Google Plus and More

What with arguably the predominant smartphone OS (Android), an ascending tablet ecosystem (also running the Android OS), arguably the first successful consumer-oriented thin client laptop (Chromebook), and a solid record launching online services (at least compared to Apple and Microsoft) -- not to mention the world's most popular search engine, web-based email system, and video-sharing service -- Google has real potential to be predominant. 

This article by Dave Llorens in Fast Company reviews Google's dominance through the perspective of Google+, which itself might be poised to overtake Facebook.  

"The Future Of Google Plus, And Its Path To Social-Media Domination" 

BY DAVE LLORENS | FEBRUARY 11, 2013 

Scoff all you want, but these compelling, just-catching-on product rollouts and integrations will make Google win the battle for hearts, minds, and active users. 

Despite being an echo chamber as far as the press was concerned only two months ago, now Google Plus is “bigger than Twitter,” according to many of the same media outlets. That might not feel true today, but it will in short order.

A month ago, I wrote about how no one was willing to admit that Google Plus’s user acquisition strategy of using the carrot and not the stick was… well, working. Well enough so that I was willing to gamble a pie in the face on it. Google began by absorbing 100% of online writers by way of offering them the ability to claim their own work with Google Authorship. Then Google Plus started absorbing all local businesses by starting to merge Google maps and Google local business pages. It wasn’t clear at the time what the next steps would be to get everyone else on board too, but that’s changed. 

As I see it, here are the big carrots that Google will use to further tip the scales:

See the link for the full article. 

Update on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 06:28PM by williamgarrity

In TechRepublic --

Google Now: The future of big data and Android's game-changer

By Jason Hiner

February 14, 2013, 12:41 PM PST

Takeaway: While Google Now raises plenty of privacy hackles, it’s also a stunningly useful example of the power of big data and a major advantage for Android.

Google Now: The future of big data and Android's game-changerBy Jason HinerFebruary 14, 2013, 12:41 PM PSTTakeaway: While Google Now raises plenty of privacy hackles, it’s also a stunningly useful example of the power of big data and a major advantage for Android.

Gartner Predictions for 2013

Gartner is arguably the leading IT consultancy. It has collocated all its prediction lists -- dozens -- here. The lists are categorized as Topics, Industries, and Markets. Note that "Access to research documents may vary based on your subscription" -- check with your insitution/library to see if it has a license. 

Higher Ed Tech Trends

"6 Higher Ed Tech Trends To Watch in 2013," by Bridget McCrea in Campus Technology -- 

Here are six areas that every IT pro in higher education should keep an eye on during the coming year.

With every corner of the higher education space impacted by technology in one way or another, keeping up with the latest and greatest products, tools, applications, and equipment is no easy feat. To help, Campus Technology picked the brains of several university CIOs to get their take on the key IT trends that will take hold in higher education during the coming year. Here are six important areas that IT professionals in the space should keep an eye on in 2013. 

See the link for details -- the six trends are  

1. More sophisticated use of big data. 
2. More agile change via technology -- for example, more real-time curricular change based on student performance. 
3. BYOD killing campus networks. Everyone has multiple gadgets, and they're all using the network. 
4. Device-agnostic campus computing -- for example, deploy virtual desktops. 
5. Mobile apps. 
6. Social media. 

Compliments to this piece at the "Future" tag. 

Good Tech Habits to Develop

Posts to Lifehacker ("Tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done") run the gamut, including being lightweight to the point of being useless ("How to slice butter"), oddly useful("Turn Your Bathtub Overflow Port Upside Down to Gain a Few Extra Inches of Water"), or about information technology.

An example of the last is "Top 10 Good Tech Habits Everyone Should Have." The list includes the following that I think are particularly important:   

• Regularly audit your social networks' privacy settings. I do this monthly and run utilities like https://privacyfix.com/. (I would also schedule regular audits of your browsers' privacy and security settings.) 
• Keep your desktop and hard drive free of clutter. Don't be this person.
• Avoid getting and spreading malware. 
• Stay safe on public WiFi. In addition to the measures described herein (turn off sharing and using SSL), I also run a VPN. 
• Be smart about hoaxes, scams, and internet myths. Please! 
• Use secure passwords. See "How to Make a Password." 
• Back up your data. 

List items include explanations and links to get the corresponding task(s) done. 

Update on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 06:52PM by williamgarrity

See this article in The New York Times about "Staying Private on the New Facebook." 

NMC Horizon Report 2013

The publication of this report is an important event every year. It's a must-read for anyone even remotely connected to education and IT.

NMC = New Media Consortium. The NMC Horizon Report is a product of a collaboration between NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. 

From the executive summary of the full report: 

Welcome to the NMC Horizon Report, a series of publications designed to help education leaders, policy makers, and faculty understand new and emerging technologies, and their potential impact on teaching, learning, and research. This specific volume, the NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition, is framed specifically around the unique needs and circumstances of higher education institutions, and looks at that landscape with a global lens over the next five years.

The internationally recognized NMC Horizon Report series and regional NMC Technology Outlooks are part of the NMC Horizon Project, a comprehensive research venture established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the coming five years in education around the globe. Since 2005, this particular edition has been produced via a collaborative effort with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, and examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on teaching, learning, and creative inquiry within the higher education environment.

To create the report, an international body of experts in education, technology, and other fields was convened as an advisory board. The group engaged in discussions around a set of research questions intended to surface significant trends and challenges and to identify a wide array of potential technologies for the report. This dialog was enriched by an extensive range of resources, current research, and practice that drew on the expertise of both the NMC community and the communities of the members of the advisory board. These interactions among the advisory board are the focus of the NMC Horizon Report research, and this report details the areas in which these experts were in strong agreement.

The report opens with a discussion of the trends and challenges identified by the advisory board as most important for the next five years. The main section highlights six promising technological areas and their practical, real-world applications in higher education settings. Each section is introduced with an overview that defines the topic, followed by a discussion of the particular relevance of the topic to teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in higher education. Next, several concrete examples are provided that demonstrate how the technology is being used. Finally, each section closes with an annotated list of suggested readings that expand on the discussion in the report. 

I encourage you to read the full report -- or at least its executive summary (five pages) and the preview. 

• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less 
  • Massively Open Online Courses
  • Tablet Computing
• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
  • Big Data and Learning Analytics
  • Game-Based Learning
• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
  • 3D Printing
  • Wearable Technology

Update on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 04:37PM by williamgarrity

Here's an extended review of the report in Campus Technology -- "6 Technologies That Will Impact Higher Ed."