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The following Teaching Case is designed to expose students to three scenarios related to data stored on hard drives, techniques that could be used to retrieve deleted or corrupted data, and a method for a more thorough deletion of data from a hard drive. These issues are often overlooked in current IT curriculum and in our age of digital clutter this can be a dangerous oversight leading to potential financial loss, exposure to identity theft, and criminal liability. This case study/lab exercise can be utilized in multiple levels of a CS/IS curriculum, adjusted to meet the skill and background levels of introductory courses to specialized capstone courses in hardware or security. It provides talking points to highlight the importance of being aware of the spreading digital footprint, and provides introductory exposure to available tools and techniques for advanced data recovery. A bibliography is included.

Newton's laws of mechanics are a cornerstone in the development of modern science and its learning can be the very first opportunity for students to defy their common sense perceptions and replace them with a more robust world view. However, despite their fundamental importance, many studies demonstrate how difficult is the true comprehension of the basic aspects of Newton's laws. Therefore, any effort to increase the possibilities of teaching them is welcome. It is in this sense that we propose an experimental apparatus to assist teachers in the specific case of the Newton's action-reaction third law. Our system is formed by a pair of dynamometers made from a flexible plastic strip to where small neodymium magnetic disks are attached. Forces are exchanged by means of the magnetic fields and the plastic strip deflection angle indicates the force magnitudes. This is a very cheap, easy to build and effective arrangement, suitable for numerous classes that demand many experimental kits.

The reality is that digital archives are fragile. Many people appreciate how information technology has revolutionized their lives but have spent little time reflecting on the historical significance of the migration from a print-based to a digital society. In the 100th year of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), it seems timely to explore the role that technology plays in documenting a shared digital memory. Today the Internet seems to be an endless resource, but the decisions that are made now may have far-reaching consequences for the future. Ultimately the question is: how do we stay connected to the past when there is no longer a tangible representation that withstands the test of time? What if there was no evidence of who we are, what we own, who governs us, where we come from? It is the nation's civic responsibility to safeguard the digitally endangered representations of cultural heritage and ensure against extinction of the nation's identity and as an interconnected world.

It is proposed to establish an Integrated Distance Education System in India by designing modern technology based information communication network, connecting all its ODL (Open and Distance Learning) institutions to the headquarters of the ODL system in India. The principle roles to be performed by such a system have been discussed; according to which it would enable, educate and empower every member of the academic community including distance learners so as to provide them quality distance education. The connectivity between the ODL institutions would be achieved through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) involving wireless networking and optical networking. Various benefits of providing VPN connectivity to the ODL institutions in India, such as cost effectiveness, security, and shared applications/services have also been discussed. Thus, the networking of all the ODL institutions in India would provide a national framework so as to build an excellent Integrated Distance Education System necessary for providing equity and quality distance education at national level. (Contains 4 figures.)

Over the last four decades, electronic games have profoundly changed the way people play, learn, and connect with each other. Despite the tremendous impact of electronic games, however, until recently, relatively few programs existed to preserve them for future generations of players and researchers. Recognizing the need to save the original content and intellectual property of electronic games from media rot, obsolescence, and loss, the Game Preservation Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association has issued a white paper summarizing why electronic games should be preserved, problems that must be solved to do so, some potential solutions, and why all these issues should matter to everyone interested in electronic games and play in general. In the white paper, the editing of which was partially supported by the Preserving Virtual Worlds project and by funds from the Library of Congress, its editor and six authors (Rachel Donahue created a survey for IGDA members not included in this article) issue a call for heightened awareness of the need to preserve electronic games--endangered by relatively rapid electronic decay and intellectual neglect alike--for play scholarship and for the culture of the twenty-first century. [This article was edited by Henry Lowood.]

