CT Industry
:: NEWS
SMART LEARNING STUDIO.
The Ohio State University's Digital
Union now features an array of products
from Smart Technologies, intended for the use of
faculty and students conducting highlevel
research with education technology.
The Digital Union's Learning
Collaboration Studio flexible learning
environment is equipped with a Smart
Board 680i interactive whiteboard,
Sympodium interactive pen display, Air-
Liner wireless slate, and Smart Notebook
software.
NEW PROJECTOR PLAYER.
Vivitek has
announced its entry into the signage,
visual display, and professional presentation
market. The company's projector line
is equipped with Texas Instruments' DLP technology, while its
digital signage products will utilize LCD
technology only. Vivitek's first projectors,
the D326MX and D326WX, feature
energy-saving rapid start-up and shutdown
features, reflecting the company's
commitment to environmentally responsible
and sustainable products.
ZIPCARS ARE PROVIDING an alternative mode of transportation
at the University of Miami this fall.
ZIPPING AROUND. A fleet of Zipcars is now available
to faculty, staff, and students at the University
of Miami. The car-sharing program
allows members to reserve cars
online, via phone, or via
mobile device, for an
hourly rate of $8 that
includes gas and insurance.
Members also pay
an annual fee of $35.
Encouraging Zipcar participation:
For the first
time this fall, UM's resident
freshmen are not
allowed to have their own
cars on campus.
INCREASED
SUPPORT. Perceptis has expanded its
partnership with Pima Community
College (AZ) from initially providing
after-hours help-desk support, to now
providing 24/7 IT support for students
and faculty. The company's IP-based
call centers will provide help via phone,
e-mail, and chat; Pima students and faculty
also will have access to SmartiPantz, Perceptis' online self-help tool.
LED ALERTS. Virginia Tech is
deploying 220 wall-mounted OnAlert
LED displays from Inova Solutions, for emergency
notification in classrooms and
common areas. Visible from over 100
feet, the displays are powered by existing
network connections using standard
power over Ethernet technology, and are
centrally networked and managed.
EXTENDING 10GBE. Ferrum
College (VA) has chosen to replace its
campuswide legacy Cisco Systems network infrastructure
with Juniper Networks switching, network access control,
and firewall/virtual private network
solutions. The college chose the new
equipment after deciding to extend 10
Gigabit Ethernet throughput across the
network in support of advanced voice
over IP, by fall 2009. Read more here.
GREEN ACTION. Colleges and
universities are taking energy-saving
and environmentally conscious steps
when it comes to technology on campus,
according to the latest survey from
the Association for Information Communications
Technology
Professionals in Higher Education.
Sixty-five percent of attendees
at ACUTA's July annual conference
said their schools have bought new
equipment, launched distance learning
and online education programs, instituted
policies, and are otherwise moving
to reduce energy usage and go green.
MOBILE STUDENT RESPONSE.
AT&T has announced
the certification and availability of
mobile student response technology on
AT&T-powered wireless devices. The
browser-based application for real-time
polling (from Turning Technologies can work
within a traditional classroom environment,
or remotely for distance learning,
via AT&T's third-generation (3G) and
Edge wireless data networks.
:: PEOPLE
MICROSOFT VET TO JUNIPER.
High-performance networking vendor
Juniper Networks has named Kevin Johnson as
chief executive officer. Johnson
joins Juniper from a 16-year tenure
at Microsoft,
where he most recently served as
president of the Platforms and
Services Division.