Tag Archives: policy

Copyright and Vagueness

Posted on April 26, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Bradley E. Abruzzi has published an article discussing the relationship between copyright and the “vagueness doctrine.” From the abstract:

The Constitution’s void-for-vagueness doctrine is itself vaguely stated. The law does little to describe at what point vague laws – other than those that are entirely standardless – might be unconstitutionally vague. Rather than explore this territory, the Supreme Court has identified three “collateral factors” that affect its inclination to invalidate a law for vagueness…

Thanks to Christine A. Corcos for the link.

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Librarians React to Google Settlement Rejection

Posted on March 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Josh Hadro has a new post discussing the Google Book Settlement rejection from the perspectives of librarians. From the post:

What librarians can look forward to instead: a renewed commitment from library advocates to make more content accessible to scholars and to the general public, whether via an alternative settlement agreement or legislative recourse.

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Berlin Declaration

Posted on March 18, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Glyn Moody has a new post discussing the Berlin Declaration, a document signed by notable European publishers. From the declaration:

The current reality is that the many publishers now initiating new paid-for solutions are faced with technological giants that may want to control the various dimensions of content distribution. The result could be publishers losing some core competencies, such as price setting, as well as their valued, direct relationships with readers (notably via subscription management).

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Remixing Scholastic Textbooks

Posted on February 21, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Kate Rix has a new post about remixing Scholastic textbooks. These textbooks are not open, and copyright does not appear to be addressed in the post. From the post:

“The long-term transformation is not books going online,” says Mary Skafidas, a marketing executive at McGraw-Hill. “It’s the creation of different tools, a step beyond digital prose. We have gone beyond that to create simulations, math disguised as video games, and whole digital worlds.

Thanks to Judy Baker for the link.

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Canadian Copyright Restrictions for Educators

Posted on February 21, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Cory Doctorow has a new post pointing out new legislation in Canada aimed at creating permissions and restrictions for educators. From the post:

Under the new exemption proposed in C-32, teachers would join journalists and critics as one of the protected groups who can make brief quotes (provided such quotes don’t comprise a “significant” portion of the work) for a narrow set of purposes.

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OPAL OER Study

Posted on February 19, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Abel Caine has a new post announcing the OPAL OER study is now available. From the post:

The Open Educational Quality Initiative “Beyond OER” study report is now published. Among its conclusions it finds that OER are more widely used where programmes or inititatives for open resources exist at the institutional level. The lesser the fear, insecurity or discomfort towards Open Educational Resources (OER), the higher the frequency of OER use.

Thanks to Stephen Downes for the link.

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Submitting Questions to US Ed Secretary Arne Duncan

Posted on February 18, 2011 by | 3 Comments

Liz Dwyer has a new post suggesting a way to submit question to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. From the post:

For a shot at Secretary Duncan answering your burning education question, simply head to the SparkAction! contest page and post your query. The public will then vote American Idol-style on which questions they like the best—so make sure you’re ready to have everyone you know in real life, plus all your Facebook friends, vote for your question.

Thanks to Maria Popova for the link.

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UK Ed Policy and Publishers

Posted on February 12, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Ross Gardler has a new post questioning the influence of publishers on UK education policy. From the post:

As a result of the JISCs desire to understand reality, rather than succumb to marketing messages from big companies back in 2003, they have been instrumental in the creation of policies and practices which have started to level the playing field for open source suppliers in our sector.

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Unlocking the Gates

Posted on February 5, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Steve Kolowich has a new post about Taylor Walsh’s new book, Unlocking the Gates. From the interview:

On the other hand, absent the measures inherent to actual, degree-granting programs, there is no way to tell how much actual learning these expensive projects are creating.

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OER Discoverability

Posted on February 5, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Peter Robinson has a new post on search engine optimization for open educational resources. From the post:

…marketing through high visibility channels seems key but some of the basics on web visibility are worth stating – good clearly titled content on a valid academic URL will always be valued highly by the Google system particularly if linked to by other acadmic sites.

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