Add to the Glossary

Today I was reading through some posts, which led to some links, which led to some other links, and before I knew it, three hours was gone! I am so new and unfamiliar with many terms and thought I'd start a glossary of words I'm learning since this journals my learning through FET8611 at USQ. Please feel free to add new words, correct definitions or expand on my understanding of these words.

1. M-learning - refers to mobile learning, i.e. using mobile phones and other mobile devices. That is so relevant here in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario since this is the home of RIM (Research in Motion) , developers of the Blackberry wireless communication platform. M-learning would certainly work well in the UAE where I lived for 7 years, because everyone owns at least one mobile. I'm finding here in North America, users need to sign contracts for different billing plans, and accordingly, everyone does not have a mobile. In the UAE, it didn't cost anything to accept a call. Here, unless it's in the evening or weekends, you are charged from 20 cents a minute or more. Back in the UAE, I couldn't imagine living without one, but here - I'm managing without one. If I were to send lessons to my students here, I'm sure they wouldn't be happy having to pay for it!


2. Open Source - Moodle is an open source learning management system. I think thie term 'open source' is too technical for me to understand but I know that because Moodle is 'open source', our college decided not to adapt it. "Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in." (Open Source Initiative) Open Source has something to do with access to the source code. If your software is labelled open source, it must have a licence from OSI, otherwise, as Michael Tiemann, president of OSI states - call it something else as Microsoft did with their Shared Source software.


3. Blog - a live journal, a web log, but so much more. Unlike a handwritten diary that is under lock and key, readers can add comments and get a feel of who the blogger is through the shared links, images, style of writing, content of posts, etc. Did you know there are some tips for writing a blog. See Daily Blog Tips. This is my first attempt at a blog. I find ProBlogger.net is a very informative site with tips for beginners like me.


4. Push Content - content from a web site that is customized and channeled specifically for the user. For example - receiving feeds of only latest sports news from CNN. This is great for educational purposes. Push technology is used to narrow huge amounts of data and feed timely customized information into the classroom.
   

Janet