Tech Trends Higher Education Cannot Afford to Ignore

Via Education Drive (". . . an industry dashboard designed to keep education professionals connected with information that is critical to their jobs."), Davide Savenije summarizes the keynote address at the July 2013 Campus Technology Conference by Lev Gonick, the VP for Information Technology Services and CIO at Case Western Reserve University. 

12 tech trends higher education cannot afford to ignore

Gonick: "The challenge I’m going to present to you, as the revolutionaries out there, is that it’s not anymore—or perhaps never was—simply sufficient to say that we were there at the beginning," Gonick said during his opening remarks. "What really needs to be considered here is, what are the challenges that we face and how can we remain engaged in that vanguard role while, at the same time, figuring out what we want to hold onto from the past. Not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of the core services that our institutions provide to the broader initiatives in society, because, as these mutations unfold, there are certain things we want preserved and we have to be very clear about what the value [is] of the things we want to preserve along the way."

Here are the trends, as reported by Savenije:

1. The death of the personal computer. [I'm not so sure; I don't know that I would write this blog piece on a smartphone or tablet.]
2. The proliferation of mobile devices
3. The rise of social networks 
4. The next generation of networks Lev Gonick
5. The privatization of the cloud
6. The valuation of _____-as-a-service. (For example, research computing.) 
7. The promise of big data
8. The implementation of the flipped classroom
9. The future of the learning space
10. The legitimization of online learning
11. The evolution of the college campus (that it links more with the communities around it)
12. The adnent of the urban operation system

 Story continues at link. 

(More on Gonick.)

Higher Ed IT: Hot or Not?

Via Campus Technology, David Raths collects experts' opinions about trends in higher education IT. One of the "futurists" is Lev Gonick, VP for IT and CIO at Case Western Reserve and a tremendously bright guy.  

"What's Hot, What's Not 2013"

As we embark on a new year, CT asks five IT experts to pick the winners and losers among the trends swirling in higher education.

01/24/13 llustration by Graye Smith

With the exception of a plague of locusts, it seems as if the past five years have thrown every imaginable challenge at IT--from the incredible shrinking budget to BYOD and now the MOOC monster. For those of a superstitious bent, these were probably just appetizers to the crises that will inevitably accompany a year featuring the number 13 (cue sinister music and black cat). For those of a more sanguine disposition, this New Year's (like any other) was simply a chance to drink champagne and pontificate about the future. While no champagne was harmed in the making of this article, we did persuade five experts on IT in higher ed to offer their predictions of the winners and losers of 2013--trends that are, well, trending, and those already past their sell-by date.

No surprises, really:

• MOOCs, badges (certifications), social media, learning analytics, and mobile technology are hot;
• print textbooks are not; and
• "open educational resources," flipped classrooms, augmented reality, and 3D printing are meh. 

7 Things About Collaborative Learning Spaces

EDUCAUSE is the association for higher education computing. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is ". . .  a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to the advancement of learning through the innovative application of technology."

ELI's "7 Things About. . ." series ". . . provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues." 

The latest "7 Things About. . ." is 

"7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES"

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Contributions by: Robert J. Beichner (North Carolina State University), Joseph Cevetello (University of Southern California)

Alternative classroom designs have emerged that support collaborative learning and shift the focus away from lecture-based formats. Collaborative learning spaces generally involve new construction or the wholesale renovation of existing rooms, and they typically feature the ability to reconfigure seating to accommodate a variety of teaching methods. Such spaces enable alternative pedagogies that allow for more inquiry and investigative work, and they empower students to explore course content and ideas in an environment that has multiple points from which learning may emerge.