Learning Apps/Tools
- IBM/University Collaboration To Develop Open-Source Accessibility Tools
-
11/20/2007
University researchers in the United States and the U.K. have started collaborating with IBM to develop open-source software solutions aimed at bringing accessibility to older workers to "help them adapt to and remain productive in the changing workplace of the 21st century," according to information released late last week by IBM. The effort is part of IBM's Open Collaborative Research initiative, which creates partnerships with universities for the purpose of developing and releasing open-source tools to the public.
- MIT Researchers Advance Lecture Capture with Search Capabilities
-
11/14/2007
Researchers in MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new Web-based technology that's designed to take recorded classroom lectures to the next level. The technology, developed by a team led by MIT's Regina Barzilay and James Glass, provides search functionality for classroom video recordings. At present, the prototype only works with MIT's online lectures made available to the public through the university's OpenCourseWare initiative, but it may be made available to other institutions in the future.
- The Potato Made Me Do It
-
11/14/2007
A leading open source proponent explains why he says the characteristics institutions reward will be "replicated in the DNA of software companies."
- Music College's Conducting Class Goes High Tech
-
11/13/2007
Varnished wood. Rosin and bow strings. Well cared for reeds. These are the images that spring to mind when one thinks of classical music--a realm seemingly rooted in tradition and antiquity--but that's not the case at the Berklee College of Music.
- Textbooks: A Value Proposition
-
11/13/2007
As the costs of traditional textbooks fly into the stratosphere, a wide range of digital text options comes to the rescue. Where do you stand on the digital textbook debate? E-mail us at editors@campus-technology.com; selected responses will be published in our March 2008 issue.
- Brandeis IBS Gets Serious About Games
-
11/12/2007
IBM is working with Brandeis International Business School (IBS) to test "serious games," video games designed to help students build combined business and IT skills often required in today's work environments. The video and computer games are gaining traction in the enterprise and educational arenas as a means to teach new skills to a generation of young adults raised on video games.
- Latest LabView Student Edition Includes Multicore Processing, Hybrid Programming
-
11/9/2007
National Instruments has released LabView 8.5 Student Edition, the latest update to its software that gives students a graphical system for designing, prototyping, and deploying real-world applications based on engineering and science concepts.
- Innovation First Brings Robotics to the Classroom
-
11/8/2007
With robotics playing an ever more integral role in STEM education, Innovation First, the company behind a wide range of robotics initiatives, has launched a new online resource targeted directly toward K-12 and post-secondary education.
- Gallaudet Brings Accessibility to Classroom Capture
-
11/7/2007
Students at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, the only liberal arts university in the world for the deaf and hard of hearing, are benefiting from lecture capture software that includes closed captioning. That lets students view videos of lectures on demand, complete with text captions along the bottom of the screen.
- Advanced Media Design Rolls Out WXGA Classroom Recorders
-
11/7/2007
AV technology developer Advanced Media Design has started shipping a new model in its MediaPointe family of digital media recorders, the DMR210e, designed for capturing presentations and classroom lectures. The new model sports a DVD drive and updated design and supports up to 1,500 hours of recording time.
- Google Seeks Social Networking High Ground
-
11/5/2007
Google's attempt to grab moral high ground in the social networking development is a step in the right direction, according to industry analysts.
- Louisiana State Moves to Moodle
-
11/2/2007
Louisiana State University is replacing two learning management systems on its campus with Moodle, an open-source LMS/CMS popular in higher education and elsewhere. According to information released by LSU's Office of the CIO, the move comes on the heels of a two-year system review process headed by the university's Flagship Information Technology Strategy (FITS) Task Force for Teaching and Learning that gathered input from the entire campus community.
- Tips for Using Chat as an Instructional Tool
-
10/31/2007
Chat software (text or media-based) provides an excellent tool in supporting academic dialog (exchange), critical thinking, and knowledge building. The immediacy of the technology provides students with a direct connection with the instructor as well as other students. While chat software is usually used for "chatting," and, therefore, it has a relaxed and colloquial protocol, with a little thought and planning, it can also be used well to support instruction.
