Archive for October, 2007

Leah S. Piatt: Interviews with E-Learning Professionals Series

Published by Susan Smith Nash on October 31, 2007 in Online Learning. 1 Comment

Welcome to a series of interviews with e-learning and distance professionals. This week’s interview is with Leah Piatt, Duke University, who is involved in corporate training and adult education.

What is your name, and what is your involvement with e-learning?
Leah S. Piatt. Relatively new to corporate training and adult education, I’ve been leading the way in our departmental work with e-learning. I’ve worked with Elluminate. I’m eagerly awaiting the day when I will get to actually moderate a class using this tool.

How did you get interested in distance education?
Some of our participants live and work an hour or more away from our training facility. We’re really trying to alleviate travel and time obligations. I anticipate that e-learning will also help with the number of instructor lead classes we teach and bring about a more blended learning approach.

What is your favorite new trend in distance education?
I love the idea of continuing education via distance education. This could open up the amount of guest speakers we have both by eliminating travel time for the speaker as well as allowing someone who’d missed the session to hear the recording and view the presentation later.

What is your favorite technology?
Elluminate

What kinds of instructional materials do you use in e-learning?
Power Point, Word, clip art, Snag-It, Captivate (soon, hopefully).

How do you use textbooks in e-learning?
We don’t use textbooks, rather participant guides and job aids. These can be emailed before the session begins or converted to power point.

What is your favorite quote? or, what’s a book that caught your eye recently?
quote: “While you teach, you learn.” — based on the words of Seneca the Younger, 4BC-65AD

book: The Primal Teen: What The New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids — Barbara Strauch

IT News - October 31, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 31, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: BitLeap, OpSource, Meebo, Desire2Learn, chat software, Orion, and Cognos

Managed data backup solution provider, BitLeap, LLC, has completed a major refresh of its core backup technology and online customer control panel interface. This update to BitLeap’s existing technology and customer interface lays the groundwork for future releases of several data backup and recovery product extensions currently in development. This article outlines the upgrades. — PR Web

OpSource™, the SaaS delivery experts, today announced that it has been named to Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 50 Program for Silicon Valley, a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, and life sciences companies in the region by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, one of the nation’s leading professional services organizations. Rankings are based on the percentage revenue growth over five years from 2002 to 2006. — PR Web

IM aggregator/client Meebo has announced the launch of its own developer platform, allowing third-parties to create applications for its service much the same as Facebook Applications. One important distinction however, is that Meebo reserves the right to approve all new programs before they are added. — Meebo

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. — Campus Technology

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. — Campus Technology

Education technology provider Intelliworks reported recently that nine colleges and universities are deploying its flagship constituent relationship management platform, Orion, for recruiting, outreach, and communications. Orion, which launched back in July, is designed to help administrators manage campus events, promote course offerings, and track communications with prospective students. It’s also designed for inter-departmental collaboration on marketing programs. — Campus Technology

Business Intelligence and performance management provider Cognos has launched a new higher ed performance management solution called Enrollment and Tuition Planning Blueprint. Cognos Enrollment and Tuition Planning Blueprint is based around the Cognos 8 Planning and Cognos 8 Business Intelligence solutions and is designed to provide a framework for performance management on a single platform to analyze tuition revenues, forecast enrollment, and plan for future growth. It’s also designed to help evaluate the effectiveness of recruiting efforts and meet regulatory requirements. — Campus Technology

Schools and Programs in the News - October 31, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 31, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Hendrix College, Ivy Tech Community College, and cheap e-learning programsHendrix College in Arkansas is increasing its current capital campaign goal to $100 million, providing the resources necessary to construct a high-tech $20 million Student Life and Technology Center and fully endow the college’s Odyssey program, along with 12 new Odyssey professorships. — Hendrix College

Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana this month received a $3.1 million grant from the state’s North Central Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. The grant will be used to enhance STEM education in K-12, higher education, and businesses and will train an estimated 44,000 people in North Central Indiana over the next five years. — T.H.E. Journal

Cheap e-learning programs. When a student is choosing a distance learning program, the two questions that usually come to mind immediately are “which programs are the fastest?” and “which programs are the cheapest?” There are many different ways to study a distance learning degree program, and the cost of a degree usually depends on transfer credit, prior learning assessment, courses needed to finish a degree program, etc. This article discusses some of the cheapest bachelor degree programs available via distance learning. — eLearners

Conferences in the News - October 31, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 31, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Web 2.0 Meets Marketing 2.0 webinar, Internet Librarian International conference, EDUCAUSE, UNESCO

Umbria CEO Janet Eden-Harris hosts Forrester Research Senior Analyst Peter Kim to conduct a webinar entitled “Web 2.0 Meets Marketing 2.0: Making Social Media Work” on November 7 at 3:00 pm EST. The webinar explores the importance and growing influence of social media, and how organizations can leverage social media to inform marketing programs including product development, advertising, and competitive analysis. — PR Web

