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Learning Apps/Tools

U Wyoming Students Vote To Implement Sonic Foundry's Mediasite for Lecture Capture

7/24/2008

An overwhelming student vote for Mediasite will put the Webcasting platform from Sonic Foundry into University of Wyoming lecture halls this fall. Mediasite is a presentation capture tool that records and synchronizes audio, video, and slides and then allows the presenter to provide it online for on-demand viewing or in podcast form. The tool also enables the presenter to make the presentation available online as it happens.

The Evolution of Digital Learning Systems Through Customization

7/23/2008

The changes and challenges that new technology has brought to teaching and learning are well documented. New technology has changed how people receive, understand, and apply new information and ultimately has changed student expectations and thinking skills.

Cdigix Brings Digital Media Platform to Blackboard Courses

7/23/2008

Digital media developer Cdigix has expanded its C-Labs digital media platform to provide support for Blackboard environments on the course level.

Infinity Learning Uses Amazon Web Services, Takes Moodle to the Cloud

7/21/2008

Infinity Learning Solutions (ILS) said it has used the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform to develop a cloud computing solution for the open source learning management system Moodle.

Learn.net Expands into Blended Learning

7/18/2008

Training services provider Learn.net this week announced the acquisition of distance learning and collaboration software from Savant Technology Group. The acquisition is part of Learn.net's move into blended learning to provide training services for public and private sectors.

Bryant U, Lee College, Wayne State Nab ACUTA Awards for Technology Innovation

7/16/2008

Three schools received top honors for technological innovation from ACUTA at the organization's 37th-annual conference in Las Vegas this week: Bryant University, Lee College, and Wayne State University. The University of Utah also received honorable mention for its wireless networking spanning 1,400 acres.

Linden Lab and IBM Teleport Avatars Between Second Life and OpenSim

7/16/2008

Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world Second Life, and IBM have demonstrated virtual world interoperability by teleporting avatars between the Second Life Preview Grid and an OpenSim virtual world server. The Second Life Grid is a development platform created by Linden Lab, and OpenSim is an open source server for hosting 3D virtual environments.

TokBox Offers Free Live Video Talk Functionality

7/16/2008

A new plugin called TokBox, from a San Francisco company of the same name and funded by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, allows users to talk with each other over live video. A component with a "Push to Talk" button can be added to a social network profile, blog, or personal Webpage. A visitor clicks the button to connect to the host in real time using live video and audio.

U Illinois Adopts ALEKS for Math Placement

7/15/2008

McGraw-Hill Higher Education announced Monday that it has entered into a contract with the University of Illinois to provide the Web-based ALEKS system in an effort to help increase accurate student class placements.

eInstruction Launches Workspace-ExamView Edition

7/14/2008

Ed tech developer eInstruction has released Workspace-ExamView Edition, a new version of the Workspace digital classroom suite that couples ExamView's assessment tools with interactive classroom technologies, such as clickers and whiteboards.

Carnegie Mellon Partners with Lulu.com for New Publishing Imprint

7/10/2008

The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is partnering with self-publishing firm Lulu.com to launch a new academic publishing imprint called ETC Press. All publications will be released under a Creative Commons license and will also have associated Web sites for collaborative authorship and discussion.

Project Wonderland: Good Avatars Make Good Neighbors

7/2/2008

Sun Microsystems's Project Darkstar and the Wonderland Toolkit for building 3D spaces show why virtual reality is better for education than video conferencing. And Project Wonderland has announced its first education space.

Automation Chimera: Education Is Not Management

7/2/2008

The lure of automating workflow online so human intervention is minimized is continually reinforced in the minds of higher education administrators by examples of automated campus systems such as financials, student information systems, and other enterprise systems. But what's good for management is not always good for learning.

