TC3 - Mobile Initiative Announcement

I am a member of the campus committee implementing this new mobile initiative at Tompkins Cortland Community College. Here is the txt of the announcement. I am very excited about this new opportunity to participate in a new technology initiative.

TC3 - Mobile Initiative Announcement

The office of Campus Technology is always seeking ways to use technology to provide better services for our staff and students. We are recognizing the overwhelming preference of students for accessing information and communicating through their cell phone. TC3 has been a leader in developing mobile applications for both students and staff. In 2007 TC3 was awarded a Best of New York award, by the Center for Digital Government, for the systems it developed for cellphones/smartphones. Students are able to check their grades, view their schedule, faculty can view their schedule, and email students, and various text messages are sent for emergencies and class cancellations.

Two important events are catalyzing in the mobile technology world. First, nearly all students and staff are already using cellphones/smartphones/PDA’s of some sort and are connected via the world’s largest wireless network. Secondly, the applications and technology for improving safety, learning, and administrative functions have improved tremendously in the past few years.

As this technology has been developing, we have been working for nearly two years with vendors to put together a plan to implement an exciting opportunity for our students and staff. AT&T and Rave Wireless have partnered with TC3 to provide a state of the art system that will provide us with the many benefits described below.

AT&T - In order for this system to work well, we will need excellent cell service. AT&T will be installing a cell antenna on our campus. After extensive review of in-building infrastructure and outside infrastructure we have determined an external cell antenna is best not only for us, but also for the community in which we live/work.

Rave Guardian - Provides a system for improved safety and security for our community. The security office will have an electronic map with GPS enabled for students and staff who activate an alert. The alert is like a blue light system for your phone with GPS capability so you will be able to be located quickly.

Rave Alert – Provides a fully redundant alert system for our community concerning emergencies like weather, fire, gas leaks, and other events.

Rave Campus - has a complete suite of academic, safety, community, and social applications specially designed for students' mobile phones. Applications like polling, flashcards, media casting, email and others are included.

Along with the benefits listed above, students will be able to save 5% off their AT&T phone bills, staff will receive a SUNY savings of 20%. These rates were negotiated state wide a few years ago.

Timeline - This fall we will be installing and configuring the software. The cell antenna should also be installed in the next few months. We are assembling a project team to help us sort through many of the details. John Petrella will be the project manager for this system. If you are interested in becoming a member of this exciting new technology please contact him. Much more information will be coming soon as we work through the details.

Here are a few links that will help explain this technology.

ACU video showing the life of a student using this technology: http://www.acu.edu/technology/mobilelearning/researchers/video/connected.html

YouTube video showing some of the Rave Wireless applications: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kx41vx3iuK4&feature=related

YouTube video showing how Rave Guardian works:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dv_FaQffTLk&feature=related