Educators Use Twitter to Continue Class Discussions

Some educators are beginning to use Twitter.com to take classroom discussions into the everyday world. Twitter allows users to post short snippets of information, which are then distributed to specified user via cell phone or website.

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an article describing how Twitter is used by Connecticut State University instructor Jason B. Jones:

"Last semester he required the 20 students in his "Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communication" course to sign up for Twitter and to send a few messages each week as part of a writing assignment. He also invited his students to follow his own Twitter feed, in which he sometimes writes several short thoughts - not necessarily profound ones - each day. One morning, for instance, he sent out a message that read: "Reading, prepping for grad class, putting off running until it warms up a bit." The week before, one of his messages included a link to a Web site he wanted his students to check out.

The posts from students also mixed the mundane with the useful. One student Twittered that she just bought a pet rabbit. Another noted that a topic from the class was being discussed on a TV-news report."

Some students find believe that Twitter is a useful way to stay in touch with their learning communities. Others resent the constant intrusion and the additional cell phone charges.

See full article.

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UThink, IThink, What Does Dr. Carney Think? (from The Periodic Table, Too)

It is always interesting to learn about the opinions of administrators on university matters. Some of them change their positions from what they said earlier to something different when they get into a position where they can do damage. OurLeader changing his position on General College is an example of this phenomenon. So it is interesting to hear what Arlene Carney, our current Vice-Provost, has to say in her campaign to become Provost at the University of Iowas. The Daily ...
Link - blog.lib.umn.edu

For Monday, 3/3 (from University Writing 1301)

1. Read Kai Erickson's "Of Accidental Judgments and Casual Slaughters" and prepare for brief discussion. Also read the other essay on the Manzanar internment camp newsletter/newspaper (see syllabus).
2. Some class time will be allowed for (a) researching library indexes and vetted web sites for articles to annotate, and (b) writing the annotations. Annotations are due Wednesday, March 5. See the orange assignment sheet handed out in class and the 3-page list of pivotal events in American history.
3. Last, see me during ...(Via blog.lib.umn.edu)

Why did I come to the University of Minnesota? (from International Ambassadors)

There are three main reasons which made me decide to come to university of Minnesota. ...
Source: blog.lib.umn.edu

Duke of Edinburgh visits Salford University acoustic labs

HRH, the Duke of Edinburgh spent time in the quietest room in the world, listened to the simulated sounds of monsoon rain and learnt how to create the perfect listening conditions, when he visited Salford University's high-tech acoustic laboratories today.

The Duke of Edinburgh was given a tour of the new £2.5m labs, including the Reverberation Room - a small space capable of transforming the quality of music so it sounds like you are in a cathedral, and the Anechoic Chamber - a room so quiet you can hear the blood running through your ears.

His Royal Highness chatted with staff and students and learnt how their cutting-edge acoustics research is being used in industry - including testing world-famous buildings like the Royal Albert Hall, and setting international standards on noise measurement.

The University's Dr Andy Moorhouse said: "We were extremely honoured to welcome the Duke of Edinburgh to our acoustic labs and it was a pleasure to show him around the special acoustic test chambers.

"He was clearly very interested in our work and spent a great deal of time chatting to our research students. He impressed us with his background knowledge of acoustics and asked some detailed technical questions.

"Our students gave some fascinating demonstrations of their work, like the ambisonics recordings that recreate the experience of a busy city centre in a small room, the mystery powder that absorbs low frequency sound, and our virtual reality displays."

Ends

Notes to Editors

For more information about the University of Salford's School of Computing, Science & Engineering go to www.cse.salford.ac.uk/

To find an academic expert for informed comment on a wide range of subjects, go to www.salford.ac.uk/press_office/experts/

To get all the latest news from Salford subscribe to our RSS feed www.salford.ac.uk/press_office/rss_news/

For further information or photographs contact:

Jamie Brown / Rachel Conway
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The University of Salford
Room 113, Faraday House
Salford, Greater Manchester
M5 4WT, UK

T +44 (0)161 295 5361
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Link - www.salford.ac.uk

Education News - 29 Feb 2008

The Law Society of SA on Friday offered to assist on a pro bono basis the workers who were humiliated by four students of the University of the Free State.
Source: www.capeargus.co.za

A vote which could increase the number of 'outsiders' on Cambridge University's governing body could end academic self-rule, lecturers warn
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: blogs.edweek.org

Authorities are investigating whether hackers gained access to Social Security and credit card numbers for at least 20,000 University of Georgia students and applicants.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Light Rail and University (from WritLife)

"Once upon a time there was a University. It lived on the banks of a middle-sized river, along a middle-sized valley, in a middle-sized city in the Middle West. One day it decided to grow. It would build a bridge across the river...Finally, after almost thirty years of planning, the Central Corridor Light Rail line is going to run thorugh the U of MN campus, and tomorrow the Metro Council is going to vote to close off Washington Avenue ...
Source: blog.lib.umn.edu

