NEW PUSH FOR SUPPORT OF TECH IN THE CLASSROOM - Educators are
being called on to use technology to enhance the educational experience. Rod Paige
Department of Education Secretary stated this view at a National Coalition for
Technology in Education and Training. He advised schools to collaborate with the
private sector, and noted that the White House's $860 million education reform bill
earmarks $15 million to learn about how education can be improved through technology.
Roy Pea of Stanford University, however, cautioned that most studies have not provided
solid conclusions on the effectiveness of technology-enhanced instruction. (Newsbytes,
25 Jan 02)

OPENCOURSEWARE: SIMPLE IDEA-PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS - MIT's
OpenCourseWare (OCW) project is an effort to freely disseminate content for over
2,000 undergraduate and graduate courses over the Web (as reported previously in
DESIEN.) Anyone in the world can make use of the course materials, but the exact nature
of OCW has stirred confusion. OCW does not offer online degrees, or even enrollable
courses; it also lacks the student-faculty interaction critical for learning. Rather, it
provides insight, either from faculty or the university itself, into the kind of material
needed to achieve an MIT education. Furthermore, MIT's often harried faculty only have
10 years to post all the material online; the learning objects have yet to be rendered
reusable and the site must be designed to offer both individuality and scalability for
content development. OCW is meant to counterbalance the increasing privatization of
education. Participation "reflects the idea that, as scholars and teachers, we wish to share
freely the knowledge we generate through our research and teaching," according to S.
Miyagawa, professor of linguistics at MIT. (Syllabus, Jan 02)

SOLUTIONS FOR OVERCOMING ONLINE LIMITATIONS - In recent articles in
The Chronicle of Higher Education, two professors express concerns that the technology
they use to connect with their students also can isolate them from their students. Rather
than abandoning technology in their teaching, they offer some solutions to overcome
limitations of online communication. Frank W. Connolly, professor of computer science
and information systems at American University, writes that while email has expanded his
ability to communicate with his students, it has also had an isolating effect. He wishes that
he had "been more vigilant and seen the consequences." These consequences have caused
him to incorporate more personal interaction with his students within his classes in the
hope of compensating for the professor/student contact that has been lost outside the
classroom. Jaron Lanier, coiner of the term "virtual reality" and the chief scientist for the
National Tele-Immersion Initiative, a collaborative project involving several colleges and
private laboratories, says that he has "never learned to feel fully comfortable lecturing to
remote students. I've used various systems, and I try to really be there for students if I'm
giving a lecture. To me, teaching is the ultimate performing art, and all performing arts are
interactive. You always have to connect with the people, you don't just present, you have to
connect." He sees the future of virtual-reality technology as a way to improve the
instructor/student connection in distance learning. The complete interview is available
online at: http://chronicle.com/free/2001/12/2001122001u.htm (CITINFOBITS 21 Dec
01)

BUILDING YOUR CAMPUS PORTAL: ADVICE FROM THE FIELD - Attendees of
the 3rd Annual Portal Technology Symposium gathered in San Diego to discuss the
many issues involved in designing and executing campus portals. There was agreement
among participants that planning a portal is just as important as planning a building or
computer infrastructure. Campuses should also carefully evaluate how useful the data
they plan to put on the portal will be before implementing design and content decisions,
according to Educause senior research fellow Diana Oblinger. The school can boost
both internal and external relationships by integrating different "touch points." Campus
Pipeline's Scott Doughman suggested that "systems must be flexible and drive for unity,
simplicity, customization and personalization." University of Minnesota vice provost
Robert Kvavik declared that a campus-wide portal is more cost effective than stand-alone
portals, but it must be supported by a comprehensive business strategy. (Converge, Nov
01 - Edupage 3 Dec 01)