CTL's Weblogs
June 30, 2003
Reporter Accesses Student Info Through District's Open Wireless Network
Silicon Valley
"School administrators in the heart of Silicon Valley learned a recent lesson about the insecurity of wireless Internet networks. Armed only with a laptop and a wireless connection card, a reporter for the Palo Alto Weekly succeeded last week in accessing the Palo Alto Unified School District's insecure Wi-Fi network."
Multiple Pathways and State Policy: Toward Education and Training Beyond High School
Multiple Pathways and State Policy: Toward Education and Training Beyond High School
"Public policy should recognize these changes by assuring that almost all Americans have access to at least two years of education and training beyond high school. New policies would move toward this goal by engaging the full range of education and training programs, regardless of the education provider, in the creation of multiple pathways resulting from collaborative efforts across educational sectors or redesigned structures."
611 Years of Computing Done in 132 Days in Japanese 'Grid Computing' Test
Yahoo! News - 611 years of computing done in 132 days in Japanese 'grid computing' test
"Japan's NTT Data Corp. said it has successfully linked thousands of computers on the Internet to finish a task in 132 days that would take a single computer 611 years."
Is the Tablet PC the Future of College Computing?
University Business
"So many tablets, so little time... Professors at Purdue University (IN) call it the 'Wall Effect': Students straggle into class, pull out their notebook computers and flip up their screens, effectively constructing barriers between themselves and their teachers. Add the constant cacophony of clicking keys, and the notebook can be a professor's worst nightmare."
SysOpt.com - System Optimization Information
21st-Century Trends in Computing
"The computer industry is nearly the most rapidly evolving in the history of mankind. In the olden days, centuries could pass before major groundbreaking inventions were designed and became commonplace. Fast forward to the 21st century, and companies are filing thousands of patents daily. Computers have ranged and still range from enormous, power-hungry devices taking up entire city blocks to small, pocket-sized devices for taking notes and storing them. However, the difference between then and now is that the city-block-consuming computer of then has been surpassed in computational abilities by the personal computer of today."
Expanding Access to Learning: The Role of Virtual Universities
Expanding Access to Learning: The Role of Virtual Universities
"Almost every state in the United States is engaged in some kind of virtual university effort. Plans for these new organizations tend to emphasize the need to establish a postsecondary educational system that is accessible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of citizens and economic stakeholders; to create educational opportunities that can be delivered to new populations of potential students; to minimize costs; and to enable students to continue to work while attending college, as the following excerpt from the Kentucky Virtual University (KYVU) home page exemplifies..."
June 26, 2003
Why Oracle Vs PeopleSoft has Ed Tech Edgy
Why Oracle Vs PeopleSoft Has Ed Tech Edgy :: Distance-Educator.com's Daily News :: Distance education news from around the world!
"As business software maker Oracle Corp. presses on with its $6.3 billion bid to swallow rival firm PeopleSoft Inc., several PeopleSoft customers—including large school districts, universities, and state education agencies—fear the maneuver could disrupt their operations and ultimately cost them millions of dollars to convert their systems."
Online University Features High-Touch Commencement Exercises
Silicon Valley Biz Ink :: The voice of the valley economy
"While they earn their degrees, these college students communicate keyboard-to-keyboard in online courses, using their imaginations to flesh out the physical features of their far-flung classmates. But the culminating event -- the graduation ceremony -- is still traditional, featuring caps and gowns, nerves, a cheering audience and eye contact. Capella University, an accredited online university with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn., celebrates its 10th year of operation this year and its sixth graduating class on Saturday, June 21."
CMU Consultant, Professor Helps Launch Long-Distance Degree Program in Athens
CMU consultant, professor helps launch long-distance degree program in Athens
"Growing up in a Greek-American household, Dena Haritos Tsamitis became fluent in Greek very young but never expected the language to come in handy as a career tool. Now she flies to Greece several times a year to help manage a Carnegie Mellon University partnership in Athens where students, plugged in electronically to CMU's Oakland campus, are earning master's degrees in information networking."
Beyond The Current E-Learning Paradigm: Applications Of Role Play Simulations (RPS) - Case Studies
Beyond The Current E-Learning Paradigm: Applications Of Role Play Simulations (RPS) - Case Studies :: Distance-Educator.com's Daily News :: Distance education news from around the world!
"The paper explores some general pedagogical principles and outlines a pedagogy that takes the next step in redefining the social space of learning enabling educators to leverage the capabilities of the new communicative media as well as enhance and expand current models of E-learning beyond traditional models. This pedagogy is then demonstrated in a number case studies where learning is achieved using Role Play Simulations (RPS). It will be argued that RPS enable diverse learning objectives, from diverse subject domains, and thus constitute a useful pedagogical model of good E-learning"
June 25, 2003
Intel, Universities Create World Network
Intel, universities create world network | CNET News.com
"Intel, Princeton University, the University of California at Berkeley, and a host of other academic and industrial heavyweights have banded together to take the lag out of getting data from halfway around the world."
