University Business - August 2006 - (Page 40)

It's great to see how our peers solve the same problems we have, said Philip Patton, Library and Instructional Technologies administrator at Cochise College Ariz. . This year, the EduComm Pavilion featured Tomorrow's Classroom Today, an extensive dis- play of products, services, and technologies that are helping to change the way teaching and learn- ing take place. The exhibit, sponsored by Dell, Smart Technologies, Sonic Foundry, and Extron, gave attendees a close-up, hands-on look at the latest higher education solutions. Now in its third year, EduComm, produced by University Busi- ness and its sister publication District Administration, has shown steady growth as a must-attend education conference. Three- quarters of those responding to a post-session survey said they had not attended EduComm previously, while nearly the same number said they would definitely be attending EduComm '07, when the conference moves to Anaheim, Calif., next June. Sixty percent of the survey respondents valued networking with their peers dur- ing the EduComm conference. Bonnie Towe, technology support specialist from Bowling Green State University Ohio , found this feature especially useful. It was great to hear from others about how they do the things that you are doing, she said. Here are some highlights from the three-day event: Top left: Visitors to the Tomorrow's Classroom Today Pavilion got to Tech Wizard Wozniak check out the latest classroom technology from Dell. Top right: Attendees Keynote speaker Steve Wozniak talked to attendees about the early listen to one of the more than 60 education sessions offered. Above: Smart Technologies gives a hands-on demonstration of its newest products. days of Silicon Valley startups, including his own, Apple, and the role technology has come to play in education. Woz, as he is af- fectionately known, co-founded Apple Computer with Steve Jobs As a kid, he was a book learner who was shy and nerdy. in 1976. Knowing that the crowd was curious about his days as a Sometimes the computer is an ideal alternative environment for digital upstart, Wozniak peppered his remarks with details about independent learners, he said. being an amateur computer engineer, first building the Cream Soda His initial work with Jobs was considered more hobby com- Computer with a friend named for the beverage they drank while puting than professional. Wozniak designed and built the Apple I working , then meeting Steve Jobs. computer little more than a printed circuit board at that point Someone told me about a guy who likes electronics and pranks, in 1976, and showed it off to homebrew computer enthusiasts. he said, remembering Jobs. We met and started to size each other But the entrepreneurial Jobs eventually received a $50,000 order to up. We liked talking technology, chips, and frequency counters. build 50 computers. We set up a table in Steve's garage. There was By this stage in life, Wozniak was ready for new challenges. In no phone there, he did business in his bedroom, Wozniak said. 1972, at age 22, he drifted away from UC, Berkeley after total- Apple was on its way to becoming a bona fide computer com- ing his car. I had to pay for it, he told the audience. He took pany and one of the early champions of the personal computer computer engineering jobs while working on side projects. He a low-cost item that any person could use. As the duo become fa- was careful to explain to a crowd of educators that he didn't drop mous, Wozniak came to be known as the other Steve. out. Ten years later even though he was much wealthier and After leaving his full-time job at Apple in 1985, Wozniak be- had been the subject of a Time magazine cover story he finished came a philanthropist, an entrepreneur, and technology developer, his bachelor's degree. He attended classes under the name Rocky and champion of education. For eight years I taught students, Raccoon Clark. he told the crowd at EduComm. He eventually started teaching 40 | August 2006 universitybusiness.com Educomm.indd 40 7/24/06 1:05:17 PM http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - August 2006

Contents
College Index
Advisory Board
Company Index
Editor's Note
People Watch
Sense of Place
Stats Watch
Viewpoint
Financial Aid
On the Hill
Admissions
Future Shock
An Education in AV Technology
Retention Intentions
Endowment Management
Good Data In, Good Data Out
Sticking with the Tried & True
Home, Sweet Home
Faculty Issues in Online Education
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - August 2006