SmartClassroom :: Wednesday, May 24, 2006
News & Product Updates
Google Jockey Concept Catching On
An article published by higher-education technology group Educause offers insight into the new practice known as “Google jockeying.” A Google jockey, according to the article, is a student who spends a class session surfing the Web for sites related to the topics at hand. The jockey’s searches then appear on a screen that is visible to the entire class.
While having students spending a class period surfing the Web will no doubt raise some eyebrows, Educause argues that it is beneficial because it plays to students’ natural inclination toward multitasking. It asserts that students want to be exposed to multiple sources of input and this concept makes productive use of this tendency...(Educause)
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Live Video of BU Commencement Shown on Campus Web Site
Graduation tickets can hard to come by, so some schools are seeking alternatives to the traditional waitlist system. Binghamton University broadcast its commencement ceremony live on their Web site, much to the delight of overseas family and friends.
Internet users could log on to the
Binghamton University Commencement site and click on "Watch It Live" to view the activities in real time. No fee or password was required. The university's Educational Community Department was responsible for setting up the technology. Four cameras were set up in the university's Events Center to project images from commencement onto large screens...(Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin)
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Sensor G'es Wireless
The Wireless Dynamic Sensor System by Vernier combines a three-axis accelerator, a force sensor, and an altimeter into one unit. It can stand alone as a data logger or communicate wirelessly with a computer via Bluetooth, eliminating error due to friction from wires and cables.
The system includes a high capacity Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery and charger, AAA alkaline battery holder (allows you to use AAA batteries instead of the rechargeable battery), bumpers for collisions, hooks for mounting the unit in different positions, mounting hardware for Vernier and other dynamics carts, and manual. On-board memory stores data after the unit is turned off...
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