Students at UW Seattle can borrow a laptop as well as a digital camcorder, camera, or voice recorder, projector, audio system, and more. Checkout is three business days; some can be loaned for seven days. See the detailed list of equipment and photos online. UW Bothell and UW Tacoma run similar equipment loan programs.

Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, will talk on Thursday, November 5, at 4:15 p.m. in 120 Kane Hall about how software and information technology can help solve the most pressing global challenges. Hear how computer science technologies are changing scientific exploration and discovery.

UW students: How and where do you use technology to do your work? How will you use it in the future? Answer a brief, confidential survey by UW Learning & Scholarly Technologies to help shape the future of technology spaces at the UW. Take the survey and enter to win a $25 University Bookstore certificate. [This survey closed Nov. 11.]

President Obama cited 24-hour news coverage, global television and radio networks, and a vast array of online resources as challenging our perceptions of information management. In designating October "National Information Literacy Awareness Month", he called upon educational institutions to help build the necessary navigation and evaluation skills, which requires competency with communication technologies, including computers and mobile devices.

With the aid of three generous grants from the Student Technology Fee Committee (STFC), LST spent September break upgrading equipment and software in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library. These enhancements were made in response to the findings of the 2005 and 2008 Surveys on Learning and Scholarly Technologies carried out by LST, where students highlighted improvements to technology facilities as their top priority.

In response to the state budget reduction, all UW Technology professional staff will take two mandatory weeks off without pay during Fiscal Year 2010. To accomplish this with minimal impact to faculty, staff and students, most staff will be off August 24-30 (essential staff working that week will take the week of August 10th or 17th off), and again during the winter holiday periods. During these times of reduced staff, UW Technology will respond to critical service interruptions, but routine requests for service maintenance may experience delays. See the UW Technology Web page Spotlight box for details. 

Videoconferencing studios at UW Seattle allow you to meet face-to-face with people across the state or around the world without leaving campus. It's easier and cheaper than traveling, and reservations are available for as little as one hour or an entire workday. Visit Learning & Scholarly Technologies online to learn more.

Want to save money on your cell phone plan? UW Technology has negotiated discounts with AT&T and T-Mobile that range from 15-18% for UW employees and 10-15% for UW students, depending on the carrier. As part of a larger, long-term mobile strategy that includes closer partnerships with these carriers, they will be investing in the infrastructure to increase cell coverage at UW Seattle, UW Medical Center, and Harborview Medical Center.

The report on the 2008 Surveys on Learning and Scholarly Technologies is now available. In order to better understand why and how researchers, instructors, and students use current technologies, several UW units again collaborated for the third triennial, institutional survey about learning and scholarly technologies. You can read the report online, as well as learn more about the collaborators, focus group findings, and the surveys' goals.