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MIT Names Its Provost, Who Led Online-Education Efforts, as New President

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:30:33 +0000

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday filled its top leadership position with one of its own. L. Rafael Reif, the university’s provost and an MIT faculty member for 32 years, will assume the presidency on July 2, officials announced.

Mr. Reif, 61, will succeed Susan Hockfield, who announced in February that she would step down after seven years as the university’s first female president.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

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College Board Names David Coleman New President

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:27:03 +0000

Architect of Common Core State Standards to Lead Nonprofit Education Organization

New York, NY – The Trustees of the College Board today announced that David Coleman will become the organization’s ninth president and CEO. Coleman succeeds Governor Gaston Caperton who is stepping down after 13 years as president. The appointment is effective October 15 and Governor Caperton will serve as president until that time.

College Board

Press Release

Countdown to IPv6

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:22:56 +0000

What if I told you that the world was running out of postal addresses or phone numbers, and that, in less than two months, many companies you regularly do business with will have a new system of contact information? You’d want to learn more about this system and perhaps make a few preparations, right? Such a big transition is not happening for postal addresses or phone numbers, but something close to that is happening for Internet addresses.

US Federal Communications Commission

Press Release

Download New Book: Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:02:52 +0000

How can we reach more learners, more effectively, and with greater impact?

Education changes lives and societies, but can we sustain the current model? New models and new technologies allow us to rethink many of the premises of education—location and time, credits and credentials, knowledge creation and sharing.

Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies is a collection of chapters and case studies contributed by college and university presidents, provosts, faculty, and other stakeholders. Institutions are finding new ways of achieving higher education’s mission without being crippled by constraints or overpowered by greater expectations.

EDUCAUSE

Download Book

Download Report: Mobile learning for teachers in North America | More on UNESCO Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:09:46 +0000

Abstract

Teachers in the United States and Canada participate in professional development (PD) to expand their knowledge and understanding of pedagogy and content. In recent years, the prevalence of technology in schools and the increased availability of digital content and resources have resulted in more PD opportunities focused on the use of technology. While PD often occurs in an online environment, teachers in North America rarely use mobile devices to access online PD, and they are just beginning to participate in PD geared toward using mobile technologies in the classroom. Though mobile learning is still an emergent field, educators are starting to recognize the potential of mobile technologies to deliver PD that is job-embedded, ongoing, sustainable, flexible, personalized and available anywhere at any time.

This paper examines and provides examples of three distinct approaches to mobile learning in PD. First, mobile technologies are used to deliver and enhance PD for teachers. Examples of this type of mobile learning include online courses, mentoring via mobile devices, and participation in online professional communities. Second, mobile technologies can be used to support teachers by streamlining administrative tasks, enhancing classroom instruction, and facilitating communication with parents, colleagues and students. Finally, PD may be focused on teaching educators how to integrate mobile technologies into their classroom instruction. While mobile learning in North America is by no means widespread, a number of schools and districts have implemented innovative PD programmes using mobile technologies, which may serve as a model for future efforts. Based on these examples and a review of the relevant literature, this paper offers several recommendations for developing PD focused on mobile learning or using mobile devices to deliver PD. These include moving from one-size-fits-all to personalized PD; focusing PD on changing pedagogy rather than training teachers to use new technologies; using mobile technologies to make PD accessible during teachers’ naturally occurring downtime; and setting aside time for collaboration among teachers in a school or district.

Mobile learning represents an exciting opportunity for educators in North America to expand their professional learning through increased access to instructors, mentors, supervisors and peers, as well as online content and resources. Also, PD specifically focused on using mobile technologies for instruction can help teachers increase student achievement and better meet their students’ needs. Through careful planning and implementation, schools and districts in the United States and Canada can develop mobile learning PD programmes that support teachers, improve practice and enhance learning for students and teachers alike.

Download Full Report

Outsourcing Online Coaches

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:01:49 +0000

Nonprofit group offers a pool of online teaching coaches to public universities, helping them staff growing programs quickly and cheaply. Adjunct advocates don’t like new form of outsourcing.

Inside Higher Ed

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Polycom® RealPresence® Video Content Management Solutions Deliver Live Video Streaming and Video Recordings to Android and Apple Devices

fsaba — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:57:23 +0000

Polycom extends secure user access to video content beyond traditional PCs and laptops to tablets and smartphones, providing easy access to view live and recorded videos on-demand

PLEASANTON, Calif. – May 15, 2012 : Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC), today unveiled updates to Polycom^® RealPresence^® Video Content Management solutions that deliver anytime, anywhere secure access to view live-streaming webcasts and video recordings on-demand through a Web portal from any device. New features for RealPresence Video Content Management include updates for Polycom® RSS™ 4000 Recording and Streaming Server and Polycom® RealPresence® Media Manager that make the solution compatible with existing and future technologies, while extending users’ access to video content from traditional computer systems to Android and iOS-based mobile devices. Polycom’s RealPresence Video Content Management solution was recently recognized by Gartner with a “Positive” rating in the latest MarketScope for Video Content Management and Delivery, April 2012.¹

“Research has shown that messages and trainings delivered through video are more likely to be viewed and can have much greater impact than written or verbal communication, which is why video collaboration is increasingly becoming a critical part of business culture,” said A.E. Natarajan, group vice president, RealPresence Platform and Solutions, Polycom. “Organizations are relying on video content management and delivery solutions to improve workflow processes, such as continuing education to help doctors stay up-to-date on certifications, or knowledge transfer that ensures factory workers are briefed on the latest safety requirements. Polycom RealPresence Video Content Management gives users a flexible solution for viewing live-streamed video meetings or video recordings whether they are at their computers, in a conference room, or outside the office on laptops, tablets and smartphones.”

