California Virtual Campus

from the not-this-again dept
Brendan writes “Chapters/Indigo, the dominant book retailer in Canada, just recently launched their eBook store, thinly disguised as an independent 3rd party called ShortCovers. Both companies are children of the parent company Indigo Books & Music Inc.

The fact that they have launched an eBook program is not a problem. It’s great, in fact. I’d like to see more action in this space, and anything to help people read more is a step in the right direction. The problem I have is with how they’ve done it.

By Mike Masnick

Read Tech Dirt

In most classrooms around the world, using cell phones to send text messages and laptops to access sites like Facebook and Twitter are very much discouraged. Considered a high-tech distraction that impedes the learning environment, such actions often end in the student being reprimanded, penalized and even having their devices confiscated.

Things are a little different at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, where some professors–especially those who teach in large lecture halls–have come to embrace social networking as an instructional aid. Using an application developed on campus, the educators who enrolled in the program have come to think of social networking via texting and online portals as a tool, rather than a distraction.

By Bridget McCrea

Read Campus Technology

There are various ideas of how HTML5 has already changed and will continue to change how we view and use the Web. Scott Loganbill suggested:

HTML5 represents the biggest leap forward in Web standards in almost a decade. Unlike the specifications that came before it, HTML5 is not merely intended to present content to a Web browser. Its goal is to bring the Web into maturity as a full-fledged application platform–a level playing field where video, sound, images, animations, and full interactivity with your computer are all standardized. And it may be a long way off still, but elements of HTML5 are already reshaping the way we use the Web.

By Ruth Reynard

Read T.H.E Journal

For years, Northwest Missouri State University took an innovative approach to distributing instructional materials to its students. Most schools rely on a blend of on- and off-campus bookstores to outfit students with new hefty textbooks that sometimes cost hundreds of dollars per semester. By contrast, the Maryville, Mo., university launched its long-term textbook rental program in 1905; it currently charges students a flat fee of $6 per credit hour to rent a textbook for the semester. The trailblazing university was also one of the first to offer online courses back in 1995.

By Lee Copeland

ReadEd Tech

Managing grants often means pushing paper. But the big source of grant money, the federal government, is going digital. And this move to transmit proposals through mouse-clicks rather than mail trucks has universities shopping for better software to administer their research.

The Kuali Foundation hopes its wares will be the most tempting—and the least expensive. A nonprofit group that coordinates colleges’ efforts to produce free software that is built through a collaborative, “open source” process, Kuali is bringing out a research-administration system that it says could ultimately save universities millions.

By Marc Parry

Read The Chronicle Of Higher Education

Higher education institutions have long incorporated eProcurement systems to coordinate among departments in order to help leverage their buying power with suppliers and forge better vendor relationships. Consortia have pushed the envelope even further by aggregating spend among several institutions using an eProcurement solution. And now, institutions and suppliers are realizing the mutual benefits of “buying local”–colleges and universities can use eProcurement applications in support of local vendors and economic inclusion.

By Mary Grush

Read Campus Technology

The parties to the Google book settlement, which would legalize the creation of a vast library of digital books, have asked the judge overseeing a revision of the agreement for an extension to this Friday, Nov. 13.

At a hearing in October, Google and its partners at the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers outlined an aggressive timeline for modifying the agreement to satisfy the objections of the Justice Department and other critics. The parties told Judge Denny Chin of the Federal District Court of the Southern District of New York that they would submit a revised settlement for the court’s preliminary approval by Nov. 9.

By Motoko Rich

Read The New York Times

Analysis, collaboration, awareness: These are words that help put our efforts into perspective as we research innovations and review opportunities to deploy green technologies. As the cost of energy soars, the need to identify and implement creative technologies is vital — and college and university IT departments can and must play a leadership role.

By Kamran Khan

Read Ed Tech

Are there any students out there who aren’t connected to the Web all the time? They have iPhones, Droids, and Pres. They have netbooks, notebooks, and desktops. WiFi is ubiquitous, mobile broadband is increasingly common, and these little Digital Natives still print like there’s no tomorrow.

by Christopher Dawson

Read Education Technology

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Contrary to popular belief, the Internet and mobile phones are not isolating people but enhancing their social worlds, according to a U.S. survey.
The survey was sparked by a 2006 study by U.S. sociologists who argued technology is advancing a trend seen since 1985 — Americans becoming more socially isolated, their social networks shrinking, and the diversity of their contacts decreasing.

By Belinda Godlsmith

Read Routers