News Briefs

In this issue of News Briefs:

On the Horizon: September-October Issue

theNode.org

 

On the Horizon: September-October Issue

Go to the September/October issue of On the Horizon, "a print and Web-based periodical that focuses on signals of change on the
horizon that can affect educational organizations," at http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/.  In this issue:
 


Donald M. Norris, President, Strategic Initiatives, Inc, surveys several campuses experimenting with multifunctional and fused-use facilities, as well as some urban centers recreating our concepts of museums, zoos, and public areas.  For anyone interested in the physical ramifications of technology, this article tells where to look for new innovations.
 
Phil Agre, Department of Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles, discusses a trend toward "ontological standardization": organizations now have to communicate with each other using the same systems, so they seek to use the same models in reinventing themselves.  For example, schools have to standardize their use of terms like "course" and "teacher" for prospective students making global comparisons.  Agre observes that such standardization can pose threats to the uniqueness possessed by many educational institutions and reminds educators to preserve their schools' identities as they incorporate new systems.
 
Judith V. Boettcher is the Executive Director of the Corporation for Research and Education Networking.  Rather than using the same old classroom techniques with new technology, she calls for educators to develop approaches specifically for the Web ... and tells us how.
 
Arthur Padilla and Sujit Ghosh, College of Management, North Carolina State University
Educators concerned about the balance of stability and innovation in their institutions will want to consider this analysis of the factors affecting the turnover at the top.
 
Laurence R. Marcus, Professor in Educational Leadership, Rowan University, believes educational politics should emphasize the balance between
accountability and autonomy that must be maintained for debates over the democratization of the academy to be fairly adjudged.

 

theNode.org

Here is another site that a member might like to review and report on for the benefit of WAOE colleagues.  Web Editor

"The Node is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of its new service, theNode.org, on 18 October 1999.  This is an international community of instructors, trainers, designers and administrators with a professional interest in teaching with technology.  Services will support users in developing and sustaining effective education and training practices and in exploring new ways to use technologies to support their learning objectives.

"Through theNode.org, we will continue to develop our freely-available resources to help you choose, use and evaluate learning technologies.  We will add extensive new resources for members to assist them directly in teaching and training through technology."

For more information,  the prospectus at <http://thenode.org/membership/prospectus.html>.  Information on how to join theNode.org is available at
http://thenode.org/membership/.