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Change or Die: Scholarly E-Mail Lists, Once Vibrant, Fight for Relevance
Once they were hosts to lively discussions about academic style and substance, but the time of scholarly e-mail lists has passed, meaningful posts slowing to a trickle as professors migrate to blogs, wikis, Twitter, and social networks like Facebook.
by Jeffrey R. Young
The Disruption of the Traditional Textbook Model Continues
Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 4294 June 19, and the world of textbooks will never be the same in Texas or across the country.
Because Texas purchases all the textbooks for all the subjects for school districts, and because of its sheer size–more than 8,000 schools educating 4.6 million students–Texas drives the textbook market. This means most publishers create their products to fit Texas specifications and with the Texas vetting process and clientele in mind. Publishers make some modifications for other states and large districts, but for the vast majority of publishers, the Texas template is the starting point. HB 4294 makes some important changes in the vetting process and strongly encourages the submission of electronic materials. It also puts a dent in the more than 50-year-old business model of one book for one student.
by Geoffrey H. Fletcher
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Just Because I’m Paranoid Doesn’t Mean My Mac Is Secure
I was buying a fully loaded Mac to replace the 4-year-old Mac I had at home. Along with Microsoft Office for the Mac, I also wanted to buy a standard security AV and firewall application. The salesperson’s response? Not necessary. I was sufficiently chastened by the $2,000-plus tab I had racked up that afternoon to let it go. But years of writing about online security had made me paranoid. I ran out the next morning to buy the software at a nearby Best Buy. Still, there’s doubt in my mind about the wisdom of that purchase. Did I waste my money?
by Erika Morphy
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5 States Developing Green Curriculum
Five states have committed to developing green career and technical education initiatives. In collaboration with the United States Department of Education, the Education Department’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, the states will create secondary and post-secondary programs that will lead to certificates and associate and bachelor degrees.
By David Nagel
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Web 2.0’s Cultural Therapy
Humans, for millions of years, have absolutely depended on technologies–from clothing to shelter to weapons to the wheel and cooking implements–to survive. We evolved with our technologies, inseparable from those technologies, to the point where without our technologies we are naked in the wilderness. We design our technologies and our technologies define us. All through those millions of years, the technologies were atom-based. Things. Objects. Something tangible. Even fire is just rapid oxidation of atoms.
by Trent Batson
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Announcements
- Registration Open for International Symposium on Emerging Technology Applications for Online Learnin
- 09 Online Teaching Conference: June 11 & 12, 2009 at Cabrillo College
- Become a MERLOT Peer Reviewer
- California Code of Regulations, Title 5 Distance Education Guidelines: 2008 Omnibus Version
- 2009 MERLOT International Conference-Registration is now open!
Articles & Opinions
- One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Being Inclusive in Facilitating Online Learning Across Cultures
- Online Collaborative Assignments: The Ayes Have It, but What About the I’s?
- Facilitating a “safe” online community in support of student learning and engagement
- Forecast – Clear Learning Objectives
- Teens and Social Learning: Geeking Out in the Virtual Classroom