The presentations given at the Internet Librarian International 2007 conference in London, England are now available on the conference website including Stephen Abram’s keynote - Next Generation Libraries: The 2.0 Phenomenon, Phil Bradley’s closing keynote Facing the Challenge of Web 2.0 as a Disruptive Technology and others. — Internet Librarian

Find out about what happened at the EDUCAUSE 2007 conference last week in Seattle at the official Web site. — Educause

One of the key meetings of the 34th General Conference of UNESCO , holding in Paris, France was the Ministerial Round Table on Education that sought to establish the link between education and economic development. The meeting was to generate recommendations for action by governments and development partners. This article outlines the topics discussed. — All Africa

Online Education in the News – October 30, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 30, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: eLearners.com, online education trends, popular online degree schools

Six out of ten Americans say that if they had to go back to school at some point, they’d be interested in doing it online, according to new research released by eLearners.com, the leading resource that specializes in connecting people with online education. What’s more interesting is that even the younger generation is more compelled to go online, with 80% of young adults ages 18 - 24 indicating they would be interested in the online route if they wanted to take more courses or get a degree in the future. — Finance Visor

Distance learning is up by double-digit margins for most local schools over the late 1990s, when online learning programs began. Programs are expanding in both scope and reach: Some schools boast international students. This article looks at online education trends at several universities in Michigan. — Crain’s Detroit Business

Many colleges and universities of the world offer various online degree programs. This means that the competition is now stiff in these schools and the business in online education is enjoyed by school owners nowadays. This article discusses some of the most popular online degree schools and their programs. — Online Degree Blog

IT News – October 30, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 30, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Oracle, Asustek Computer, Google, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Cybook, Web 2.0

Oracle Corp., the world’s third-largest software maker, may land BEA Systems Inc. without raising the $6.7 billion hostile bid rejected by its California rival. BEA’s board says it wants more than $8 billion, and let Oracle’s offer expire Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. New York time. Because no other suitors have emerged, Oracle may renew its bid or offer a lower price than its $17 a share proposal, said Peter Goldmacher, a Cowen & Co. analyst in San Francisco. — Bloomberg

Asustek Computer Inc., whose customers include Sony Corp. and Apple Inc., reported profit rose 21 percent to a record in the third quarter on sales of notebook computers under its own brand. Net income increased to NT$7.44 billion ($230 million) from NT$6.13 billion a year earlier, Asustek, the world’s largest maker of boards connecting computer parts, said today. — Bloomberg

Google Inc., owner of the world’s most-used Internet search engine, received approval from the Australian government for its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick Inc. The purchase by Mountain View, California-based Google is “unlikely to result in a substantial lessening of competition” in the country’s Web advertising market, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement on its Web site today. — Bloomberg

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, agreed to buy programs and other assets from closely held Global Care Solutions, a Bangkok-based provider of products that manage medical information for hospitals. — Bloomberg

T-Mobile USA Inc., seeking to boost wireless e-mail and Web access revenue, introduced a mobile phone designed to ease consumers into using online features. The T-Mobile Shadow, a pocket-sized phone that slides open to reveal a keyboard for typing e-mails, uses a custom version of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile software. The handset, which can also connect to Wi-Fi wireless Internet networks, is the first in a line of Shadow devices. — Bloomberg

Cybook’s Gen3 lightweight, high resolution e-book reader is now available to purchase around $350. It has a 6 inch Vizplex E Ink screen, revealing more contrast than the older E ink technology with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. It also comes with a 2.5mm stereo headphone jack, a 64MB of storage capacity and an SD expansion card slot for an extra memory boost. Furthermore, it has a battery life of 8000 page flips between charges. — Softpedia

As increasing numbers of enterprises climb aboard the Web 2.0 bandwagon, it’s more important than ever for software developers to keep security in mind during the development process. The two top vulnerabilities affecting Web 2.0 applications today are cross-site scripting (CSS) and cross-site request forgery (CSRF). — Campus Technology

Schools and Programs in the News – October 30, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 30, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Lincoln Financial Foundation, Illinois Valley Community College, Vocational and technology institute in Ghana, HP 2008 Technology for Teaching Grant, high-tech search tools, Wikipedia, Voorhees College, Marshall University, West Virginia University,

Lincoln Financial Foundation is stepping forward to support Philadelphia’s struggling school system, awarding more than $900,000 to nonprofit organizations that are providing critical academic support in the city. These education and workforce development grants come just months after the Lincoln Financial Foundation augmented arts education opportunities in the city by giving nearly $600,000 to agencies that bring artists into the schools, provide free and reduced-priced tickets to performances, or offer in-school or after-school arts programs to underserved children in the city. — CNN

Illinois Valley Community College student organization Students in a Free Enterprise is contributing to an international educational project by collecting used, working computers to ship to Guatemala. The college’s SIFE students are partnering with a grass roots Guatemalan organization of community directors — ASDIC — to bring computers to 13 rural mountain communities. — My Web Times

