The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of objects that can exchange data with other devices also connected to the Internet. One of the most common consumer examples of IoT is home automation, as a variety of smart devices, including doorbells, lightbulbs, thermostats, and refrigerators are now available which users can control remotely using…

How can school librarians change the view of school librarians to better match the reality of their work? One way is to increase their explicit connections with broad, recognizable initiatives, like digital fluency and computer science. The The New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency (CS/DF) Standards, in alignment with the "AASL…

This brief explains what digital literacy skills are and why they are important. It describes what skills students need for digital literacy and provides tips for integrating digital literacy in the adult education classroom.

Most freshmen taking required, introductory information systems courses do not understand why they are required to take such courses and can't imagine that they will learn anything they don't already know. This paper presents an exercise that will excite and enthuse students about their computers and Information Systems in general. Every freshman…

Most school business officials have heard the term "cloud computing" bandied about and may have some idea of what the term means. In fact, they likely already leverage a cloud-computing solution somewhere within their district. But what does cloud computing really mean? This brief article puts a bit of definition behind the term and helps one…

Business students taking data mining classes are often introduced to artificial neural networks (ANN) through point and click navigation exercises in application software. Even if correct outcomes are obtained, students frequently do not obtain a thorough understanding of ANN processes. This spreadsheet model was created to illuminate the roles of…

This article addresses an effort to incorporate wireless sensor networks and the emerging tools of the Geoweb into undergraduate teaching and research at a small liberal arts college. The primary goal of the research was to identify the hardware, software, and skill sets needed to deploy a local sensor network, collect data, and transmit that data…

Cloud computing is definitely a thing now, but it's not new and it's not even novel. Back when people were first learning about the Internet in the 1990s, every diagram that one saw showing how the Internet worked had a big cloud in the middle. That cloud represented the diverse links, routers, gateways, and protocols that passed traffic around in…

This report reflects a collaborative research effort to help inform Brazilian educational leaders about significant developments in technologies supporting teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in primary and secondary education. In an effort that ran from August through October 2012, a carefully selected group of 30 experts considered hundreds…

The leap in wireless LAN standards to 802.11n is a WiFi upgrade so new it has not yet garnered final approval from the standards committee. Although that approval will not come until next year (vendors are currently building to a "pre-n" standard), there are plenty of notebook computers out there capable of running 802.11n. That means students…

The Web 2.0 tools and services that are making socializing, networking, and communicating in general so easy are also making group projects seriously simple. With the judicious use of a few of the popular tools that use Web 2.0 technologies and philosophies, one can collaboratively create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, websites, project…

This article, in a series on computer technology and distance education, focuses on "Type II Technology," courses using textbooks and course guides for primary delivery, but enhancing them with computer conferencing as the main vehicle of instructional communication. Discusses technology proficiency, maximizing learning in conferencing…

Describes the development of library-centered Internet training workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, offering advice to those wishing to implement their own programs. Many considerations related to choosing teaching methods, assembling equipment and materials, and scheduling and promoting sessions are the same as with traditional…

Describes programs in Florida that help teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. Highlights include technology literacy for students; creating learning environments; Web sites; state standards; the Florida Information Resource Network; the Instructional Technology Resource Center; and the development of an online high school. (LRW)

This paper, which was presented to National Aeronautics and Space Administration librarians as part of a telecommunications conference, describes features of the proposed National Research and Education Network (NREN). First, NREN's predecessor, the National Science Foundation network (the current NSFnet/Internet system), is discussed and the…