On 03/06/2011,
in Asia, future of higher education, global / globalization, higher education, India, UK, universities,
by Daniel Christian
On 03/03/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, game-changing environment, higher education, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Public universities seek more autonomy as financing from states shrinks — from the NYT by Tamar Lewin
With states providing a dwindling share of money for higher education, many states and public universities are rethinking their ties.
The public universities say that with less money from state coffers, they cannot afford the complicated web of state regulations governing areas like procurement and building, and that they need more flexibility to compete with private institutions.
On 02/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, adult learning, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communications, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-readers, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, informal learning, intelligent tutoring, internet, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, lifelong learning, mobile learning, mobile technologies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, open courseware and systems, personalized/customized learning, social learning / networks, social media, technologies for your home, technology (general), telepresence, television, tools, training / L&D, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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From DSC:
How will these types of technologies affect what we can do with K-12 education/higher education/workplace training and development? I’d say they will open up a world of new applications and opportunities for those who are ready to innovate; and these types of technologies will move the “Forthcoming Walmart of Education” along.
Above item from:
-My thanks to Mr. Michael Haan, Calvin College, for this resource
Also see:
- Is Ed Tech Accessible Enough? — from CampusTechnology.com by Bridget McCrea
Technology opens doors for college students and teachers, but it’s not always adequate for non-traditional learners, despite meeting existing accessibility standards.
Helen Lee knows what it’s like to get excited about a new piece of classroom technology. But as assistant professor for Western Michigan University’s Department of Blindness & Low Vision Studies in Kalamazoo, Lee also is familiar with the bitter disappointment that comes when her students can’t use some or all of the technology.
On 02/23/2011,
in budgets, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, education technology, Google, higher education, innovation, K-12 related, tools, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
Google Apps taking commercial vendors to school — from blogs.wsj.com by Michael Hickins
The Google Apps for Education application set is gaining traction among school districts across the country, in many cases replacing commercial vendors like Microsoft. Google signed up Oregon and Iowa for its suite of Web-based email and collaboration applications last May and June, respectively, and three other states have joined since then, most recently New York State, according to Shan Sinha, group product manager for Google Apps.
There are now more than 10 million students using Google Apps, including many of New York State’s 3.1 million student population, said Sinha. In addition to the applications used to do things like send email or edit documents collaboratively in real time, the suite includes access to third-party applications like Endgrade Gradebook and lesson plan software for teachers, and administration applications like Class.io or Thinkwave for IT administrators. The apps are available through the EDU category of the Google Apps marketplace.
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Also see:
From DSC:
- A note to Google — don’t pull any of these applications like you did with Google Wave. If you persuade people to go to your tools, you can’t pull the rug out from under peoples’ feet.
- With that said, I appreciate your constant pursuit of innovation.
On 02/22/2011,
in digital textbooks, e-books, e-readers, future, higher education, mobile learning, new business models, open courseware and systems, publishing, social learning / networks, textbooks,
by Daniel Christian
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This is a presentation prepared for the “What College Students Think: Making Information Pay for Higher Ed Publishing” conference sponsored by the Book Industry Study Group on February 9.
On 02/21/2011,
in cost of getting a degree, future of higher education, higher education,
by Daniel Christian
Bucking trend, college will cut price — from New York Times by Tamar Lewin
From DSC:
Smart move. I wish more institutions of higher education would go this way — it would certainly help in the PR department. Let’s not be proud of 2-5% increases; instead, let’s be proud of 2-5% decreases.
On 02/16/2011,
in digital learning, Google, higher education, library / librarians, tools,
by Daniel Christian
Google’s Gadfly — from InsideHigherEd.com
“Uncomfortably familial.” That is how Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, describes the relationship between higher education and Google — a company that has, in a little more than a decade, evolved from pet project of Stanford doctoral students to chief usher of the information age.
…
But as is often the case with cousins, the genetic differences between higher education and Google are more striking than their similarities. Beneath the interdependence and shared hereditary traits, tensions creep. And like an awkward Thanksgiving dinner, Vaidhyanathan’s new book, The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry) (University of California Press), provokes these tensions to the surface.
The Virginia professor, who is not afraid to confess his affection for the ease and usefulness of Google, nevertheless distrusts the company’s basic motivations as it vies for our intellectual inheritance. “Google has fostered a more seamless, democratized, global, cosmopolitan information ecosystem,” he writes. “Yet it has simultaneously contributed to the steady commercialization of higher education and the erosion of standards of information quality.”
On 02/15/2011,
in accreditation, assessment, budgets, business side of he, change, curriculum, higher education, learning, legislatures / government / legal, policy, staying relevant, teaching & learning, trends,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
As I was reviewing Mel’s presentation, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing amount of pressure colleges and universities will be under towards “standardization” — or at minimum, institutions may need to accept much of what has occurred at another school. The costs are too high not to — and the expectations from parents, students, legislatures, and the general public may force this to occur.
Along these lines, I think that the dynamics of teaching and learning change when we talk about the cost of an education going from a few thousand to 150,000+ for 4 years. Expectations are one thing that change; Mel’s presentation points to this a bit. But I also wondered…how will institutions of higher education differentiate themselves if these pressures for portability continue to build? How will they keep from becoming a commodity?
Also noteworthy was Mel’s slide re: what students can ultimately DO as a result of their educations — this may become more of the Holy Grail of Assessment.
Online Education in the Ivy League — from US News by Brian Burnsed
Dartmouth’s new healthcare delivery program is the first of its kind, but it may not be the last.
On 02/11/2011,
in budgets, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, legislatures / government / legal, teaching & learning,
by Daniel Christian
Will higher education split? — from Stephen Downes
Excerpt:
Sir John Daniel and Stamenka Uvali-Trumbi asks provocative question: “Will higher education split over the next decade or two into a public sector focussed on research and a for-profit sector doing most of the teaching?” The evidence? The communique from UNESCO predicting “massification” of higher education, Wildavsky’s book on global universities, and Salmi’s commentary on world class universities, Tony Bates’s article on the future of higher education, and Archibald and Feldman’s book on the costs of higher education. He could have added many other sources (and especially digital sources), such as this week’s call for a $10,000 degree from Texas governor Rick Perry, or Paul Kiser wondering whether state-run higher education is doomed.
Also see:
- Dr. Tony Bates’
2011 Outlook for Online Learning and Distance Education (PDF)