Clipmarks integration

We've added support to another web based service. Using SkillsFeed bookmarklet you can contribute to a lesson Clipmarks clip (as an embedded object). First lesson using this feature is SCRUM in 5 minutes - check it out!

Some cleanup and ODEO support

We've made some fixes to the SkillsFeed:

• author is not forced to join the lesson to have full access to it


• you can't rate your own lesson - we're sorry :)


• Slideshare changed its layout, which caused problems with our bookmarklet - it's fixed now


• duplicated URL and EMBED submission using bookmarklet is detected and reported as an error

Additionally, ODEO is now supported by SkillsFeed bookmarklet. Contributing podcast as a lesson is very easy now!

Express yourself!

We've just updated the service. Now you can provide URLs to your Flickr photo (100 x 100 pixels) and small logo (16 x 16 pixels).

Your logo will be visible for example in lessons listings, discussion entries and lower positions of students and teachers rankings.



Your photo will show up on top positions of rankings and on your public profile page.

Members activity log and rankings

New SkillsFeed features are available. Now you can see what's going on in SkillsFeed community - who has joined, what new lessons have been published and who learns what.

Also, rankings of top authors, site owners and students are available for learning sites as well as for the whole SkillsFeed community.

Check out "Community" menu!

Better YouTube, Google Video and Slideshare integration

New version of our service has been just released. Integration with YouTube, Google Video and Slideshare sites has been improved. Now, after using our bookmarklet, you get all needed fields filled in by the content of proper YT and SS fields (title, description, thumbnail, tags, embedded code). For GV movies only title, embedded code and thumbnail are automatically retrieved. Additionally, you have to join the lesson to watch the movie or presentation.

External resources contribution

Before providing cooperation features we've released new version of SkillsFeed which allows you to contribute external educational content like YouTube or Google videos, SlideShare presentations or simply links to articles or websites related to your SF site. You can do it easily by using our bookmarklet (you'll find it on the right margin section of SkillsFeed pages).

Invitations are almost ready and are coming soon.

Work in progress

We're working on new SkillsFeed features. The most important one will be the ability to invite somebody else to contribute to your learning site. It will enable authors to cooperate on the learning content.

Meanwhile we have authored small SkillsFeed text markup syntax tutorial.

SkillsFeed launched!

After a few weeks of delay we are proud to anounce that SkillsFeed is ready to use. New content and features are coming soon. Stay in touch!

Web 2.0 in school (part 2 and 3)

Solution Watch has published two new parts of the education related web apps:

You can find them here:

1. Back to School - Part 2


2. Back to School - Part 3

The most interesting site mentioned in part 3 is School 2.0, which is something like "School 2.0 idea roadmap".

SkillsFeed almost complete

After almost 3 weeks of intensive coding we're almost ready to go. Lesson questions and discussion feature is completed. Registration spam protection is tested and works fine, we decided to give up with captcha for a moment and just require email confirmation. Additionally a lot of minor bugs were fixed. The site navigation is still being redesigned - we feel that it is essential for the platform usability.

Education related Web 2.0 apps

Solution Watch has posted a list of web apps supporting both learning and teaching.

Especially interesting one is Mindpicnic, which seems really agile in form and spirit. Nice work, Andreas - SkillsFeed will join the pack this month!

Project status

We've received a lot of feedback regarding our upcoming service SkillsFeed.com. Thanks for all your support and ideas. We hope we'll be able to meet your expectations.

We can't wait to hear your opinions about the platform, but give us some more time to finish things from our to-do list.

Just to show you what is going on with the SkillsFeed project, here are the major tasks on which we are currently working:

• lesson questions and discussion
• registration spam / bot protection
• site navigation (needs rework)

Stay tuned and remember - your talents need recognition!

SkillsFeed.com is coming soon

According to the plans, the platform will be launched in the beginning of October 2006. Stay tuned and meanwhile - read more about the SkillsFeed.com.

Agile Learning Manifesto

1. KNOWLEDGE MATTERS

In most modern industries business results depend more and more on the knowledge of the employees. We, as knowledge workers, are an important source of competitive advantage. Our sharp minds, expertise and experience are essential for companies’ success.

2. ADAPT AND DEVELOP SKILLS FAST AND CONTINUOUSLY

We understand the importance of self-improvement. The massive creation of new and rapid changes in existing markets, forces us to adapt and develop our skills rapidly and continually.

3. LEARN LEAN AND JUST-IN-TIME

Our time and attention are limited and expensive resources, so we have to use them wisely. We need small bites of highly focused knowledge delivered when we want it and when we really need it.

4. COMMUNICATE AND PARTICIPATE TO ENHANCE SKILLS EXPONENTIALLY

We believe that interaction, involvement, communication and the free exchange of ideas are key factors of efficient learning. We want to share our knowledge because it brings us more insight and helps the development of our skills.

5. TALENT NEEDS RECOGNITION

We are proud of our skills and believe that excellence deserves recognition. We want to share our talent and accomplishments with our employers, colleagues and the community.