EDUCATION NEWS
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WHO NEEDS PAPER? NOT IOWA COLLEGE
Students at an Iowa college can forget the quintessential experience of pulling all-nighters at the library poring over stacks of books. For one thing, there's no library. For another, there are no books. The Des Moines Area Community College's West Des Moines campus is the newest of the college's six branches. It opened last fall with the mission to collaborate with companies to beta test education technologies. Instead of a library, the school has a resource center equipped with computer workstations that can access the Web, e-books and online journals. The resource center also houses several meeting tables, audio-visual materials and a few paper magazines--but no books.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,53747,00.html
 
MOTIVATING AND RETAINING ADULT LEARNERS ONLINE
A Journal of Research Articles and Practitioner's Tips
This free downloadable journal features 13 research and practitioner’s articles on the science and art of building virtual campuses that lead to better retention of the adult learner.
http://www.geteducated.com/vugaz.htm
 
MICROSOFT LEARNINGXP: .NET MEETS E-LEARNING
Microsoft Research's Learning Sciences & Technology division is building an experimental online-learning architecture based on .Net. While Microsoft hasn't gone so far as to label its Learning Experiencing Project (LearningXP) environment "Education.Net," it might as well have. Microsoft Research (MSR) is assembling a host of interfaces, virtual workspaces, simulation tools and gaming environments designed to transform distance learning. Microsoft is developing many of these elements in a way so as to expose them to users as Web services.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,465404,00.asp
 
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN: SIMULATED WORKPLACE BUILDS SKILLS, CONFIDENCE
An innovative twist on work-preparedness training, EnterTech combines instructor-led classroom learning with a Web-based simulated high-tech environment. Students inhabit a virtual plant—called EnterTech—to engage in role play exercises, solve problems, collaborate on projects, and learn how to succeed in the world of work.
http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=6594
 
A MOVING TARGET: ELEARNING VENDORS TAKE AIM IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
Everyone knows that technology doesn’t stand still. But eLearning companies are busily vying for their share of a very crowded market. How do you define this space? Frequent new product launches, company alliances, and changing interpretations of product categories may keep us guessing for some time to come. The online learning product landscape is changing. Products are morphing into new “shapes”; companies are acquiring their competitors to expand functionality; users are finding themselves looking at learning management systems (LMS) that are enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that are application service providers (ASP) that are community portals... and so on. Faculty who simply want to put courses or course components online have to wade through a host of available choices.
http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=6589
 
A D-MINUS FOR COMPUTER EXAMS
Three years after they phased out paper and pencils and began administering computerized versions of the Graduate Record Examination, officials are going back to paper in some overseas regions. Computer-based testing was supposed to make test-taking more efficient, accessible and convenient. But while computers have made test taking easier for some students, critics say that electronic testing is still susceptible to scoring errors, security breaches and other flaws.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54459,00.html
 
WHAT IS "USABLE" E-LEARNING?
A recent eLearn Magazine feature revealed that most major producers of e-learning are not doing substantial usability testing, probably because most major purchasers and consumers of e-learning have no way of evaluating the degree to which a course is usable. To put it another way, despite the huge and growing numbers of dollars being spent on e-learning, nobody is really checking to see whether the courses being developed are usable and therefore useful. In fact, we don't seem to even have a way to talk about usability in the context of e-learning.
http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage/sub_page.cfm?section=4&list_item=6&page=1
 
WANTED: WEB-SAVVY SCHOOLING
If American teenagers had given their teachers a summer homework assignment, it may well have entailed some serious Web surfing time. Tech-savvy middle and high school students say they are increasingly frustrated with the way the Internet is--or, more aptly, isn't--being used in their education. A study released yesterday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that students are independently using the Internet for a variety of educational activities but do not think their schools take full advantage of the Web as a teaching tool.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19910-2002Aug14.html
 
SCORM 1.3 DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Following plugfest 6, Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL), the custodians of the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM), revealed a few more details of what will be included in the SCORM version 1.3 application profile. As SCORM is an application profile and not really a specification in itself, the list of new features reads like an overview of the general standardisation effort around learning objects.
http://www.cetis.ac.uk/content/20020814124542
 