- U Akron Migrates to D2L eLearning Suite
-
10/31/2007
The University of Akron is replacing its previous learning management system with Desire2Learn's Enterprise eLearning Suite. The move is designed to facilitate both online and Web-enhanced delivery of courses.
- Live! Integration Coming to Sakai Open-Source LMS
-
10/29/2007
Education technology developer Elluminate is bringing its Live! collaboration suite to the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment, an open-source learning management system. The move is part of a new alliance with Unicon, a company that specializes in providing support and services for open-source software to education.
- Outsourcing IT for Online Education
-
10/25/2007
Small and medium-size institutions looking for ways to beef up technology programs without adding staff might consider outsourcing some or all of IT. At Ocean County College on the coast of New Jersey, an outsourcing partnership has resulted in a popular and growing selection of online courses.
- Carnegie Expands Math Program to Higher Ed
-
10/25/2007
Carnegie Learning is branching out into higher education with the release of algebra and pre-algebra software solutions targeted at college freshmen and sophomores. The online system, developed out of Carnegie Mellon University, is designed to assess individual students' abilities and provide differentiated instruction solutions to focus on their deficiencies.
- Drexel Puts Course Capture To Work on Desktops
-
10/24/2007
Audio and even video capture of lectures is becoming more common on college campuses, which post the material to their Web sites so that students can revisit a lecture after the fact. But Drexel University....
- MAC Deploys Jenzabar Academic, Administrative Suite
-
10/24/2007
Mineral Area College in Missouri is deploying Jenzabar EX Total Campus Management. INTEC, signing on for licenses for Jenzabar's ERP, portal, and learning management solutions to improve administrative efficiencies and supplement learning the school's traditional learning techniques with online technologies.
- Northern Iowa Automates Classroom Capture
-
10/23/2007
The University of Northern Iowa, like a large number of universities in recent months, is deploying a classroom capture system to record lectures and make them available via the Internet. This one, though, is being used not only to provide access for UNI's students but also for an audience of K-12 teachers who will use the content to further their professional development.
- iTunes U Expands 'Beyond Campus'
-
10/19/2007
iTunes U, the education portal within Apple's iTunes, has expanded its content to include educational materials from sources beyond colleges and universities, including Smithsonian Global Sound, KQED, Little Kids Rock, and the Museum of Modern Art. The most recent addition to the expanded content area, known as Beyond Campus, is American Public Media, which is making its radio programming available free for educational purposes.
- UCLA Deploys Classroom IP Audio Encoders
-
10/18/2007
The University of California, Los Angeles is continuing its phased deployment of IP audio encoders for its classrooms. According to information released this week by Barix, the vendor supplying the Interstreamer encoding systems, UCLA's Office of Instructional Development has so far installed the devices in 43 classrooms, with plans for 200 classroom installations eventually.
- Can Classroom Capture Boost Retention Rates?
-
10/17/2007
Results from an initial study by a professor at Coppin State University in Baltimore indicate that class capture technology that allows students to view lectures online after the fact can improve course retention rates and grades. Chris Brittan-Powell, a psychology professor at Coppin State, developed the study to see whether using technology from Tegrity helped student grades and retention in his courses over a semester.
- Microsoft Launches Communications Suite
-
10/17/2007
At a live event in San Francisco, Microsoft Tuesday announced the launch of its "Unified Communications" suite of products, which aims to blur the distinction between electronic and voice communications and provide a seamless experience that relegates traditional telephone use to the dark ages.
- Certs for Freshmen: IC³ Comes to Colleges
-
10/15/2007
Certiport has come up with a new model for promoting digital literacy in college and university students. Based around its IC³ certification, the four-component program is aimed at assessing and developing digital skills in students as they enter into higher education. Broward Community College in Florida piloted a program this semester using IC³ on incoming freshmen.
