EDUCATION NEWS
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FEDS RECRUIT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR CYBER SECURITY
As computer security experts and public policy makers debate the merits of a White House panel’s proposed cyber security plan, a little-known federal government program already is enlisting the aid of high school seniors in the effort to defend the nation’s critical computer systems from attack. The program, known as the Federal Cyber Corps Scholarship for Service, offers tech-savvy students a free college education in return for two years of service as an information security expert for the United States government upon completion. [Free registration required]
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3980
 
EDUTOOLS IS LAUNCHED!
WCET, the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications,  and C2T2, the Centre for Curriculum, Transfer & Technology, have announced the launch of EduTools www.edutools.info, an open resource for the worldwide higher education community.
http://www.distance-educator.com/dnews/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=7599&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
 
E-LEARNING AIMED AT LIBRARIANS
The Maryland Library Partnership, a coalition of public libraries, is developing an e-learning course that it hopes will help libraries across the country provide better service. The course is intended to teach librarians how to answer questions from patrons more effectively and how to improve their customer relations in general.
http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2002/0923/web-learn-09-24-02.asp
 
DISTANCE LEARNING AT THE TIPPING POINT: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS TO GROWING FULLY ONLINE DISTANCE-LEARNING PROGRAMS
Distance Learning at the Tipping Point: Critical Success Factors to Growing Fully Online Distance-Learning Programs provides an overview of key trends in the distance-learning market and institutional case studies examining the experiences of select institutions that have partnered with e-learning solution provider eCollege. [Eduventures report – registration required]
http://www.eduventures.com/research/industry_research_resources/distancelearning.cfm
 
STANDARDS CONNECTION: SCORM STEPS UP
SCORM (sharable content object reference model) is becoming more complete and more useful. Produced and maintained by the Advanced Distributed Learning initiative (www.adlnet.org), version 1.3 lets users create the same type of adaptive learning they could produce before with computer-based training (CBT), but now they aren't tied to a particular system or content vendor. Now the entire process is far more scalable and extensible-that's a really big deal!
http://www.elearningmag.com/elearning/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=32340
 
UNPLUGGED U.
Josh McHugh joins the wireless revolution at Dartmouth, where today's campus life is the prototype of tomorrow's network society.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.10/dartmouth.html
 
U.S., SINGAPORE AGREE TO COOPERATE ON MATH AND SCIENCE
Mr. Teo traveled here to sign a memorandum of understanding with Secretary of Education Rod Paige in which Singapore and the United States agreed to help each other improve math and science education. "Singapore's students score among the highest in the world in mathematics and science," Mr. Paige said in a statement about the agreement, "and there is much we can learn about its system of education which leads to such high achievement."
http://edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=03singapore.h22
 
THE CONVERSATION ABOUT INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION
For too long now, the factory model has been the primary vehicle for delivering education to the masses, but true individualization requires a level of classroom support unavailable in most settings.
http://www.convergemag.com/magazine/story.phtml?id=3030000000021985
 
NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION
More powerful computing devices, fast networks, and new digital imaging devices are in your future.
http://www.convergemag.com/magazine/story.phtml?id=3030000000021676
 
IMS GLOBAL LEARNING CONSORTIUM AND WGBH BOSTON PUBLISH GUIDELINES FOR CREATING ACCESSIBLE ONLINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
A groundbreaking collaboration among international players in the online learning field has resulted in a set of guidelines to educate the eLearning community about the challenges that people with disabilities face in accessing online education, and to provide solutions and resources to solve them.
http://www.distance-educator.com/dnews/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=7560&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
 
CUTTING CLASSES
E-learning is more than a cost-saver. Those who do it well say the Web allows them to engage students more effectively than traditional classroom training and education—that's where the payoff is.
http://www.darwinmag.com/read/090102/learn.html
 
