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Opinion
Sense & Clickability
3/29/2007
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Having been asked by Campus Technology a couple of months ago to think a lot about student risk-taking behavior, especially online, I've collected quite a set of interesting links. For example, a senior at Boston University started the magazine, Boink, which solicits real students to "portray" sexual behavior ("soft porn"). Its tagline is: "College sex by the people having it." Oh, BTW, don't visit that site if you're at work. It is what is known as "NSFW" (Not Safe for Work). At Harvard University, H BOMB publishes articles, fiction, poetry, and art about sex, sexuality, and related topics. Tagline: "Don't believe the hype; read it for the articles."So, college student-aged human beings do some pretty stupid and potentially unsafe things. There's nothing new about that observation. That's why wars are mostly fought by the young: Everyone else is smart enough to let young enthusiasts "portray" cannon fodder in places like Iraq and Vietnam. It bears noting, though, that neither of the magazines mentioned here have much of a substantial on line presence, which I hope indicates that the students portrayed are at least smart enough not to license their images for Internet display. (Although, like I said, you could get into trouble at work just from viewing the front page of Boink.) And, H BOMB appears to have only published a single issue, in 2005.
Age and responsibility
Although most college students would deny me the memory, I can close my eyes and recall what it felt like to be "lectured" by older people about ethical things. I also retain from those years a strong resistance to not considering an 18-year-old an adult, although I find myself more and more frequently referring to my work-study students as "kids," something I'm trying to get under control as it is not only potentially offensive to them but dangerous to me.
However, recent brain imaging research funded by the National Institutes of Health "suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25, a finding with implications for a host of policies, including the nation's driving laws." That's a daunting finding, and might just become the motivator for not only more in loco parentis action by colleges and universities but for more (and better) early training about risky online behaviors.
In my research, the best piece of writing about actual online risk-taking prevention I have seen, and which I highly recommend, is an ECAR Research Bulletin titled "
Recommended Reading
- College of Southern Nevada Implementing Angel To Run Online Courses
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN), a community college in Las Vegas with 41,000 students, has adopted the Angel Learning Management Suite (LMS) to support its online course offerings. In Spring 2008 CSN began evaluating alternatives to WebCT, which it currently runs, and made the decision to adopt Angel in the fall. In January 2009, CSN's 865 sections of online enrollment will be delivered using the Angel LMS.
- Toshiba Brings DisplayLink to Docking Station
Toshiba has introduced a new USB docking station that incorporates DisplayLink--a technology that allows computers to connect to projectors and other types of displays through USB 2.0.
- Mitsubishi Ships SXGA+ Projector with DICOM Simulation
Mitsubishi has begun shipping a new LCD-based SXGA+ projector aimed at higher education, specifically medical schools. The new MH2850U, according to Mitsubishi, is "specially engineered for projecting DICOM simulation images for use in medical education and training."
- First Look: Komodo IDE 5.0
Last month, ActiveState released Komodo IDE 5.0, the company's latest integrated development environment (IDE). Komodo supports multiple programming and markup languages, including HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Java, Python, C++ and more. It does not support some .NET languages at present, such as ASP/ASP.NET, C# and VB.NET.
- IBM Offers Cloud Computing Help
IBM last week announced consulting services specifically designed to help organizations assess their options in using cloud computing technology. "Cloud computing" is a much argued term, but it typically refers to solutions delivered over the Internet, rather than via customer premises-installed software.
- Hollins U Chooses Omnilert for Emergency Notification Ahead of VA Deadline
Hollins University, among other higher ed institutions in Virginia, has implemented Omnilert's e2Campus emergency notification system (ENS) just ahead of a state-mandated deadline requiring them at every public institution of higher education by Jan. 1. Hollins itself isn't a public campus, but wished to implement an ENS before the end of the year, the school said in a company statement.
