Opinion
- 6 Ways Not To Become Rote Using Instructional Technology
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11/19/2008
There are, in my experience, six strategies to consider with any use of technology that will guard against rote use of technology and facilitate critical analysis of teaching and learning effectiveness. In this article, I'll share with you the checklist I work with and encourage others to work with in learning about and using new technology.
- Smart Phone Security: New Challenges for Road Warriors
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11/14/2008
Hopefully by now we have educated our faculty and staff to the dangers of traveling with a laptop containing sensitive information--say Social Security numbers or a faculty member's latest patentable research. But have we been educating them about the security risks of smart phones?
- Microblogging and Relevancy
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11/12/2008
Microblogging redefines synchronous communication in learning. While conventional distance education has explored the uses of chat tools in this regard for several years and particularly the benefits of synchronous communication over asynchronous communication in support of specific learning goals, this level of immediacy is faster-paced and more direct.
- Designing a Working Space for Chat
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10/22/2008
In the first installment this two-part series, we looked at chat as an instructional tool in general terms. Now we take a look at some of the major concepts in using chat effectively in the process of moving the thinking process forward: building ideas, constructing media, and establishing which elements are critical to making the environment dynamic and relevant to the student.
- Using Chat To Move the Thinking Process Forward
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10/15/2008
The idea of using chat as a communication tool with students is widely accepted in education. Using the same tool to progress critical thinking is not often discussed. That is, the question might be asked, "Why use an online tool when I can discuss with my students face to face?"
- What Was Your First Pet's Name? Lessons Learned About E-Mail Security
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10/10/2008
The intrusion last month into Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's e-mail highlighted the frailty of some types of data security measures. What are the lessons for the rest of us?
- It's Time to Realize Procurement's Potential
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10/8/2008
Electronic procurement can impact much more than simple transactions and individual business functions. John Mayes examines how institutions can gain competitive edge with an effective procurement strategy.
- Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Using Blogs with Students
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10/1/2008
Blogging can be an effective tool for learning, but its benefits shouldn't be taken for granted. It takes careful planning and skillful management to make it work in an educational setting. Here are five of the most common mistakes for instructors to avoid when incorporating blogs into instruction.
- Just-in-Time Support
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10/1/2008
8 best practices for providing the help online faculty need-- when they need it.
- Cheapskate 2: The Sequel
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9/12/2008
One month after our previous "Cheapskate's Guide" to essential security tools, "free" is still alive and well. Security experts have weighed in with additional open source and free software packages they find particularly useful, which we now share with you.
- A Cheapskate's Guide to Free Security Software
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8/8/2008
Free is an attractive price. Read which packages were deemed "most useful" by a handful of experts.
- It IS about Technology: Integrating Higher Ed into Knowledge Culture
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8/6/2008
For more than twenty years, we educational technologists have talked about "integrating information technology into higher education." The implication was that education would stay the same and information technology would benignly slip in and cause no ruckus at all. This rhetoric no longer applies, if it ever did, and does a disservice to us as we work through the intricacies of this age.
- The Myth and Reality of Risk
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7/25/2008
The hackneyed advice from IT consultants and columnists is that security is all about risk management. But do our traditional measurements of risk reflect reality?
- The Evolution of Digital Learning Systems Through Customization
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7/23/2008
The changes and challenges that new technology has brought to teaching and learning are well documented. New technology has changed how people receive, understand, and apply new information and ultimately has changed student expectations and thinking skills.
- A New Form of Business for a New, Socially Conscious World
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7/23/2008
A recently retired CIO reflects on a new "socially conscious" way to do business.
- Semantic Search: Could the Web Think?
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7/16/2008
Semantics is a sub-field of linguistics that focuses on meaning making in language. Therefore, the Semantic Web we're still reaching for will be based on a set of definitions, languages, and standards that can base a search on the detection of meaning and not just on a simple character string. The Semantic Web will at least be smarter than the current Web.
- The Next Phase for Academic Computing
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7/16/2008
At a time when the most startling and exciting learning environments are being created in Web 2.0, the computing establishment on campus has enough to do just to keep the big pipes and big iron running. Innovation in learning around technology, therefore, needs a separate administrative support structure and a top-level advocate who reports in parallel to central computing.
- Mickey Spillane Versus Wiley Hacker
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7/11/2008
Who is qualified to conduct computer forensics: computer jocks or private eyes? A number of states are answering that question private investigators. Read on to see what this may mean to your campus.
- Automation Chimera: Education Is Not Management
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7/2/2008
The lure of automating workflow online so human intervention is minimized is continually reinforced in the minds of higher education administrators by examples of automated campus systems such as financials, student information systems, and other enterprise systems. But what's good for management is not always good for learning.
- The (Campus) Empire Strikes Back
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7/1/2008
Adding to the slew of data security issues already plaguing college and university campuses is an onslaught of stealth malware and botnet attacks. What's a beleaguered network manager to do? Here, from UC-Berkeley's own network pro, a cache of helpful advice.
- Podcasting in Instruction: Moving Beyond the Obvious
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6/25/2008
The lightweight, mobile nature of podcasting has the potential of moving education beyond familiar constraints of coursework and promoting a level of networking and input never seen before. But challenges still exist. Can more be achieved with podcasting that would heighten student engagement and maximize knowledge building in instructional contexts? Can we move beyond the obvious in their use?
- The Educational Software Paradox: Can We Learn To Unlearn?
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6/25/2008
New "educational" software and applications are usually not as educational as one might think. As a whole, applications developed in the name of learning have ended up favoring the institution and preserving the status quo. Given existing dynamics, it could not be otherwise.
- Learning in the Webiverse: How Do You Grade a Conversation?
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6/18/2008
Academics have long talked of the "academic conversation." Now, Web 2.0 has called our bluff. We live in the midst of a non-stop world conversation. But, are conversational skills (in writing) important and, if so, how do we teach them?
- P2P Redux: New Twists and Turns
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6/13/2008
At the same time that RIAA has been bombarding campuses with P2P filesharing notices, questions are being raised about the underlying legality of the methods being used by the RIAA.
- Can We Trust Students to Learn in Web 2.0?
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6/4/2008
A core debate about learning design arises from the fear that, if we allow learners too much freedom, they will not learn the right things. Web 2.0 exacerbates that fear because it is beyond the control of educators.
