News 02-18-2003
Sponsor: SMART Technologies Inc.
www.smarttech.com/cdcase
SMART BOARD(TM) INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
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through the SMARTer Kids(TM) Foundation.
West Point Puts Cadets, Instructors on Wireless Net
The Military Academy at West Point has installed 802.11a wireless access points
in more than 350 classrooms and labs across campus, part of a pilot project
that is enabling about 450 students and teachers to tap a wireless campus network
using notebook computers. The project paves the way for the entire incoming
freshman class of 2007 to be issued notebook computers outfitted with 802.11a
adapters in the fall semester. Class of 2006 students will have the option to
upgrade their notebook computers with 802.11a adapters. The network is being
provisioned by SMC Networks. "Since we're using this as an active part of classroom
learning, we need bandwidth," said Col. Donald J. Welch, West Point's associate
dean for information and educational technology. "One thousand cadets starting
English classes at 7:30 each morning will all connect at the same time to access
the same activities and information from multiple classrooms."
Syllabus Radio: Log on and Listen
www.syllabus.com/radio/index.asp
Syllabus Radio: Log on and Listen
This week: Doug Peterson of the University of South Dakota discusses ways to
implement and integrate PDAs in college courses. Click on www.syllabus.com/radio/index.asp
for a complete list of interviews with established leaders, creative thinkers
and education technology experts in higher education from around the country.
www.syllabus.com/radio/index.asp
Travelocity Award to Honor Geography Education
The Internet eCommerce portal Travelocity last week announced a $5,000 award
for Excellence in Geography Education, for those whose work has improved the
"field of teaching people about the world." The award will be administered by
the Geographic Education National Implementation Project (GENIP), a consortium
of geographic associations, and will be given to the person or persons who have
made the broadest impact on geography education in the United States in the
previous 12 months. Winners of the annual prize will receive recognition at
meetings of the Association of American Geographers and the National Council
for Geographic Education. The first winner will be announced this fall.
For more information visit: http://genip.tamu.edu
Summit to Explore Future of Digital Projection
The 2003 Projection Summit, a conference to explore the future of projection
technology and trends, will take place June 3-6 in Orlando, Fla. The meeting
will explore key issues surrounding the industry, including the prospects for
presentation projectors in the enterprise and education markets, the competitiveness
of front and rear projectors against flat-panel TV displays, prospects for sustained
price reductions, and the migration of manufacturing offshore. Day one will
focus on the business of projection system manufacture, while day two will focus
on the market opportunities for projection systems (front and rear, professional
and consumer), and will showcase the viewpoints of market analysts, product
manufacturers, and distribution channel partners.
For more information visit: www.insightmedia.info/conference.html
Blackboard to Integrate Nuventive Electronic Portfolios
Course management company Blackboard Inc. and Nuventive, which provides assessment
and portfolio solutions for higher education, agreed to integrate Nuventive’s
iWebfolio electronic portfolio software with the Blackboard Learning System.
Nuventive's iWebfolio is an electronic portfolio that gives students and faculty
and staff the ability to store, organize, and display personal "learning" evidence
to faculty, admissions offices, and employers through the creation of any number
of portfolio views. Portfolios can contain work samples, learning goals, personal
reflections, educational and professional accomplishments, in a variety of formats
including text and multimedia. Users will be able to share course-related documents
with instructors, study group members, and organization members.
Collegis Posts Record Revenues Despite Belt Tightening
Higher education electronic services firm Collegis said it tallied record revenues
in 2002, posting $95 million in revenues, up 35 percent from one year ago. This
growth comes in the face of a slow economy, a flurry of state budget cuts to
higher education, and shrinking endowments at many of the nation's private colleges
and universities. The company, which signed new agreements with 36 clients in
2002, said it was the best sales year in the company’s history. "What we're
seeing is the willingness among colleges and universities to get creative with
course offerings to meet the needs of a changing work force," said Tom Huber,
Collegis CEO and president. "There also exists a trend toward outsource technology
management to free themselves of the complexities of providing technology services
on their own."
