SmartClassroom :: Wednesday, June 28, 2006
News & Product Updates
Kent to Ban Athlete Web Profiles
Kent State's nearly 400 athletes will soon be banned from Facebook. This is not being done by the Web site itself, but by university administrators. Athletics Director Laing Kennedy recently told student athletes that they have until August 1 to remove their Facebook profiles, citing a need to protect both their identities and the university's image.
Many universities also warn students against putting personal information on such sites out of concern that it makes them targets for predators. Some schools review the sites for evidence of wrongdoing. Although Kennedy said he regrets limiting the students' ability to communicate, he sees it as a necessary step...(The Columbus Dispatch)
Read more
Web-Based Undergrad Bibliographic Resource Set to Debut
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) will offer a new database of core titles for academic libraries that will succeed the standard reference work, Books for College Libraries (BCL), 3rd Edition, which was last published in 1988. It is being developed as a collaborative effort with Bowker, Inc., a bibliographic information management firm, and will debut as both a Web-based subscription form and a multivolume print offering this fall.
The new database will feature a core list of books and electronic resources spanning 58 liberal arts and sciences subject areas. Within each subject area, titles will be organized in a classification system designed by the subject editor to correspond to the way the subject matter is presented in the undergraduate classroom or lab...(ALA)
Read more
NCAA Seeks Text Message Limit
The NCAA recommended legislation Friday that would limit text messaging between coaches and recruits, a practice that has become popular because it skirts the NCAA's limit on phone calls.
The Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet's recommendations would limit text-messaging to between 4pm and 8pm during the week, and between 8am and 8pm on weekends. There are currently no rules restricting how often – or when – coaches and recruits can send notes via cell phone...(Arizona Daily Star)
Read more