Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera:
News, Interesting Links and So Forth
Multimedia Streaming: To view some very good video streaming and
PowerPoint presentations, visit the University of Wisconsin's
Multimedia Streaming site. The presentations, which were created
on the Madison campus as experimental projects, include:
Introduction to Media Streaming; Four Streaming Technologies
Compared; August Strindberg's Use of Scenic Elements; Introduction
to Copyright; Engineering Problem Solving; Bloom's Taxonomy;
Immunology; Indonesian Language Comprehension; Veterinary Surgery;
Teaching and Learning with Technology; Musical Form and Melody; and
U.S. Mills Music Library.
http://pocahontus.doit.wisc.edu
MIT's Listing of Radio Stations includes links to over 9,000 radio
stations located throughout the world. A special bitcaster icon
indicates if the station broadcasts audio over the Internet. And you
can search the listing by format or geographic location. Now you can
listen to classical music - live from France!
http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/
Free news updates are now offered by The New York Times.
Sign up to receive news headlines in one or more areas,
including business, international, arts, national, technology,
opinion, books, film, and front page. Also available -
news alerts that will provide an email bulletin when a major
news event occurs.
http://email.nytimes.com/email/email.jsp
Interested in downloading smells and tastes from the Internet?
Soon, you will be able to click on an image that is digitally
programmed with a scent that you can, yes - lick and smell!
TriSenx is a new device that uses a combination of water-based
chemicals to create smells and tastes that are printed on fiber
card-stock paper. Cost is $398. When prices fall, computers
may come equipped with this feature. Those who may use
TriSenx for marketing include perfume manufacturers and food
companies.
Source: Wall Street Journal (May 1)
Soon, incoming freshman may have a totally different perspective on
learning thanks to some innovations in K-12 education.
Mathgoodies.com is just one example of new educational software that
uses a problem-solving approach to actively engage students in the
learning process. Lessons work as independent learning modules or
as a supplement to other math instruction. Also included are
crossword and word search puzzles.
http://www.mathgoodies.com
According to a joint study by Stanford University and the Poynter
Institute, when people read news online, they look at text before
they look at photos or graphics. (The opposite occurs when
individuals read newspaper.) Results of this study indicate that
people read 92% of the text on web pages, but they look at only 22%
of the graphics on the same pages. Marion Lewenstein, the project's
main investigator, states, "We were very puzzled. My own personal
opinion about graphics is they don't give you a lot of information
and people are after information." The study is available at
http://www.poynter.org/eyetrack2000/index.htm
Ironically, this site is approximately 92% graphics; 22% text. And
reading the text is virtually impossible unless the browser takes the
time to print out every page. Perhaps the researchers need to
practice (and apply) what they preach.
Source: USA Today
College Offers Incentive to Log Off: William Woods University
(Fulton, Mo) has begun offering students $5,000 to log off their
computers and "log on to life." Worried that students are logging
in too much computer time, this liberal arts college will offer new
freshman a tuition rebate for attending campus culture events or
joining organizations. Entering freshmen will sign a contract
agreeing to attend events in exchange for points. 45 points are
required to receive the $5,000 rebate.
Source: NY Times (May 5)
According to the Information Technology Association of America,
1.6 million new information technology jobs are projected for this
year. Approximately 50% (843,000) will go unfilled. To address this
shortage, House lawmakers recently passed a bill that prohibits
college degree and experience requirements in government contracts -
except in cases where it is sufficiently justified. The goal is to
open up the door a little wider and "let the private sector bid the
best people instead of having these rigid minimums that don't have a
place in today's economy."
Source: New York Times (May 3)
Certifying Students in Non-Technical Majors for a High-Tech World:
The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and Mark Warner,
a venture capitalist, have created Tek.Xam, a four-hour technology
skills exam designed for students with non-technical degrees.
According to the creators, "It is very clear there are millions of
college students who are earning degrees in areas that don't indicate
technology skills - liberal arts, education, business, and other
non-technical areas." The Tek.Xam exam is designed to prove that
these students have the necessary technical skills. Currently,
67 private colleges and universities in 24 states are
participating; 1,700 students have taken the exam. Participating
schools believe the exam is a way to make their graduates more
marketable. Reynolds Metals (based in Richmond, Va) is one of
the businesses that participated in the development of the exam
because of the need to improve overall technology skills of its
workforce. Audrey Russo, Director of Client Relations and
Performance Support at Reynolds, feels that liberal arts graduates
"tend to bring more to the table."
Source: New York Times (May 3)
The British government has commissioned a business plan for a major
international "e-university" that planners say will give British
institutions "the capacity to compete globally with the major virtual
and corporate universities being developed in the United States."
Consortia of institutions will be invited to bid to create the
e-university, which will offer online instruction up to the
bachelor degree level, as well as a new two-year degree under
development in Britain. There will be no physical campus.
Partnerships are being contemplated with universities outside
Britain -- including institutions in China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, and the United States.
http://chronicle.com/free/2000/05/2000050201u.htm
Censorship on the Internet: According to a report on world press
freedom released by Freedom House, a human rights organization, many
governments are censoring or restricting speech online. Censorship
comes in a variety of packages including denying internet access to
citizens, either through high-cost telecommunications infrastructure
limiting participation or more directly through laws or licensing.
At least 20 countries thoroughly restrict internet access, including
Cuba, Myanmar, North Korea, and Iraq. Other countries - China, Iran
and Saudi Arabia - control information access by employing various
filtering and blocking systems on state-run Internet Service
Providers. Meanwhile, in Russia online surveillance, similar to phone
tapping, not only controls speech but induces a high degree of
self-censorship. Leonard Sussman, senior scholar at Freedom House,
states, "Even the most oppressive countries don't like to be seen as
oppressive. The key is to publish this type of information and add
to the shame. You've got to let certain governments know they are
being watched."
Source: NY Times (May 5)
Thought for June:
Teachers open the door.
You enter yourself.
- Chinese proverb
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