Stephen Downes

{{Infobox person

| name = Stephen Downes

| image = Stephen Downes 2009 cropped.jpg

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| caption = Downes in 2009

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1959|04|06}}

| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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| alma_mater = {{plainlist|

• University of Calgary

(BA, MA)

• University of Alberta (PhD)

}}

| other_names =

| occupation = {{hlist|Philosopher|commentator}}

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{{Short description|Canadian philosopher and commentator}}

Stephen Downes (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian philosopher and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media. He has explored and promoted the educational use of computer and online technologies since 1995.{{cite journal |author=Kinney, Duncan |date= September 2010|title=An Open Education Primer: What you need to know about the future of post-secondary education | journal=Unlimited Magazine |url=http://www.unlimitedmagazine.com/2011/09/an-open-education-primer/ |accessdate=2014-07-12}} He gave the 2004 Buntine Oration{{cite journal|url = http://itdl.org/Journal/Nov_04/Nov_04.pdf|journal = International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning|year = 2004|volume = 1|issue = 11|issn = 1550-6908|title = Buntine Oration: Learning Objects|pages = 3–14|first = S.|last = Downes}} and was a presenter at the February 2007 Online Connectivism Conference.[http://umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies/connectivisim/ University of Manitoba: Learning Technologies Centre] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302121421/http://umanitoba.ca/learning_technologies/connectivisim/ |date=2007-03-02 }} In 2008, Downes and George Siemens designed and taught an online, open course reported as a "landmark in the small but growing push toward 'open teaching{{' "}}{{cite news|author=Parry, Marc |title= Online, Bigger Classes May Be Better Classes | newspaper= Chronicle of Higher Education | date=August 29, 2010 | url=http://chronicle.com/article/Open-Teaching-When-the/124170 |accessdate= 2010-09-02}} - widely considered the first massive open online course (MOOC).

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Downes lived and worked across Canada before joining the National Research Council of Canada as a senior researcher in November 2001. Currently, he is a researcher at the NRC's Digital Technologies Research Centre in Ottawa.{{cite web|title=NRC Experts and Staff: Stephen Downes|publisher=National Research Council of Canada|url=https://geds-sage.gc.ca/en/GEDS/?pgid=015&dn=cn%3DDownes%5C%2C+Stephen%2Cou%3DDT-TD%2Cou%3DET-TE%2Cou%3DNRC-CNRC%2Co%3Dgc%2Cc%3Dca|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907011607/http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/people/downes_stephen_4647.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 7, 2012|date=April 16, 2003|access-date=2010-09-02}}

Downes was the winner of the Edublog Award for Best Individual Blog in 2005 for his blog OLDaily.{{cite web |url=http://incsub.org/awards/2005/winners-announced/ |title=2005 Edublog Awards |access-date=2006-08-12 |archive-date=2014-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106051449/http://incsub.org/awards/2005/winners-announced/ |url-status=dead }} He is Editor at Large of the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.[http://www.itdl.org/index.htm International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Editorial Board] Retrieved on 2010-09-02.

Downes ran for Mayor of Brandon in 1995, when he was working at the Assiniboine Community College. A member of the New Democratic Party, he ran on a platform to the left of incumbent mayor Rick Borotsik.Bud Robertson, "Election-Profile-Brandon", Winnipeg Free Press, 1 October 1995, A1.