The Tower and the Cloud: Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing

Universities have served important functions in society for more than a thousand years. They have done so in part by creating places that promote reflection, discussion, discovery and learning. For many people, the university-as-place is central to the purposes of the university. The university is also an idea and, increasingly, ideas "in the Internet" have enormous power to stimulate learning and discovery. Indeed, what many now describe as "Web 2.0" is a view that the web is evolving into a social environment that has the potential to extend the influence and reach of institutions and individuals. This talk will address the co-evolution of higher education and the Internet and will explore issues the roles of place, expertise, and even truth, in a world of abundant information and changing academic expectations.