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Prof’s assignment: Dump tech gadgets for 5 days

Geneva Reid — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:00:02 +0000

No Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, e-mail, iPods, or cell phones. That’s what one professor told her students to give up for five days. Could they do it? University of Minnesota professor Heather LaMarre was certainly pulling for them.

She refers to her students as “the wired generation,” she told The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

So she recently gave them the homework assignment to go without using any kind of technology that didn’t exist before 1984.

The result?

Only a few students were able to go three days — and by the fifth day, everyone was plugged in again.

As Lucy Knopff, a sophomore, told StarTribune.com, when she accidentally turned on her iPod, “You don’t even think about it. It’s just a habit for me.”

LaMarre isn’t the first professor to task students with the challenge of going unplugged. It’s actually becoming something of a trend across the country.

University of Texas at Dallas: Students taking an introductory electronic communications course were asked to stay away from Facebook for a week.
Augsuburg College: Freshmen were instructed this fall not to use any electronic device for 12 hours.
Macalester College: A class called “Immedia” is in the works, and it will remove students from the high-tech world for two weeks.

Is unplugging students for a given length of time a good idea — or is it a useless attempt to turn the world back a few decades?

Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

The problem with college e-mail

Geneva Reid — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:00:18 +0000

What’s the solution to college students’ complaints that their e-mail inboxes are too small? Looks like outsourcing e-mail is the answer – with numerous colleges turning to Google and Microsoft.

Currently, more than 2,000 schools have turned to Google. Not surprising, since a Google-managed e-mail account doesn’t cost anything – and has a capacity 70 times greater than the typical college account.

Microsoft also manages e-mail for free for thousands of colleges in more than 85 countries.

Call it a trend to satisfy the seemingly insatiable need for larger-capacity inboxes, or call it a smart business move. But either way, outsourcing benefits schools by allowing them to avoid expensive server upgrades.

Notre Dame says it saved $1.5 million with Google in storage and tech costs. Arizona State says it saved $400,000 with the company. Washington State University hopes to save $100,000 with Microsoft.

According to Time.com, last year’s Campus Computing Project found that 42% of colleges were outsourcing – or getting ready to outsource – their student e-mail service. Nearly 30% reported they were considering making the switch. And of the schools that made the switch, 57% went with Google, and 38% chose Microsoft.

Is your school outsourcing its e-mail? Let us know in the comments section below.

Job description: Must be able to ride tricycle

Geneva Reid — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:00:16 +0000

There aren’t many jobs that require you to ride a tricycle. But Google mappers do just that – and now they’re doing it on college campuses.

Ever used Google maps street view? Soon you’ll be able to view college campuses with the same technology.

Google mappers have been riding tricycles around several college campuses, including University of Pennsylvania, Penn State and San Diego State.

Using an eight-foot high camera mounted on the trike, they’re taking panoramic images of the campuses. The mappers pedal around college walkways, paths and malls – where cars aren’t allowed.

This way, students and their parents can get a real feel for the different schools – and new students easily can figure out the best way to get to classes, dining halls, etc.

As for the mappers, it’s not the easiest job in the world. The trike and its equipment (there’s also a computer to record the digital images) weighs in at 250 pounds.

While some complain Google’s street views invade the privacy of individuals and institutions, others say these 360-degree images of streets and paths is an excellent resource.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Is Bing the next Google?

Geneva Reid — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:00:11 +0000

Have you tried Bing yet? The people at Microsoft are sure hoping you have – because they’d like the new search engine to give Google a run for its money.

Bing’s reviews so far are fairly favorable. And although there are many similarities between the two search engines, there are some features unique to Bing. Here’s a list of what’s good about Bing, courtesy of Business Hacks:

You can save a search and view it again later
You can search for specific file types
For directory assistance, traffic conditions, weather reports and directions, just dial 800-BING-411

Those are just some of the highlights. But don’t take anyone’s word of it – see for yourself. Click here to compare the difference between a Google search and a Bing search.

Just make sure to let us know which one you prefer in the comments section below.