writing.

 

 

 

 

[Xplana]

This is really good, I'm keeping a copy in teaching and spreading the meme.

Good Experience: Top Sites' User Experience Teams and Their Challenge. Across all of those companies, the issues were strikingly similar. Despite the different business models – e-commerce, content, software development, search, etc. – team after team recited the same few issues that they are now trying to address. [Tomalak's Realm]

this is an interesting site, it will be good to watch and read it for a while.

Gutenberg Bible. The Gutenberg Bible : the first book printed with movable type, is the one of the greatest treasures in the University of Texas's Ransom Center's collections. It was printed at Johann Gutenberg's shop in Mainz, Germany and completed in 1454 or 1455. The Center's Bible was acquired in 1978 and is one of only five complete examples in the United States. All 1,282 pages now available for viewing on the Ransom Center's Web site. Also check out the anatomy of a page. [MetaFilter]

this is great1 and it is free, now they need the mainz bible.

Hate on display. The Anti-Defamation League has a visual database of symbols devised or co-opted by neo-Nazis and supremacist groups worldwide, as well as numbers and acronyms with racist connotations. Although most of us know what 88 means, there's also info about others such as the communist-separatist American Front and the Five Percenters. More neo-Nazi flags here; flags and badges here.
Please remember: while racism is always immoral, symbols themselves can have several meanings. [MetaFilter]

To me, being aware of this is very important, the symbolic content of our everyday life is ever increasing, and the more there is the more overlapping meanings there are. We need to be careful to use symbols that represent our intent, or appropriate symbols for new uses as a form of cultural resistance to institutionalized and disseminated forms of hatred.

modernist urbanism. I came across this phrase—modernist urbanism—and it caught my fancy. What does it mean? traffic flows and freeways, skyscraper landscapes,… [Junk for Code]

to me it means the work of Georg Simmel and Lewis Mumford, their discussion of society and the development of urbanity. To me, while it still exists in form, it died as analysis with the Situationist International.

'Ten Questions' Letter Sent to Dick Cheney. Tom Paine reports that Congresspersons Dennis Kucinich, Carolyn Maloney and Bernie Sanders sent this letter with Ten Questions to Vice… [TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime]

i'd love to hear the answers, but i doubt we ever will.

France offers grants for games. The French Government is offering millions of euros to fund the development of new video games. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

money money money, its not funny, it makes the world go round…. or whatever…. anyway, this is interesting for those interested in games.

R.I.P., Jude Milhon, St. Jude. Michelle Delio, writing for Wired News. [A blog doesn't need a clever name]

another that will be missed.

AnarchistU: Toronto free school [bOing bOing]

this is a good idea, i wonder if it could be taken to the online environment.