The present paper provides a task analysis for creating a computerized data system using a Pocket PC and Microsoft Visual Basic. With Visual Basic software and any handheld device running the Windows MOBLE operating system, this task analysis will allow behavior analysts to program and customize their own functional analysis data-collection system. The program will allow the user to select the type of behavior to be recorded, choose between interval and frequency data collection, and summarize data for graphing and analysis. We also provide suggestions for customizing the data-collection system for idiosyncratic research and clinical needs. (Contains 2 tables, and 4 figures.)

There are described methods used to minimize data files dimension. There are defined indicators for measuring size of files and databases. The storage optimization process is based on selecting from a multitude of data storage models the one that satisfies the propose problem objective, maximization or minimization of the optimum criterion that is mapped on the size of used disk memory. The paper describes different solutions that are implemented to minimize input/output file size for a software application that manages educational system data. (Contains 5 tables.)

In this study, "Needs for the Distance Education", which is the first unit of the "Foundations of the Distance Education" course in Computer and Teaching Technologies Departments, has been prepared in written and this unit has been scripted for a web-based asynchrony presentation. In the preparation of the script a special attention was paid to the related articles of the regulations concerning Higher Education Based on the Inter-universities Web, to the lessons within the content of Higher Distance Education, to the principles of the lessons, programme design and organization, as well as to the peculiarities and approaches related to interactive distance education courses.

School business administrators have long recognized the need for a workable data recovery plan regardless of cause. Yet many have not reassessed their current data backup and recovery capabilities, perhaps because they have not experienced a catastrophic failure. There are three reasons school business administrators may not realize or recognize that their recovery plans have, in fact, left them vulnerable to unacceptable long-term data disruption: (1) Assumption that business data are safe; (2) Reliance on a tape backup system to retain and restore critical business data in the event of server malfunction; and (3) Failure to consider a recovery time objective (RTO) in the data recovery plan. One of the most important considerations in developing an effective data recovery plan is cost efficiency. School business administrators, always concerned about costs, can find their answer in a combination of the best of several options--a hybrid solution that ensures prompt data recovery without breaking the budget. In evaluating data recovery plans, it is important for school business administrators to begin with a business impact analysis that examines the three potential areas of vulnerability: safety and security of data, current backup, and an acceptable RTO for the district. Discussions with information technology personnel and the district's business software vendor can help steer the district toward the best solution.

Colleges and universities are running out of closet space. With the amount of data predicted to grow 800 percent by 2016, higher education faces a desperate race to develop strategies to store and manage the tidal wave of information. Unfortunately, many IT departments, particularly those in the public sector, have flatlining budgets--and no money to build additional closets. The challenge lies in how to meet those needs efficiently and cost-effectively. While institutions now have a wide array of storage options from which to choose--including cloud-based operators--each solution comes with its own pros and cons. Indeed, many schools may find that no single storage solution meets all their needs. One thing is clear, though: IT departments and their constituents will have to find the money somewhere to tackle the challenge.

Most personalized learning systems are designed for either personal computers (e-learning) or mobile devices (m-learning). Our research has resulted in a cloud-based adaptive learning system that incorporates mobile devices into a classroom setting. This system is fully integrated into the formative assessment process and, most importantly, coexists with the present e-learning environment. Unlike many mobile learning systems, this system provides teachers with real-time feedback about individual and group learners. Its scalable and extendable architectural framework includes the server-side pedagogical recommendation of content adaptation based on the users' knowledge-levels and preferences. Content is also automatically adapted to the end device that is being used. This context-aware delivery allows users to switch between e-learning and m-learning, and between devices, without any loss in personalized content. Our work builds on a web-based Adaptive Learning and Assessment System (ALAS) that is built on the Knowledge Space Theory model. At present, this system is used at school computer labs and our goal was to widen this user-base by enhancing this system to support personalized learning on mobile devices. This study describes our process of developing this technology, and contains an empirical analysis of students' performance, perceptions, and achievements when using ALAS on both personal computers and mobile devices.

