Here is my other favorite, thought-provoking YouTube video, which covers preparing 21st Century Learners for success in a networked, rapidly-evolving, global world. Have a look (some astonishing facts on internet marriage and MySpace, included…)

Watch, Did You Know? on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHWTLA8WecI

In reaction to the outcry and to appease its users in the academic community, Blackboard issued a pledge not to assert any of its patents against open source solutions for Learning and/or Content Management Systems. See link and pledge: http://www.blackboard.com/patent/FAQ_013107.htm

So, anyone or any company developing a non-proprietary LMS was safe… if you had developed or wanted to develop a proprietary LMS, such as Desire2Learn had, you were out of luck and had very little protection under the law. So much for free market capitalism and antitrust laws.

A colleague and I developed custom LMS about 6 years ago for UMass which the students and faculty liked better than the commercial alternatives (We had never seen Blackboard but evaluated some its competitors who were around at the time). Our LMS is still in use today, but we can never patent, package, nor sell it for profit because of this patent. Not that we wanted to, but it did cross our minds to find partners or additional funding to do so. But Blackboard’s patent, which was granted 2 years into our development, prevented us from ever doing that. It didn’t bother us much since our intention never was to sell it (we have given it freely to other schools for use and development), but the patents were unnerving to us and many others.

I’m a big fan of open source solutions for education and prefer them to proprietary ones anyway, but I hope one day to see Blackboard’s patent rights challenged and revoked or at least modified so they are not so sweeping and all-inclusive. I think large companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Apple and others, if allowed, could create other proprietary academic learning management systems that could give Blackboard a run for its money, while at the very least ensuring further creativity and development, both of which would be a boon to the end users.

I do think the internet is developing in a productive/positive way since users are now co-developers. During the early growth of the web, development was spearheaded through commerce and by commercial entities for commercial purposes. Now that has changed, as users are codeveloping the internet for other, non-commercial purposes.

Social networks, like Facebook and Revision 3 are certainly improving our connectivity and are indeed becoming necessary tools despite the digital divide and the many who don’t have reliable access to such networks. Two related and interesting videos on this topic are listed below:

Frontline PBS special. “Growing Up Online” (covers pros and cons of social networking - some segments overemphasize risks more than needed):
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/main.html

Social Networks Plain and Simple, YouTube (quick overview of social networks and their value):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

” Is the internet developing in a productive way?” My answer to that is yes. Again, we as hopeful future professionals should watch what we say and how we are portrayed on the internet. The internet is a useful tool for high school and college students, employers, professionals, etc. What is developing in a nonproductive way is our use of the internet. People are no longer conscientious of the way they depict themselves, their personalities, and their capabilities on the internet.

With that said, I think we need to take a good look at our society and its development, not the development of the internet. We are in control of the internet; not the other way around.