Techno-News Blog

by Vivian Giang, Business Insider

An introvert, an extrovert, and a CEO walk into a bar … Heard that one before? Probably not. Thankfully. But just grouping those three types of people together in a space shows how uncomfortable they all might be. Not everybody works well in the same types of spaces and with different types of people. With big companies like Apple and Google redesigning their headquarters, there’s a lot of talk about office design. They’re trying to find ways to have the introvert and the extrovert (and the CEO) all walk into an office and be totally at ease and in their comfort zones.

http://www.businessinsider.com/everybody-will-be-productive-in-the-office-of-future-2013-6

by Joanna Lyn Grama, EDUCAUSE Review

Interviewed members of the IT Issues Panel believe that higher education IT organizations are going through a period of great change and may even be in the throes of an identity crisis. Are higher education IT departments utilities, or are they service organizations that provide leadership? Taking a proactive stance and remaining adaptable are two ways to deal with ongoing transformations.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/transformative-period-higher-education-it-having-identity-crisis

by Paul Glen and Maria McManus, EDUCAUSE Review

Technical and non-technical people—geeks and non-geeks—often have disproportionately negative experiences working together. They are thus avoiding each other at the moment when they most need to collaborate.
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/geeks-and-non-geeks-contraxioms-collaboration-higher-education

by Mark Askren, EDUCAUSE Review

IT professionals in higher education spend much of their time focusing on demand, resources, and constant change. The author suggests that they need to be investing more time in assessing, advancing, and defining their own careers.

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/cio-defining-career-future

by Sara Grossman, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Instructure, a company that sells course-management software, announced on Wednesday that it had won $30-million in venture-capital funds, and some observers said the company was gaining ground on Blackboard, which has long dominated the market for learning-management systems, or LMS. The choice of which software a college uses to manage class activity—for both online and in-person courses—has become increasingly competitive in recent years, said Casey Green, director of the Campus Computing Project, which conducts an annual survey of campus-technology leaders. He said that a few years ago Blackboard controlled about 70 percent of the market, but by 2012 it had only around 45 percent.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/as-course-management-market-gets-more-competitive-instructure-raises-30-million-in-funds/44017

By Tom Simonite, Technology Review

Concerns over security and privacy have limited the adoption of cloud computing. It is now common for all kinds of data—from personal photos to business documents—to be stored on third-party servers. But despite increased use of outside commodity “cloud computing” equipment, confidence that a third-party service is using your data appropriately is still based more on old-fashioned trust than on technology. As digital break-ins at Twitter and LinkedIn in recent months show, even the biggest services aren’t immune to attack, and this is a big challenge to companies looking to outsource calculations related to sensitive data. Software called Pinocchio, created by researchers at IBM and Microsoft, shows one possible solution. It serves as a kind of lie detector that can be used to check whether a cloud service did the work it was supposed to, or whether it may have been compromised and forced to do something else. The software could also be used to improve privacy, by providing a dependable way for companies to process personal data remotely rather than bringing it all back to their servers.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515081/microsoft-and-ibm-researchers-develop-a-lie-detector-for-the-cloud/

By Kevin Hartnett, Boston.com

The “MOOC revolution” in higher education— the advent of massive online open courses—is causing massive anxiety in American universities, where professors are worried about the consequences of computers replacing campuses as places where people learn. Two hundred years ago, higher education faced a different distance-learning technology, one as cutting-edge as MOOCs, that also augured a revolution in the way we think about knowledge. “A textbook is something anyone can read no matter who they are or where they’re from. It allows education to occur on a global, universal scale,” says Hansun Hsiung, a fourth-year graduate student at Harvard University who studies the rise and spread of textbooks in late-18th-century Europe and Japan. Today it might seem that there’s nothing more boring or conventional than textbooks, but 200 years ago they were a radical idea.

http://www.boston.com/ideas/2013/06/01/when-textbooks-were-next-big-evil-thing/EUV8YV3K7ArAgjdXxIrMsO/story.html

by Grace, CostofCollege

The State University of New York’s new agreement to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) opens the possibility of obtaining a SUNY degree at about one-third discount off full price.SUNY announced Thursday that it signed an agreement to partner with Coursera, a website with 3.7 million users that is a leader in offering what are called “massive open online courses.” Universities worldwide, including private schools in New York like the University of Rochester, upload video lectures and course materials onto the website in an effort to enhance educational access. Exact details are still to be worked out, but students could be granted prior learning assessment credits for MOOC courses taken through a SUNY campus or even elsewhere. These “would essentially act as transfer credits” that would require a fee, but not a tuition charge for each course. Presumably the credit transfer fees would be minimal, well below tuition costs.