Backups are a modern fact of life. Every organization that has any kind of computing technology (and that is all of them these days) needs to back up its data in case of technological or user errors. Traditionally, large-scale backups have been done via an internal or external tape drive that takes magnetic tapes (minicassettes, essentially) and puts the compressed data from the server onto the tape. These tapes are neither cheap nor fast and require a human being to move them around. From changing tapes on a daily basis to moving tapes out of the initial location in case of catastrophic damage to the organization's building, their maintenance is pretty labor-intensive, at least in comparison to a backup solution that takes advantage of always-on internet access and nighttime low-bandwidth times to run backup copies of the data and send it, via the internet, to the cloud. When it came time to buy a new set of magnetic tapes for backups and to replace one of the servers, the author decided to check out the possibility of using the cloud to back up the data, avoiding the purchase of more tapes and a tape drive for the new server. She discovered that there were a number of vendors out there willing and able to provide one with backup solutions--but those solutions were sometimes difficult to compare and required that one has a pretty good idea of everything to back up. In this article, the author discusses how to research, evaluate, and choose a backup service in the cloud.

Inquiry-based instruction has become a hallmark of science education and increasingly of integrated content areas, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Because inquiry-based instruction very clearly contains surface, deep, and implicit structures as well as engages students to think and act like scientists, it is considered a signature pedagogy of science education. In this article the authors discuss the nature of scaffolded inquiry-based instruction and how it can be applied to the use of emerging technologies, such as data mashups and cloud computing, so that students not only learn the content of STEM, but can also begin answering the critical socioscientific questions that face the modern era. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

"Cloud computing" refers to the use of computing resources on the Internet instead of on individual personal computers. The field is expanding and has significant potential value for educators. This is discussed with a focus on four main functions: file storage, file synchronization, document creation, and collaboration--each of which has applications for educators. Cloud-based application suites such as Google Apps, Zoho, and Microsoft Office 365 are important tools. In addition, web-based tools such as Google Scholar and Zotero can enhance the learning and research experience. This discussion is enriched by the results of a survey of 80 faculty members delivered in May 2011. The respondents fell into two groups--those who currently use cloud computing and those who do not. Results reveal the areas of interest, future projections, and the concerns of both groups. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This article is based on the premise that face-to-face training can be augmented with cloud-based technology tools, to potentially extend viable training supports as higher education staff and faculty implement new content/skills in their jobs and classrooms. There are significant benefits to harnessing cloud-based tools that can facilitate both engagement and learning outcomes of trainees in face-to-face opportunities. These same tools--if used planfully--can build "cookie crumb trails" that facilitate trainees' post-training access to and interaction with training resources. Two primary solution sets are proposed, outlining both tools and use of (a) cloudbased "launch pads" and (b) interactive product building, with collaborative publishing. After reviewing solutions, an integrated picture of their use is presented, followed by implementation recommendations. (Contains 5 figures.)

Many university officials recognize the need to upgrade their older analog video surveillance systems. In a 2010 survey by "Campus Safety" magazine, half of university respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the quality and coverage of their current video surveillance systems. Among the limitations of analog closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems are the cost of installing cable to support and power them, especially on a large campus; the difficulty of scaling up; the lack of interoperability with other security systems; and the inability to provide access to authorized users in the field. Given all that, it is no surprise that colleges and universities want to modernize their systems. In this article, the author explores whether transitioning to internet protocol (IP)-based security systems can be done affordably.

This article justifies classifying the TI-Nspire CAS Touchpad as a mobile device for grades 8-16 mathematics classrooms equipped with a Navigator system. The 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 indicates virtually every secondary school aged child has some sort of mobile device. Yet, many school policies ban the use of mobile devices, preventing students from using these devices in an educational setting. Further, some teachers have been slow to adopt and use mobile devices to advance the educational setting of their classroom to a 21st century classroom. A classroom equipped with wireless Navigator technology and students equipped with Nspire handhelds presents an engaging 21st century mathematics classroom for all learners. These classrooms present a happy-medium wireless communication setup that prevents students from communicating with each other or browsing the web. Students can instantly communicate with the teacher and vice-verse. Students stay on task while using a mobile device.

