SmartClassroom :: Wednesday, November 15, 2006

News & Product Updates

Call for Entries

Good news for schools in need of high-end projection capability. Campus Technology magazine will be following the campus use of four Canon REALiS SX6 multimedia projectors – equipment that boasts new levels of razor-sharp projection for intricately detailed applications (including small text) – to see how advances in “smart classroom” technology (such as Canon’s brand-new “AISYS Enhanced” LCOS technology) are actually impacting classroom work...

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Report Shows More Students Taking Online Courses

About one in six students enrolled in higher education took at least one online course last fall. That percentage amounts to over 3 million people, and represents a sharp increase that defies predictions that online learning growth is leveling off.

A new report by The Sloan Consortium estimates that 850,000 more students took online courses in the fall of 2005 than the year before, an increase of nearly 40 percent. Last year, the group had reported slowing growth, prompting speculation the trend had hit a ceiling. Despite those earlier findings, many universities have been investing heavily in online learning, hoping the model will prove more economical than traditional classes...

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UBC Researcher Explores Ed Tech Professional Development

A researcher at the University of British Columbia has done a study examining the professional development needs surrounding educational technology in higher education in the province.

The study, by UBC instructional development facilitator Janice Johnson, relied on surveys, face-to-face meetings, and a scan of existing offerings. It recommended a number of approaches for addressing PD needs of post-secondary educators, including ways to harness existing resources at a larger scale, as well as the idea of dedicated “demo” spaces – places where educators can try out new tech with very low barriers and cost...

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