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Our first conference of 2012 may well be the largest one we attend all year.  With upwards of 150,000 attendees, 42,000 registered media, and 2,700 corporate participants, the annual Consumer Electronics Show is flooding Las Vegas with techies.  For those who managed to snag a hotel room in time, the next four days will be crammed with a smorgasbord of concerts, parties, and most importantly, tech announcements.

Every industry, including those remotely connected to electronics, will be chomping at the bit to present their wares and to hear about what’s hot and new for 2012.  My personal pick for most unusual debut?  A robot produced by TOSY Robotics that will be unveiled by none other than tween heartthrob, Justin Bieber.

Never one to miss out on the fun, CourseSmart will participate in one of CES’s TechZones, HigherEdTECH.  CEO Sean Devine will speak on the panel entitled, “From Dewey to Digital: Are e-Books, Tablets and Digital Content Coming of Age?”  Moderated by Casey Green, founder of The Campus Computing Project, and running from 12:45 - 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, this panel promises to bring up some of the most pressing digital content issues facing the higher education market.

We can’t wait to see what’s unveiled over the next few days!

Nani Jansen, Event Coordinator at CourseSmart

I love college football.  Fortunately, I work with a few devoted college football fans here at CourseSmart.  Based in the Bay Area, we have enjoyed up close the rise of Stanford football over the last few years, wondered if Cal will ever sustain a level of play better than above average, and snickered gleefully at USC’s vacated 2004 BCS National Championship and 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Speaking of the Heisman, one of my CourseSmart colleagues predicted (a little too haughtily) when Andrew Luck decided to return to Stanford last January that he would win it.  Even though Luck came up short again, anyone who watched the award presentation, or its subsequent coverage, surely applauded his grace in losing as well as Robert Griffin III’s humility in winning.

While my colleague’s Heisman prediction was not prescient, I offer two bowl predictions that are.  First, Notre Dame will defeat Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.  You may ask, why predict the Champs Sports Bowl?  The answer is that I’m a proud member of the Notre Dame Nation.  Every college football discussion is simply more interesting with Notre Dame as a part of it.  To illustrate, the Champs Sports Bowl sold out this year for the first time in its 22-year history.  Alabama, FSU, Miami, Penn State, and Clemson have all played in this bowl, but it hasn’t sold out before.  Why this year?  You know why—because Notre Dame is playing in it.

Neither ND nor FSU met preseason expectations.  However, they are evenly matched, and should play an entertaining game.  FSU has a swift, skilled defense, but ND has dynamic playmakers with Michael Floyd and Tyler Eifert.  Moreover, ND’s defensive front seven is very talented, and it will contain FSU’s “banged-up” offense.  Thus, in a rematch of the epic battle between 1993’s #1 & #2 teams, the Fighting Irish will again prevail.

Regarding the rematch between this year’s #1 and #2 teams, I offer my second prediction.  Anyone who watched the first game LSU-Alabama game knows that each team’s defense is exceptional, truly striking to watch.  LSU is clearly the best team this season—LSU beat 8 top-25 ranked teams, including the #2 team twice and the #3 team once. Nick Saban, however, is college football’s best head coach.  His staff has a month to prepare for this game.  He is less prone than Les Miles to make a decision that would cost the game.  If this were a best two out of three series, then I would pick LSU.  However, it isn’t.  Bama will defeat LSU to win the BCS (and unfortunately surpass ND for the most national championships in history awarded by the national polls).

Enjoy the holidays, and Go Irish!

-Andrew, CourseSmart Product Manager

We at CourseSmart are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Steve Jobs. Not only was Jobs a man of great inspiration and insight, he was one of the greatest leaders and innovators within the technology industry.

As the CEO of Apple Inc., Jobs changed the way we look at personal computing. From his original Macintosh computer to the iPhone 4S, Jobs’ innovations have challenged the way we view and use mobile technology. They have undoubtedly helped pave the way for advances in education technology and mobile learning.

While publicly acknowledging and dealing with health-related issues, Jobs’ spirit and dedication to Apple are what helped the company succeed and turn it into the global brand we know today. Without him, Apple may not have made such remarkable advances within the computing industry.

Despite his passing, we know his legacy will live on in spirit and in ALL Apple products.

“I want to put a ding in the universe.”—Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

15 inspirational quotes by Steve Jobs

Most of us use Groupon for things like discounts on dining and spa treatments. Some of us even score on skydiving and horseback riding lessons. But have you ever considered saving on something like a college education or another big-ticket item?

