Technology in education – new battle lines
With recent news of a school in Bolton ditching pens and paper for iPads , is the e-learning ‘battle’ being won? Peter Shukie , programme leader of education studies at University Centre, Blackburn College, argues that, ‘whatever is being done with technology new battle lines should be drawn in our approach. It ain't what you use - it’s the way... >>
Supporting colleges to get the most from their technology
The September 2012 AoC Learning Technology Survey Report carries interesting messages for all of us working within further education and in particular for me and the team at Jisc working to support the sector. Although we will be considering the report in detail later this month so we can ensure we meet the changing needs of further education I thought... >>
How has technology helped me during my first year of Uni?
The day I packed my bags and left for University felt like the biggest and most daunting step of my life. I now know that this is from the frightening realisation that occurs in that first night - I am alone - complete independence means being away from the comforts of home and security of parents. Very quickly students have... >>
Wikipedia in universities and colleges?
Here at Jisc we are lucky enough to have a view across the education sectors in teaching, learning and research. I’m delighted to be at the EduWiki Conference this week, which is run by the Wikimedia UK Foundation and brings together educators to discuss how they use Wikipedia in their teaching and Wikipedians who create and edit the content. I... >>
Jisc and Research Councils UK work to reduce reporting burden on universities
As UK universities face increasing demands to share information with other sector bodies, it is more important than ever that their research reporting systems talk to one another, to ensure their data is accessible and can be collected and processed without duplication. During the academic year 2012-13, Jisc and RCUK will be working to ensure that systems will interoperate to... >>
No such thing as a free MOOC
And that brings me to our recent decision in the University of Edinburgh to join our colleagues in North America and offer our own MOOCs - or massive open online courses - through the Coursera consortium. It has been a very busy few weeks. After taking the in principle decision, there has been a tsunami of sorting the legals (you... >>
“Knowledge is the currency of the new economy” where research is “intelligently open”
A flow of policy reports focusing on research and access to the outputs of research appeared over the past month. Today the European Commission published two communications that respond to the way the “internet has fundamentally changed the world of science and research”. One on Access and preservation to scientific information reflects the outcome of a lengthy evidence process on... >>
Jisc and crowdfunding
What links an e-paper watch , a statue of RoboCop and an open alternative to Facebook ? The answer is that all of these ideas have been funded via the crowdfunding site Kickstarter . Crowdfunding is an exciting new approach where individuals can choose to dedicate some of their own money to an idea that piques their interest. Here at... >>
Blackboard's new open source strategy: how virtual learning environments became commodities
Unthinkable a couple of years ago, and it still feels a bit April 1st: Blackboard has taken over two other virtual learning environment organisations : the Moodlerooms and NetSpot Moodle support companies in the US and Australia. Arguably as important is that they have also taken on Sakai and IMS luminary Charles Severance to head up Sakai development within Blackboard’s... >>
How important are open ebook standards to universities?
Ebook standards may lack the glamour that the technology attracts, but the arrival of ePub3 has the potential to transform how the academy creates and delivers its content to students and researchers. Just weeks into the New Year and already there is a new ebooks revelation that colleges and universities need to digest. January saw the launch of Apple’s new... >>
