Third Owl

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• Among students, desktop computer ownership is down, laptop ownership is way up.
• Most students have new computers (79% of freshmen own a laptop one year old or less, two-thirds own a laptop or desktop 2 years old. 18% say their computer is four years old or older).
• 51% own an internet-capable handheld device, with 12% more planning to purchase one within a year. Among those who own one, 35% say they never access the internet on it. Cost and other ways to access Net were the most cited reasons.
• Cell phone ownership is nearly ubiquitous. One-third say that they use their cell phones in class for non-class activities.
• SNS’s (Social Networking Sites) and texting are up (nearing saturation), while Instant Messenging is declining.
• SNS’s were used by 90% of students outside class, and wikis by 42%, but only around a quarter of students used SNS’s or wikis in a course. One-third of students used podcasts personally but only 6% in courses.
• Students generally like Course Management Systems!
• Students don’t think instructors use IT well. The percent that say their instructors effectively use IT or have adequate IT skills– 45%. Only one-third say instructors adequately train them for the IT used in their courses.
• Students who say the greatest benefit of IT in education is convenience – 70%. Only 49% agree or strongly agree that IT improves learning. One possible reason for this low number is that only 53% of students agree or strongly agree with the statement “My institution’s IT services are always available when I need them for my coursework.”
• 60% of students prefer only a moderate amount of IT in courses.

Source

[http://purdueetech.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/ecar-study-of-undergrads-and-it/]

Some interesting statistics on undergraduate mobile use, but also on their perspectives and opinions on other aspects of IT in higher education.

After several years of experimenting with “hybrid” Spanish courses that mix online and classroom instruction, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has decided to begin conducting its introductory Spanish course exclusively on the Web.

Spanish 101, which had featured online lessons combined with one classroom session per week, will drop its face-to-face component in an effort to save on teaching costs and campus space in light of rising demand for Spanish instruction and a shrinking departmental budget.

This speaks to work on Large Course Redesign, and the convergence of economic need and technological capability.

The buyer of a Nokia Booklet is probably tech-savvy not needing help and also a heavy Wi-Fi user unwilling to overpay for carrier usage. The tech-savvy and Wi-Fi profile matches the student-type except for the $599 price. Nokia perhaps has to cut distribution costs and create demand like Apple’s history. Nokia does partner with California college campuses. Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley have Nokia Research Centers, Nokia teamed with UCLA for a GoGreen campaign, and the University of California at San Diego has a High-Power Amplifier Laboratory partly funded by Nokia. California campuses are perhaps a more targeted pilot of Nokia’s Booklet with online fulfillment instead of Best Buy stores.     

Who organized all of my ex-girlfriends and got them to sing?