One of my favorite moments as a manager is when these two gentleman come to my office, usually at the end of the day, typically a Friday, with the Cheshire Cat look, and tell me about some solution they pulled together below the radar.   This solution described in our weekly institutional newsletter wasn't exactly that scenario, but it was good to see them getting the recognition they deserve for their creative AND pragmatic efforts.  Medals are not given for identifying problems, medals are given to those who provide solutions!

This bus is moving thanks to them and others on the PSU team.

If only we had $ to gain access to Gartner's efforts regrading emerging technologies.

Here's another one for 2007 and Education. 

Course Capturing is clearly one of the most important digital assets an institution has.  Here's a company that is offering some software free for acreditied institutions:  Panopto

The new PLC-X150 is a neat new projector in that it has a very short throw.  The neat part is it can be inverted and hung close to the front wall such that presenters can walk in front of the image andnot be blinded or cast shadows.

If inclined to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday, I thought you might appreciate this article as an example of brilliant  Higher Ed. (for profit)  marketing as covered in article in the Providence Journal

As you watch the game, observe how many times  the name of the Stadium is mentioned or it is framed in a camera shot.   Now keep in mind that a 30 second commercial spot for the game is going at 2.4 million.  That’s 4.8 per minute.   According to the article, UofP paid 150 million for the 20 year naming right for the arena.   To break  even, UofP would need the equivalent of roughly 34 minutes of prime time exposure.

The probably won't make it up the investment in one event, but given how much I have already heard it mentioned and framed in the shots during the pre-week coverage and given that it figured prominently enough to spark the curiosity of a Providence Journal sportswriter to investigate who UofP really is, one has to appreciate the marketing brilliance because  if you put stock in subliminal messaging,  UofP  has probably gone a long way in further establishing  perception of credibility and name recognition as a  Higher Education institution (with one heck of a football team to afford that stadium).

It’s a strange world, next thing you know Microsoft will be buying Yahoo or something.   🙂

The corporate instructional technology battle of our time begins. Here's an article in eSchool News.

Blackboard vs. D2L

The first part of my career was driven by the contents of this video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5144094928842683632

The second will be driven by this:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xni48_edu2020

Here's some other interesting video material:

Michael Wesch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM&feature=related

Others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE&feature=related

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us (2007):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Did You Know 2.0 (2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

http://www.educommconference.com/

I need to find some time to give this an examination:

http://www.elluminate.com/vroom/

Check out http://www.programmableweb.com/

I know my colleague John Martin is reading this books so when I saw this link to an excerpt I followed my curiosity.    I don’t necessarily agree with the premise of his new book that IT as we know it will disappear, but as with his last book, “Does IT Matter?” Nicolas  Carr and can generate discussion.  I do agree that IT will change.  Always has been.    Just take a vacation .

I thought you might enjoy this quick read and kick back to give the future of IT some thought.

http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,2232402,00.asp

This line particularly caught my eye: 

“One of the key challenges for IT departments lies in making the right decisions about what to hold onto and what to let go.”

Yeah, I know,  that’s always been the case.   All one need do is look at the IT bone-yard,  CPM, OS2, VMS, et.al., and recognize that the shelf life of some technologies is more like a  banana then a redwood. 

Regardless,  looking forward I see a continued strong need for gatekeepers and key masters, i.e. those that control institutional knowledge.  Where the data resides though, is becoming less important.