A Vocational and technology institute was on Thursday commissioned at Agona Duakwa in the Central Region of Ghana to provide the opportunity for unemployed youth and school dropouts in the Agona District to acquire appropriate skills and technology to earn income and reduce poverty. The Institute is affiliated to the National Coordinating Committee on Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (NACVET) and other bodies that seek to enhance the vocational and technological skills of the youth. — AllAfrica.com

HP has opened up its 2008 Technology for Teaching Grant program, offering $6 million to K-12 and higher education institutions in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The initiative is aimed at efforts to improve education through the use of innovative uses of technology in the classroom, increase the number of underrepresented students on a path toward high-tech careers, and enhance student success in math, science and engineering. — Campus Technology

It appears that some colleges may be trying to improve their ratings and future donation potential by literally “buying” their students, armed with high-tech search tools for test-score application information, target zip codes, neighborhood demographics and socioeconomic data. In this article, a National Merit student reflects on her experience getting bombarded with college offers. — Bloomberg

Wikipedia: time-saver for students, bane of professors everywhere. Or is it? Martha Groom, a professor at the University of Washington at Bothell’s Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences program, assigned Wikipedia projects as a core curriculum component. Readers’ comments show that she is not alone. — Inside Higher Ed

Voorhees College in South Carolina has completed a multi-phase deployment of new voice and data solution to enable distance learning, increase bandwidth, and add emergency communications services. The college partnered with CDW-G for planning and implementation, with systems provided by Verizon and Sprint. — Campus Technology

Online classes can serve as a recruiting tool for universities. Marshall University and West Virginia University, West Virginia’s two biggest universities, reflect on growing enrollment trends for the past decade as related to online education. — Charleston Daily Mail

Illinois Valley Community College’s adult education program, in association with the Richard A. Mautino Memorial Public Library in Spring Valley and the Peru and La Salle public libraries through a state-supported library outreach, will sponsor an online GED study program. The GED-i online program is designed to prepare students to take the GED test. — MyWebTimes

Publishers in the News – October 30, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 30, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Pearson Plc, Houghton Mifflin Co., Agilix Labs, Inc.

Pearson Plc, which provides testing for nurses and business-school students, won a contract from the U.S. Department of Education to measure the progress of students and the quality of public education. From 2008 to 2012, Pearson will handle the U.S.’s National Assessment of Educational Progress. — Bloomberg

Brothers and Citi will begin syndicating this week a $7.15 billion bank loan backing Boston-based educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Co.’s acquisition of the Harcourt Education, Harcourt Trade and Greenwood-Heinemann divisions of Reed Elsevier. — Reuters

Agilix Labs, Inc., a leader in distributed e-learning solutions, today announced it has joined the IMS Common Cartridge Alliance, an organization that supports the development, distribution and maintenance of open source tools to facilitate the Common Cartridge standard. By joining this alliance, Agilix renews its commitment to support all learning content created by publishers in the Common Cartridge format, and incorporating these standards into future product releases. — BusinessWire

Conferences in the News – October 29, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 29, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: Malaysia Higher Education Exhibition and Seminar , Global Education and Training Exhibition (GETEX) in Bahrain, and Intel World Ahead Program - Education Workshop

The Malaysia Higher Education Exhibition and Seminar which opened here Sunday hopes to enhance awareness on the educational opportunities in Malaysia among students in the Middle East, said Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said, the director-general of Higher Education Department in the Ministry of Higher Education. He said that Malaysia has established a solid reputation as a premier destination catering to a diverse international student community. — Bernama

GETEX, the education and training exhibition launched in Bahrain, is committed to return in November next year on popular demand. More than 500 people turned up for a session on the opening day of Global Education and Training Exhibition, to check out opportunities at the three-day event, which has been marketing higher education at its shows in the UAE for 19 years.– Gulf Daily News

Educators, students and pedagogues today attended the Intel World Ahead Program - Education Workshop designed to promote the innovative and effective use of ICT in education. The workshop, held at the Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa on October 27th, presented a framework for analyzing policies in ICT, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, teacher training, and school organization. — Newswire

Online Education in the News – October 29, 2007

Published by Erica Nielsen on October 29, 2007 in In the News. 0 Comments

Updates on: free documentaries, learning with Skype, and FCAThelp.com

Wynn Williamson blogs about and provides a link to hundreds of free educational documentaries organized by topic and subtopic. — Wide Open Education

The trend of teaching and learning Chinese over Skype online is receiving more and more attention. The relationship between Skype and online Chinese instruction was extensively discussed at the the Fifth International Conference on Internet Chinese Education in Taipei, Taiwan, June 2-4, 2007. — Skype Journal

Do you need FCAT help? Join the thousands who are using FCAThelp.com, a free site developed by Florida Teachers to help children in the basics pass the FCAT exam (endorsed by the Education Channel). FCAThelp.com is now available in Spanish too. — Bradenton.com