Diane Blohowiak is the director of computing at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. She knows printer ink is ridiculously expensive: about $8,000 per gallon!

That’s why she switched the default font on the school’s e-mail system from Arial to Century Gothic.

Reason?

According to Blohowiak, Arial uses about 30 percent more ink than Century Gothic, so the university will save when students print out their e-mails.

It’s all an eco-friendly part of the school’s plan to go green — but the bonus is that it will save money, too!

According to this study, Century Gothic isn’t the only font that uses less printer ink. These fonts are ink savers, too:

• Garamond
• Courier
• Brush Script, and
• Times New Roman

Can  a default font change save your school’s money? Tell us why — or why not — in the comments section below.

Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania is enforcing a campus-wide social media blackout, effectively banning Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging from campus, to give students a better picture of their own behaviors and habits in relation to technology.

The action isn’t disciplinary, but educational. At the end of the week, students will write essays reflecting on their week offline.

Campus reaction is mixed. While some students don’t expect to be affected that much, others use Facebook and Twitter as a means of locating friends.

The ironic twist: Most students found out about the blackout through social media postings.

How has social media affected your students? Let us know in the comments section.

Jeremy Littau, a professor at Lehigh University, PA, created a YouTube video to spread the word to potential students about his upcoming multimedia reporting course. The result: 80-plus views and more attention for a course that might have fallen under students’ radars.

The three-minute video uses interviews with current students, and footage they produced in the course, to “sell” the class to prospective students.

Littau e-mailed the video to journalism majors and posted a link to it on Facebook and Twitter. Students who ask about the class receive a copy of the syllabus. Thanks to the video, students outside the journalism major have also been asking about the class.

The video is available here.

What do you think? Share your YouTube experiences (or video links) in the comments section.

After being accused of plagiarism, University of Michigan student Julie Rowe filed the suit, claiming defamation, extreme emotional distress and a violation of her due process rights.

Rowe claims the distress was so severe she felt she had to resign from her position as editor of The Michigan Daily.

The plagiarism accusation emerged from a 2009 article written by Rowe.

The editor-in-chief did not specifically name Rowe but posted a link to her column and added an editor’s note which stated:

• the article “cited sources verbatim” sans quotes
• doing so implied the author paraphrased the information, which was not the case, and
• as a result, “The Daily no longer stands by this content.”

The suit asserts Rowe did not plagiarize. It also asks for a jury trial and more than $25,000 in damages.

We’ll keep you posted.

Two years from now, the National Assessment of Educational Progress will administer its writing test to eighth and 11^th graders on computer. In 2019, fourth graders also will take the test on computer.

Why? Because most young people just don’t write by hand anymore. In fact, many elementary schools either aren’t teaching handwriting skills or have reduced the amount of time spent teaching cursive to young students.

Does the same hold true for college students? As of two years ago, only 15% used cursive writing on the essay portion of the SATs, according to a College Board report. The other 85% printed their essays.

Those who accept – if not defend – the demise of handwriting, say it’s only practical to focus on the skills today’s students will need in 10 or 20 years from now. But others say writing is a basic form of communication, and even helps teach muscle control and hand-eye coordination.

Do you ever write in cursive – or are you like many adults who’ve developed their print/cursive mix? Let us know in the comments section below.

For the most part, the response went according to plan, say school officials.  Nevertheless, they’re searching for ways to make students feel more secure.

Here are three areas of concern that were raised after the shooting  — and the steps  school officials and local law enforcement plan to take to tighten campus security:

1. Notifying students. Most students received this text message alert: Active shooter at Skyline. Take safe cover immediately. Classes closed for the rest of the day. But some students reported concerns about delayed text notification. The fix: A public-address (PA) system is installed in most of the newer campus buildings, and school officials are considering the cost-effectiveness of expanding the PA system to the older buildings.
2. Communicating “details” to law enforcement. Responders reported that it would’ve been helpful to know who was in charge of various campus buildings. This information would have allowed for faster student evacuations. The fix: The local police department is considering a lockdown drill schedule.  Responders say they can never have too much training to prepare for such incidents.
3. Arranging for transportation. Many students and staff were stranded after the shooting, because vehicles were sequestered in the crime scene. The fix: School officials will look at options for potential transportation challenges during emergencies.

Why?  Almost half (48%) of workers who were laid off in the last quarter have already found new, full-time positions.

Here are four ways to stay connected, find qualified applicants and build  strong departments:

1. Industry associations. Many trade groups or unions offer low- or no-cost memberships. Many offer pamphlets, magazines and journals to help you stay up-to-date on the latest industry news as well as who is making headlines.
2. Conferences. Attending conferences is a great way to stay connected to professionals in education — and keep your skills current to boot. Travel is not always required. Many larger organizations also have local chapters that hold day-long sessions, so don’t automatically rule out conferences.
3. Local interest groups. Get involved with local community organizations, such as the chamber of commerce. Offer to help run committees — you’ll have the opportunity to meet a variety of people in the group as well as various guest speakers.
4. Social networking sites. Of course, the Web is often the go-to source for everything. Join a professional social networking site, and get active in the related groups.

So whether you need to talk to a co-worker or supervisor, or you’re giving a presentation to a standing-room-only crowd, here are five tips that’ll keep you at the top of your game.

Here’s what BNET recommends:

1. Make it about them: Your goal is to go for the head nod. In other words, explain the situation from the listener’s point of view. When they begin to nod in agreement, you have their interest – and can move on to the problem or situation you need to discuss.
2. Zero in on your topic: The fewer ideas you mention at one time, the better chance your listeners will stay with you. If you’ve written out a speech, read it over and ask yourself, “What’s my core message?” Then revise it so you zero in on that idea.
3. Read their minds: Well, not really. But try to anticipate what the people you’re speaking to are thinking. If you can address the issues you know concern them, you’ll have a better chance of winning them over to your point of view.
4. Stop talking: Pausing is critical when giving a talk. It allows your words to sink in – and makes you look confident and composed. A good idea: If you’re reading from note cards, draw a slanted line where you a natural pause would fall – then inhale for three beats at each mark.
5. Let your body do the talking: Studies show up to 93% of the messages we send have nothing to do with what we actually say. It’s all in the body language. So practice looking calm: Let your eyes wander slowly across the room, from left to right; move about, rather than standing stiffly; smile, laugh, and use hand gestures to emphasize your points.

Any tricks of the trade you’d like to share when giving a talk? Let us know in the comments section below.