June 20, 2003
Proceedings of the Fourth National Technology Leadership Summit: Open Resources in Education
CITE Journal -- Volume 2, Issue 4
"The source code in open source software is openly available for the world to review and improve. By making the source code available, a "million pairs of eyes on the code" can identify and fix bugs faster than a tightly controlled team of proprietary programmers."
June 19, 2003
Dewey Goes Digital
University Business
"As campus Internet technologies enter the next millennium, schools rush to move their libraries online. Is this finally the end of the card catalog?"
Improving Information Literacy: A Flashlight Evaluation of Project JSTOR
Minnesota's Private Colleges - JSTOR Overview, Description
"Project JSTOR was a three-year grant initiative from 1999-2002, supporting 35 public and private colleges and universities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Its goals: strengthen digital library use and scholarly research, particularly through the acquisition and use of the JSTOR digital library collection. Through the program, 20 colleges and universities became participating JSTOR members, joining a network of 15 other member institutions in the region. The Flashlight Program conducted an external evaluation which included extensive interviews and surveys of program participants."
Lack Of E-Mail Policies Could Put Companies In Hot Water
InformationWeek > Messaging > Lack Of E-Mail Policies Could Put Companies In Hot Water > June 17, 2003
"In spite of the growing scrutiny of E-mail by business regulators and the courts--which increasingly demand E-mail messages to determine compliance or during the discovery phase of lawsuits, most businesses do a poor job of managing their E-mail and are poorly prepared to respond to requests for records."
University of Phoenix Online
BW Online | June 23, 2003 | Online Extra: University of Phoenix Online: Swift Rise
"Over the past three years, the University of Phoenix Online (UOPX ) has pulled off the rarest of feats: Its has stock skyrocketed, hitting an all-time high of $47.17 on May 12, despite the worst tech-stock bear market in history. Apollo Group, which also owns the University of Phoenix, the nation's largest private university, first floated UOPX as a tracking stock in September, 2000 -- just months before the broader tech market cratered."
Oracle vs. PeopleSoft
Special coverage: Oracle vs. PeopleSoft - Tech News - CNET.com
Read background articles and the latest coverage of Oracle's multibillion dollar takeover of PeopleSoft.
UN University, Worldwide Partners Launch Online University
UN University, Worldwide Partners Launch Online University :: Distance-Educator.com's Daily News :: Distance education news from around the world!
"As the United Nations and its partners today opened the virtual 'doors' of a pioneering, online global university, Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged educators to use the landmark initiative to help ensure that developing countries could finally be 'full partners' in the new information and communications technology explosion."
Like A Veil: Cross-cultural Experiential Learning Online
Like A Veil: Cross-cultural Experiential Learning Online :: Distance-Educator.com's Daily News :: Distance education news from around the world!
"During the 1970s and 1980s many universities and other organizations developed opportunities for students and teachers to study abroad or work in culturally diverse settings with American minorities, immigrants, refugees, or international students. And then came the Internet, email, and the possibility for online interaction with people around the globe."
June 18, 2003
Discipline Specific Resources
itt
The University of Hong Kong has a wonderful list of discipline specific resources. As you build your online or web enhanced courses, check out some of these print and animated sites. Take a tour of the Taj Mahal (http://www.taj-mahal.net) just to get a feel for the web resources available.
ITC Audioconference - The Distance Practical Nursing Program at Northwest Technical College
ITC Professional Development Calendar
The July 8, 2003 (3:00pm DST) ITC Professional Development Audioconference features Tracy Wright from Northwest Technical College. The curriculum for the Distance Practical Nursing Program will be discussed. There is still time to sign up. Check it out.
Ten Ways Online Education Matches, or Surpasses, Face-to-Face Learning
Sloan-C
"From the perspective of a long-time (30+ years) classroom instructor, a sociology professor, a day-to-day user of the course management system, and a person who thrives on interaction with students, Mark Kassop identifies 10 ways online education excels."
June 17, 2003
Learning Object Repositories
Learning Object Repositories
"The sites and organizations listed ... either have generated learning objects and host their own repository (i.e. Wisc-Online) or have provided guidelines, templates, or frameworks for objects that are stored in their repository (i.e. Apple Learning Exchange)."
