Undergraduate Students and Information Technology

In the recently released report from the Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR), they found that students owned the following devices:

• 83.8% have laptops
• 62.7% have hand-held devices with Internet access
• 45.9% have desktop computers
• 13% have netbook computers
• 3.1% have e-readers

About 42% are considered "power users". Here is the breakdown of Internet-Capable Handheld Device Use among students (click to enlarge):

About 25% of students said they use e-textbooks in their courses, but it appears they use their computers or hand-held devices to access the e-texts, not dedicated e-readers. When asked what Web-based technologies students use in their courses, they said:

• Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, etc: 36.2% — for collaborative use: 53%
• Wikis (Web pages that can be created and/or edited by a group of people): 33.1% — for collaborative use: 30.7%
• Social networking sites: 29.4% — for collaborative use: 49.4%
• College opinion sites (RateMyProfessors, etc.): 27.1%
• Textbook publishers’ resource sites: 26.1% — for collaborative use: 23.2%
• Video-sharing (YouTube, etc.): 24.3% — for collaborative use: 33.4%
• Blogs: 11.6% — for collaborative use: 37.6%
• College study support (Cramster, Turnitin, etc.): 10.9%

ECAR states the the most important take-away message from their survey is that there is "no stereotypical student when it comes to technology."

Is the iPad a Game Changer for E-Textbooks?

Have you dreamed of an an e-book reader that can handle textbooks and reduce the back-breaking load of dead-tree books that our students and children carry? The Kindle and various incarnations of the Sony E-Reader are fine for novels, but how can you have a textbook without color?

The Apple iPad has arrived with great fanfare. Is it the e-Textbook game changer? Universities are now making headlines by providing iPads for their students. Will faculty find that their favorite textbooks are available on this dream machine? Here, I've gathered links to recent articles and podcasts that cover the iPad as e-textbook platform. Do you think the iPad is the e-textbook game changer (add your comments below)?

The E-Textbook Experiment Turns A Page by Lynn Neary (listen to the story from NPR's "All Things Considered")

The game changer, according to Matt MacInnis, may be a little thing called the iPad. MacInnis is the founder and CEO of Inkling, a company that designs textbook software for the iPad. He says the iPad has allowed for the reinvention of the textbook.

As Textbooks Go Digital, Will Professors Build Their Own Books? By Jeffrey R. Young (read this article from The Chronicle of Higher Education)

McGraw-Hill Higher Education plans to announce its revamped custom-publishing system, called Create, with an emphasis on electronic versions of mix-and-match books. Macmillan Publishers this year announced a similar custom-textbook platform, called DynamicBooks. And upstart Flat World Knowledge touts the customization features of its textbooks, which it gives away online, charging only for printed copies and study guides.

Rod's Pulse Podcast #87: Special iPad in Education Edition (listen to this interview by Rod Murray)

Interview: Dr. Mary Ann Gawelek, Provost, Seton Hill University on "An iPad for Everyone" - Dr. Gawelek tells us about their Griffin Technology Advantage Program and how they prepared their faculty and IT infrastructure to handle iPads and MacBook Pros for all their incoming students.

Also from Rod's Pulse Podcast:

RPP #82: E-Textbooks: Are We There Yet? Interview with Scott Beadenkopf
RPP #83: E-Readers: Are We There Yet? Interview with Scott Beadenkopf (Part 2)

Campus Technology Virtual Conference - Free!

Technology Enhancing Higher Education

Mark your calendar: November 18, 2010 - 10:30am to 6:00pm ET

This is Campus Technology’s live event. Attend at no charge, and from the convenience of your computer.

• Discover how top institutions, like USC, Santa Clara and Virginia Tech, are using innovative social networking and distance learning technologies to provide enhanced teaching and learning environments on campuses around the country
• Learn from expert speakers with hands-on experience in the newest, most revolutionary ideas in education technology 
• Spend time in the real-time virtual lounge for the best peer-to-peer networking
• Explore online product and service demos from leading solution-providers presented in the virtual exhibit hall
• Take away free content downloads and presentations-to-go

Register Online:

Teaching & Learning Rhythms: Tools to Enhance Student Engagement

Mark your calendar!

Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: FOW 120 (Mayes College, 4100 Woodland)

Join us for this live Magna Publications Webinar:

In Teaching & Learning Rhythms: Tools to Enhance Student Engagement, multiple teaching award winner Alex Fancy of Mount Allison University will train professors and instructors in how to capture that elusive flow when teaching seems effortless and students are excited and eagerly involved in learning.

This video online seminar will cover:

• Ways to resolve ongoing issues of “flow” in the classroom
• Finding the right balance between information and reflection, repetition and variation, and low and high energy in your classroom
• Engaging students as “co-managers” of learning
• Shaping rhythms to provide a sense of engagement
• Teaching as a dramatic performance and energy exchange
• Analyzing your course structure with attention to short and long-term rhythms
• Why rhythm and balance are essential to shaping classroom communities
• The six-act approach to teaching
• Ways to manage a disengaged student
• Working with natural ebbs and flows in the teaching dynamic
• Centering yourself in the college classroom
• Mindfulness and reflection on your teaching process

You will also receive a brief white paper outlining the theory behind this recommended approach to teaching, along with 100 questions for self-assessment of your teaching performance.

