Ed Tech Updates

Wayland Baptist University professor Don Ashley received a call this week from a student saying she couldn’t log in to her learning management system (LMS), preventing her from attending a live online lesson.

The highest level of technical museology. The highest level of science-focused photojournalism and imaging. The highest level of large venue video projection and pixel mapping. On the National Mall in the nation’s capitol, the week before Thanksgiving, one event combined those three activities important not only to this writer but to our industries in general. As invited press to the opening gala for Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition, held on November 16th at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, it did not take long to remember– in this year of both tumultuous politics and blurring technology market boundaries– why I love this industry. Even in a world of images anywhere, and fractious politics everywhere– celebrating both the highest levels of imaging and the highest level of civic cultural stewardship is still exhilarating.

The University of Missouri recently installed Nureva’s Span visual collaboration system and HDL300 audio conferencing system within a new collaboration space in its College of Education. The products were installed in the newly designated Nureva Collaboration Room, where faculty members explore ways to incorporate technology into their coursework and model hands-on learning for their students. The space is also used for distance collaboration with educators in remote school districts throughout Missouri.

Microsoft’s vice president for worldwide education, Anthony Salcito, highlights the future of higher education technology.

Rochester Institute of Technology’s MAGIC Spell Studios explores the intersection of digital media, film, games and entrepreneurship. The facility breaks down silos between traditional fields such as arts, engineering and computing, and provides a commercial studio for all students, faculty and staff.

While maintaining a collaborative environment, IT leaders must take a leading role in helping to define the scope and requirements of major projects on their campuses—ensuring needs and wants are defined, understood and kept separate.

In a recent survey, most chief academic officers (CAOs) at 359 two- and four-year institutions (86 percent) agreed that digital content and learning can improve the student experience. Eighty-seven percent of CAOs said digital learning resources “make learning more efficient and effective for students”; and 74 percent agreed that digital content would provide a richer and more personalized learning experience over print resources. However, a big hold-up to going “all digital” is a lack of student access to devices.

The creation of internet fast lanes could come at a high cost to higher education, experts on technology and learning warn.

Forward-looking universities are expanding the traditional student transcript into a more complete digital representation of learning inside and outside the classroom.

By monitoring the social media platform, higher ed leaders can react to early warning signs.