• http://mfeldstein.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/blackboard_by_the_numbers/

Jim Farmer, Coordinator of Georgetown University's new Interoperability Center, has gotten plenty of notice over the last week or so for his report "On the Cost of Selling an Enterprise Learning System." But almost as interesting as reading the report is watching the discussion of Farmer's analysis move through the blogosphere.

The report itself, dated 8 January 2006, exists, as far as I can tell, as a free-floating, unadorned pdf file with the footer "Jim Farmer, instructional media + magic, inc" the only identifier. Michael Feldstein's excellent January 12 e-Literate coverage of Farmer's document offers the most thorough analysis, and in a sense "publishes" Farmer. Stephen Downes (Stephen's Web), picks up Feldstein's story the following day. Several comments evoke response and clarification from Farmer on Stephen's Web. Then a Chronicle Wired Campus blog entry on January 17 summarizes the report, highlights the implications for open source, and, quoting Feldstein, makes it sound like his work. That produces a disclaimer on Feldstein's blog pointing Chronicle readers back to the original report. There's plenty more to report about the circulation, but you get the idea.

It's an important discussion about open-source solutions--and a fascinating glimpse at the evolving nature of academic discussions in the blogosphere.