EDUCATION NEWS
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STUDENTS WHO LIVE ON CAMPUS CHOOSING INTERNET COURSES
Jennifer Pressly could have walked to a nearby lecture hall for her U.S. history class and sat among 125 students a few mornings a week.  But the 19-year-old freshman at the University of North Texas preferred rolling out of bed and attending class in pajamas at her dorm-room desk. Sometimes she would wait until Saturday afternoon.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/4899538.htm
 
COLUMBIA'S INTERNET CONCERN WILL SOON GO OUT OF BUSINESS
After three years and more than $25 million in investments, Columbia University will fold Fathom.com, the commercial company it created to provide courses and other material over the Internet, the university announced. Columbia said that beginning April 1, its efforts to reach alumni and other off-campus groups through the Internet will be housed within the university and done under a nonprofit umbrella, Digital Knowledge Ventures.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/education/07COLU.html
 
WIRELESS MAY NOT BE ADVANCING AS QUICKLY AS WE'D LIKE, BUT DON'T GIVE UP ON IT JUST YET
A few years ago, I was convinced that we would all be using small, handheld devices for mobile learning by now. Why sit in front of a big, fat PC screen or lug a bulky laptop, when you could just whip out your hand or palm-type device and take care of all your computing needs? While the world of handhelds has grown, it hasn't made a dent in desktop or laptop usage. In fact, most handhelds continue to be used as digital copies of calendars and address lists that are synchronized with our heftier computers or network systems. I have a collection of about six handhelds in my office, including two tablet PCs that held great promise but never broke through the calendar/address book threshold.
http://www.elearningmag.com/elearning/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=41962
 
STUDY PROBES TECHNOLOGY’S EFFECT ON MATH AND SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT
When used effectively, computer drills and tutorials can improve student performance in math and science—but the benefits of computer simulations and electronic sensors are less tangible, at least in studies that have been conducted so far, according to a research review that the National Science Foundation (NSF) plans to release this spring.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/ssunreg.cfm?ArticleID=4192&ul=%2Fnews%2FshowStory%2Ecfm%3FArticleID%3D4192
 
YOU'VE GOT GYM: SCHOOL OFFERS PE CLASSES ONLINE
It's a self-contained punch line, much like "jumbo shrimp" or "business ethics." Online physical education. Yet 180 Broward and Miami-Dade county high-school students say they're working on their stamina, strength and flexibility through an Internet class proctored by the state. Besides taking a dozen written quizzes on fitness and nutrition, they submit logs that chronicle their running, stretching and weight lifting. 'When I first heard about this, I said, 'Wait, this isn't right. You can't do this-- E online,'" said Tim Maxwell, a longtime physical education instructor at Pompano Beach's Blanche Ely High School who now teaches Broward's online PE class. "But it works. The kids are honest, and they're doing what they're supposed to do."
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/4876448.htm
 
CHALLENGED TO CONNECT STUDENTS AND FACULTY, SHE ORCHESTRATED A ROLLOUT OF PDAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA
It was the spring of 2001, and Roberta Ambur, CIO at the University of South Dakota, was about to undertake a technological advancement that no other institution of higher learning had attempted: a rollout of more than 1,500 personal digital assistants (PDA) to full-time freshmen, first-year law and medical students, and faculty -- without adding IT staff. "Anytime you try something new, it's not going to go smoothly," says Ambur. One initial worry was getting each of the participants in the program to pay $250 for their Palm devices. But they did.
http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/story/0,10801,77200,00.html
 
REPORT CALLS FOR ROBUST RESEARCH INTO HIGHER EDUCATION
Although more people than ever have access to American institutions of higher learning, a new report says that research is needed to examine what educational programs are offered at colleges and what students actually learn.
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2003/january8/highered-18.html
 
ELITE COLLEGES FINALLY EMBRACE WEB DEGREE COURSES
Next year, Harvard University public-health professor Marcello Pagano will have to stay up late to teach his biostatistics class. His two dozen students, doctors studying clinical-trial design, will be in sitting in front of computers many time zones away, in Asia. Mr. Pagano is piloting a program set to begin in July 2004 that will offer a master's degree to students taking most of their coursework over the Internet. Using a video link, they will watch the professor on their screen and be able to ask questions in real time. Just a few years ago that would have been unthinkable. Elite schools such as Harvard had largely avoided the "distance-learning" boom, which has elevated the fortunes of some entrepreneurs in the private sector, including the thriving University of Phoenix, and bolstered enrollment at public colleges. http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030115/72/36ibd.html
 