REPORTS FROM THE 18TH ANNUAL DISTANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE BY STEPHEN DOWNES
Oblinger: Higher Education Evolution or Extinction
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/view.cgi?dbs=Article&key=1029451466&format=full
New Directions
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/view.cgi?dbs=Article&key=1029527434&format=full
 
 
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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FUEL CELL COMING TO A HANDHELD NEAR YOU
It may be years before your car is powered by a fuel cell, but your handheld computer won't have to wait too long if engineers at MTI MicroFuel Cells have their way. MTI Micro unveiled the latest prototype of its direct methanol fuel cell, a power supply that is about the size of a deck of playing cards and promises to let handheld computers, cell phones and other small computing devices work away from a power outlet for about 10 times as long as they can today, according to MTI Micro Chief Executive Officer Bill Acker, who detailed the fuel cell pack in an interview.
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/08/020808hnmit.xml
 
SPRINTING TOWARD NEXT GENERATION
Sprint PCS is living up to its promise of bringing nationwide third-generation wireless phone service to America. The mobile carrier will announce the launch of its PCS Vision across the United States on Thursday. Sprint's "PCS Vision" 3G wireless technology, using the CDMA standard, will offer high-speed (144K bps) voice and data capability on 3G phones anywhere in the country.
http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,54398,00.html
 
HOW TO SMASH YOUR STRATEGY
IBM's revolutionary approach to computing just might offer a new direction in strategy--one that bridges the gap between brilliant insight and flawless execution.
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/61/ibm.html
 
THE FUTURE IN GEAR
Technology lovers take note: We've got the very first look at the prototype products you need to know about. For PC Magazine editors who scouted out the coolest prototypes and spoke with their creators, this was a coveted assignment. We chose an eclectic group of products, so you'll be up on technologies that reach far beyond the personal computing gadgets you rely on every day.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,429441,00.asp
 
READY OR NOT, A SMALLER DISC FORMAT
In a market already choked with CDs, Minidiscs, and enough gee-whiz MP3 players to completely fill the pages of the Sharper Image catalog, is anyone really looking for a new format to hold and play their music? Whether you're looking or not, here comes the next generation of digital music: a format called DataPlay. Think of DataPlay as a mini Minidisc. Discs slightly larger than a quarter and encased in plastic hold up to 11 hours of digital music.
http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/2002/08/06/product_review.html
 
MICROSOFT-FTC SETTLE OVER PASSPORT
Microsoft on Thursday agreed to make sweeping changes to its Passport authentication system as part of a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-948922.html
 
MICROSOFT LEADS LOBBY AGAINST OPEN SOURCE
Microsoft and other software companies are ramping up a lobbying effort aimed at convincing governments to think again where it comes to adopting open-source software. The Initiative for Software Choice, which launched quietly in early May, is chaired by an industry body called the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), but its biggest software industry backer is Microsoft. Supporters also include Intel and software industry groups from countries such as France, Germany and Peru.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-949527.html
 
DELL UNHOOKS WINDOWS FROM DESKTOPS
Dell Computer is making Windows optional for some of its business desktops. The PC maker next month will introduce n-Series corporate desktop and workstations that ship without Microsoft's Windows, or any other operating system, pre-installed. The new desktops appear to be a slick interpretation of Microsoft's new licensing terms and a way to navigate customer demand for PCs without an OS installed. The Microsoft licensing terms, which were put in place on Aug. 1, specify that PC makers must ship PCs with an operating system. The new policy exists to prevent piracy and to better track OS shipments.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-949671.html?tag=fd_top
 
WIRELESS NETWORKING COULD SHAKE UP TELECOM INDUSTRY
So far, the greatest buzz over WiFi, or Wireless Fidelity, has surrounded the sharing of connectivity among neighbors, friends and strangers. But the inexpensive technology, known scientifically as 802.11b, may be destined for something much bigger. Users are expanding homegrown networks with little or no control from the local phone or cable company. "This feels like the Internet from 1994," said Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute at the University of Georgia, which is working with Athens, Ga. to install a wireless cloud downtown. Such wireless networks don't require millions of dollars for digging trenches, laying cables or building towers. Anyone who wants to be a service provider only needs a dedicated Internet connection and a $200 access point.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3846424.htm
 
