A bit of news I can share is the new LightBoard available through the Faculty Development Center (FDC). If you are not familiar with what a LightBoard is and what a LightBoard can do, here is a short demonstration video from the folks at Stanford University.
The LightBoard is a cool, innovative technology used for providing and enhancing online course content. The Murray State University LightBoard was made in-house by Jim Barnett (J-CSET) with student assistance, and Justin Patton (Media Support Technician, CHFA). I'll see if I can get my hands on a Murray State demonstration video and post. In the meantime, direct your questions about the use of the LightBoard to Justin Patton.
I subscribe to the CampusTechnology email newsletter, and find many pertinent items, interesting news, and thought-provoking ideas. In the last email, CT has a story concerning a recent NSF grant awarded to investigators at Indiana University and University of Michigan. These researchers are to study the Maker Movement in the United States and China over the next four years.
One of the researchers, Shaowen Bardzell is interested in innovation and Maker support in the U.S. Midwest:
Similar support exists in the United States, but primarily on the coasts, not in the middle of the country, where, Bardzell observes, "there's a proud tradition of manufacturing." The next generation of products, she said, "from cars and dishwashers to clothing and medical devices" will be tied to manufacturing innovation. "We see potential for everything from prototyping to mass production in the region."
(Source: Dian Schaffhauser; "Maker Movement To Get Professional Makeover in Midwest;" CampusTechnology, 9-11-2015)
I have to say I agree with her. Following many Maker, DIY, and Spark accounts on Twitter, I learn nearly every day the coasts are recipients of most of the attention as far as innovation, fabrication, and technology are concerned. For example, I recently learned the White House is making an investment in wearable technology due to the president's fascination with his Fitbit. The Department of Defense is contributing $75 million dollars to a pool of private funding, bringing the total investment to about $171 million. The site of this new investment is, of course, San Jose, home of Silicon Valley, and on the West Coast, the pinnacle of U.S. technopoles. (White House Fact Sheet, 8-28-2015)
I am hoping to learn more from the research findings of the NSF-sponsored investigation. I think I sort of know what the findings will be, but surmising from anecdotes is not the same as having evidence, right?
