Creating Effective Digital Learning Environments For Higher Education

Digital Natives entering institutions of higher education expect ICT to be effectively integrated into their learning experiences and they want to be able to access it all from anywhere, anytime. To meet this need, many colleges and universities are now providing ICT-enriched courses for students who are required to bring student-owned mobile devices with them for classroom use. Additionally, institutions of higher education are now offering courses that combine elements of online learning and face-to-face instruction, known as “blended” courses. Read the rest of the story here.

Funding IT in Higher Education – The Power of Partnership

More and more HiEd leaders are recognizing that integrated technology truly empowers faculty and staff. Learn how HiEd institutions are creating technology-rich learning environments that accommodate the needs of today's "Digital Natives."  Read the rest of the story here.

Cloud Computing in Higher Education: Implications for IT Security and Customer Service

The rate of technological innovation in cloud computing coupled with a sharp increase in enrollment of students at institutions of higher education—particularly in community colleges—is changing the way that higher education Information Technology (IT) departments are doing business within their learning communities. More than ever, IT leaders in higher education are recognizing that the success of their IT department is directly related to how well the IT team works together with faculty, administration and third-party vendors to quickly and efficiently meet the learning community's changing IT needs. Read the rest of the story here.

Students Push Their Facebook Use Further Into Course Work

According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, social media sites like Facebook are increasingly being used by higher education students to communicate with other students about their coursework, as reported by the ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2011 Report. Of the 3,000 students surveyed from 1,179 colleges and universities, 90% say they use Facebook for social purposes, and almost 60% say they use Facebook "to connect with other students to discuss homework assignments and exams." 25% of the higher education students sampled think Facebook is "valuable" or "extremely valuable" to their academic success. Read the rest of the story here.

Shared Solutions for Security in Higher Education

In today’s Web 2.0 world, CIOs and faculty members at institutions of higher education are being challenged to balance the need for an increasingly open, collaborative wireless learning environment with the need for creating and enforcing security policies that protect and promote academic freedom – all while providing for the safe exchange of information. It’s a tough job, especially as open content becomes more mainstream in institutions of higher education, and students expect to be able to readily access and utilize a wide range of Web 2.0 capabilities. They demand 24/7 access to their online social networking communities for both academic and personal use from anywhere on campus. Privacy is a fundamental human right that is increasingly at risk. Today, one-third of digital information includes personal information; forecasted to rise to 45 percent by 2012. It is critical that university thought leaders be able to meet the needs and expectations of students and faculty by leveraging the power of information and communication technology tools for teaching and learning, while managing the risks that these technologies pose. Read the rest of the story here.

Grant Funds Now Available to Advance STEM Teacher Prep Programs

More than ever, the world is turning to scholars in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to help solve complex, global challenges that involve the environment, health care, poverty alleviation and energy. In many ways, the sustainability and prosperity of our nation and the world depend on the ability of educational institutions to prepare talented teachers in the STEM fields who are trained and equipped to provide future STEM graduates with the 21st-century knowledge and skills that they need.   Read the rest the story here.

How Educators Use Pinterest for Curation

According to KQED San Francisco, the social network Pinterest, which was launched just two years ago, already has over 10 million users. This uniquely visual, topic-based, curation tool is increasingly being used in higher education by professors and their students to gather resources and to curate and generate conversation around content topics as well as educational policy issues. By sharing Pinterest posts via Facebook and Twitter, colleagues remain aware of one another’s Pinterest activities, are able to easily join in the work, and can spread Pinterest interconnections across and through other social media platforms and environments. Read the rest of the story here.

Gartner, Inc. Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2012

Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, released its list of “Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2012." David Cearley, vice president and Gartner fellow, stated, “These top 10 technologies will be strategic for most organizations, and IT leaders should use this list in their strategic planning process by reviewing the technologies and how they fit into their expected needs.” Gartner defines “strategic technology" as “as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.”
The top 10 strategic technologies that Gartner has identified for 2012 include:

1. Media Tablets and Beyond
2. Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces
3. Contextual and Social User Experience
4. Internet of Things
5. App Stores and Marketplaces
6. Next-Generation Analytics
7. Big Data
8. In-Memory Computing
9. Extreme Low-Energy Servers
10. Cloud Computing

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Community Colleges: Getting America Back to Work

Community colleges play a key role in the nation's economic recovery, as non-traditional students and students whose parents can no longer afford 4-year universities are turning to local community colleges in large numbers.   Read full article.