DOCUMENT RESUME ED 387 128 IR 017 357 TITLE The EDUTECH Report. The Education Technology Newsletter for Faculty and Administrators, 1994-1995. INSTITUTION EDUTECH International, Bloomfield, CT. REPORT NO ISSN-0833-1327 PUB DATE Mar 95 NOTE 97p. AVAILABLE FROM EDUTECH International, 120 Mountain Avenue, Bloomfield, CT 06002-1634 ($97 annual subscription). PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT EDUTECH Report; v10 n1-12 Apr 1994-Mar 1995 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Administrator Characteristics; College Faculty; Computer Attitudes; *Computer Uses in Education; Decision Making; Educational Planning; *Educational Technology; Futures (of Society); *Higher Education; Information Services; Information Systems; *Information Technology; Libraries; Telecommunications IDENTIFIERS Chief Information Officers ABSTRACT This newsletter examines education technology issues of concern to school faculty and administrators. Regular features in each issue include educational technology news, a book review, and a question and answer column. The cover articles during this volume year are: "The Decision-Making Process: as Important as the Decision"; "Faculty Uses of Computers: Fears, Facts, and Perceptions" (John Hirschbuhl); "The 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective IT Services"; "More Great Myths of Computing"; "What to Look for in a CIO"; "Hot Issues 1994-95"; "The Campus AIS: Keep or Replace?"; "Campus Telecommunications: Easing Faculty Fears" (John W. Bardo); "Renting Expertise: A Small College's Solution" (Lawrence W. Mazzeno); "The Library of the Future: A Hybrid Model" (David Cossey); "Emulating Mickey Mouse Without Feeling Goofy" (Howard Strauss); and "A Question for the CEO: Campus of the Future or Future of the Campus?" (William H. Graves). (MAS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** THE April 1994 Volume 10 Number 1 The Education Technology Newsletterfor Faculty and Administrators 00 r-CM The Decision-MakingProcess: w as Important as the Decision "The nature of teaching will There's no doubt about it; informationtechnology is risky busi- change by attrition. When the ness. With things changing so quickly, and with the overabun- old dogs who won't learnnew dance of information from all different directions,it's easy enough to tricks go to doggie heaven, make a mistake, to make thewrong decision about a direction, a prod- they will be replaced by young uct, a vendor, even an entire technology. Shouldwe invest in an open pups with lots of new tricks.... system or a high-quality, well-accepted proprietarysystem? Should we If we fail to make room for go with Windows NT or Unix? Should weuse the twisted pair wiring new people and technologies, if we already have or replace it with coax? Dowe stay with MVS or we fail to reward the creation downsize to a client/server environment? Eachof these decisions will of new instructional tools in require some investment ofmoney, time, and energy to implement, the same way we reward and most colleges and universitiescan hardly afford to have those in- paper-based publication, vestments wasted on the wrong decision. university education will become increasingly irrelevant And as bad as it is for informationtechnology professionals, it'seven to the greater society outside worse for the upper-level decision makers at the institution;they typi- academia's walls." cally have fewer tools with whichto be able to sort out the various is- Marc Leeds sues and conflicting information. They may be faced withmaking in- formation technology decisions inan environment where the views of Associate Professor of the computer center differ from those ofthe computer science faculty, English or the registrar disagrees with the admissions director.It too often Shawnee State University becomes a game of Who Do You Trust? AAHESGIT Listserv on the Internet U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Is there a way to prevent bad March 1994 Office ol Educehonat Reeeershend tmprovernent decisions? Yes, there is a decision-mak- EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION ing process which, if followed faithfully, CENTER (ERGS will yield good decisions in 0 This document has beenreproduced as received Nom the person or ofgenustion every circumstance. Will all of these decisions beright as well as originating it 0 Minor changes have been madeto improve good? Not necessarily, but that's justthe nature of information tech- reproduction Quality nology at the moment. It is, unfortunately, Points ot view or opinions Stated inthisdocu- unrealistic to think that men! do not necessarily represent ()Must information-technology-decisions will be rightall the time. What we OE RI position or policy do have, however, isa way to