Benchmarks Online

CLEAR: UNT Purchases Site License for New Student-Response System

By Jane Himmel, associate director, Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment and Redesign

REEF Polling by i>clicker replaces Turning Point as UNT’s centrally supported student-response system, effective with the fall 2016 semester. Read more about it.

It may be a starry, starry night, but you can see only what the city lights, hot nights and the naked eye permit. A refreshing 70-degree cosmic safari at the UNT Sky Theater is the hot ticket this summer! Randall Peters, planetarium director in the UNT Physics Department, uses advanced computer graphics technologies to teach, engage and entertain UNT students, K-12 visitors and the general public year round. Read more about the technology, the site and the sights! 

EDUCAUSE: Registering Now for The Best Thinking in Higher Education IT Conference

The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, Oct. 25-28, 2016, unites the best thinking in higher education IT and is derived from member-driven content that is organized across overarching IT domains. EDUCAUSE registration is now open for events at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. And, yes, Anaheim is the home of the original Disneyland, only 2.8 miles from the convention center!

A $2.5 million upgrade to the convention center's Wi-Fi network system makes it one of the most technically advanced convention centers in the U.S. The newly installed high-density network consists of nearly 700 access points throughout the facility. This first-of-its-kind system increases the amount of coverage and bandwidth available to ACC meeting and event attendees. The Anaheim Convention Center is now the first convention center on the west coast with 10-gigabit internet connectivity.

Teaching Assistant Surprises Class with a Remarkable Revelation

Jill Watson, one of nine teaching assistants assigned to help answer questions about coursework and projects from the 300 students enrolled in the advanced artificial intelligence course at Georgia Tech, really struggled during the first few weeks of the semester. As the semester continued, Jill was getting better at her assigned tasks; then she surprised everyone. Read through the article for the surprise in the story: a hint is in the name of the course. NOTE: If you are interested in artificial intelligence, check out UNT course CSCE 4310, Introduction to AI, taught by Professor Kathy Swigger, College of Engineering.

Video: Hackers Show Vulnerabilities in the U.S. Power Grid

Professional computer hackers were hired to break into the U.S. electrical power grid in the Midwest as part of the company's offensive security efforts. By using social engineering, finding weak spots in physical security and breaking in, the technicians gain access, install malware, hack computers and more – all captured on a Go Pro. Check it out.

Bill Gates' Online Petition Promotes Teaching of Computer Science in K-12 – #CSForAll

In a recent tweet about teaching computer science in the U.S., Bill Gates, technology advisor at Microsoft, stated that every student deserves a chance to learn this essential 21st-century skill. Seeking 150,000 signatures, see the petition here: http://www.SeSeechange.org/computerscience. In addition to being a business magnate, inventor and philanthropist, you may have noticed that now Gates' official title is technology advisor. Moving away from his former duties as CEO at Microsoft in 2014, Gates is now free to pursue his pet projects, such as making his first virtual reality video and reading science fiction among others. Check it out his blog, Gates Notes, with the #VR video and his summer reading list.

DYK?

VIDEO: Your iPhone has a hidden childproof mode: watch how to enable it.

Five Big Takeaways from Meeker at the Internet Trends 2016 Code Conference

Longtime Morgan Stanley analyst and investor Mary Meeker has released her annual Internet Trends report, a widely read data-filled compendium of where the technology industry is headed. Internet growth is flat globally: The number of internet users globally is flat, according to Meeker’s report. In 2014 and 2015, usage was up 9 percent both years. Also, data as a platform is exploding: The growth of data is increasing while the cost of storing it is declining. Analyzing this data is increasingly crucial for businesses to manage their operations including security, communication, and customer insights. Meeker is an American venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst. Her primary work is on internet and new technologies. She is a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Click here for Meeker's Internet Trends slide show.

Editor's Note: Please note that information in each edition of Benchmarks Online is likely to change or degrade over time, especially the links to various websites. For current information on a specific topic, search the UNT website, UNT's UIT Help Desk or the World Wide Web. Email your questions and comments to the UNT University Information Technology Department or call 940-565-4068.