University gives permission for students to go to Sudan (from Manke's News Machine)

University of Minnesota grad student is going back to his home country in Sudan to help rescue his abducted nieces with the permission of the university, reports The Pioneer Press. The University has granted special permission for Gabriel ‘Kou’ Solomon and two other university students’ to travel to Sudan with university financial and logistical support. Sudan remains in the travel warning list issues by the U.S. State Department, but with the universities permission is has opened door for former “ ...
Link - blog.lib.umn.edu

University gives permission for students to go to Sudan (from Manke's News Machine)

University of Minnesota grad student is going back to his home country in Sudan to help rescue his abducted nieces with the permission of the university, reports The Pioneer Press. The University has granted special permission for Gabriel ‘Kou’ Solomon and two other university students’ to travel to Sudan with university financial and logistical support. Sudan remains in the travel warning list issues by the U.S. State Department, but with the universities permission is has opened door for former “ ...
Link - blog.lib.umn.edu

Education News - 28 Feb 2008

Sen. Barack Obama pressed home his familiar themes of change and hope to an enthusiastic crowd that overflowed the expected 15,000 at Sewell Park on the Texas State University campus.
Source: www.shelbyvilledailyunion.com

Across the country, colleges "are really struggling with how to get the enrollment numbers up," said Steven Healey, Princeton University's public safety director and an expert on campus security.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The number of female professors in UK universities reached record levels last year
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: blogs.edweek.org

The University of the World (from The Exploration of a Larger Idea)

If I was released from the constraints of architecture school the first thing I would do is move. Every day I’m bursting at the seams to go out into the world and explore – to learn what school can’t teach you. How great would a school be that didn’t really have a campus, a university, or a city for that matter? What if school was this universal idea and students could come and go as they pleased on ...
Link - blog.lib.umn.edu

MULTICULTURAL KICK-OFF AMBASSADOR (from Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence(MCAE))

Do you work well with groups?
Do you consider yourself to be a student leader?
Want to work with incoming freshmen? If you answered yes to any of these, then apply to be an MCAE Ambassador:
MULTICULTURAL KICK-OFF AMBASSADOR Job Description Essential Qualifications: University of Minnesota student enrolled in any full-time day school program. Resident hall or group living experience. Interest in communities of color and knowledge of Multicultural issues. Prior leadership experience. Have and maintain a 2.5 cumulative G.P. ...(Via blog.lib.umn.edu)

Fix the primary system

So says Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer, in an op-ed co-authored with his colleague Sean Wilentz in Sunday's Washington Post "Opinion" section. Zelizer is the co-editor of Rightward Bound: Making America Conservative in the 1970s, a penetrating and provocative portrait of a critical decade in American history drawn by some of the foremost scholars of a period whose historical interpretation is taking shape before our eyes.

Link - harvardpress.typepad.com

Education News - 26 Feb 2008

GALVESTON — The University of Texas Medical Branch announced it received a multiyear, $250,000 contribution from ConocoPhillips to support the expansion of the Truman G. Blocker Burn Unit.
Source: texascitysun.com

Helen Mayberg, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Mayberg and others worried that   a study released Tuesday by Irving Kirsch of the University of Hull in England might lead depressed patients to ...
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

A new report puts the drop-out rate at 1 in 5, but some universities have a knack for keeping numbers up. Jessica Shepherd reports
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

"That means they didn't complete high school but they can come here without the same preparation as others and then be expected to compete." Texas Southern University has an alarmingly low graduation rate, but the school's new president hopes to change that by ending the long practice of admitting all applicants, regardless of their academic ... via El Paso Times
Source: www.topix.com

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: www.edweek.org

Bill Gates addresses students in University visit

Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., spoke Wednesday afternoon to more than 400 students at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. Hundreds more students listened at remote locations on campus.
Link - news.uchicago.edu

Salford University tests Reds players’ fitness

Salford University applied sports science students put the Salford City Reds first team through their paces yesterday morning when the players dropped into the University's high-tech human performance labs for a gruelling fitness testing session.

As the Reds gear up for the new season, students from the School of Health Care Professions analysed the team's levels of strength, flexibility, endurance, speed, agility and body fat - using cutting-edge laser technology.

It was the second time the students had got to grips with the players, and heralded a new community partnership between the University and the club - about to be launched at Friday's home game against Swinton Lions.

The University's Sports Science and Partnership Manager, Chris Bamber said: "The fitness testing session couldn't have gone better. The players really benefited from understanding more about their fitness levels and hopefully we've helped them train smarter and win more matches.

"The students also benefited enormously from this hands-on experience working with some of the best rugby league players in the country. It's all part of the University's mission to make learning more relevant and practical."

Some of the assessments involved a 'speed gun' which fires laser beams to measure how fast the players can sprint, a 'power mat' which gauges how high they can jump, and a 'dynometer' machine which uses air resistance to calculate strength.

