The Birth of Your Next Initiative

Katherine GraysonThe ‘smart’ classroom, connectivity, and administrative IT will lead your challenges for 2007. Grab some instant knowledge and start planning!

Since we introduced this special 101 Best Practices issue back in December 2005, we’ve come to see that the spark of a good idea is indeed a very powerful thing. All year long, we here at Campus Technology delve into the nitty-gritty of what makes a technology initiative work and return real benefits to its user community and its institution. We know that this kind of in-depth coverage is just what you need when you’ve got rudimentary plans on the table, or are considering implementing new technology or processes.

But for every tech plan you may have set before you, there are at least 10 other initiatives waiting in the wings—projects that in the coming year will enable deeper levels of learning or engagement, streamline connectivity, or facilitate administrative processes campuswide. Trouble is, you may not be thinking about those things yet. But you should: It will be your ability to keep fanning the flames of new ideas while your current ones come off the production line, that will keep your institution competitive with peer schools, and keep your student, faculty, and staff communities most productive.

That’s why, in this year-end issue, we depart from “drill-down,” and offer you instead 101 great ideas for your next technology initiatives. For 2007, that means 101 Best Practices in Smart Classroom, Connectivity, and Administrative IT—all to get you thinking, planning, and headed toward your next campus technology success. (Maybe next year, your new tech project will be our Best Practice number 102!)

So, glance at our table of contents to find each of the three areas we highlight for 2007; read from 1 to 101, or head to our “Where to Find…” index and resource guide on pages 6 and 8 in our print edition, to locate the precise area of focus you’re looking for. The “best practice” numeral will take you right to your most-needed information, but you can also scan this valuable resource guide to pinpoint institutions whose initiatives you may want to reference; technology vendors whose products you may wish to research; or tech vendors that are advertisers in this issue, and for whose products you may want additional information.

Finally, don’t miss our special CT Solutions selection this month (pages 54 to 56 in our print edition)—targeted at our three section focuses. And use our 2007 Shows to Know section (page 58 in our print edition) to get you to the industry and campus tech community conferences dedicated to our Big Three. All year long this special 101 guide, chock-full of “how they did it” references, will keep you thinking and planning ahead. Find us also on the web.

Katherine Grayson, Editor-In-Chief
What have you seen and heard? Send to: [email protected].

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