The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Is Your College One Of The 10 Most Wired

We know about the top party schools and the best schools for sports. But which college or University is the most technologically advanced in the U.S.? Unigo, an online resource for college information, polled students at hundreds of colleges across the country and came up with the top 10 Wired Campuses list — as well as some interesting findings. College students are more wired than ever before. Today, 98% of college students own a digital device. A majority of undergraduates report owning more than 12 digital devices, including computers, laptops, printers, smart phones, web-cams and digital cameras. Read more at:
http://mashable.com/2012/08/24/best-tech-colleges/

Colleges Are Pushing E-Textbooks On Students But They Are Pushing Back

While several colleges across the country are pushing electronic textbooks, touting them as more efficient and less cumbersome than regular textbooks, students are reluctant. E-textbooks still account for only 9% of textbook purchases. For University of Wisconsin senior Leslie Epstein, having to buy an e-textbook only added to her expenses. She still found herself printing a copy of her textbooks in the two classes that required an electronic version, and said despite the lower price tag of an e-textbook, she'd buy the print version of the text "every time." Read more at:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/story/2012-08-13/etextbooks/57039872/1

Six Ways Higher Education Is Likely To Change

Having just finished my very first online lecture on the history of the internet, I am both heartened and dismayed by the experience. Heartened that 34,077 students can enroll in a class taught by a single professor, but dismayed that education (online or otherwise) continues to push learning-by-rote and a lecture based knowledge-transmission model. One thing remains clear – this is only the beginning of the disruption of higher education as we know it. Read more at:
http://www.businessinsider.com/6-predictions-on-the-future-of-higher-education-2012-8

Prospective Students Use Video To Improve Their Chances

With thousands of prospective students starting to think about preparing their applications, smart colleges are realizing that, while simple Web sites and information packets worked well enough in the past, the new generation needs new ways of access. Enter YouTube, the world’s second-largest search engine. Since 2008, searches on YouTube for “admissions” have risen sharply. We’ve looked at several ways colleges and universities are using YouTube to reach prospective students. Here are some ways those students could use the videos to strengthen their college search. Read more at:
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/between-cat-videos-research-colleges-on-youtube/ 

 

Brainstorming Best Ways To Leverage Technology For Higher Education

 The president of the flagship university has also given thought to whether universities should allow students to earn mini-certificates in specific areas, tailoring their education for particular fields of employment. All of these now-hypothetical ideas could gain more traction when Benson -- with the help of his academic affairs chief and campus chancellors -- convenes a task force to brainstorm ways that CU can leverage technology to be more efficient. One increasingly popular way that many prestigious universities are taking advantage of technology is to offer lectures and educational content online for free. Read more at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_21181856/task-force-brainstorm-ways-cu-can-leverage-technology

Colleges Offer Online Support For Depressed And Suicidal Students

In the fall, about 70 universities nationwide will have the service, including all 10 University of California undergraduate campuses. It is designed to bridge conversation between students who need help and those equipped to provide it. Created by the New York City-based American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the program aims to identify troubled students anonymously through their responses to a voluntary survey they will receive a link to in an email that will be sent to everyone admitted to UC. If survey answers raise red flags, a counselor will initiate contact and invite the student to continue communicating, still anonymously, via a dialogue on the website. Read more at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uc-suicide-20120729,0,693193.story

Colleges Look To Data Mining As A Tool To Help Students Succeed

With 72,000 students, A.S.U. is both the country’s largest public university and a hotbed of data-driven experiments. One core effort is a degree-monitoring system that keeps tabs on how students are doing in their majors. Stray off-course and a student may have to switch fields. Data mining hinges on one reality about life on the Web: what you do there leaves behind a trail of digital breadcrumbs.The new breed of software can predict how well students will do before they even set foot in the classroom. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/colleges-awakening-to-the-opportunities-of-data-mining.html?pagewanted=all

College Students Use Interdisciplinary Approach To Developing Mobile Apps

How many anthropology students does it take to develop a mobile application? Just one, if you also have engineering, business and graphic arts students on your team. About 80 Florida Atlantic University from the four disciplines teamed up to develop health-related mobile applications as part of a new interdisciplinary course. The outcome of "Android App Design and Project Management," offered in the spring semester for the first time, was seven potentially marketable health-related applications. Some of the students are trying to take their projects to market. Read more at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-mct-fau-students-team-up-to-develop-mobile-apps-20120716,0,1465655.story

Infographic: College Students And Their Smartphones

College students aren’t just concerned with getting good grades and finding the best parties. More than ever, they’re using their smartphones to navigate life on campus. On the bus, waiting in line, in bed, on the treadmill and even while driving, college students can’t seem to put their phones down. Fifty-two percent say they often check their phones before getting out of bed in the morning, according to one study. Nearly half do so while in bed at night before they fall asleep. More colleges students use iPhones than any other device, email has nearly caught text messaging as the most popular use for smartphones among college students and nearly half of students use their phones to check the weather. Read more at:
http://mashable.com/2012/06/30/smartphones-college-students-infographic/?WT.mc_id=en_my_stories&utm_campaign=My%2BStories&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

Robot Helps College Bookstore With Its Inventory Control

The short figure creeping around the Carnegie Mellon University campus store in a hooded sweatshirt recently isn’t some shoplifter, but a robot taking inventory. Andyvision, as it’s called, scans the shelves to generate a real-time interactive map of the store, which customers can browse via an in-store screen. At the same time, the robot performs a detailed inventory check, identifying each item on the shelves, and alerting employees if stock is low or if an item has been misplaced. Narasimhan’s group developed the system after interviewing retailers about their needs. Read more at:
http://mashable.com/2012/06/29/carnegie-mellon-robot-andyvision/?WT.mc_id=en_my_stories&utm_campaign=My%2BStories&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter