<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>
K12 Newsletters Mailing List
Subscribe - Unsubscribe - Set Preferences
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/K12Newsletters.html
Edupage
TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2006 Online Course Program Closes Doors No Improvement for Federal Agencies in Network Security French Outline Penalties for Copyright Violations Survey Hints at Cybercrime Losses
ONLINE COURSE PROGRAM CLOSES DOORS An initiative begun in September 2000 by the University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Yale University to offer noncredit courses online has announced it will end operations due to ongoing financial pressures. Originally marketed to alumni of the three founding institutions, the Alliance for Lifelong Learning, or AllLearn, was later expanded to be available to anyone. Despite the prestige of the three founding universities, however, AllLearn was never able to attract enough students to be financially viable. Some courses were popular, such as the writing courses, but AllLearn's 11,000 enrollments were not sufficient to keep it afloat. Analyst Sean Gallagher from Eduventures pointed to the fact that AllLearn only offered noncredit courses as one of the key factors in its inability to attract more students. S. Kristin Kim, president of AllLearn, acknowledged that offering only noncredit courses hurt the program's chances of survival. Chronicle of Higher Education, 16 March 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/03/2006031601t.htm
Evaluate $$ Distance Learning http://tinyurl.com/r5hvx
NO IMPROVEMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES IN NETWORK SECURITY The House Government Reform Committee has once again issued a failing report card on computer security at federal agencies. Despite the fact that five federal agencies were graded A+, overall, agencies earned a D+, the same grade as last year. The grades are based on performance metrics from the Office of Management and Budget. Agencies on "the frontline in the war on terror" were uniformly terrible, according to Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), chairman of the committee. The Department of Homeland Security's grade stayed the same this year as last: F. Meanwhile, the grade for the Department of Defense fell from a D to an F, the State Department went from a D+ to an F, and the Department of Justice dropped from a B- to an F. Representatives from federal agencies appeared before the committee, and many of those with failing grades offered explanations about why their scores have remained low. Members of the committee were generally dismissive of the explanations, however, saying that the agencies were simply making excuses. Federal Computer Week, 16 March 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article92642-03-16-06-Web
FRENCH OUTLINE PENALTIES FOR COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS Legislators in France have passed a law that criminalizes copyright violations stemming from bypassing copy protections. Some in the government had argued that making such copies should be allowed and that a tax added to the cost of CDs and DVDs could be used to compensate artists. Currently, an estimated 8 to 10 million computer users in France regularly download copyrighted songs and movies. That proposal was rejected in favor of a law that mirrors a directive issued in 2001 by the European Union. Under the new law, those found guilty of supplying software that allows users to bypass copy protections will face six months in prison and a fine of about $37,000. Those found guilty of using such software are subject to fines of between about $1,000 and $4,000. Yahoo, 16 March 2006 http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/franceinternet
Copyright Facts http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Internet/1copyright.html
SURVEY HINTS AT CYBERCRIME LOSSES A recent survey conducted by IBM of CIOs in manufacturing, financial, health-care, and retail industries shows the growing threat of cybercrime on organizational resources. Of the 600 U.S. CIOs in the survey, 57 percent said cybercrime costs their companies more than conventional crime. About 75 percent said the threat from cybercrime comes in part from within their companies. Moreover, 84 percent said hackers are increasingly part of organized crime, not simply individuals working alone. Results from international CIOs in the survey closely followed those of the U.S. companies for most measures, but they diverged on several key points. Among U.S. CIOs, 83 percent said they were prepared to face the threats of cybercriminals, compared to just 53 percent of internationals. CNET, 17 March 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-7350_3-6050875.html
Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE
<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<> Copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from K12 Newsletter
The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format:
EDUCATIONAL CYBERPLAYGROUND http://www.edu-cyberpg.com
K12 Newsletter copyright
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/K12Newsletters.html
FREE EDUCATION VENDOR DIRECTORY LISTING http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Directory/
HOT LIST REGISTRY OF K12 SCHOOLS ONLINE http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Schools/ <>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>