Twenty-first century technology has changed the way tools are used to support and enhance learning and instruction. Cloud computing and interactive white boards, make it possible for learners to interact, simulate, collaborate, and document learning experiences and real world problem-solving. This article discusses how various technologies (blogs, wikis, GoogleDocs, and interactive white boards) have been used at one private university in teacher preparation courses. Authors discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each tool for students and faculty and how technologies are made user-friendly for learners of different technology ability. Authors highlight tool usage and issues encountered by students and faculty and how the use of these tools can be useful for the students in their careers.

The vulnerability and inefficiency of backing up data on-site is prompting school districts to switch to more secure, less troublesome cloud-based options. District auditors are pushing for a better way to back up their data than the on-site, tape-based system that had been used for years. About three years ago, Hendrick School District in Montrose, New York, replaced its old data-backup structure with an off-site, Web-based system, referred to by some as storage as a service, or StaaS--an offshoot of software as a service (SaaS)--but more commonly called cloud storage. There was a time when school districts showed little interest in storing or backing up data to remote servers. Nothing seemed less secure than handing off data to someone else. But the buzz around cloud storage has grown louder, and the idea of data backup as a service has begun to gain traction in K-12 environments. Off-site backup is also gaining popularity in response to tightening budgets and growing concerns about the security of storing data on-site. In this article, the author presents guidelines for school districts that are considering a switch to cloud-based data storage.

Cloud computing is gaining popularity in higher education settings, but the costs and benefits of this tool have gone largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that lead to technology adoption in a higher education setting. Specifically, we examined a range of predictors and outcomes relating to the acceptance of a cloud computing platform in rural and urban community colleges. Drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) (Venkatesh, V. and Bala, H., 2008. Technology Acceptance Model 3 and a research agenda on interventions. "Decision Sciences", 39 (2), 273-315), we build on the literature by examining both the actual usage and future intentions; further, we test the direct and indirect effects of a range of predictors on these outcomes. Approximately 750 community college students enrolled in basic computing skills courses participated in this study; findings demonstrated that background characteristics such as the student's ability to travel to campus had influenced the usefulness perceptions, while ease of use was largely determined by first-hand experiences with the platform, and instructor support. We offer recommendations for community college administrators and others who seek to incorporate cloud computing in higher education settings. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

With dramatic changes and recent advances in multimedia, digital technologies through computers propose new ways for introducing kids to the literacy. Literacy educators have stated that traditional printed books are not sufficient and electronic books have the potential to change reading skills. As a valuable tool in educational settings new and varied forms of technology, specifically, interactive CD-ROM storybooks have been used in classroom literacy learning by students and teachers. Although, several studies indicate that interactive CD-ROM storybooks help children develop visual recognition and increase reading comprehension, the results of the experimental studies previously carried out in this area have been conflicting and often hard to interpret. Therefore, the main purposes of this review are to identify the potential benefits, functions and disadvantages of interactive storybooks and assess mixed results of previous studies related to interactive CD-ROM storybooks. (Contains 1 table.)

Identifying academic misdemeanours and actual applied effort in student assessments involving practical work can be problematic. For instance, it can be difficult to assess the actual effort that a student applied, the sequence and method applied, and whether there was any form of collusion or collaboration. In this paper we propose a system of using digital logs generated by selected software tools (such as FTK-Forensic Toolkit and EnCase) for the purpose of identifying the effort and sequence of events that students followed to complete their learning activities (say, arriving at conclusions relating to an assessment question) and, thereby, determining whether it is likely that an academic misdemeanour may have occurred. The paper elaborates on an assessment exercise conducted with a cohort of 67 students in a specific class of disciplinary learning, highlighting the process that students have to follow, and then proceeds to show in some details how selected logging facilities can be used to provide evidence that students may have committed an academic misdemeanour. (Contains 7 figures.)

