Stephen Downes is a designer

Designer

A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...

 and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media

New media

New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...

. Downes has explored and promoted the educational use of computer and online technologies since 1995. In 2008, Downes and George Siemens

George Siemens

George Siemens is a theorist on learning in a digitally based society. He is the author of the article and the book - an exploration of the impact of the changed context and characteristics of knowledge....

 designed and taught an online, open course reported as a "landmark in the small but growing push toward 'open teaching.'".

Born in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 (Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

) Downes lived and worked across Canada before joining the National Research Council of Canada

National Research Council of Canada

The National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...

 as a senior researcher

Researcher

A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...

 in November 2001. Currently based in Moncton, New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, Downes is a researcher at the NRC's Institute for Information Technology's e-Learning Research Group.

Downes was the winner of the Edublog Award for Best Individual Blog award in 2005 for his blog OLDaily. Downes is Editor at Large of the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning

International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning

International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning or IJITDL is an open access academic journal concentrating on research and innovation in teaching and learning, particularly in the areas of instructional technology and distance learning...

. Downes was a presenter at the February 2007 Online Connectivism Conference. He was an instructor for the first Connectivism Massive open online course

Massive open online course

In the field of open education, one of the latest trends is that of open courses, called MOOCs . Such courses are founded on the theory of connectivism and an open pedagogy based on networked learning. Typically, participation in a MOOC is free; however, some MOOCs may charge a fee in the form of...

 (MOOC) in 2008.

Downes ran for Mayor of Brandon

Brandon, Manitoba

Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

 in 1995

Manitoba municipal elections, 1995

The 1995 Manitoba municipal elections were held on October 25, 1995 to elect mayors, councillors and school trustees in various communities throughout Manitoba, Canada.-Brandon:...

, when he was working at the Assiniboine Community College. A member of the New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party of Manitoba

The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...

, he ran on a platform to the left of incumbent mayor Rick Borotsik

Rick Borotsik

Rick Borotsik is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as Mayor of Brandon from 1989 to 1997, was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2004, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in 2007...

.

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