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The author of this article is a staff reporter for an information technology blog geared towards higher education professionals. The author shares how the University of North Carolina's School of Information and Library Science provided free data storage to all incoming students who were interested in 2011. The service offered by LifeTime Library, works on students' personal computers and allows them to automatically archive their files and folders. The data is then housed on a website, where students can search for files by name or by date saved. Students can continue to use the online storage after they graduate, which remains free for these students. The author shares that at this college, dealing with large amounts of online data is a big part of what students learn at the School of Information and Library Science and they intend for the LifeTime Library services to act as a teaching tool for students to figure out the best ways to organize their own digital information. This college also provides courses to focus on ways to make the service more useful, by incorporating data collected from students. The author interviewed the Dean of the College, who reported that eventually the program should be able to save every version of a file, even if it has been edited multiple times, archive mobile phone data, or save social media pages. The author explored the legal ramifications, sharing that the college has the right to scan any information housed in the data storage, and that students must agree to an acceptable-use policy. The author shares that this college anticipates the program to grow, having students store more information than they would have otherwise. The challenge for administrators to anticipate how much storage will be needed will likely dictate how much the school will have to pay to maintain a service like this one. This article would be most useful for technology administrators looking to implement a similar service at their institution.

In this article by Dan Carnevale, Michael Zastrocky, vice president for academic strategies at Garner Inc, talks about the impact of intellectual-property laws on digital archives, and the use of technological devices such as the iPhone for learning purposes in colleges. Even though proponents of digital libraries are wary of intellectual property laws and the propensity to present road blocks to building digital libraries, Zastrocky thinks the issue is complicated and still has a long way to go before it will be resolved. His stance on the use of devices like the iPhone for learning is also not optimistic. The challenge for IT leaders is in building frameworks that support personal tools that are constantly changed or up-graded. Zastrocky, whose company does technology research and information analysis, reveals that many educators are not enthusiastic about the drive to incorporate technologies into college course work. He states however, that learning whether in the virtual or traditional classroom, hinges on the instructor. This article was written in 2007, and was probably for the benefit of technology leaders in higher education wishing to gauge the educational communities response to technological trends.

Steven Bell offers his perceptions and explanation of the terms "sustaining innovation" and "disruptive innovations". "Sustaining innovations" represent practices that fit into the existing structure and practices of institutions even if they disrupt the standard methods of operation, but can however be adapted into the institution. "Disruptive innovations" on the other hand cannot be adapted into existing structure, but require the adoption or creation of new models and skills. Bell cites mobile phones as a form of "disruptive innovation" that could not function with the requirements of fixed lines, but with improved quality eventually became more vital than the fixed lines. The danger of "disruptive innovation" is that their threatening impact is unnoticeable until it is too late and they dramatically alter the way things function. Bell also uses the recent Google Apps for Education as another example of "disruptive innovation". At first there were doubts about its ability to replace Microsoft office, but that is what is happening today. This article is a warning to not underestimate the power of new ideas, developments or technologies.

The authors collected data from first-year students at the University of Illinois in relation to their iPad 2 use in academic and non-academic settings. The intended audience is librarians and faculty members interested in incorporating tablet technology in the classroom or other learning environments. The study results found the iPad 2 to be helpful to students when searching the internet, viewing course management pages, and utilizing apps in connection with course materials. The students also used the iPad 2 to listen to music, watch videos, use social networks, and Skype. After using the iPad 2 for one week, the students made suggestions for new apps that would helpful to them. The student suggestions included a campus map app, a contact info for faculty app, an app to help in selecting future courses, and an app to help monitor grades.  The authors concluded that tablets, specifically the iPad 2, have a lot of potential to improve teaching and learning methods within higher education, however, there is much progress to be made. While the drawbacks to the tablet are somehow limited (no keyboard, need wireless connection, etc), the number and scope of apps need to be increased. Students expressed interest in using apps in connection to academic work, but most of those apps have yet to be created. 

educause quarterly journal top ten IT challenges of 2000

This is one of many articles about institutional reformation from change evangelist and education futurist Clay Christensen. What is unique about this one is that it is an extract from a larger work and republished for the higher ed community via EDUCAUSE. Christensen argues in this paper about the avalanche of change triggered by technology, the need to embrace technology, and suggests that higher education is threatened by technology. His rhetoric often revolves around those topics so many of his paper provide a context in which to understand the significance of higher ed IT issues: people are hesitant to change; academia is notoriously slow to adapt in great part due to its deeply rooted history and highly valued traditions; and campus leadership feels threatened by what is happening, either because they are truly worried about the effects of technology or because people like Christensen keep telling them they should be worried.

Historical perspective of the higher ed CIO. Examines the role of the CIO approximately 10 years after the job gained a foothold. Important for context on the topic of the role of the higher ed CIO. Information includes survey data about the responsibilities and job duties of the developing role. Value lies in the literature dating back earlier than the date of this publication for more information and a deeper historical perspective. Of note, even then CIOs were concerned about their place within the organization and their professional growth as well as being able to manage campus IT in the future with considerations for rapid growth and adoption by all campus users and commercialization of computing resources. These concerns are present today, in current literature suggesting that ongoing research and inquiry is necessary to ensure the health of the profession. Additionally, the struggle to maintain adequate footing in both the administrative and the academic side of the college was present then as it is today, suggesting that the CIO is truly unique in comparison to other "C" level positions.