Knowledge Management and Transfer Across Industries
The ability to live-stream or record videos for on-demand delivery to any Web-enabled device is transforming workflow processes for users across industries.

In education, New York Network, a service of the State University of New York, works with a variety of organizations who are using Polycom RealPresence Video Content Management to record or live-stream lectures that are synchronized with slides, graphics and other content, reaching more people for lower costs. The solution can also track when participants complete their training and provide access to online testing.
In healthcare, organizations use Polycom RealPresence Video Content Management to transform how they learn, teach, and deliver patient-centered care through programs such as prevention and wellness, and continuing medical education. For example, Saint Vincent Health System built a telehealth network for doctors to collaborate remotely on grand rounds, exchanging observations, recommendations and patient information. Grand rounds are recorded, archived, and published for staffers to view on-demand for non-real-time collaboration and continuing medical education.
In manufacturing, companies enhance knowledge management and transfer by using video networks for organizational development and critical skills training, including capturing intellectual property that is seldom documented elsewhere in an organization. Experts can record and share manufacturing technique training videos with remote teams, providing rich content to help staff maintain building safety and streamline plant operations.

Solution Features and Benefits
Polycom RSS 4000 Recording and Streaming Server records, archives, and streams video conferences for playback on a wide variety of devices such as desktops, traditional standards-based videoconferencing endpoints, and iOS and Android-based tablets and smartphones. Additional features include:

A new, easy to navigate Web-based user interface that gives users one-click access to live-streaming videos and video recordings
Integration with existing infrastructure including other external media servers that store and distribute digital media content, which helps future-proof IT investments, drive better ROI, and enable larger-scale delivery of live-streamed video to users

Polycom RealPresence Media Manager includes full HTML5 support, which allows users to search, rate, and watch video recordings on-demand securely through a Web portal on any Android and iOS-based device. Additional options include:

Mobility Integration – a content transcoding engine that prepares content for playback on Android or iOS-based systems on tablets or smartphones, so IT administrators can support various mobile devices
Digital Signage Integration – allows IT to push content from the Media Manager to third-party digital signage solutions for more centralized control of video content delivery across devices and locations
Polycom RealPresence Media Utility for IBM Sametime – users can publish recorded Sametime sessions featuring audio and content into the media library with push-button ease for approval, transcoding and delivery across devices
Enhanced Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Integration – enables fully integrated search with multi-language support that returns relevant document and videos side-by-side. Media Manager is also compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2012, which allows for better data management, access, and collaboration.

Availability
The RealPresence Video Content Management solution will be available worldwide July 2012. For more information, contact 1-800-Polycom or local resellers.

About Polycom
Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for telepresence, video, and voice powered by the Polycom^® RealPresence^® Platform. The RealPresence Platform interoperates with the broadest range of business, mobile, and social applications and devices. More than 400,000 organizations trust Polycom solutions to collaborate and meet face to face from any location for more productive and effective engagement with colleagues, partners, customers, specialists, and prospects. Polycom, together with its broad partner ecosystem, provides customers with the best total cost of ownership, interoperability, scalability, and security for video collaboration, whether on-premises, hosted, or cloud delivered. Visit www.polycom.com or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

© 2012 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom “Triangles” logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

¹ Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Contacts

Brianna Woon
Polycom, Inc.
Tel: +1 925 924 5659
brianna.woon@polycom.com

Study Tool or Copyright Violation?

fsaba — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:56:43 +0000

An online collection of old tests walks a blurry line on copyright law and academic integrity. Some faculty members are concerned, while others say it can help students learn.

Inside Higher Ed

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Purdue Kicks Off Global Online-Education Project

fsaba — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:49:51 +0000

Purdue University today joined the group of universities that have recently announced plans to experiment with online courses aimed at a global audience.

The new effort, called PurdueHUB-U, will serve up modular online courses with video lectures, interactive visualizations, and tools for students to interact with their peers and the professor. The project’s leaders hope it will improve face-to-face classes and bring in revenue by attracting students around the world.

Wired Campus

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More Saudi universities boarding e-learning bandwagon

fsaba — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:45:49 +0000

IS online education the next big thing or will it remain a distant entity awaiting its large-scale acceptance in the higher education landscape of Saudi Arabia?

The image of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah launching the first phase of the university and higher education city projects on an iPad in a ceremony last week perhaps speaks more than the proverbial 1,000 words.

Arab News

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