News 08-21-2001
New Products Provide Courseware Development
Macromedia recently announced its eLearning Studio, which combines the new
Authorware 6, the visual authoring product for creating interactive, e-learning
applications, with Flash 5 and Dreamweaver 4 to provide an authoring solution
for e-learning. eLearning Studio is compatible with ADL, AICC, and IMS, as well
as traditional Web standards. New features in Authorware 6 include One Button
Publishing for the Web and CD-ROM, enhanced external media support, drag-and-drop
media synchronization, and support for streaming MP3 audio and XML parsing.
Both products are expected to be available in September. Free templates and
product extensions are available on Macromedia Exchange at http://www.macromedia.com/exchange.
NEC Foundation of America Announces Anniversary Grants
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, NEC Foundation of America recently announced
grants totaling $1 million to three non-profit organizations for projects that
use technology to maximize individual potential. The anniversary grants supplement
NEC Foundation of America's regular grants program this year, and reaffirm its
commitment to support nonprofit organizations with national reach and impact
in the areas of science and technology education and technology to assist people
with disabilities.
For more information about NEC Foundation of America, including guidelines,
visit http://www.necfoundation.org.
Questia 2.0 Nearly Doubles the Size of Its Collection
Recently, Questia—provider of an online library complete with search and
writing tools--launches its version 2.0. Version 2.0 includes a collection of
more than 60,000 full-text titles—nearly double the size of its version
1.0 collection launched January 2001. Version 2.0 also improves Questia's tools,
which enable users to personalize books by electronically highlighting and making
notes in them and to write better papers by automatically creating footnotes
and bibliographies in various formats. New features include new tools for subscribers,
including an automatic view of the most recently used books, a personal bookshelf
for storing and retrieving favorite books, and a customizable home page; re-organization
of tools and functions around the three main areas of search, read, and work
to improve the site's usability; and faster search and navigation between books
and within books. The Questia service is also useful, both as a source for teaching
materials and as an effective anti-plagiarism tool. Using the search function
to look for a phrase, professors can check a student's paper for material copied
but not cited.
For more information, visit http://www.questia.com.
Wayne State Gives Students Wireless Computers
The College of Education at Wayne State University gave 150 of its students
Apple iBook wireless laptops through its "Teachers on the Go" initiative.
This program is in conjunction with Gov.
John Engler's Teacher Technology Initiative,
which strives to supply certified teachers with laptop computers. WSU was the
only site in Michigan chosen for the pilot program, which will put wireless
Internet capability into classrooms throughout Detroit. Students in the Alternative
Pathway to Teaching program, as well as faculty, were presented the computers
at a press conference Aug. 9. Students in APT, who are mainly professionals
who have returned to the classroom for career changes, work in Detroit Public
Schools. The goal of the program is to teach computer technology integration
skills to WSU students so they will be prepared and effective when entering
their classrooms.
Online Presentation: Integrating Campus Technology
The HorizonLive Desktop Lecture Series will present "Integrating Technology
Campus-Wide" with Steve Gilbert, president of The TLT Group Wednesday,
August 22, 2001 at 2:00 PM EST. The online series is free, but space is limited.
For a complete session description and registration information, visit http://www.horizonlive.com/lecture/index.html#gilbert.
Nearly $1 Million Grant for IT Training
The Center for Organizational Resources in the School of Continuing Education
and Public Service at Ball State University has received a $927,000 grant from
the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant was provided to begin information technology
training programs in Muncie and Suburban Indianapolis, Indiana.
For more information, visit http://www.bsu.edu.
Solar Cell Named Among Top 100 Technologies
A newly developed solar cell capable of record-breaking efficiency in converting
sunlight to electricity is among the year's 100 most significant technologies
selected by Research & Development Magazine. The award is for a type of
terrestrial solar cell that could enhance people's lives by dramatically lowering
the cost of solar electricity generation. Known as a triple-junction terrestrial
concentrator solar cell, this technology has achieved a world-record conversion
efficiency of 34 percent in laboratory tests, which means that it is the first
to exceed the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy (D'E) One-Third-of-a-Sun
initiative.
The cell was designed and built by Spectrolab, a unit of B'eing Satellite Systems.
For more information, visit www.spectrolab.com.
Experts to Discuss Need for eLearning Initiatives
Brainshark, a provider of self-service rich-media communications solutions,
will offer "Evolutions in eLearning,'' a Web-based event that will explore
how eLearning can increase productivity and affect the bottom line. Participants
will include Jon Meyer, VP of eLearning and CIO at Productivity Point and Bill
Ziobro, Training Manager at Digitas. The online discussion will begin Thursday,
August 23, 2001 at 1:00 PM EDT (10:00 am PDT). To register online, visit http://us1.webex.com/brainsharkosevents.
Don't Miss These Upcoming Events from 101communications:
MCP TechMentor Fall in San Francisco, September 4-8. Bridge the distance between
Windows NT and Windows 2000. Onsite Testing Available! Visit http://www.techmentorevents.com.
XML One & Web Services One - September 30-October 4, San Jose, CA. http://www.xmlconference.com/sanjose/index.asp. Online registration now open!