http://costofcollege.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/moocs-may-discount-the-price-of-a-suny-degree-by-30/

by Suzi Parker, TakePart.com

Professor John Covach teaches a MOOC class about the history of rock music at the University of Rochester. Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music at the university, told TakePart that MOOCs open up higher education to the world. “A lot of people first think that college students would be the most likely students for these courses,” he said. “But if you think about it for a second, you’ll realize that those students already have access to college-level courses. Those who benefit the most are those who are not currently in school, either because they are already in a career or because they perhaps cannot afford school, or maybe just cannot commit the time to regularly-scheduled classes.” MOOCs, which have become the 21st century education trend, may shake up studying in ways that forever alter the way students learn.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/31/will-moocs-change-education-21st-century

by Hans de Wit, University World News

Much, if not all, of the debate in higher education seems to be focused these days on massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which according to several people should be considered nothing less than a revolutionary new model for higher education teaching and learning. In the meantime, a slower burning addition to international teaching and learning is already taking place with much less attention – ‘virtual mobility’, as it is called in Europe, or ‘collaborative online international learning’ (COIL), as it is more correctly referred to in the United States. While in MOOCs the teaching stays more or less traditional, using modern technology for a global form of delivery, in COIL the technology is used to develop a more interactive and collaborative way of international teaching and learning.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130528175741647

by Stephen Carson, MIT

MOOC pairs cutting-edge online assessments with legendary lectures and demonstrations by MIT professor Walter Lewin.  Much attention is given to the automated assessments that play a key role in allowing massive open online courses (MOOCs) to scale, and rightly so, as these tools permit hundreds of thousands of learners to receive an unprecedented level of feedback on their work. A new MIT MOOC starting Sept. 9 — 8.01x Classical Mechanics — combines these cutting-edge assessments with lectures that have an unmatched pedigree in digital learning history.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/new-mitx-online-physics-course-combines-latest-in-learning-technology-with-classic-videos-by-walter-lewin.html

by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ, NPR

From New Mexico to New York, 10 state university systems have announced they are joining the ranks of elite institutions embracing the massive open online course, or MOOC, system. On Thursday, they unveiled a landmark partnership with Coursera, a for-profit tech company with 3.5 million registered students. It’s the biggest effort to catapult degree-granting institutions into the world of global education. The state universities of Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, West Virginia and New York and the Houston University System are taking the plunge to offer online courses to students across the globe for free. Most of them already offer a catalog of courses online, which Coursera will format into modules for a fee of $3,000 to $5,000 each. That breaks down to between $30 and $60 per student, a fraction of what it costs to develop and deliver a traditional course.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/05/30/187332572/online-college-courses-get-a-big-boost-but-doubts-persist

by How to Geek

Are you ready for summer school? Normally the answer to that question would be a resounding no, but this is one time you might be glad to make an exception. Starting June 10th, Google is offering a free online learning two-week course that will not only be fun, but also help you improve your Google Maps and Google Earth skills. The ‘Mapping with Google’ course will focus on three products: Google Maps, Maps Engine Lite, and Google Earth. You will also gain access to the new version of Google Maps if you have not received it through ‘invitation sign-up’ yet.

http://www.howtogeek.com/164487/sign-up-for-googles-free-online-two-week-mapping-with-google-course/

by Phil Hill, e-Literate

The big news is that Coursera, the largest of the MOOC providers, has signed with 10 public statewide systems.One key aspect of this announcement is Coursera’s full-fledged move into courseware as a new business line to complement their standalone courses. Courseware is the combination of “the curriculum, the course materials, the assessments and, in some cases, the analytics to track student progress and make study suggestions” as described in Michael’s post “MOOCs, Courseware, and the Course as an Artifact“. In essence, courseware is everything but the instructor and interactive discussion, certification and support. This is what is meant by “wrapping” around a MOOC.

