Group items tagged

interesting global perspective (maybe for AA).

The article gives a basic explanation of a few useful technologies to be used within an academic setting. First, a case is built for how technology can increase engagement and learning within the classroom, whether on-ground or online. Then the use of the internet, cloud computing, and multimedia are described. The authors highlight audio (podcasts and live chats), video (simulations, films, streamed videos, and screencasts), and blogging as multimedia options to be added to the classroom. In addition to multimedia, classroom learning can occur in a more mobile fashion. Many of the previous methods mentioned are use on desktop, laptops, and tablets. More and more students are utilizing their smartphones to access academic information. BlackBoard and eCollege both offer smartphone applications, which allow students and professors to access their course management sites through their phones. iPads are mentioned, but academic uses for these devices are yet to be determined. Finally, some institutions are offering degrees through Facebook, the social networking site. The Global MBA and The University of Whales in England, both offer MBAs through courses taught using Facebook. The article nicely summarizes a few technologies to be used within the classroom to enhance the students' experience. While the list is limited, and already out of date a few months after publication, the notion of using technology in the classroom to create a more dynamic experience is conveyed. The conclusion is a call for more research and study into making technology more effective within the classroom. 

This is a global quantitative research study conducted by SMART technologies on the outcomes of investing in collaboration technologies. There were 319 participants, selected from the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, and Asia. 100 of the participants were administrators, 158 in teaching and instruction and 58 were IT or media specialists. The participants all worked in higher education, k-12 establishments and other institutions such as ministries. A few were education administrators not affiliated with any school in particular. The study measured participants' performance levels on thirty-two best practices/ elements grouped into six dimensions namely: student collaboration, engagement and learning outcomes; teacher efficiency and retention; assessment for and of learning; flexible/blended learning; holistic system-wide practices; successful implementation. The highest scoring elements were learning through collaboration, learning culture, positive impact through sense of achievement or creativity, problem solving, online information sharing, digital content implementation and knowledge sharing. The lowest recorded scores were for advanced learning modes, remote learners and social development. The study concluded that while technology enables student improvement and better learning outcomes, a strong support system should also be in place to provide training, high quality content, and best practices. This study is valuable to educators who are interested in locating research on the effect of collaborative technology on student learning outcomes.

Both an examination of the history of higher education and a review of popular instructional methods from the days of Aristotle through to day, this paper introduces a meek "call to action" by the authors. They charge that change is needed and they outline the reasons why in a thoughtful and gentle way, an approach that is very different from Clay Christensen, and encourage exploration of emerging technologies to manage that change. Their approach is less threatening than others (like Christensen) and rather than claim that technology is the driver of change, they simply detail the history of education and conclude that it is simply time to change because of who we are in our modern global society. The authors include models on new governance in higher ed that embrace technology to improve teaching and learning and they outline issues about which they feel institutions should be most concerned. Although gentle throughout, compared to Christensen, they drive home the same point: if institutions don't begin changing to meet the needs of today's learners, today's workplace and today's uber-connectedness they will fail to meet their missions.

A comprehensive report on information technology governance in higher education, this report begins with the history of higher ed IT, review then current trends and issues, and carries forward to recommendations for leadership, including boards of trustees, for managing IT going forward in the 21st century. While slightly dated (>10 years), it is a complete work that covers topics relating to IT governance and emerging technology. The publication date (2003) is a milestone for issues in higher education: before the global financial crisis which significantly impacted campus funding from 2008-2012; before Nokia introduced mass market smartphones in 2006, and before the release of the Apple iPad in 2010, which was a pivotal point in educational technology adoption. The perspective of the authors in this report are significant because of the time period from which they speak to us now, a decade later. That decade has been rich with innovation and change; this report makes an interesting point of reference. Were the authors on the right track? did their ideas come to fruition? What, in their report, can we still use and apply today in IT governance?

This case study breaks down IT costs into simple easy to read tables, and the author provides insight and background on the IT budget restructuring project he undertook at his university between 2007-2008. This case is important because it is centered during a financially difficult time in higher education, when IT costs were steadily increasing due to higher demand from all campus users and budget cuts were imminent due to the global financial crisis at the time. Perhaps not a definitive case study, it is worth a read to develop more familiarity with IT portfolio management.

This video archive presents a point/counterpoint debate of the challenges and opportunities afforded a campus CIO. Issues discussed include: the cost of and shrinking budgets for campus IT; service and support for students and faculty users; managing emerging technology, such as Second Life virtual worlds; and professional development for CIOs. Both panelists agree that a CIO needs to be both a strategist and a plumber, but this agreement is not reached until the conclusion. Value in this resource are the issues presented and frank and sometimes humorous discourse between the two CIOs. The debate occurred when campuses were battling increased use of technologies by all stakeholders and decreased budgets due to the global economic crisis. The viewpoints reflect that challenging time and serves as a basis for evaluation of CIO ability to manage effectively in a crisis when technology use cannot be curbed by budget cuts.

The New Media Consortium is an international research project developed by practitioners and educational technology visionaries, established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large influence over the next five years, both in education and globally. It is important to note that a previous Horizon Report (2009) has been frequently mentioned in other articles and websites related to current educational technology trends. In the 2012 report, the one year or less prediction focuses on mobile apps and tablet computing being the most prevalent, with increased utilization by college students. The two to three year forecast includes game-based learning and learning analytics, explaining that the ability to tailor educational activities as content becomes easier to manipulate with the benefit of education becoming more open to change. In four to five years, the authors emphasize gesture-based computing and the "internet of things" or objects producing their own information will both have a significant impact on education. The group expects that educational trends influenced by these technologies will be collaborative learning, working in teams, and a shift towards more challenge-based and active learning. This article provides a helpful summary reflecting the expected realities in higher education and in the larger society, acting as a guide for educators to follow technology trends, challenges, and relevance for teaching and learning.

The author is Associate Provost and Executive Director of the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University. The author refers to Clayton Christensen's "disruptive innovation" term to refer to the recent changes in higher education. The author argues that a key source of disruption in higher education is coming not from the outside, but from internal practices. This administrator points to the increase in experiential modes of learning, how education is moving from "margin to center", which proves to be powerful in the quality and meaning of the undergraduate experience as well as the way business is conducted. The author refers to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and its publishing of a "high impact practice" list, strategies which are connected with high retention and persistence rates, such as undergraduate research, service/community-based learning, and global learning. These practices also have a significant influence because they increase (according to George Kuh) student behaviors that lead to meaningful learning outcomes. The author summarizes how technologies can play a key role as new digital, learning, and analytics tools make it possible to mimic some features of high impact activity inside classrooms, changing when and how students can engage in course content. Since the greatest impact on learning is in the innovative, integrative, and socially networked experiences, then the author argues that faculty and staff need to re-create dimensions of these experiences by bridging the classroom with life outside of it. He concludes that connections between integrative thinking, or experiential learning, and the social network should no longer be an afterthought, but the connection that should guide and reshape learning in higher education. This article would be most useful for administrators and faculty who inform decisions related to technology infrastructure and tools for teaching and learning.