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR MORE SPACIOUS HARD DRIVES
Although truly spacious drives are a few years away, some hard drive makers are already using innovative new technology in their latest drives. An old adage in the computer industry holds that you can never be too rich or have too much space on your hard drive. That may be difficult to believe now, considering that the hard drives in many personal computers sold today can now store the digital equivalent of several complete sets of encyclopedias. And leave plenty of room to spare.
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18961.html
 
ELLISON HAILS OPEN SOURCE
Linux is making inroads against Microsoft, but to become a real threat there must be a concerted effort to build an open-source offering that's competitive to Microsoft Office, Larry Ellison said.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-949877.html
 
 
INTERNET RELATED NEWS
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WEB STANDARDS FOR HARD TIMES
Web standards? You can't afford to ignore them anymore. Just two years ago, coding your site to the emerging guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium was next to impossible. After all, many surfers were still saddled with browsers from the days when Netscape and Microsoft deliberately built incompatible products. But now, thanks to outspoken advocates such as the Web Standards Project (aka WaSP) and developers who refused to choose sides, browser makers have stopped using HTML as a weapon.
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/02/33/index1a.html
 
ROUND 2.0 BY ANDY LIPPMAN
First, recognize that the Web is not the Internet. The Web is only an innovation built on top of the Internet, proving that we could make computers as accessible to 79-year-old grandmothers as to 23-year-old knowledge workers. The Internet itself is just beginning. It is only now reaching 60% of the American population. The Web is the first innovation, not the last.
http://www.contextmag.com/setFrameRedirect.asp?src=/archives/200208/Insight2Round20.asp
 
DIGITAL DIVIDE' SHRINKING, INTERNET USE UP
Internet usage has become so pervasive in recent years that every generation of Americans younger than 65 has become cyber-savvy, logging onto the World Wide Web at least once a week. The so-called "digital divide" no longer stops at age 50, according to a survey of 1,008 adult residents of the United States conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. The only people who do not regularly use the Internet are those who have retired or are of traditional retirement age. Even that is expected to change.
http://detnews.com/2002/technology/0208/13/technology-560170.htm
 
SCHOLARLY REVIEWS THROUGH THE WEB
Pet food stores weren't the killer app for the Web, but peer-reviewed scholarly journals might be. Internationally, about 25,000 science, technical and medical journals are peer-reviewed, meaning they are vetted by two or three specialists, plus the journals' editors. The authors and reviewers, who work as volunteers, can be anywhere in the world, and many journals' editors work off site. With such far-flung participants, the submission and assessment process for peer-reviewed articles has traditionally involved lengthy mail delays, high postage costs and cumbersome administration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/12/technology/12NECO.html
 
ANTI-SPAM ACTIVIST LOSES COURT BATTLE
A Seattle man who has been actively pursuing spammers in King County District Court has been hit with a nearly $7,000 judgment to cover a spammer's attorney fees, stunning the man and his lawyers. It may be the first and heaviest financial setback for the band of Puget Sound area spamfighters who have taken matters into their own hands by using Washington state's anti-spam law to seek redress against junk e-mailers. It is also a sign that some spammers are deciding to fight back.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134511084_spam11m.html
 
HOW AL-QAIDA SITE WAS HIJACKED
A Maryland hacker used simple Web tools like whois and traceroute--as well as online translation software and an anti-cybersquatting service--to take over the domain name of al-Qaida's website. And he's ready to do it again. Jon Messner, the Internet entrepreneur who perpetrated the recent domain hijacking, used SnapName's Snapback service to obtain ownership of the domain www.alneda.com.
http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,54455,00.html
 
SMARTER CONTENT PUBLISHING
Building a semantic website to increase the efficiency and usability of publishing systems.
http://www.digital-web.com/features/feature_2002-08.shtml
 
 
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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