Dropbox

Dropbox is a free cross-platform folder synchronization service that allows users to save files to a secure folder shared among any Mac, Linux, Windows machine or even mobile device. The contents of the folder are also automatically updated and stored securely on the web. This means, rather than using a flash drive to tranport files between different machines (and risk losing it), you can quickly and automatically update information between serval different computers and even access it from the web if need be. There's a lot of potential for this in education and distance learning. It can possibly provide a way to share resources with students or allow students to collaborate in the creation of group projects.

Obama's Push for Online Education

In this article I ran into from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Marc Perry reports on a plan that's emerging from the Obama administration to provide colleges with access to "open" online classes for which the government would potentially fund the development. Colleges (and there seems to be a special indication of community colleges in particular) could repackage and add value to these classes by providing the actual online interaction and instruction to the students while still keeping costs affordable. There's also the suggestion that a community college or consortia of community colleges could house the project's development. Also included in the article is a broader discussion of the need for change from the current model of higher education and how online education can prove a better use of an instructor's time and a way to better tailor to the learning needs of students.

Where Does Distance Learning Fit?

Most faculty love the flexibility distance classes offer students, but how are administrators looking at distance learning? Do they give these faculty members enough support in teaching online? Read more about this survey at Inside Higher Ed.