News 06-05-2001
Syllabus2001 Conference to Address Web-Based Learning and Support
Track 2 of the Syllabus2001 conference, entitled "Web-Based Learning Environments
and Support Strategies" will present educators' views of the development of
Web-based pedagogy, tools, infrastructure, and services. The presentations will
reflect on Web portals and resources in education, course development tools,
Web-enhanced teaching environments, and learning management systems. Collaboration
among students and faculty using Web and Internet technologies, Web-based testing,
online coursework submissions, feedback to students, and Web course development
and design issues will be covered as attributes and concerns of a new teaching
and learning environment.
For more information about Syllabus2001, to be held in Santa Clara, Calif.
July 20-24, visit http://www.syllabus.com/summer2001/.
Search Engine for International Study
An interactive resource for information about opportunities for international
study, IIE Passport: Living and Learning Abroad, was recently launched at http://www.iiepassport.org.
Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (EDU), a provider of online academic
recruiting tools, and the non-profit Institute of International Education (IIE),
an educational and cultural exchange organization, have joined in an alliance
to manage and market the site. The alliance is designed to meet the growing
demand for comprehensive information about opportunities for international study.
U of Washington to Offer Free Online Courses
Beginning this summer, the University of Washington will offer nearly a dozen
online courses on topics ranging from Gulliver's Travels to the American Civil
War to HTML basics--all for free. The abbreviated, non-credit courses are based
on full-length courses, and are intended to let people sample distance learning.
The courses are being offered through a partnership with The Learning Network,
and include a preliminary self-quiz, two to three lessons and a final quiz.
Each course can be taken at any time and completed at the student's pace. No
instructor participates in these free distance learning classes. To get an instructor,
the students must sign up for the full-length course. The courses are expected
to be available in early to mid-June online at www.learningnetwork.com/lifelong.
e-Book Report
Two reports focused on the emergence of e-books will be featured in the 46th
edition of "The Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac," a hardbound reference
book that features a combination of informed analysis and practical information
of interest to the library, information, and book trade worlds. The book is
available through R.R. Bowker, a publisher of bibliographic information.
For more information, visit www.bowker.com.
Sun Expert3D-Lite Graphics
3Dlabs and Sun Microsystems recently announced that the Sun Expert3D-Lite professional
graphics card will now be available as a standard configuration in Sun Ultra
60, Ultra 80, Sun Blade 100, and Sun Blade 1000 workstations.
Previously available
as an optional add-in component, the Sun Expert3D-Lite graphics card will now
be offered pre-installed in certified workstation configurations available for
rapid delivery and setup. The Sun Expert3D-Lite graphics accelerator with Wildcat
II technology was developed by 3Dlabs according to Sun specifications and requirements,
with Sun engineers providing optimized interfaces and drivers for maximum performance
in the Sun Solaris Operating Environment.
For more information, visit http://sun.com/
NCSA Supercomputer
IBM recently announced new Intel Itanium-based eServer and IntelliStation workstations
which will form a new Linux super-cluster at the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Funded
by several agencies including the National Science Foundation, the NCSA is a
leader in the development and deployment of cutting-edge, high-performance computing,
networking, and information technologies. Capable of 1 trillion calculations
per second, the cluster of 160 new IBM Itanium-based systems will be the most
powerful Linux supercluster in academia. Scientists will use the clusters to
study a wide range of research problems, from how gas flows over surfaces at
supersonic speeds to simulations of black hole collisions, which demonstrate
principles of Einstein's General Relativity Theory.
For more information, visit http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu
or http://www.ibm.com/eserver.
IBSystems Launches Webzine
The EDAVision online magazine was recently launched at http://www.EDAVision.com.
This is the first of four 'Webzines' aimed at professionals in the Electronic
Design Automation, Mechanical Computer Aided Design (www.MCADVision.com),
Geographical Information Systems (www.GISVisionMag.com),
and Architectural Engineering (www.AECVision.com)
computer modeling fields. The online offerings are products of IBSystems, a
provider of Web portals targeted at professional audiences.
Spam Filter Released
Triumvirate Technologies recently announced the release of Mailbox Filter,
a new e-mail filtering program. The "server class" product was designed for
the average computer user and checks all incoming e-mail against various user-defined
lists and messaging protocols to determine whether the mail gets routed directly
into one of four mail-boxes or accepted at all. The product is available for
a Free 30-day "full version" trial at www.mailboxfilter.com.
NetDocuments Launches Team Collaboration Software
NetDocuments has launched "NetDocuments for Projects," a service offering designed
for cross-organizational projects and deals. Using NetDocuments, members of
a project team, with access rights, can organize, create new documents, edit
shared documents, make comments, and have discussions--all from within a Web
interface. Users can even scan, fax and e-mail directly into their workspace,
with automatic e-mail notifications being sent to others when changes are made.
For more information, visit http://www.netdocuments.com.
Los Angeles Times Interactive Launches Wireless Version
Los Angles Times Interactive recently released a wireless application providing
the complete editorial content of latimes.com. The application features a personalization
technology created by AdaptiveInfo that identifies relevant content based on
what information users have selected in the past. The latimes.com wireless application
is now accessible to all Web-enabled phones, PocketPCs, and RIM Pagers from
go.latimes.com. Palm users with wireless access can download the PQA application
at http://www.latimes.com/wireless,
as well as several Palm software resources on the Web.
Online Access to Stanford University Collections
Two of Stanford University's visual collections are now accessible online at
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/hdis/insight.html.
The first, the Athanasius Kircher Correspondence Collection contains nearly
8,000 images, and the other is a collection of more than 1,300 works of leading
Chicana artists. Both are held in the archives of the Pontifical Gregorian University
and digitally hosted by the Stanford University Libraries. The Online access
is enabled by Luna Imaging's Insight server using the Sun Microsystems Solaris
operating system.
Theodore Roosevelt Centennial CD-ROM
A commemorative CD-ROM, the Theodore Roosevelt Centennial Gubernatorial CD-ROM,
has been produced for the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the State of New York,
and the National Park Service. Created by AIL NewMedia Publishing, the CD commemorates
the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt's governorship of New York State.
This CD edition will be distributed to all schools, libraries, and academic
institutions in New York State. It will also be available to everyone interested
in learning more about TR's achievements, or using quotes from his works. This
CD edition includes the Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia,last published in 1989
and two volumes of TR's gubernatorial papers, Public Papers of Theodore Roosevelt,
Governor 1899 and Public Papers of Theodore Roosevelt, Governor 1900, both of
them published 100 years ago.
For more information, visit http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org.
