Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Top-10 Countdown
Mobile Students, MobileU
6/27/2006
A savvy CIO shares selected findings from Wake Forest’s MobileU project
Jay Dominick is responsible
for strategy, planning, and
operations for Wake Forest
University’s (NC) highly regarded
Information Technology
program. WFU
is consistently
ranked as a
leader in the use
of IT in teaching
and learning. As
CIO, Dominick
directs the efforts
of the Information Systems
Department, including networking,
computer operations,
help desk, telecommunications,
programming, and systems
development. He was responsible
for the implementation
and support of the ubiquitous
laptop computing project at
WFU, which pioneered a new
model for technology deployment
in higher education in
1995. Here, he shares some
discoveries from WFU’s latest,
groundbreaking converged
cell phone/PDA project,
MobileU, launched this past
academic year.
Want to be considered for Campus Technology’s Top 10? Send your countdown and a brief background/bio summary to mgrush@1105media.com
- 10
-
Geek is cool.
- Cool phones are a hot commodity, and student interest is high.
- Students live a mobile lifestyle, and e-mail on the devices is especially popular.
- 9
-
You can see Moore’s Law in action.
- Phones integrate remarkable and increasing capabilities, from cameras and Wi-Fi to music and video.
- Prices are dropping quickly and reliability is increasing along with more features.
- 8
-
Think Windows 3.1…for now.
- Handheld devices are perhaps 10 years behind desktop OS capability.
- There’s no dominant OS, and minimal diagnostic and support tools.
- Phones still have a difficult user interface, requiring training.
- 7
-
Consolidation is good, right? Maybe not.
- The carrier marketplace is changing rapidly, with mergers everywhere.
- Integration of product lines slows down innovation, so don’t expect miracles.
- 6
-
And you thought your phone bill was hard to understand...
- Centralized billing and settlement are still the Holy Grail.
- The greatest discounts are for university-sponsored programs, but the university assumes the billing risk.
- 5
-
Single-carrier solutions are tempting, but not a simple fix.
Recommended Reading
- CT Industry
- eProcurement Success!
Today, it's clear to almost every campus executive that moving an institution from the traditional purchasing model to a strategic eProcurement program can greatly increase staff efficiency and save the institution money. Because eProcurement automates so many purchasing processes, it eliminates reams of paperwork and allows procurement staff to refocus their efforts on cutting costs and improving strategic partnerships.
- How to Be a Super Tech Leader
Mary Jo Gorney-Moreno didn't start out in IT. She joined San Jose State University (CA) in 1981 as an assistant professor in the school of nursing. But somewhere along the way, she realized her energy was focused on academic technology, and how it could help a variety of learners gain knowledge.
- James Morris
- Products :: Data Security
- Products :: Physical Security