The results will be translated by the University into reports which Reds coaches can use to plan training strategy. Head Coach, Shaun McRae, said: "It's a great partnership. We're seeing some real benefits from working with Salford University and I'm confident their work will help boost our performance this season."

The University's state-of-the-art human performance labs are among the best in the UK, and students studying applied sports science and sports rehabilitation have regular access to the facilities. For more information on the facilities and the courses, go to www.healthcare.salford.ac.uk/sport/

Ends

Notes to Editors

To find an academic expert for informed comment on a wide range of subjects, go to www.salford.ac.uk/press_office/experts/

To get all the latest news from Salford subscribe to our RSS feed www.salford.ac.uk/press_office/rss_news/

For further information or photographs contact:

Jamie Brown / Rachel Conway
Press and PR
The University of Salford />Room 113, Faraday House
Salford, Greater Manchester
M5 4WT, UK

T +44 (0)161 295 5361
F +44 (0)161 295 4705
j.brown@salford.ac.uk

Source: www.salford.ac.uk

Education News - 26 Feb 2008

University Senate members postponed voting on a resolution that would change the academic misconduct code after the highly debated issue came to the floor at the meeting Monday. The revision would replace section II.E.13. of the code, entitled "Cheating - Student Academic Misconduct," and would create a university-wide Academic Misconduct Hearing Board (AMHB), centralizing the process of ...
Source: www.dailycampus.com

A new report puts the drop-out rate at 1 in 5, but some universities have a knack for keeping numbers up. Jessica Shepherd reports
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

"That means they didn't complete high school but they can come here without the same preparation as others and then be expected to compete." Texas Southern University has an alarmingly low graduation rate, but the school's new president hopes to change that by ending the long practice of admitting all applicants, regardless of their academic ... via El Paso Times
Source: www.topix.com

DEKALB, Illinois - The outpouring of aid and sympathy after a deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University should remind those struggling with the tragedy that they are not islands and not alone, the school's president said at a memorial service ...
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: www.edweek.org

Education News - 26 Feb 2008

University Senate members postponed voting on a resolution that would change the academic misconduct code after the highly debated issue came to the floor at the meeting Monday. The revision would replace section II.E.13. of the code, entitled "Cheating - Student Academic Misconduct," and would create a university-wide Academic Misconduct Hearing Board (AMHB), centralizing the process of ...
Source: www.dailycampus.com

A new report puts the drop-out rate at 1 in 5, but some universities have a knack for keeping numbers up. Jessica Shepherd reports
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

"That means they didn't complete high school but they can come here without the same preparation as others and then be expected to compete." Texas Southern University has an alarmingly low graduation rate, but the school's new president hopes to change that by ending the long practice of admitting all applicants, regardless of their academic ... via El Paso Times
Source: www.topix.com

DEKALB, Illinois - The outpouring of aid and sympathy after a deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University should remind those struggling with the tragedy that they are not islands and not alone, the school's president said at a memorial service ...
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: www.edweek.org

Education News - 26 Feb 2008

For once, a team hovering barely above last place will command the attention of the University of Louisville's women's basketball team. Providence visits Freedom Hall at 7 tonight. The Friars (12-14, 2-11 Big East Conference) have won five league games in the past two seasons.
Source: www.courier-journal.com

A new report puts the drop-out rate at 1 in 5, but some universities have a knack for keeping numbers up. Jessica Shepherd reports
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

"That means they didn't complete high school but they can come here without the same preparation as others and then be expected to compete." Texas Southern University has an alarmingly low graduation rate, but the school's new president hopes to change that by ending the long practice of admitting all applicants, regardless of their academic ... via El Paso Times
Source: www.topix.com

DEKALB, Illinois - The outpouring of aid and sympathy after a deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University should remind those struggling with the tragedy that they are not islands and not alone, the school's president said at a memorial service ...
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: www.edweek.org

Inquiry Project Thoughts (from University Writing 1301)

1. Between now and Wednesday begin browsing the web sites given on today's handout, "Inquiry Project Thoughts: The Next Ten Weeks," for events in U.S. hstory that could be pursued for the Inquiry Project.
2. Read the two assigned essays from the course packet.
(The missing page from "The Man from Hiroshima" by Maurizio Chierici goes between pages 13 and 14 in your course packet.) ...
Link - blog.lib.umn.edu

Education News - 25 Feb 2008

Craig Hoesley of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “This sets the stage for larger studies to see if tenofovir can prevent HIV infection.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

"That means they didn't complete high school but they can come here without the same preparation as others and then be expected to compete." Texas Southern University has an alarmingly low graduation rate, but the school's new president hopes to change that by ending the long practice of admitting all applicants, regardless of their academic ... via El Paso Times
Source: www.topix.com

The George W Bush presidential library has finally found a university location in Bush's home state of Texas
Source: education.guardian.co.uk

The site offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the university's classes.
Source: blogs.edweek.org