THE AUDITORY ADVANTAGE
E-learning often lacks instructionally designed audio. And yet history suggests audio is critical to success. Given a choice, people fled video-alone formats for audio-video combinations. Films and video games have created audio parameters applicable to e-learning. E-learning programs that establish emotionally warm environments through integrated audio will gain competitive advantage. Here’s how to enhance e-learning with sound. http://www.learningcircuits.com/2003/jan2003/millbower.htm
 
ONLINE COURSE EVALUATIONS MEET EARLY SUCCESS, PROF SAYS
In its first semester, Yale's online course evaluation system processed approximately 24,000 evaluations, with the majority of students choosing to participate. Charles Bailyn, chairman of the Yale College Committee on Teaching and Learning, said he was happy with the results thus far. According to Bailyn, 86 percent of Yale College students completed the evaluation, with only 3 percent declining the opportunity to rate their classes. The remaining evaluations were incomplete and will not be used, Bailyn said. http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=21224
 
UNIVERSITY COMPUTERS CRIPPLED BY ELECTRONIC BOMB
Ohio State University computers were clogged for several days last month after someone sent an electronic bomb of 11 million e-mail messages into the system, officials said. The sheer volume crippled Internet access and delayed the distribution of e-mail for several days. Fortunately, the bomb came while students were on winter break. But for some graduate students trying to line up work after graduation, the delay came at a bad time because they were expecting job-related messages.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-01-14-ebomb_x.htm
 
WIRELESS DISCONNECT
As technology grows to seemingly limitless possibilities, new problems constantly arise that question the value of its creation. The newest innovation to spark a surprising amount of controversy is wireless internet. Ostensibly, a wireless internet connection looks flawless, useful, convenient, and naturally progressive. The problem concerns not the technology itself, but its application. Recently schools like American University, Dartmouth College and Carnegie Mellon University, to name a few, have begun to place wireless Internet connections in the classroom. Educators complain that they are losing their students to distractions like AOL Instant Messenger and online gaming. http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/16/3e26436c4411b
 
 
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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MICROSOFT EYES GLOBAL RADIO NETWORK TO SUPPORT SMART DEVICES
Microsoft Corp. eventually intends to build a global network to support the smart watches--as well as other devices based on its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT)--introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Microsoft has already put together a network of more than 100 FM radio stations in the U.S. to broadcast precise time information and personalized data to the watches over an FM subcarrier it calls DirectBand.
http://computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,77442,00.html
 
APPLE AIMS BIGGER AT MACWORLD
Apple Computer Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs opened the Macworld Expo convention with a two-hour keynote speech that was both a product launch and a mission statement that Mac still matters. He unveiled a pair of sleek new PowerBook laptops and faster wireless-networking gear. He also demonstrated an array of Mac-only programs, some of which may compete with popular Microsoft Corp. programs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24678-2003Jan7.html
 
WHAT'S IN A NAME FOR MICROSOFT? NOT .NET
Microsoft continued its juggling act over the naming of one of its most ballyhooed brands this week when it said it was eschewing the .NET name for its pending Windows server in favor of the moniker, Windows Server 2003. The Redmond, Wash. software giant, which has delayed the new Windows server several times, pledged to drop the .Net name in its products and will instead name products and services that support popular Internet standards, such as SOAP and XML, with a ".Net Connected" logo. This logo will be slapped on the Windows Server 2003 product and any third-party software or service that supports XML and SOAP.
http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/1568041
 
MACROMEDIA EXTENDS E-LEARNING OFFERINGS
Macromedia Inc., best known for its Web development tools like ColdFusion, Flash and Dreamweaver, is attempting to increase its share of the e-learning space after announcing the acquisition of privately held Presedia Inc. 
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,834310,00.asp
 
WHY PALM IS DELETING GRAFFITI
It's moving to a new handwriting-recognition program partly because of a long-running legal dispute with Xerox. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2003/tc20030114_8995.htm
 
MICROSOFT TO THE RESCUE
This summer, millions of businesspeople will be upgraded against their will. And no, we don't mean their flight plans. Microsoft will officially end technical support for Windows 98 and Windows NT 4 on June 30. The financial implications for Microsoft and others could be significant, even in the short term. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/forbes_microsoft_030115.html
 
'CLEANED' HARD DRIVES REVEAL SECRETS
Discarded and recycled computer drives can reveal financial and personal information even when apparently wiped clean, MIT researchers have found. Simson Garfinkel and Abhi Shelat, graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, analysed 158 second hand hard drives bought over the internet between November 2000 and August 2002. They were able to recover over 6000 credit card numbers, as well as email messages and pornographic images. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993274
 
