Jobs does make some very valid points in his comments on the Blackberry, Android and 7 inch tablets.

In addition to pointing out that Apple has surpassed RIM in selling smart phones Jobs also points out that RIM has not gone beyond sustaining innovation and to have any hope of catching Apple they must:

…move beyond their area of strength and comfort

RIM is the next text book example of the effects of disruptive innovation–I have been saying this for the past two years.

Perhaps the best part of the whole article was Jobs’ assessment of Android’s problems being an issue of fragmentation. He points out that the “Open” platform of Android is actually it biggest problem and as a result many Android apps only run on selected Android versions and on specific devices. In contrast Apple offers an integrated platform in which everything just works and the user doesn’t have to become a system integrator. While there is a fair amount of truth in the fragmentation argument and we have over a decade of evidence from the Linux world to attest to the hindrance of fragmentation we haven’t see a company as focused as Google involved in the development of and OS so there may be hope that Android will beat the odds and unite all parties.

Putting his biases aside Jobs makes some very relevant points and as the current leader of disruptive innovation he has earned the right to make the claims that he does and we should at least consider his arguments.

Read the full article…

Digital Academy

Dwayne Harapnuik —  October 18, 2010 — Leave a comment

This past weekend 22 faculty and spouses attended the first Digital Academy in Gruene TX. The event sponsored by the Adams Center and the Learning and Digital Media center was an opportunity for faculty to explore the tools that we use to live, work, and learn in a digital world. The practical focus of weekend’s activities was communication through digital photography.

Thanks to Kyle Dickson for coordinating the even and to Nil Santana and Kyle Trafton who took the attendees through their paces.

View the Digital Academy Blog…

This really should not be a surprise nor should parents overt fear of digital devices. What is really unfortunate is that many parents have difficulty separating texting, game playing and other forms of digital media with reading online or using an e-reader. It is also unfortunate that because of a lack of discipline or perhaps parenting skills many parents are willing to overlook the benefits of ebooks and kids desire to read digitally with the notion that all technology is a distraction

Windows Phone 7

Dwayne Harapnuik —  October 12, 2010 — Leave a comment

Jason Hiner, Editor and Chief of TechRepublic poses the question we all have considering Microsoft’s latest attempt the mobile market :

Will it be enough? Is it too late?

Phones with Windows Phone 7 will be released by October 21 in Europe and by November 8 in the US. Time will tell if Microsoft will be able to catch up to iPhone and Android.

The Marc Parry Chronicle article titled Will Technology Kill the Academic Calendar? is intended to be provocative and gain attention but the sub-title Online, semesters give way to students who set their own schedules really captures the true essence of the article.

Parry is reporting on the Jefferson Community & Technical College program, called Learn Anytime which allows students to register and start classes at any time. Flexible enrollment is not new to distance education so there is significant precedent for this model but what is unique is paying an instructor by the head count.

Learn Anytime professors aren’t compensated per class. They’re compensated per student—$65 a head. By taking advantage of that system and adding other teaching gigs, Mr. Smith earns an annual paycheck that tenured professors might envy: $120,000.

The biggest concern traditional face2face and online educators have with this model is that it lacks the collaborative or social aspect of learning. Another criticism from traditional educators is that this form of instruction does not allow student to get a deep understanding of the content. Both these criticisms assume the traditional class environment is where learning takes place and I am glad to see initiatives like this that are proving this “sacred cow” of academia wrong.

Read the full article…