ensure that every decision made isa good one, and even the best t-PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS one possible. The decision may not be MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY Linda H. Fleit continued on page 4- BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES . INFORMAACIN erturrla Ilk ink A OPPORTUNITY TO BE The editors of Technos, a quarterly journal about information technology for all PUBLISHED levels of education are looking for responses to specific questions, with the possibility of publishing the responses in upcoming issues of the magazine. Respondents may write on one or all of the following questions: What role should large companies be expected to play in offering access to copyrighted electronic information to schools? In what ways can the education community ensure its strong voice in the ,:i.,eussion of the National Information Infrastructure? What suggestions do you have for solving the problem of too many "dinosaur" computers in U.S. classrooms? Should theeducation community concern itself with the research, development, and instructional design of virtual reality materials for the classroom? What suggestions do you have to include teachers in the process of technology implementation in their schools? Should students be restricted from accessing potentially objectionable materials on the Internet? How can instructional integrity be preserved and violence eliminated in new interactive multimedia for the classroom? To send responses (due by May 1) or for further information, contact the Editor, Technos Quarterly, do AIT, Box A, Bloomington, Indiana 47402; (812) 339-2203; [email protected]. GRANTS FOR The Commerce Department has announced a $26-million Telecommunications NETWORKING and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program to support networking initiatives in universities, libraries, local governments, and other not-for-profit organizations. The grants will pay up to half of the cost of the initiative, which must demonstrate how being hooked up to a network helps the organization. Grant applications will be accepted through May 12 and the awards will be announced by the end of September. For more information, contact Charles Rush, Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications, Commerce Department, Room H-4889, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230; (202) 482-2048; [email protected]. CUMREC "Exploring New Directions" is the theme of this year's College and University CONFERENCE Computer Users Association (CUMREC), hosted by The Ohio State University, to be held May 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio. The conference will include 42 paper presentations on topics such as multi-year budget modeling, new directions in training, reengineering, touch-screen information kiosks, and cutting budgets without cutting services. It also includes six panel discussions, open forum discussions and two post-conference workshops on networking issues at small colleges and how to get started with TQM. For more information, contact CUMREC '94, The Ohio State University, P.O. Box 3602, Columbus, Ohio 43210; fax: (614) 292-1535; [email protected]. The EDUTECH REPORT is published each month by EDUTECH International, 120 Mountain Avenue, Bloomfield, Connecticut, 06002-1634; (203) 242-3356. President and Publisher: Linda H. Fleit ([email protected]); Vice President Emily Dadoorian. Copyright @ 1994, EDUTECH International. All tights reserved. This publication, or any part thereof, may not be duplicatod, reprinted, or republished without the written permission of the publisher. Facsimile reproduction, including photocopying, is forbidden. ISSN #0883-1327. One year subscription, $97. 2 i1 From Theory to Practice: Three Good Books Book Review A mong other theses put forward CAUSE, the association for manag- focus on what types of hardware or in The Electronic Word: Demo- ing and using information technolo- software the IT organization must cracy, Technology, and the Arts bygy in higher education. And whatbuy or install, as we have tradi- Richard A. Lanham (University ofperfect timing this is, when thetionally seen in mostITstrategic Chicago Press), is the idea thatneed for strategic planning is at an plans. Rather, it focuses on what electronic text will revolu- the IT organization must tionize university curricu- do to remain a vital and lum. Itisnot so much contributing part of the computers themselves that The Electronic Word: Democracy, overall institution." Yes! will cause great changes as Technology, and the Arts it is the fact that, enabled by Richard A. Lanham A very practical and down- by computing, text is be- to-earth book, Touchtone coming a volatile medium, The Learning Action Plan: A New Approach