MICROSOFT TO LET GOVERNMENTS REVIEW WINDOWS CODE
Microsoft Corp. will give governments and international organizations access to the programming code underlying several versions of its Windows operating system to allay security concerns, the company announced yesterday. Russia and NATO have already signed up for Microsoft's new Government Security Program (GSP), and Microsoft is in talks with more than 20 countries about the program, the Redmond, Wash., software maker said. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,77599,00.html
 
LINDOWS LICENSE OFFER TARGETS SCHOOLS
Software maker Lindows has launched a licensing program that will allow educational institutions to install its namesake operating system on an unlimited number of computers for $500 per year. The San Diego company only recently began selling the software as an independent product. Until recently, the Linux-based operating system was available bundled with low-cost computers from Wal-Mart and other stores. Unlike Linux itself, which requires a certain level of technical mastery, the Lindows software is intended to let the average PC user easily install and run a variety of open-source applications. The education package comes with the operating system, Web browsing, e-mail and other basic applications, Lindows said.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-980706.html
 
WINDOWS CE UPDATE SET FOR MID-2003 RELEASE
The next update to Microsoft's Windows CE .Net OS, which has been given the code name McKendric, will ship before the middle of 2003 and include several new features, a company executive said at the Microsoft Embedded DevCon 2003 conference being held here. Expected to be called Windows CE .Net Version 4.2 when it hits the market later this year, McKendric offers several improvements over the current version of the OS, Windows CE .Net 4.1. It will incorporate new features, such as support for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), a firewall, and wireless networking support for residential gateways, said Chip Schnarel, group program manager for Windows CE OS development at Microsoft. http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/03/01/13/030113hnwinceupdate.xml
 
 
INTERNET RELATED NEWS
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CLEVELAND LIBRARY OVERHAULS E-BOOKS; BESTSELLERS ON TAP
The Cleveland Public Library announced plans yesterday for an electronic book-lending service it claims will be the first in the country to offer e-books readable on almost any PC or personal digital assistant. The service, set to debut in March, will let patrons borrow e-book versions of the latest works of best-selling authors such as Michael Crichton, Neil Gaiman, Tony Hillerman, Clive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates, according to the Cleveland Public Library.
http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=22629
 
FOUR NEW WINDOWS WORMS ARE ON THE LOOSE
It looks like computer users are in for a tough year. Malicious code writers have already released several serious threats on the Internet. Antivirus software maker F-Secure on Friday rated four new Windows worms as Level-2 threats. The Helsinki, Finland, company issued only 27 Level-2 alerts last year, and two Level-1 warnings, so having four serious worms unleashed close together within the first 10 days of the year is unusual. "The year isn't starting out great," said Fred Fondriest, director of business development for F-Secure. "If this continues, then we're in for a bad one."
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030110S0029
 
NEW STRATEGY IN THE WAR ON SPAMMERS
Researcher at AT&T Labs is proposing to stop at least some spam before it starts by using e-mail addresses that expire or come with other restrictions attached in code. "It came to me one day that spam works because there's no easy way to differentiate between what's real e-mail and what isn't," said John Ioannidis, a member of the research department at AT&T Labs in Florham Park, N.J. Dr. Ioannidis suggests adopting something he calls "single-purpose addresses'' rather than continuing to refine software filters that try to sort the good from the bad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/technology/circuits/02spam.html
 
MUSIC, TECH GROUPS OK COPYRIGHT PLANS
The leading trade associations for the music and technology industries, which have been at loggerheads over consumers downloading songs on the Internet, have negotiated a compromise they contend will protect copyrights on movies and music without new government involvement. Lobbyists for some of the nation's largest technology companies will argue under the new agreement against efforts in Congress to amend U.S. laws to broaden the rights of consumers, such as explicitly permitting viewers to make backup copies of DVDs for personal use or copy songs onto handheld listening devices. http://apnews.excite.com/article/20030114/D7OI1KUO0.html
 
POWER LINES PROMISING FOR INTERNET EXPANSION
The same power lines that bring electricity to televisions and toasters may become the next pathway into homes for high-speed Internet access. The technology offers an alternative to cable and telephone lines as a way to get broadband service, with its ability to quickly deliver large amounts of data and high-quality video signals. Federal officials in the United States are seriously evaluating the technology for public use, the U.S. government announced Wednesday. "Every power plug in your home becomes a broadband connection," said Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology. He said companies developing the technology have overcome many hurdles in the past year. http://rtnews.globetechnology.com/servlet/ArticleNews/tech/RTGAM/20030116/gtpower/Technology/techBN/
 