One of the latest deals from Groupon, a daily deals site offering steep discounts on everything from food to concert tickets, is for college tuition. National Louis University in Chicago, IL offered a Groupon for a class in their graduate program. The class, which is an intro to teaching course, has a cost of $2,232 for the semester. The Groupon price for the class was $950 which is a 57% savings.

Anyone can buy a Groupon, however in order to score the class deal the purchaser/user must have or should be working toward a college degree. And while anyone with an undergraduate degree can take the course, it does not mean automatic enrollment in the graduate program at National Louis University. The 10-week, three-credit course counts towards a graduate education and is meant to introduce students to a career in teaching.

This deal for education is a first of its kind and is also a good test to see whether consumers will begin using sites like Groupon to make other big ticket purchases. Most purchases on Groupon are impulse buys, often on things people will never actually use, which is why items up for purchase are usually lower cost things such as meals and beauty services. This is also why a host of sites like Lifesta exist where people can sell their unused Groupons at face-value.

Groupon offerings for big ticket items have cropped up before, most notably when the company partnered with a car dealership in Michigan to offer $200 for a $500 voucher towards the purchase of a new or used car. When the Groupon didn’t garner enough customers for the deal to “tip,” the deadline was extended several additional days before being deemed a flop because not enough people made the purchase.

By the close date of the Groupon offering, National Louis University was able to “tip” the deal for their three-credit course class. However, it remains to be seen whether future deals like this will also be a success. Would you buy a Groupon for a discounted education?

CourseSmart recently announced two executive appointments to support the company’s rapid growth in North America as well as its new commitment to develop global expansion plans. Shannon Meadows has been appointed senior vice president of business development and Fionnuala Duggan has been named Managing Director, International.

With more than two decades of experience in the education technology industry, Shannon will lead the Business Development team to define market strategies and operational opportunities that will make CourseSmart successful in meeting its institutional and distribution partnership goals. “Shannon is a proven leader with a track record of success. Her skills, experience and ambition align perfectly with CourseSmart’s goal to continue breaking new ground in the digital delivery of course materials,” said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.

Fionnuala will utilize her nearly 20 years of digital media expertise and proven track record of developing and achieving international expansion to lead the development and launch of CourseSmart’s global eTextbook platform and digital course material offering. “Fionnuala has an outstanding track record of achieving and exceeding global expansion goals with a number of digital media companies. She is well-equipped to develop our international agenda and ensure our commitment to and vision for the future of digital course materials is accomplished across the globe,” added Devine.

“We’re confident that Shannon and Fionnuala will be tremendous assets to the growing CourseSmart team. Their collective, extensive experience will prove instrumental as we continue to innovate across the globe and ensure digital course materials are accessible to all students and faculty on all devices,” said Devine.

This last week we’ve seen a lot of news coverage as libraries and publishers struggle over e-book offerings in public libraries, particularly as it relates limitations on e-book rentals that result in libraries repurchasing materials when borrowing limits have been reached. Both sides’ present valid points for justifying their position, but ultimately only one will prevail.

To understand this struggle let’s first take a look at how libraries circulate e-books. Many larger public libraries, like the New York Public Library have websites dedicated to borrowing digital materials from e-books to music and videos. Much like browsing an online bookstore, virtual library branches allow users to check out and download books using their library card information. Digital materials from a virtual branch automatically expire after the due date, so the borrower can no longer access the materials on their device. The latest struggle has developed out of one publisher wanting to impose use, or download, limitations on e-books, while libraries feel they should pay once for unlimited use similar to purchasing print books for circulation.

Libraries argue that consistent with print versions of books, an initial purchase is made and the library then owns that material and can circulate it for the life of the book. Borrowing limitations imposed on libraries by one publisher result in e-books only being available for about one year. After the borrowing limit is reached the library must repurchase the e-book to put it back into circulation. Repurchasing an e-book seems erroneous, and not entirely feasible for an institution that relies on state and federal funding, and public donations especially considering a bestseller could be circulated hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of times over its unlimited lifespan.

The publisher leading the firestorm over e-book limitations insists that its library purchase policies are outdated, and must be updated as the popularity of e-books grows. Other publishers are concerned e-book rentals will divert consumers away from e-book retail purchases, and accordingly, do not offer e-books. And still more publishers continue to offer e-books to libraries without seeing an immediate need to alter the current pricing policy.