Wake Forest U Aims To Reduce Note Taking with Classroom Capture

6/30/2008

Students taking a course in venture capital at Wake Forest University have, over the last semester, benefited from the use of Recordant audio-capture technology that allows Web-based archiving, searching, and playback of course lectures. The university said one of the goals was to get students to close their notebooks and focus on comprehension, secure that they'd be able to access the captured lectures later on.

Lyon's 1:1 Laptop Program Aims To 'Level the Playing Field' for Students

6/26/2008

This fall Lyon College, a four-year liberal arts school in Arkansas, will join the elite ranks of post-secondary institutions offering laptops to all incoming freshmen. The program is part of a larger initiative, called "The Lyon Experience," which aims to bring "additional value to the education" the school provides. How can a small college roll out such an ambitious technology program? It's all a question of priorities, according to Lyon College President Walter Roettger.

Podcasting in Instruction: Moving Beyond the Obvious

6/25/2008

The lightweight, mobile nature of podcasting has the potential of moving education beyond familiar constraints of coursework and promoting a level of networking and input never seen before. But challenges still exist. Can more be achieved with podcasting that would heighten student engagement and maximize knowledge building in instructional contexts? Can we move beyond the obvious in their use?

Wilkes U and Discovery Education Collaborate on Online Master's in Instructional Media

6/20/2008

This fall Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA and Discovery Education, which produces digital media-based learning, are launching a new online master's degree program in instructional media. The 30-credit instructional media program will prepare teachers to engage today's students in learning through digital media. Courses will focus on topics such as digital storytelling, using digital media in the classroom, using technology to support creativity and applying brain-based theories of how students process information to technology integration.

Loyola, NOBTS Use Tech To Return to Pre-Katrina Numbers

6/18/2008

A huge increase in freshman enrollment numbers for the fall semester has Loyola University in New Orleans pleased with its efforts to rebuild its student body after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) is also looking at strong enrollment numbers, three years after the hurricane and its aftermath of flooding devastated New Orleans.

Elicitus E-learning Authoring Tool Adds Embedded Sound Recorder

6/17/2008

Harbinger Knowledge Products has released version 7.0 of Elicitus, its e-learning authoring tool. The new release provides usability enhancements, including an embedded sound recorder.

Emantras Partners With Odyssey Press, Brings On-Demand Printing To REED Platform

6/16/2008

Digital education and learning-enhancement company Emantras announced its partnership with digital printer Odyssey Press. The partnership with Odyssey will add on-demand printing for end users of Emantras' REED (Rapid e-Book and e-Journal) platform.

Free Lecture Capture Platform Adds Blackboard integration, Podcasting Features

6/11/2008

Panopto told us this week that it's releasing CourseCast v2, an update to the company's classroom capture system, and making it available to educators free through its Socrates Project beta program.

University Distance Learning Brings Flexibility to State-wide Training

6/11/2008

Conducting disaster preparedness meetings among 14 Pennsylvania universities no longer requires hours or even days of travel time for university administrators. Instead, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is using interactive collaboration software from Wimba to conduct some of its state-wide staff meetings and training sessions.

iPhone 3G, New Mobile Apps Debut at Apple WWDC 2008

6/9/2008

During his keynote address at Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) Monday, CEO Steve Jobs debuted the company's new iPhone 3G, an update to the popular mobile phone and computing device set for delivery July 11. Developers also took the stage during the keynote to show off new technologies arriving for the platform.

Elluminate Launches Learning Suite, Planning Software for Online Learning

6/9/2008

Ed tech developer Elluminate Monday announced new collaborative learning bundles--the Elluminate Learning Suite and the Elluminate Next bundle--and launched a new tool for planning online learning sessions called Elluminate Plan! The company also told us it's revamping its education licensing structure, moving away from a concurrent user model to a structure based on the full-time enrollment of educational institutions.

Can We Trust Students to Learn in Web 2.0?

6/4/2008

A core debate about learning design arises from the fear that, if we allow learners too much freedom, they will not learn the right things. Web 2.0 exacerbates that fear because it is beyond the control of educators.