where to draw the line?


Where to draw the line.jpgOne of the things I've been thinking about with regards to personal cyberinfrastructure, is where to draw the line defining where an individual should be focusing their energy.

The #ds106 model draws the line just above the LAMP stack. But that's an arbitrary selection. It could just as easily be pushed down to the hardware level - students will acquire (or build, or design) a server and then install (or build, or design) an operating system etc...

Or, the line could be pushed up, above the software layers altogether, where students focus only on content and creating stuff. This is where the line is drawn with hosted services like WordPress.com or Blogger.

I'm not saying one line is necessarily better than the other, but we need to be aware that the decision of where to place the line defining expectations is arbitrary, and may be different in other contexts. A CompSci course may well have students writing their own OS, database, or applications. A PoliSci course may use a hosted (or campus-provided) blogging platform so that students can focus on the course rather than the bits that run stuff.


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