Faculty Use of Course Management Systems
ECAR Research Publications | EDUCAUSE CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH
"Faculty Use of Course Management Systems is a study of how faculty members use course management systems for teaching. More than 730 faculty and instructional staff throughout the University of Wisconsin System participated in this study, providing valuable insights on how and why they use a CMS, which features are most valuable to them, and what will motivate them to increase or discontinue their use of the systems. The study synthesizes information collected from quantitative surveys, personal interviews, and student and faculty usage logs."
The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It
BW Online | June 10, 2003 | The Net: Now, Folks Can't Live Without It
"Some 53 million Americans -- one in six -- now visit a chat room every month, according to market researcher Nielsen/Net Ratings, up from one in 10 in 2001, according to tech consultancy Forrester Research. E-mail is now the most popular online activity for 93% of some 4,431 Web regulars surveyed by Net consultancy Jupiter Research last September. Moreover, entrepreneurs are once again investing in ideas aimed at improving online communication."
Utilizing Online Discussion to Support Reflection and Challenge Beliefs in Elementary Mathematics Methods Classrooms
CITE Journal -- Volume 2, Issue 4
"Online discussion can be a viable and worthwhile option as a means of promoting thinking and discussion outside of regular class time. Blackboard (http://www.blackboard.com), a web-based classroom environment, is becoming a widely used tool to create a virtual community in teacher education courses. This environment allows the use of real-time chat formats, document posting, and various other features. The feature that is the focus of this article involves the creation of threaded discussion around themes of the participants' choice. Password protection allows for private discussion among the participating group."
Using Technology to Support Prospective Science Teachers in Learning and Teaching About Scientific Models
CITE Journal -- Volume 2, Issue 4
"The prospective science teachers in this study initially possessed a limited view of the role of models and modeling in science. By engaging prospective teachers in a rich modeling experience building and testing dynamic computer models, the intent was to raise their awareness of the essential role modeling plays in scientific inquiry. In addition the goal was to instill the belief that teaching about scientific models and modeling is important."
Two PC Makers and Sun Cut Deal for Java
Two PC Makers and Sun Cut Deal for Java
"Sun Microsystems moved a step closer today to making its Java programming language a force in personal computing when Hewlett-Packard and Dell Computer agreed to include Java software with their desktop and laptop computers."
OKI Releases First Batch of Specs
CETIS-OKI releases first batch of specs
"The Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) publicly released the first of the long awaited Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs)- the connecting bits for the OKI managed learning environment architecture. With these OSIDs, adopters can string together student records systems, virtual learning environments, management information systems and other enterprise applications with a minimum of customization."
Endgame - Encouraging Completion in E-Learning
Endgame - encouraging completion in e-learning
"E-learning – at least to the extent that it is delivered in self-study format – suffers in the same way as all of its distance learning predecessors: from high drop-out rates. Although most learners start with good intentions of completing, far too high a proportion never achieve the benefits they were seeking when they were enrolled. In this article, Clive Shepherd explores whether drop-out rates are any real indicator of the success of e-learning and, to the extent that they are, what can be done to reduce them to manageable levels."
Learning: More Than Just Knowledge
LearnScope
"It is hard to believe that anyone still believes that learning is essentially the accumulation of a body of knowledge. And yet, even to this day, the model of learning that continues to prevail is that of learning as ‘filling a pail.’ The professor talks, the students listen. The books are read. And learning is demonstrated by the restatement of the accumulated knowledge in a test answer or essay."
Online Service Pairs Students & Mentors
Mercury News | 06/10/2003 | Online service pairs students, mentors
"MentorNet's goal is to advance women's progress in science and engineering. While women make up about half the nation's workforce, they account for only about one-quarter of its scientists and engineers. The national non-profit organization has matched nearly 20,000 people since Carol B. Muller, a veteran educator, began the program in 1997. About 10 percent of the students and 35 percent of the mentors are men."
The Sloan Survey of Online Learning
Sloan-C View, Letter from the Editors and News
"The Sloan Consortium is just completing a comprehensive national study of online learning in Higher Education. Working from a representative sample of all United States institutions of higher education, this study has collected data on attitudes and practices from over 990 institutions."
Important Characteristics of CMS: Findings from Edutools
Important Characteristics of CMS: Findings from Edutools
"Since they first emerged in the mid-1990s, Course Management Systems have evolved from somewhat basic collections of disparate applications into intricate, integrated enterprise systems. Through the work of the Edutools project, this paper looks at the features that most commonly define course management systems, and using site usage data collected from the decision making tool, whether these features are in fact what the users of course management tools are seeking."
Unlocking the Potential of E-Learning
vnunet.com Unlocking the potential of e-learning
"Computing is right to encourage a debate on e-learning. While it is no panacea for all unsatisfied educational needs, if implemented properly, e-learning can address many of them. To date, e-learning has a poor reputation. What's really disappointing is that it deserves that reputation."
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