This paper reviews the research on the disruptive and transformative potential of newly-emerging cloud-based pedagogies. It takes into consideration the extent to which Cloud Computing can be leveraged to disseminate and scale web-based applications within and across learning contexts. It examines ideas from current literature in Web 2.0- and cloud-based education that might serve as useful when deploying cloud-based services and infrastructure. The paper draws on several key ideas to clarify how cloud- and Web 2.0-based pedagogies are informed by the shifting knowledge landscape, including a review of the concepts of disruptive pedagogies and transformative technologies. With recourse to emerging research on participatory cultures, the importance of coming to terms with newly emerging literacies, modalities, types of citizenship and ways of interacting and collaborating is addressed. Referring to notions of dialogic literacy, constructionist and co-constructivist learning, as well as possible models for online collaborative writing, the paper reviews current research on the capacity of web-based applications in enabling transformed learning and explores how this might enable broader, web-enabled participatory cultures within and beyond the institution, in light of the economies of scale made possible by cloud-based infrastructure.

The 20th-century office is dead. According to "Telework Trendlines 2009," WorldatWork's new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, the number of Americans working remotely at least once a month jumped 39%, from 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008. Last year Congress even introduced bills that would encourage and expand telework programs in the federal government. Although the disappearing office boundaries caused by technological advances have obvious benefits for employers and employees, something else is dissolving along with those cubicle walls: clear limit lines of employer liability. Human resources personnel and employment lawyers currently report a variety of fresh legal oddities now that the "anywhere office" is becoming the norm. Expanding areas are traditional theories, such as scope of employment, and overtime compensation when companies give portable communication or data devices to their employees, keeping them connected 24-7 like an electronic umbilical cord. Moreover, employers must not ignore the confidentiality concerns raised by these devices or the extension of workers' compensation coverage to the home office either--the courts certainly are not. By reviewing the legal trends emerging from these broad categories of "anywhere" liability, employers can anticipate exposure and develop policies to minimize it. In this article, the author explains how the "anywhere office" can equate to "anytime liability" for employers in the areas of overtime, employment tort liability, confidentiality breaches, and workers' compensation coverage for telecommuters. Although the anticipated growth in the mobile worker population will provide benefits to employers, companies must also be cognizant of the risks this mobility deployment will carry.

Cloud computing is increasingly popular in education. Cloud computing is "the delivery of computer services from vast warehouses of shared machines that enables companies and individuals to cut costs by handing over the running of their email, customer databases or accounting software to someone else, and then accessing it over the internet." Simply put, this means software and data are accessed through the Internet rather than a local hard drive. Part of the popularity is the convenience cloud computing provides. It tends to make collaboration easier and often removes the need for specialized software. Most cloud systems simply require a Web browser to be accessed from any computer. But while the cloud has made many activities easier, it also has some serious, potentially negative implications that often are not fully addressed within the general conversations about cloud computing. This article discusses both the positive aspects and the potential pitfalls of cloud computing.

One of the areas where demand has remained strong for MIS students is in the area of database management. Since the early days, this topic has been a mainstay in the MIS curriculum. Students of database management today typically learn about relational databases, SQL, normalization, and how to design and implement various kinds of database applications. Choosing the best database package on which to base the hands-on activities for the class is one of the biggest difficulties of teaching it. Many schools end up using the lowest common denominator which is often a PC-based package such as MS Access. While this package is certainly adequate, basing the whole course on using this one package may be a disservice to the students. This is because in the real business world, the market is dominated by the larger, enterprise-level DBMSs such as Oracle, IBM DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server. However, getting the students access to one of these packages poses a whole series of other problems involving getting academic alliances and maintaining it on a server. This article describes a novel use of a server virtualization tool that is commonly used in the business world to allow students to gain experience in using several of the most popular enterprise-level DBMSs. Students benefit because they get more real-world experience out of the class and gain confidence that their skills will more readily transfer to jobs. Faculty also benefit by having more flexibility in how they can present the material. (Contains 3 figures.)

