4 ways universities can use the social media app Vine

Although Vine videos are not yet a mainstream practice in higher ed, they can play an important role in showcasing university life

vine-education-universityHave you heard of Vine? Chances are you may have seen a cute six second video of a pet, toddler or food dish posted on a friend or colleagues’ mobile device.

Teens have gravitated towards Vine in massive numbers, even at the expense of leaving Facebook for this ultra-quick video sharing device. In 2013, active teen Vine users skyrocketed by 639 percent.

Although the majority of Vine video clips are for fun and personal use, educators and administrators in higher education could capitalize on the growing popularity of this social media application.…Read More

Amazing new security app hits the market

Blackboard’s new campus security app is a one-stop game-changer

security-app-blackboardIn a world where school shootings have become a common – appearing in headlines almost every other week – university officials are increasingly dependent on students, in addition to security cameras and police, to report suspicious activity and crime on campus.

Blackboard Transact, the campus security division of the popular education technology company, Blackboard, known for its content management software, announced on April 15 a new partnership with LiveSafe, which produces a mobile safety application for Android and iOS.

According to Jenny Abramson, CEO and president of LiveSafe, the application has had success by providing students with a platform to communicate about campus safety issues without disrupting their day-to-day lives.…Read More

Campus emergency alerts, simplified

One emergency app tries to eliminate student confusion during a campus crisis

campus-emergency-appIt might take days for a college student to gather every piece of information on how to respond to a campus emergency–from assaults, to fires, to shootings and extreme weather.

Detailed on various college sites, brochures, and other campus literature, instructions for how to respond to an emergency are often scattered and disorganized, if not thorough.

That’s why colleges and universities have condensed their emergency notification and response protocol into a single, easy-to-use mobile app called In Case of Crisis, designed to serve as a sort of one-stop shop for students’ emergency needs (and instructions).…Read More