Stranger Printings - 3D Printing’s Rapid Expansion

According to a recent report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the 3D printing market will continue to expand in the coming years. Although expected, the rapid rate of expansion in the industry has been turning some heads. It is now projected that the 3D printing market will surpass $35.4 billion sometime in the year 2020, which would equal a 24.1 percent compound annual growth rate over the duration of the period forecast. This means the industry may nearly double in the next five years. In addition, the software needed to create the printer files and related services and materials are predicted to grow significantly with the market. This research was conducted in eight global markets from twenty different industries.

Many of us have likely thought about what kinds of objects we could produce with our own 3D printers and how those may be used to enhance learning. With prices decreasing while the market continues increasing, it may not be long before each of us is printing our own practical or strange things.

For additional information, please see my 3D Printer Buying Guide post.

Image generated at Make It Stranger.

Is your online course like a pig?

Remember in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book, The Little House in the Big Woods, when they butchered the pig? Every part of that pig—even the parts that weren’t food—was used for some practical purpose? Nothing was wasted. Even the one part that had no practical use, the pig’s bladder, was inflated like a balloon to make a ball for the children to play with. Still useful.

Apologies to our vegetarian readership for the analogy, but the same holds true for the content of an online course. Every piece and part of the content of an online course must have practical purpose. That is, every word, every activity, every reading, every assessment connects directly back to the course outcomes laid out in the syllabus and each sub-objective of the learning modules. 

So take a look at your current online courses. Can you relate your learning activities, etc. directly back to one course outcome or another? If you can’t, it’s time to reevaluate them and look for replacements that focus student efforts toward what you told them they would be able to do once they finished the course. 

Anyone else in the mood for bacon? 

Is Sharing Your Passwords Now Illegal?

It has always been a bad idea to give someone else your password, and it is against West Virginia University policy, yet we all know people who do it. Recent headlines have claimed that this is now a criminal act. In a decision last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that a person who had been given another person's password could be held liable for hacking under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The court says that this decision only applies to this particular case and set of circumstances, but since our legal system is so often based on precedent, a number of panicked articles have appeared:

• "Password Sharing is a Federal Crime, Appeals Court Rules"
• "Federal Court Rules That Password Sharing Is Illegal Under Insane Ancient Law"
• "Federal court rules that sharing your Netflix password is a federal crime"

For a more even and informed analysis of this decision, you should read this article by Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School, in The Washington Post.

• "Shared Passwords and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act"

This case provides a great opportunity to become more aware of the issues surrounding the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, but it also provides a great opportunity to review your own computer security practices. Do you give an assistant or colleague your password? Have you thought about whether this could make you liable for actions they make while using your account? Have you thought about whether this could make them a "hacker" in the eyes of the law? Have you considered how easily someone from outside your organization could "social engineer" or talk someone into giving away a credential?
 
For more about good security practices at West Virginia University, please visit the ITS informational website:

• WVU ITS: Defend Your Data