Translating MIT's OpenCourseWare into Chinese

The New York Times has interesting article in the spreading of free courses and knowledge....

By NOAM COHEN
Published: April 2, 2007

"Using much of the $1 million in royalties from his versions of “The Lord of the Rings,” Mr. Chu says he devotes himself to distributing free translations of material from a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Web site."

With volunteer help he has now translated 178 courses of the about 1600 that are available.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/02/technology/
02link.html?ex=1333166400&en=dcf9f2c3175ed3bf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Top Web tools for college students

What made the list?

1. bookfinder
2. MynoteIT
3. Ottobib
4. Google Docs
5. Tada List
6. Meebo
7. Wikipedia (with caution)
8. Zoho Show
9. Google Reader
10. Del.icio.us

See it all at: http://www.nextstudent.com/NextPath/nextPath-Online/Top-Web-Tools-for-College-Students.asp

Facebook as a reality on campus

Facebook: A campus fad becomes a campus fact
The social-networking website isn't growing like it once did, but only because almost every US student is already on it.
By Cristian Lupsa Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

"Soon to enter its fourth year, Facebook has matured into a warehouse of school information, a big-time player in campus activism, and a mirror of university life - good and bad. More than 12 million users are signed up.

School officials, most of whom were either dismissive or unaware of the phenomenon, are now awake to it. They hold Facebook-themed conferences. They sign up themselves. They monitor students. And they worry about information in student profiles, especially after hearing that employers routinely check them."
Read more at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1213/p13s01-legn.html

Do you facebook?

Tuition Up and Applications Up

New York Times
In Tuition Game, Popularity Rises With Price
By JONATHAN D. GLATER and ALAN FINDER
Published: December 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/education/12tuition.html?th&emc=th
"The recognition that families associate price with quality, and that a tuition rise, accompanied by discounts, can lure more applicants and revenue, has helped produce an economy in academe something like that in the health care system, with prices rising faster than inflation but with many consumers paying less than full price. "

Professors & copyright

Monday, November 20, 2006
Professors get 'F' in copyright protection knowledge
By JAMES M. O'NEILLBLOOMBERG NEWS
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/292898_copyright20.html

"The conflict stems from the interpretation of "fair use" as allowed under laws passed by Congress. The concept is intended to protect the financial stake of creators and publishers while allowing a limited use of material for artistic, creative or educational purposes, such as when critics quote short passages from works they review."
"...For colleges, rising textbook prices are fueling Internet use in courses. U.S. college students spent an average of $898 on books and supplies in the 2003- 04 academic year, and textbook prices have climbed an average of 6 percent each year since the 1987-88 academic year, according to estimates by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm."

College presidents as bloggers

from the New York Times:
Erasing Divide, College Leaders Take to Blogging
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
Published: November 22, 2006
"...While some colleges and their presidents have seen their reputations shredded on student blogs, and others have tried to limit what students and faculty members may say online, about a dozen or so presidents, like Dr. McGuire, are vaulting the digital and generational divide and starting their own blogs."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/education/22blogs.html