Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

University changes mind on Skype

I blogged last week about San Jose State’s decision to block access to Skype, now it appears the university has relented and will allow Skype use by students and faculty. According to arstechnica:

On-campus criticism of San Jose State’s decision was strong, with professor Steve Sloan rallying colleagues and students to protest the ban, which thwarted plans he had to use Skype for a discussion between his students and some textbook authors. Sloan believes Skype has significant educational value because it “is a pipe into a flat world where easy communications is a strategic advantage and the loss of which is a disadvantage.”

Once news of the ban hit eBay’s corporate offices—located about 10 miles away from the school—the company responded with a few ideas on how to address the school’s concerns. eBay suggested that San Jose State install a proxy server to handle all Skype traffic, a solution the school believes will address its concerns. The other schools that have banned Skype have not yet indicated whether they’ll relent and go with the proxy server solution or keep their bans in place.

Way to go Dr. Steve Sloan and others who rallied together on this issue!

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