LEARNING CONTENT. THEIRS, YOURS, MINE AND OURS.
On the 30th of September, MIT's Open Course Ware (OCW) initiative will make the first batch of MIT learning resources available to the world. Free of charge. On the other side of the pond, the CELEBRATE project has just started to establish a digital repository to see, among many other things, what kind of model will generate a viable stock of learning objects for Europe's schools. Meanwhile, projects like the universal brokerage project and the UK's National Learning Network (NLN) are maturing nicely. The question that arises, then, is where all that learning content is going to come from, and, more importantly, who is going to make it.
http://www.cetis.ac.uk/content/20020916013733
 
VISIONS 2020
"Transforming Education and Training Through Advanced Technologies" is a collection of 14 papers from various authors providing their vision of the learning environments of the future, published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
http://www.ta.doc.gov/reports/TechPolicy/2020Visions.pdf
 
 
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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VENDORS MAKE A WIRELESS END RUN
Microsoft, Cisco and major wireless LAN hardware vendors plan to leapfrog the standards process and adopt new 802.11b security protocols by year's end.
http://computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/technology/story/0,10801,74452,00.html
 
10 MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH
Technology dreamers envision a day when almost everything--video games, chat sessions, keyboards, even advertisements--will get beamed through the air. DemoMobile is the playground for these dreamers. The annual Southern California conference, which ran Sept. 19-20, draws some of the smartest companies, and previews technology that could affect the way we live in the next five years. I've picked my 10 favorite technologies from the show, the ones I think we are most likely to notice and enjoy in the next few years.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4155044.htm
 
TABLET PC: ITS FIRST TEST DRIVE
This week Microsoft has been giving journalists hands-on experience with its latest vision: the Tablet PC, which is to launch on 7 November. The Tablet is Microsoft's hybrid laptop/PDA that's supposed to combine the full power of the Windows environment with the nifty ability to let you input text using a Palm-style stylus.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-959895.html
 
OPEN-SOURCE TUG OF WAR HEATS UP
Legislation advocating government use of open-source software is un-American, anticompetitive, bad for business and hell on the economy and taxpayers, according to the Initiative for Software Choice. Over the past year or so, more than two dozen governments have passed or proposed nearly 70 laws or policy changes that stipulate or strongly encourage governmental use of open-source software.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,55354,00.html
 
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DISABLED
It is a fascinating story about how the technology revolution is transforming lives for disabled Americans in ways many had never dreamed possible. One in five Americans will at some point be disabled, but thanks to what is called assistive technology, many are now able to live more independent, fulfilling lives.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/813923.asp
 
WHITE HOUSE CYBERDEFENSE PLAN GETS MIXED REACTION
The White House's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, released today in draft form, was barely two hours old when many private-sector experts were suggesting dentures to replace the teeth that had been ripped from its pages.
http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,74353,00.html
 
MICROSOFT REVS UP MOBILE .NET
Microsoft on Monday filled more of the gaps in its portfolio of software and tools for building Web-based applications that run on handheld computers, cell phones and other mobile devices. The company released a second test version of its .Net Compact Framework, a runtime engine that allows .Net applications to run on small Windows devices, such as those running the Pocket PC operating system.
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/09/16/020916hnmobilenet.xml
 
APPLE, THE SADDEST SCHOOL DROPOUT
The handwriting is on the chalkboard. Apple is losing its long-held dominance in schools. More Macs are still in place than PCs, but that lead is eroding like a sandcastle in the rain. Apple's sales are falling farther behind as schools increasingly choose PCs over Macs.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2002/tc20020918_6961.htm
 
WIRELESS USE TO NEARLY DOUBLE BY 2006 – STUDY
Wireless usage in the United States will nearly double by 2006 from 2001 levels as more and more consumers use their cell phones to make calls that they previously made from traditional telephones, a study said. According to a study by the Yankee Group, wireless subscribers are expected to increase their monthly minutes of use to 641 by 2006 from 356 in 2001 and 109 in 1994.
http://www1.excite.com/home/technology/tech_article/0,2109,185337|technology%20|09-16-2002::18:21|reuters,00.html
 
DVD GROUPS AGREE TO DISAGREE
The two industry groups fighting to set a rewritable DVD standard are showing no interest in working together, but technology tricks and behind-the-scenes talks could inch the sides toward a compromise.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-958352.html
 