The emergence of intangible, intellectual property raises a lot of questions, and as we’ve seen in this debate over e-book restrictions, poses new problems for publishers and libraries. What do you think is a fair resolution to this problem? Do the same rules apply to both print and e-books?

This week, Zack Whittaker posted on his iGeneration blog on ZDNet.com with some techy ways to save money at college. His blog brings up some great, and potentially overlooked, ways technology can be helping you save money while at college. We wanted to share some of the finer points with you.

“Invest in a smartphone with a good data plan”

We couldn’t agree more! Whittaker sites a phone with features like a decent camera and music player can be just as important as having access to all of your social media profiles. Ditching an mp3 player for you phone is a great way to free up space in your backpack and save you money. A smartphone with mobile web can also give you quick access to etextbooks, a notepad or voice recorder app to help you jot down some short notes, and email access to help you stay in touch with classmates.

“E-books are often cheaper than their paper equivalent”

While the cost savings associated with etextbooks can be huge (with CourseSmart you can save up to 60% on etextbooks over print textbooks), Whittaker points out another awesome feature of etextbooks– instant access from anywhere. Etextbooks can be accessed via smartphone/tablet apps or simply on the internet. No more “I forgot my book” or breaking your back on a bulging bag.  

“Netbooks are easier on your wallet”

It seems you can read any tech news sites or blogs without hearing about the latest and greatest tablets from a variety of manufacturers. In the flurry of wanting the newest gadget, students might not be considering what the best option is: tablet, laptop or netbook. Whittaker poses a valid point; netbooks are much less expensive than tablets and are capable of doing everything a student might need. And, most netbooks are only slightly thicker than tablets making them friendly on your backpack as well.

These are only a few points from Whittaker’s iGeneration post, so check out the full article for more ways going tech can save you money in college. Do you have any special tech tips to save money?

CourseSmart was at the CES 2011:  International Consumer Electronics Show which took place January 6-9 in Las Vegas.  Attendees from around world exhibited and admired numerous new products at the event focused on innovation and the future of consumer electronics.

The HigherEdTECH Summit, a one-day conference held specifically on January 6, 2011 was devoted to the topic technology and innovation in higher education.  Sean Devine, CourseSmart CEO joined Bill Rieders, EVP Global New Media at Cengage Learning for a panel discussion titled “From Dewey to Digital”.  The panelist discussed edtech issues, e-book interactivity and availability and more.

Bruce Marcus, SVP of McGraw -Hill Education talks about blackboard integration

Wall Street Journal Technology columnist Walt Mossberg spoke specifically about the digital textbook revolution during his keynote address at the HigherEdTECH Summit.

“Books should cost less, and they should be digital” he stated.  Students and faculty will lead the revolution with the integration of device into campus life and colleges will welcome the change.

His thoughts regarding the infiltration of the iPad into the realm of education were that the device was, “the biggest thing this year; it has a serious chance of challenging the longtime computing role of the personal computer. It’s a new type of computer; it’s immersive, it’s different, it’s its own thing. This will effect education. ”

To find out more about CES 2011 visit www.cesweb.org.

CourseSmart brand ambassadors officially hit the pavement this week on the campuses of University of Florida, Texas A&M and CalState Long Beach.  Sporting yellow CourseSmart T-shirts and toting branded messenger bags, the brand ambassadors will spread the word about the benefits of using CourseSmart eTextbooks this semester!  Each ambassador will give students on their campus the opportunity try out CourseSmart eTextbooks, and see what they think.  Expect to see BAs talking to students about CourseSmart while they purchase their back-to-school supplies, and get settled into the fall semester. 

The BAs will be interviewing students to get an inside look at each of the campuses.  CourseSmart BA Facebook and Twitter accounts will be buzzing as ambassadors respond to questions from fellow students and post the latest CourseSmart news.  

Be sure to check out CourseSmart’s Facebook Back-to-School page for the latest updates from the CourseSmart student ambassadors and view videos of fellow classmates talking about CourseSmart.  Also, feel free to join in on the conversation online and follow CourseSmart on Twitter www.twitter.com/CourseSmart_.

With Apple’s iPad launch earlier this year - the popularity and use of the iPad for educational purposes on university and college campuses is projected to grow throughout the upcoming school year.  Colleges are already starting to catch on to the growing trend of iPads on campus.

So, if you are a tech savvy student and are considering an iPad this year, CourseSmart could be a great way to study smarter!

Do you consider yourself a tech savvy student?  Are you using an iPad at school this semester?