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Learning Apps/Tools

Aplia Launches Web-based Interactive Homework System

5/9/2008

Cengage Learning's Aplia division has launched a new Web-based homework system called Grade It Now. The system combines aspects of practice problems with graded problems to encourage students to improve results as they work.

Texas A&M System Signs Distribution Deal for Virtual Clinical Learning Lab

5/8/2008

Texas A&M University has signed a license agreement with BreakAway Ltd., a developer of game-based technology, for the worldwide rights to Pulse!! The Virtual Clinical Learning Lab. Pulse is a federally funded project in development at the Corpus Christi campus that allows medical professionals to practice decision-making protocol and experiential skills on PCs in a virtual hospital setting. The agreement grants BreakAway the rights to develop, market and distribute Pulse.

Tegrity Records 325,000 Hours of Lectures

5/8/2008

Ed tech developer Tegrity reported this week that usage of its Campus 2.0 classroom capture system hit record levels last year, including, among other things, capturing 325,000 hours of faculty lectures on Tegrity servers in a 12-month period.

Maple 12 Enhances Math Engine, Builds on Engineering Tools

5/6/2008

Math software developer Maplesoft has released Maple 12, a long-anticipated update to the company's flagship math application for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and Solaris. The new version features an enhanced mathematics engine, new tools for engineers, and features that are designed to make the program easier to use in instructional settings.

Idaho State Simulates Emergency Response in Second Life

5/1/2008

Imagine entering the virtual world Second Life to discover that a flu pandemic requires you, a health care professional, to attend to stricken patients lying on the streets around an over-capacity virtual hospital. When you report in to collect your virtual uniform, you're told what your responsibilities will be during the disaster and to whom you'll report.

Online Writing Remediation Program Targets Incoming Freshmen

5/1/2008

Ed tech developer Vantage Learning has launched a new edition of its writing remediation program, targeting high school seniors and incoming college freshmen. My Access! College Edition extends the standard "School Edition," designed for K-12, with greater emphasis on analysis and interpretation, as well as additional features.

Classroom and Community Intersect in Workflow Management

4/30/2008

Integrating the classroom with the community to give students hands-on experience is a laudable goal, but not always easy to do. At the University of Arizona, J. Leon Zhao's upper-level and graduate business students gain an understanding of workflow management software and business applications through real projects in the surrounding business community in Tucson.

Wyoming Colleges Bolster Digital Libraries with 'Academic Complete' Database

4/29/2008

The Wyoming Community College Commission, which has seven colleges, and the University of Wyoming have subscribed to the ebrary Academic Complete e-book database, according to the company.

Mobile Learning in Higher Education

4/23/2008

The term "Nomadic" has been used to describe current college students' culture of wireless and mobile connectedness in the sense that they are not "rooted" but incredibility flexible and fluid when it comes to their social connections and their virtual life culture. This refers not only to their uses of social networking tools but also to the reality that they are connected wirelessly in any situation and for any reason. They are essentially nomads when it comes to their life "space."

NASA Gets Serious about Educational Gaming

4/23/2008

NASA this week moved a step closer to branching into educational gaming. The agency presented its vision of a science education-focused massively multiplayer online game to more than 200 potential software development partners in a workshop Monday sponsored by NASA Learning Technologies, an educational technology incubator project.

Project Albany Moves into Google Turf

4/22/2008

Microsoft revealed Friday that its code-named "Albany" project is a consumer-oriented hosted service that provides Excel, PowerPoint, and Word applications, as well as security and collaboration tools.

Will the CafeScribe Acquisition Give a Boost to Electronic Textbooks?

4/16/2008

The digital textbook is one of those technologies that seem obvious but can take a long time to gain traction. In March, the concept got a boost when long-time textbook distributor and retailer Follet Corp. acquired Salt Lake City-based Fourteen40, and, along with it, CafeScribe, a Web site in its beta phase of offering electronic textbooks.

ePortfolios: Hot Once Again

4/16/2008

The question about ePortfolios is no longer "What is it?" Now, it's "How can we do it?" A Web-based ePortfolio provides the answer.

The Social Web: Academic Zoning Rules

4/16/2008

Trent Batson urges social Web site developers to offer options for managing use for academic purposes.

Yale Pilots Digital Media Integration with Sakai

4/15/2008

Yale University is piloting a new program that brings integration between its open-source learning management system, Sakai, and its digital asset and digital rights management system, C-Labs from Cdigix. Yale has used the Web-based DAM/DRM tool since 2004 to deliver online digital media to students in about 400 courses.

U Wisconsin Expands Collaboration with Office Live Workspace

4/9/2008

Students at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside can now enjoy file collaboration capabilities via a free software-and-service product from Microsoft called Office Live Workspace. The university, which last year outsourced its student e-mail accounts to Microsoft Live@edu, now offers students, faculty, and staff the ability to store, share, edit, and collaborate on documents in common Microsoft file formats.

Can Campus IT Outsource to Web 2.0?

4/2/2008

Campuses are starting to outsource e-mail services to popular Web 2.0 mail services such as Hotmail, gMail, Yahoo Mail, or others. Will various office functions also be outsourced? How far will outsourcing to the Web go?

Chat: The Poster Child for Digital Disdain

4/2/2008

Web 2.0 apps, because they are popular and perceived as entertainment or fun, may on the surface seem inappropriate for education -- but in fact, they are learning spaces.

Tegrity Bolsters Classroom Capture with Campus 2.0

4/2/2008

Ed tech developer Tegrity has released an update to Campus 2.0, the company's enterprise classroom capture and student achievement system. The new version adds a wide range of features, from new recording and editing tools to enhanced administrative and reporting functionality.

Free Lecture Capture System Gains Widespread Academic Support

4/1/2008

Software developer Panopto reported to us this week that hundreds of educational institutions have applied for its Socrates Project, which allows K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to adopt the company's CourseCast system at no charge. The program, launched late last year, is aimed specifically at academic institutions.

IBM Updates Collaborative Software

3/31/2008

IBM has released Lotus Quickr 8.1, an update to the company's collaborative learning tool. The new version adds Microsoft Outlook support and integration with Lotus Connections, among other enhancements.

Windows Search 4.0 Preview Unveiled

3/31/2008

Microsoft published a trial version of its latest desktop search engine last week called Windows Search 4.0 Preview. The solution works with Microsoft's operating systems to search for files and to index them for faster access.

Microsoft's 'Albany' Project May Take Aim at Google Docs

3/28/2008

Microsoft appears to be working on a secret project called Albany, and while no one knows for sure exactly what it is yet, clues indicate that the company is looking to develop a stronger competitor to Google's free, online-hosted Google Docs service.

Autodesk Revamps Educational Engineering Suites

3/27/2008

Autodesk has introduced new versions of its three core education packages for K-12 and post-secondary institutions, including Autodesk Design Institute, Autodesk Design Academy, and Autodesk DesignKids, all of which will roll out between late May and early June.

10 Tips for Injecting New Technology into Your Campus

3/26/2008

Introducing new technologies to faculty members can be a challenge--they are often simply too busy or don't see the point of mastering yet another tool.