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#BbW12 - Credentials, Transactions, and Brand Building
When I first started chatting with David Marr at this year's Blackboard Education Technology Conference* (also known as Bb World or #BbW12 on Twitter) I was immediately intrigued by how much he sounded like someone who really "got" Student Affairs. Marr, the President of Blackboard's Transact platform, spoke to me about student engagement, financial aid, the admissions funnel, retention, auxiliary services, strategic enrollment management, campus cards, and Student Affairs advancement.
The Dichotomous Narrative of Technology in Student Affairs
When this blog was conceived in the summer of 2010, it's purpose was fairly simple: fill a niche that needs filling. With that premise in mind, I've been blogging away on a variety of topics about innovation, accessibility, social media, video, and strategy. The narrative that I've constructed (something that started with my personal blog) is built upon a foundation of ideas, tool suggestions, and actively building structures that relate to Student Affairs and technology. It is rhetoric that focuses on the analogy of an empty building that is waiting to be populated. In that regard, I've been successful. However, the narrative of technology and Student Affairs is far more nuanced. Historically speaking, technology has always been part of the richness of discourse in Student Affairs. The "building" as it were, is not and has not been empty, it just hasn't been socialized into the core culture of the profession.
So Shiny! Lest We Forget, iPads Require Purpose
My backpack was heavier than usual as I strolled to my gate at Boston's Logan Airport this past Sunday. Included in my usual collection of travel items was my new iPad. During my meetings with a client on Monday and Tuesday a fascinating thing happened. My laptop, a tech tool that is almost always near me, was never removed from my bag.
iPad - A Magical Productivity Enhancement Device
Like the One Ring in Tolkien's fantasy novels, the iPad has fascinated me since it was first released in 2010. Now, I wouldn't say that I've been engaged in some sort of Gollum-esque quest for the "precious," but I have been tempted to purchase an iPad every single time I pass by an Apple store. My initial hesitation was brought forth by my experiences with Apple's iPod.
Facebook's Slippery Status Slope vs LinkedIn's Targeted Updates
May wasn't a good month for Facebook. Their long-awaited IPO didn't go exactly as planned. Articles such as "7 Reasons Why Facebook IPO Was A Bust" from Forbes summed up the situation rather bluntly. Now I don't invest in the stock market, but I do know that people invest in a company because they think that it will make money which will in turn make them money. With Facebook, it would seem that people aren't convinced that the world's largest social network can deliver on its promises.
Cooking Up Some Awesome with ifttt
When ifttt (it's lowercase, so it has to be cool, right?) first appeared on the social tech scene, I took a gander and then I moved on. Thankfully, I know enough about companies with unique names to not put them on permanent ignore. ifttt (I was going to make a bell hooks reference about capitalization…it didn't work.) is all about figuring out the connections between "if this then that." The functionality of ifttt is built around tasks, actions, and channels. For example, let's say you wanted to save your Instagram photos into your Dropbox account. With ifttt, it's simple, the community has already created that particular recipe.
NSSE 2.0 to Include Questions on Technology
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is widely regarded as one of our most important research instruments. The data that is collected from 584 colleges and universities is used to improve and enhance the experience of undergraduate students. Almost every Student Affairs practitioner has heard of the NSSE. Student engagement is a core concern for higher education. And the NSSE, well, it's an institution in and of itself.
Content Overload or Running Empty on Bandwidth
When Summify came on the content curation scene last year, I was instantly enamored with the service. Keeping up with vast amounts of tweets and Facebook updates can easily become a full-time occupation for folks like myself who are regularly "plugged in." Summify provided a daily email of the best bits of the social media day. Sadly, Summify was acquired by Twitter. Most likely, Twitter wants to use Summify's service as a way to boost readership and potential ad revenue. (Although, the whole thing reeks of the Facebook Camera / Instagram situation…) What the acquisition means for users is that what was once a great product is now no longer available.