BEING WIRELESS
Nicholas Negroponte explains why Wi-Fi "lily pads and frogs" will transform the future of telecom. Everything you assumed about telecommunications is about to change. Large wired and wireless telephone companies will be replaced by micro-operators, millions of which can be woven into a global fabric of broadband connectivity.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.10/wireless.html
 
 
INTERNET RELATED NEWS
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NET SECURITY CAMPAIGN TRIES A HARD-SHELL APPROACH
What Smokey the Bear did for fire prevention, Dewie the Turtle hopes to do for Internet firewalls. The Federal Trade Commission today is unveiling a campaign led by a cartoon turtle to encourage children and their parents to use hard-to-guess passwords, run anti-virus software and install firewalls.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4151919.htm
 
EXPERT ADVICE ONLINE AT A PRICE
No matter what Internet search engine you use, finding information can be frustrating. Whether it's getting reliable online advice about investing or historical facts on Iraq, the search can be arduous. Increasingly, major Web sites such as Google and Yahoo are offering help--for a price. They feature researchers or experts who are willing to respond to questions as a convenience and time saver.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/23/BU33420.DTL&type=tech
 
REPORT: DEMAND LOW FOR BROADBAND
Almost all U.S. families live in areas where a high-speed Internet connection is available, but many see no compelling reason to pay extra for it, the government reports. A Commerce Department study, compiled from a variety of analyst surveys, cites a need for more music, movies and games on the Internet in order to make broadband connections more popular.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20020923/D7M7GVS00.html
 
ALL THE NEWS GOOGLE ALGORITHMS SAY IS FIT TO PRINT
Google, the rapidly growing online search engine, introduced a service yesterday that uses its search algorithms—but no human editors—to create a news page that looks not much different from those of many news Web sites. "We are trying to leverage the experience of all the editors out there," said Larry Page, Google's co-founder and president for products. The site brings together headlines, and makes its automated news judgments, from information appearing on 4,000 sites.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/24/technology/24GOOG.html
 
UNIVERSITIES TAPPED TO BUILD SECURE NET
Amid heightened concerns over the Internet's continued vulnerability to failure or attack, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is expected to announce that it has enlisted five university computer science departments to develop a secure, decentralized Internet infrastructure. The joint project, dubbed Infrastructure for Resilient Internet Systems (IRIS), aims to use distributed hash table (DHT) technology to develop a common infrastructure for distributed applications.
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/09/25/020925hnsecurenet.xml
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GOES GRID
Grid computing technology may soon be used to preserve such priceless artifacts of American history as films of the Spanish-American War and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the photographs of Matthew Brady and Ansel Adams, and Walt Whitman's notebooks. The Library of Congress is evaluating Grid technology developed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center to archive and preserve these works and the Library's other digital collections.
http://www.gridcomputingplanet.com/news/article/0,,3281_1466541,00.html
 
INTERNET CEMENTS ITSELF IN IVORY TOWER
College students consider the Internet as integral to their lives as the television and the telephone, according to a new study on their Web habits. The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 79 percent of students surveyed think the Web has had a positive influence on their lives overall, with 60 percent saying it's improved relationships with classmates and nearly half saying e-mail allows them to tell professors an idea they would not have expressed in class.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-957874.html
 
SERIOUS NEW WORM TARGETS LINUX/APACHE SERVERS
A new worm with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) capabilities and the ability to grant hackers backdoor access to remote systems is being actively propagated across the Internet, according to Internet Security Systems. The Slapper worm is a modified version of the earlier Scalper worm and targets systems running the Linux OS and the open-source Apache Web server.
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/09/16/020916hnapacheworm.xml
 
ISSUES THAT WILL SHAPE THE INTERNET
It took a series of smart decisions to create the Internet as an open network where innovation could thrive, as I noted in this space a week ago. Now let's look at some upcoming decisions that will shape communications for the next 50 years--and ponder the consequences for openness and innovation if we make the wrong choices this time. Based on current trends, unfortunately, the future looks difficult. The forces of central control seem to be in charge at the moment. Powerful interests, caring little for your rights and needs, are dominating the debate.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/4081203.htm
 
 
 
 
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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