Copyright ruling

One interesting development in Copyright Law THIS WEEK: The Library of Congress has revised rules on what faculty can do with copy protected videos. Now, for the first time, http://www.copyright.gov/1201/ copyright protection can be circumvented provided that “circumvention is accomplished solely in order to accomplish the incorporation of short portions of motion pictures into new works for the purpose of criticism or comment, and where the person engaging in circumvention believes and has reasonable grounds for believing that circumvention is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the use in the following instances.” Notice it is still only for “short portions” but this is certainly positive for faculty.
What is also interesting is that this rule may not be subject to judicial review of any kind http://larrydownes.com/copyright-office-weighs-in-on-awkward-questions-of-software-law/

Social Networking Tools

This article http://chronicle.com/article/How-Social-Networking-Helps/123654/ discusses how professors want to learn more about these tools. However, few use in their classrooms.

The one that interested me most was http://www.eyejot.com/ a free way to produce video mail. You do, of course, need a video camera but as of now the service is free.

Does technology make us stupid?

Here is a link to an article about technolgogy making us stupid: http://chronicle.com/article/Is-Technology-Making-Your/66128/
. The responses are interesting.

Other articles on the subject: The laptop and the lecture: http://www.springerlink.com/content/41252460v7037172/

and Mind Over Matter
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22mind%20over%20mass%20media%22&st=cse

Extreme way to stop cheating

To stop cheats, colleges learn their trickery

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/education/06cheat.html?scp=1&sq=To%20stop%20cheats,%20colleges%20learn%20their%20trickery&st=cse

The University of Central Florida has become aggressive in stopping cheating. No gum, no cell phones, no pens, scratch paper is stamped and must be turned in at the end of the test. The computers are recessed so the proctor can easily see each student.

Colleges have noted that not only do students plagiarize papers, but they also copy homework. None of that is new, but now colleges are fighting back by using technology to nab the offenders.

Writing goals and objectives

Goals and Objectives
Students have trouble writing good goals and objectives. I had a problem searching a site to help them. Most are either too involved or too sketchy. I found one site I liked but it spelled “analyze” as “analise” so I decided that reflected on the site itself. Here is the best one I found:
http://www.park.edu/cetl2/quicktips/writinglearningobj.html “Writing Quality Learning Objectives” from Park University.