- eCampus News - https://www.ecampusnews.com -

4 new features of higher ed-tech news

New interactive features aim to help better navigate stories, resources

June-news-interactive [1]Dear Reader,

Innovation is a funny thing. When I was a toddler, and all my little playmates were obsessed with their blankies and teddy bears, I was attached at the hip to a plastic basket. I would wake up in the morning and take my plastic basket to breakfast, then we’d go on walks in the park together, and at night we’d cuddle and I would squeeze my plastic basket tight and whisper good night. I guess I’ve always been a little weirdo.

Then came Teddy Ruxpin, who wasn’t just any teddy bear—he could play a tape cassette inside his chest(!)—and soon my best friend the plastic basket was collecting dust on the floor.

Like the little girl who found pleasure in simplicity but was ultimately fascinated by the new, I still find myself constantly living in two worlds: the one where I love to crack the bindings of a freshly printed book and the one where I read a gargantuan-sized novel in the slim fit of my Kindle; the one where I buy stationary more expensive than lunch to write my grandmother letters in cursive and the one where I text “Where at?” to my friends in the city. Innovation is what reserves me the relevance spot in the future, but it’s tradition that has made me who I am today; and I value both.

This text is actually this month’s Letter from the Editor:

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At eCampus News, our mission is to bring you news…a concept that, as the power of social media and mobile technology has proven, is quickly becoming antiquated. However, we’re striving to present you higher education news in the most innovative way possible—not only in the subject of our news (the latest retention strategies incorporating emerging technologies, using the Flipped method for faculty PD, etc.) but in its presentation.

In our June edition of [2] eCampus News, we’re trying something innovative ourselves. Through the presentation of infographics to the inclusion of clickable videos, and from the highly interactive shortened stories to the incorporation of more visual representation of content, we hope to make your news more enjoyable to read and easier to digest.

I urge you to click through this story to see just a small sample of what our new publication looks like; we’d also love to get your feedback! Click on any of the images to go to the new issue.

(Next page: June’s new layout)

We’ve been increasing the number of stories we bring you each day, and as such, can’t possibly fit them all into one monthly publication—no one wants to sift through 200 pages.

Though we still have a number of stories published fully in the June edition, many of our stories are now shortened to give you the gist of the topic, with a link to the full story online. You’ll also have a chance to sample many of our related stories that often don’t get included in our monthly pubs, due to space issues:

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(Next page: Infographics)

We also now include previews of our infographics, and where you can find them:

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(Next page: Video)

Our video layout is in beta, simply because we’re about to upgrade to a fully embed-capable software, but you’ll find links and players to all of the videos we’ve included in the past month:

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We’d love to hear your thoughts on our new layout, as we always strive to meet your needs! Email me at mstansbury@ecampusnews.com [3], or find me on Twitter @eSN_Meris.

The June issue is here: http://ecampusnews.eschoolmedia.com/current-issue/ [2]