Educause Floor Shopper: CT Exclusive: Our Product Picks

Campus Technology

Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology

Home > Educause Floor Shopper: CT Exclusive: Our Product Picks

Hardware Review

Educause Floor Shopper: CT Exclusive: Our Product Picks

9/30/2006

We’ve rounded up outstanding products we can’t wait to see this year in Dallas. Don’t miss these booths!

Essential eTools for Institutional Assessment

The electronic portfolio has become a critical tool for learners and educators alike; a digital collection of work that facilitates peer collaboration and has the potential to support lifelong learning and professional development. We at Campus Technology think ePortfolios are so significant, in fact, that this year we recognized the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system as a Campus Technology Innovator for its statewide electronic portfolio effort, eFolio Minnesota, which serves more than 50,000 Minnesota students and residents. The project is now expanding into the development of institutional ePortfolios to help meet accreditation needs and other mission-critical institutional objectives. We’re seeing a similar trend in the vendor space: Companies like Angel Learning are heeding the call for powerful assessment tools to mine the hard data schools need in their budgeting, planning, and accreditation processes. The recently launched Angel ePortfolio 2 features new assessment tools and reporting capabilities for the institution itself. Custom learning objectives, rubrics, certified artifacts, and flexible reporting all allow schools to track and aggregate the specific data they need and report the data to meet varied demands. Booth 1115.

Sony Vaio G'es Micro

Converged mobile technologies have been big news at schools like Wake Forest University (NC), where just last year pocket PC phones were put into students’ hands in the school’s Mobile U pilot program. If your campus is following in WFU’s footsteps, take note: Powerful new ultra-portable devices with full-size performance capabilities (think: a pocket-sized device with a fully functional Windows XP operating system) have been storming the market. Don’t miss Sony’s Vaio UX Micro PC; it could be just the thing to take teaching, learning, and communication to the next level on your campus. The 1.2-pound device boasts a 4.5-inch wide SVGA screen, Intel Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage CPU, Microsoft Windows XP Professional OS, plus integrated wireless LAN, wireless WAN, and Bluetooth technology. A built-in camera, microphone, and speakers allow users to communicate via VoIP for videoconferencing on the go. And a biometrics fingerprint sensor ensures you never have to remember passwords. Booth 703.

Podcasting and a New Management Portal

Could podcasts become as ubiquitous to college and university course content as the old-fashioned textbook? Schools like Duke University (NC) and Georgia College & State University were among the first to develop extensive academic programs with podcasting, and many other institutions around the country are following suit. If you’re looking for a way to meet the growing demand for podcasting content, you won’t want to miss the Sonic Foundry booth. Known for its stable recording and playback environment (pictured), Sonic Foundry has developed a smart way to utilize the rich media presentation content your school may already be recording via Mediasite—for podcasts. The new Mediasite Podcasting solution automatically converts standard Mediasite presentations to MP3 audio, which can be played back on iPods or other MP3-compatible players, and may be uploaded to iTunes or iTunesU. Also worth a trip to the booth: The new Mediasite Management Portal provides chaptering, different levels of permissions, and other features that will open up new possibilities for content producers and program developers. Booth 202.