Laptop use in class is a characteristic of universities that is changing rapidly. Although much of the attention and research regarding this issue has focused on the debate of whether to impose mandatory laptop programs, the reality of wireless campuses allows students to use their laptops in class for class related and non-class related…

As educational and research needs have changed, libraries have changed as well. They must meet ever-increasing demand for access to online media, subscriptions to archives, video, audio, and other content. The way a user/patron accesses this information has also changed. Gone are the days of a few hardwired desktops or computer carts. While…

This project analyzed the effectiveness of a city-wide wireless weather sensor network, the Taipei Weather Science Learning Network (TWIN), in facilitating elementary and junior high students' study of weather science. The network, composed of sixty school-based weather sensor nodes and a centralized weather data archive server, provides students…

Purpose: Teaching advanced technical concepts in a computer science program to students of different technical backgrounds presents many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed experimental pedagogy in teaching advanced computer science topics, such as computer networking, telecommunications and data structures using…

Distributed wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are being proposed for various applications including defense, security, and smart stages. The introduction of hardware wireless sensors in a signal processing education setting can serve as a paradigm for data acquisition, collaborative signal processing, or simply as a platform for obtaining,…

The purpose of this paper is to explore a teacher professional development program embedded in a networked learning environment, and to offer an emerging model and analytic matrix of 21st century teacher professional development. The Globaloria program is based on theories of learning by design and facilitates teachers and students as they create…

The openness of the Internet has greatly facilitated scholarly communication and led to creative developments in many fields. The Internet has been called the most democratic of media. In many countries, one does not need permission to post a new Web page. Public domain information flows freely and is widely accessible on an impartial basis to…

Uninterrupted, high-bandwidth network connectivity is crucial for higher education. Colleges and universities increasingly adopt gigabit wireless solutions because of their fiber-equivalent performance, quick implementation, and significant return on investment. For just those reasons, Rush University Medical Center switched from free space optics…

Mobile learning (m-learning) has moved beyond the realms of fantasy to become a viable platform for contextual learning that bridges formal and informal learning environments. This paper overviews how mobile Web 2.0 has been instrumental in facilitating pedagogical change and informing an institution's new e-learning strategy that focuses upon…

This paper describes an architectural framework and a prototype implementation of a web-based multi-channel e-Learning application that allows students, lecturers and the research communities to collaborate irrespective of the communication device a user is carrying. The application was developed based on the concept of "right once run on any…

This article profiles Cashton (Wisconsin) Public Schools Superintendent Brad Saron. Saron has always had a passion for technology. He has brought his personal passion for technology to bear in his job as superintendent of the 584-student Cashton Public Schools. As a principal and then as superintendent, he introduced iPod Touches, iPads, wireless…

In this article, the author relates how he discovered that not all Wi-Fi networks are secure. As such, he developed several strategies on how he can be secured whenever he connects to the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection. He discusses how one can change passwords, explains the process of encryption, and provides suggestions on other security…

A number of studies have evidenced that handheld devices are appropriate tools to facilitate face-to-face collaborative learning effectively because of the possibility of ample social interactions. Group Area Network, or GroupNet, proposed in this paper, uses handheld devices to fill the gap between Local Area Network and Body Area Network.…

If a school is seeking to incorporate more collaborative approaches to teaching and learning, the design of the learning environment--whether it's a classroom or a more informal space--can be a critical factor in making this transformative move. Technology, in particular, can play a pivotal role in enabling students to work effectively in teams…

This report describes a communications system engineering planning process that demonstrates an ability to design and deploy cost-effective broadband networks in low density rural areas. The emphasis in on innovative solutions and systems optimization because of the marginal nature of rural telecommunications infrastructure investments. Otherwise,…