Purpose: This paper aims to introduce an enterprise-wide Web 2.0 learning support platform--SNAP, developed at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach: Pointing to the evolution of the social web, the paper discusses the potential for the development of e-learning platforms that employ constructivist, connectivist, and participatory pedagogies and actively engage the student population. Social networking behaviours and peer-learning strategies, along with knowledge management through guided folksonomies, provide the back-bone of a social systems approach to learning support. Findings: The development of a cloud-based read-write enterprise platform can extend the responsiveness of the learning institution to its students and to future e-learning innovations. Originality/value: The full potential of e-learning platforms for the development of learning communities of practice can now be increasingly realised. The SNAP Platform is a step in this direction. (Contains 1 figure.)

As news outlets create headlines such as "A Cloud & A Prayer," "The Cloud Is the Computer," and "Leveraging Clouds to Make You More Efficient," many readers have been left with cloud confusion. Many definitions exist for cloud computing, and a uniform definition is hard to find. In its most basic form, cloud computing is the availability of IT-type needs offered as services, often through a third-party vendor. Adding to the confusion are conflicting ideas on what constitutes the various areas of cloud computing. There are several services provided in the cloud, but software as a service (SaaS) and data storage are most frequently discussed and may prove to be the most useful in libraries. In this article, the author talks about cloud computing, how it is used and the potential of cloud computing in libraries and other similar institutions. The author also discusses how cloud computing vendors, such as Google and Amazon, are constantly working to improve and add to their cloud services.

It is important for teachers of mathematics to know how pupils react to certain mathematical situations and what these reactions imply, in order to design more effective instructional environments based on their learning needs. This study reports the development processes of a digital learning tool (Learning Tool for Elementary School Teachers (L-TEST)) that shows children's mathematical thinking for the ages of 4-11 years across certain problem situations. L-TEST is designed as a support tool to be used in teacher education. A case-based instructional model was used in designing the instructional tool. Video recordings were digitised to provide a rich environment where learners observe exemplary cases. These exemplified videos included children's mathematical development in the subjects of numbers and shapes, combined with discussions in line with the current research findings. Finally, a usability test for the learning tool was carried out. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Expert operative information is a prerequisite for any form of surgical training. However, the shortening of working hours has reduced surgical training time and learning opportunities. As a potential solution to this problem, multimedia programs have been designed to provide computer-based assistance to surgical trainees outside of the operating theatre. Few studies, however, have focused on the interface features of surgical multimedia programs, the successful design of which could be conducive to the evaluation of the effectiveness of learning. This study evaluated a multimedia CD-ROM designed for teaching minor skin surgery. A questionnaire, based on an existing user interface rating tool, was administered to 20 trainees (both junior and senior) in plastic surgery. Findings from the study revealed trainees' high rating of the CD-ROM on a scale of 1-10 (mean = 8); the analysis of which contributes towards an understanding of both the characteristics of the learning material and the learners in the evaluation of the user interface. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

Supporting efficient data access in the mobile learning environment is becoming a hot research problem in recent years, and the problem becomes tougher when the clients are using light-weight mobile devices such as cell phones whose limited storage space prevents the clients from holding a large cache. A practical solution is to store the cache data at some proxies nearby, so that mobile devices can access the data from these proxies instead of data servers in order to reduce the latency time. However, when mobile devices move freely, the cache data may not enhance the overall performance because it may become too far away for the clients to access. In this article, we propose a statistical caching mechanism which makes use of prior knowledge (statistical data) to predict the pattern of user movement and then replicates/migrates the cache objects among different proxies. We propose a statistical inference based heuristic search algorithm to accommodate dynamic mobile data access in the mobile learning environment. Experimental studies show that, with an acceptable complexity, our algorithm can obtain good performance on caching mobile data. (Contains 1 table, 12 figures, and 2 endnotes.)