http://mfeldstein.com/mooc-as-courseware-courseras-big-announcement-in-context/

By David Talbot, Technology Review

Efficient transmitter: This 50-watt unit is the lowest-power outdoor cell-phone base station in the world, according to an analysis by its maker. Worldwide, at least a billion people don’t have access to cellular communications because they lack electricity to run traditional transmitters and receivers. A new low-power cellular base station being rolled out in Zambia could bring connectivity to some of those people. Weighing just five kilograms and consuming just 50 watts, the gadget provides connectivity to 1,000 people and is “the lowest-power consumption outdoor base station in the world,” says Vanu Bose, CEO of Vanu, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company that built it. One destination for the pint-size base station is Chaimiaka, a village 115 kilometers from the Zambian capital, Lusaka. The units require a second piece of equipment, known as the backhaul, to handle the connection to the main network. In Chaimiaka, this is done with a microwave transmitter that consumes 25 watts; it links village communications with a traditional base station 17 kilometers away.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515346/a-tiny-cell-phone-transmitter-takes-root-in-rural-africa/

by Angela Gonzales, Phoenix Business Journal
Northern Arizona University is launching an online bachelor’s degree program for $5,000 a year, much less expensive option than its traditional degrees offered on its Flagstaff campus. NAU will start by offering online degrees in computer information technology, liberal arts and small business administration. This new personalized learning program enables students to earn an bachelor’s degree online by crediting their existing knowledge and tailoring coursework to their learning preferences, said Fred Hurst, senior vice president of NAU-Extended Campuses and creator of the personalized learning program.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2013/05/28/nau-rolls-out-online-bachelors-degree.html

By Elyse Betters, Pocket-lint
 
Google on Tuesday announced an online mapping course to educate users about Google Maps, Maps Engine Lite and Google Earth.  The course, titled Mapping with Google, starts on June 10 and lasts until June 24, although Google said it was a “self-paced, online course where you will watch videos (or read text lessons) and apply the skills you learn”.  According to a post on the official Google Lat-Long blog, those who register will also receive an invitation to preview the new Google Maps. In addition, registrants have the opportunity to complete a project and earn a certificate.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/121323-google-offers-mapping-with-google-online-course-and-certification

by Ki Mae Heussner, GigaOM

Since launching, online learning startup Coursera has focused on partnerships with elite institutions. But its latest cohort of partners includes state university systems interested in using MOOCs to improve completion rates, quality and access. Working with 10 state schools, including the State University of New York, the University of Colorado System and the University of New Mexico, Coursera said it plans to explore various uses for massive open online courses (MOOCs). Instead of just creating open courses for anyone, the institutions plan to use MOOCs for blended learning experiences (that combine online and offline instruction), as well as to improve completion rates, quality and access at their schools.

http://gigaom.com/2013/05/29/with-state-school-partners-coursera-explores-different-uses-for-massive-online-courses/

by the Udacity Blog

Seriously, the response Udacity got from developers at I/O was nothing short of astonishing. We were mobbed by people all day, we had to tag-team getting food and drinks around lunch time because there was no way we could leave our space. Everyone wants education to change. No one is happy with how the education system currently works, and people are eager to hear what we’re doing to make that happen. We were grateful and, quite frankly, humbled by the enthusiasm we met with, and we couldn’t have been happier to talk to everyone there!

http://blog.udacity.com/2013/05/udacity-at-google-io_23.html

By George Avalos, Contra Costa Times

Education is getting a boost from a world of mobility and anytime, anyplace broadband communications. Several up-and-coming companies — including Udemy, Udacity, Khan Academy, 2U and Coursera — are offering ways for people to educate themselves online, with many courses geared toward practical knowledge and skills for a fast-changing and often forbidding economic landscape. “Online learning is not new, but what is new is what is possible now with the technology that is available to us,” said Clarissa Shen, a vice president with Mountain View-based Udacity. “There is a huge amount of scale and the experience is very rich.”

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2013/05/28/news/feed9f6f-f7e3-4d57-89c0-f04434fde98b.txt

By David Talbot, Technology Review

The continued openness of the Internet depends in part on ensuring that Internet businesses treat all traffic in roughly the same way. This fall, Verizon will try to persuade a federal judge to throw out U.S. Federal Communications Commission regulations requiring “net neutrality”—the idea that all content and applications must get similar treatment on wired and wireless networks. But even beyond the court fight, the concept is under a diffuse and broad assault. Experts warn that the end of net neutrality would mean that deep-pocketed content providers could squeeze others out.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515031/all-data-packets-are-equal-some-more-than-others/