Thursday, January 01, 2009

DSU leads Wireless Mobile Computing Initiative

I had this letter published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader to counter information in the paper that made it appear that the SD Board of Regents was abandoning the Wireless Mobile Computing Initiatives on all the campuses.
Madison
Recently, the Argus Leader printed an article about the South Dakota Board of Regent's decision to defer their initiative to provide a wireless mobile computing environment on all the public university campuses. A follow-up editorial also applauded the Board of Regents for that decision.I am writing to clarify the fact that there currently are two campuses in the South Dakota higher education system that already have integrated this environment: Dakota State University in Madison and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.
DSU, as South Dakota's designated information technology university, was the first to adopt this approach to teaching and learning. During the past five years, every student at Dakota State has been issued a wireless tablet computer and virtually all spaces on the campus have wireless access. This technology has been infused into the educational experience of our students in all majors on the campus. In addition, students in DSU's College of Education graduate with the coursework needed for an educational technology endorsement.Dakota State also has been the coordinating unit for professional development in the school districts that have adopted the state-supported initiative to put wireless computing devices in the hands of high school students.The purpose of this letter is to clarify that there are two public higher education campuses that already have and will continue to advance this 21st century approach to teaching and learning.
Speaking for DSU, we are committed to bringing the best practices in computer-facilitated learning to our students and to providing support to other education entities that are also pursuing this approach.