XplanaZine

Here’s our take on news that matters for Thursday, November 10. Today’s theme is openness and here are some links to related news items.

• First up on the open front is news that the OpenDocument format is gathering steam. Major players from the software industry are teaming up on OpenDocument as government customers show more interest in open-source alternatives to Microsoft’s desktop software. Education will be prized territory in this turf war so stay tuned.
• And congratulations to open source browser Firefox, which is marking its first year on the net. Since the debut of Firefox 1.0 last November, users have downloaded 106.4 million copies of the open-source Web browser, according to the Mozilla Foundation, which coordinated the development of Firefox.
• Also, regardless of which side you are on, the debate raging Evolution and Intelligent Design is a good sign that discussion can pry open closed thinking habits. This Ars Technica piece is a nice summary of recent events, stances, and statements related to the issue.
• Finally, in a truly meaningful development related to openness, XM Radio has been showing off its new concept for tracking parking lot openings. Now, this may not seem like much to those who don’t live in or near big cities, but it could be worth more than its weight in gold places like Boston and NYC.

Now, here’s a recap of our favorite posts from the edublogging community from the past 48 hours.

• From Allan Levine: Post on the Web decimal conundrum.
• From D’Arcy Norman : Post on collaboration and teacher reflection.
• From Ben Vershbow : Post on more bad news for print news.