About the presenter
Alex Fancy is a long-time professor in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at Mount Allison University in Canada. He has been recognized for his award-winning teaching across campus, regionally, and nationally.

Who should attend?
This seminar is designed for faculty members and educational developers at all levels and in all types of post-secondary institutions. It is also appropriate for administrators with a special interest in encouraging teacher reflection and self-assessment.

Next Generation Learning Challenges

From Educause...

This fall, campuses will welcome the largest freshman class in the nation’s history. But the journey from freshman year to diploma is not necessarily an easy one. Many students must juggle work, family, and financial responsibilities with coursework. Others will struggle to keep pace with the rigor of college courses.

How can we leverage today’s IT tools to smooth the path toward college completion?

How can tools like open courseware, analytics, or blended learning be more successful?

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) is a new effort to identify and scale technology-enabled approaches that dramatically improve college readiness and completion. EDUCAUSE invites you to participate in a “Back to Campus” series of webinars focusing on the underlying challenges in college readiness and completion and IT’s role as an enabler of change.

Upcoming Webinars

Topic: Deeper Learning and Engagement
Speaker: Bryan Alexander, Director of Research, National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE) 
Date: September 21, 2010
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Topic: The Future of Assessment and Learning 
Speaker: Valerie Shute, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University 
Date: October 1, 2010
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

Topic: Open Educational Resources
Speaker: David Wiley, Associate Professor, Instructional Psychology and Technology, Brigham Young University
Date: October 6, 2010
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 noon CT, 11:00 a.m. MT, 10:00 a.m. PT)

How to Join

Each webcast will be hosted inside an Adobe Connect webconferencing room at http://educause.adobeconnect.com/nglc. To join, simply enter the URL and select "Enter as a Guest," type in your name and affiliation (e.g., John Doe, University of the Sciences), and click "Enter Room."

Once inside the room, audio will be provided through your computer speakers and presentation slides will advance on your screen. You can interact with fellow attendees and presenters using the chat feature inside the room.

Each web seminar is free and open to all, but virtual seats are limited. Attendance is first come, first served. Each session will be recorded and archived for later viewing.

Technical Requirements

Whether you've participated in an NGLC online event before or you're joining for the first time, please run the Adobe Acrobat Connect Connection Test before the event. View the Adobe Connect technical requirements.

Note: If you experience difficulties during the web seminar, you can listen to the audio via a toll-free conference call line at 877-944-2300, access code 99269#.

For more information, please visit http://nextgenlearning.com/news/upcoming-events/articles/upcoming-events.

Google Apps for Education Training Center

Google has released an online learning environment dedicated for educators and students to learn how to effectively use Google Apps in an educational context.

USciences has two Google Apps domains:

1. Online.usp.edu: our own "closed" domain used for faculty, students and staff to communicate and collaborate. The USciences username and password is required to access this domain and no content is made public - ideal for student wiki assignments.
2. Sites.usciences.edu [coming soon!]: our new "open" domain used for faculty to promote their own scholarly activity to the general public. This domain is ideal for creating faculty profile pages and for displaying laboratory research. 

Enter the Google Apps for Education Training Center:

PodCamp Philly 2010 - Register Now

PodCamp Philly 2010 is a community unconference for anyone interested in podcasting, blogging, video-casting and social media - personally or professionally.  PodCamp Philly is being held October 2-3, 2010 at Temple University in Philadelphia PA.  This marks the fourth year that PodCamp Philly has been held - and we'd love you to come join us.  No matter what your interest or experience level, PodCamp Philly offers something for everyone.

You can find out more information online at PodCamp Philly and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/PodCampPhilly). Registration is through Eventbrite (http://PodCampPhilly2010.eventbrite.com).

Tracks:

Blogging : Wordsmiths rejoice! From finding the best platform to use for blogging to discovering your passion, the Blogging sessions at PodCamp Philly will help you get on track.

Business : Use podcasting and social media for business? Need to find out what all the hoopla is?  Want to find out how to earn some coin from your hobby?

Podcasting : At the heart of every great PodCamp (and we are!) are sessions on podcasting and video podcasting. Everything from free tools to finding and connecting to your audience, the Podcasting TRACK at Camp is overflowing with info!

Social Media : Twitter & Facebook & LinkedIn OH MY!  Everything from getting started to expert strategy advice is in this TRACK (Social Media Camp sponsored by Social Media Club Philadelphia & Social Media Club Princeton)

Technical : Technophiles unite!  If you need a deep-dive into some of the more technical aspects of podcasting, social media, blogging this series was designed for geeks – by geeks!

We hope to see you there!