SOBIG VIRUS PICKS UP STEAM
After taking most of 2002 off, the world's virus writers seem to be making up for lost time in the early part of 2003. A new virus, known as Sobig, is spreading rapidly on the Internet, infecting machines worldwide. The virus, which attacks Windows machines running Microsoft Corp.'s Outlook e-mail client, has picked up considerable steam. Although it's momentum has slowed somewhat, the worm that has been flooding inboxes is still spreading fairly rapidly. Sobig is the latest in a series of recent mass-mailers and seems set to continue wreaking http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,826314,00.asp
 
FCC: OPEN UP TV WAVES TO WIRELESS
The Federal Communications Commission is quietly considering opening the television broadcast spectrum for use by other wireless devices, including Wi-Fi products. The proposal, revealed in a notice of inquiry adopted last month, would allow devices using unlicensed spectrum--bandwidth not licensed to broadcasters--to operate in the TV broadcast spectrum. However, they would tap into only those parts of the TV spectrum not being used and only be allowed to do this when they wouldn't interfere with authorized services.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-981047.html
 
BELLSOUTH SNIPS WIRES IN FLORIDA
BellSouth said Monday that it began testing a powerful wireless network it believes can help bridge the nation's digital divide. The telephone and broadband provider will use "fixed wireless" equipment to deliver high-speed Web access to 100 customers in Daytona, Fla., for three months, according to a BellSouth representative. The trial run is a crucial step before a full-scale launch.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-980396.html
 
UH-OH: SPAM'S GETTING MORE SOPHISTICATED
Just as security experts match wits with hackers, those trying to block unwanted e-mail face increasingly elaborate "attacks" from spammers trying to slip messages through antispam defenses. "These guys' technical ability should be respected," John Graham-Cumming, author of open-source spam filtering software POPFile, told a conference at MIT. Graham-Cumming outlined several ways spam authors try to evade blocking software, ranging from the simple to the sophisticated. http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/groupware/story/0,10801,77704,00.html
 
GREED FUELS BIG INTERNET SCAM
Secret Service agents went after 250 suspected African scammers operating out of the United States last year, involving--get this--$85.5 million in losses. That means the average victim handed over no less than $342,000 to the scammers to keep the bogus money-transfer scheme in play. "We think this is just a small percentage of the actual losses," Marr told me. "Most people don't report this crime because they know from the start that they're getting into something that's a little shady.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/01/12/BU114885.DTL
 
DOT-COM ISN'T DOT-DEAD
Almost overnight, the outlook for business on the Internet went from irrational optimism to irrational pessimism. But the shakeout of the last three years has purged many dot-com weaklings, and better days may be ahead for outfits that have made it this far. Safa Rashtchy, senior research analyst at US Bancorp Piper Jaffray, thinks that revenue for online retailers and search engine operators could jump 30% to 40% this year. He also expects online companies to realize a 5% increase in advertising dollars. Under such a scenario, Raschtchy thinks that the Internet sector will outperform the broader market this year. http://www.forbes.com/2003/01/10/cz_jy_0110sf.html
 
 
 
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[NOTE: The selections above are from the Academic ADL Co-Lab News Report, a limited-distribution, weekly executive summary of trends, strategies, and innovations influencing the future of learning and technology in higher education. It is prepared by the University of Wisconsin System Office of Learning and Information Technology (OLIT) in coordination with the Co-Lab. Collegebuys.org is using these selections with permission. The selections from the weekly summaries were selected and edited by David Stuart of collegebuys.org.]
 
[NOTE: This information is provided for information purposes only. Mention or discussion of a product, company, or person does not represent any official endorsement or criticism of the same. All authors and organizations retain complete copyright.]
 
[SOURCE MATERIAL: The reference as specific as possible is provided to a source for each summary. When using an online link, ensure the URL has not been broken with a carriage return.]
 
[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Judy Brown is the Emerging Technology Analyst for the University of Wisconsin System, OLIT. Brown conducts research and consults for the 15-institution UW System. She is Director of the Academic ADL Co-Laboratory at The Pyle Center in Madison, WI. Until recently she coordinated the WTCS Hardware and Software Purchasing Consortium and other statewide technology initiatives for 16 technical college districts comprised of 47 campuses. Brown was named one of the Top 100 women in computing by McGraw Hill's Open Computing magazine (December 1994). She writes a business technology column for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is the coordinator of eWEEK's Corporate Partner Program.]
 
[COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS: If you want to offer material, or if you want to comment on the contents, contact Judy Brown at judy@academiccolab.org