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Software Development has formed the economic and social face of the planet within the most recent 3 decades. What was once thought of gibber and kept to the elite minds that place humans on the Moon and cracked the German Enigma is currently a well-liked profession that has created landmarks just like the Silicon Valley and icons like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. With the spurt in revolutionary product ideas within the late 90s, the need to place those 'thoughts' into execution demanded the best development-skills, and this 'request' has been solely developing with time. This conveys us to an aspect of software development that has perpetually been a significant business call for companies - the foremost cost-effective engagement model. Here is what we think regarding selecting the right engagement model: Fixed Price Model Fixing the price is about fixing the project requirements, scope, as well as deadlines. This model can never work while not thorough initial planning, analysis, and estimation sessions. The more planning you do, the better the result. Why is the planning stage so important? The success of the fixed price project is directly proportional to the success of this primary phase. To have a superior control over a greater project, the engagement model may be somewhat changed with deliverables & milestones approach. A customer is charged because the in agreement milestones have come and deliverables are in situ. From that point forward, another stage with its own particular milestones and deliverables can start. For the majority of effectively fixed price projects, discovery phase fills in as the beginning point. Choose Fixed Price Engagement Model when: Requirements are clear, very much characterized and improbable to change You deal with a small or medium project which won't last for more than few months The Pros: It's well-defined and well-negotiated. There's no room for lapses. There is a push to get the total picture of the software even befo

"Today's education system is evolving to take full advantage of the potential of mobile technology devices to inspire learning and create independent, critical thinkers. However, with tight budgets, many schools are hoping to bring technology into the classroom without the costly burden of purchasing a device for each student. One potential solution that is being explored is BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. This allows students to bring their personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones from home and use them for educational applications in the classroom. At a time when budgets are shrinking, school districts are considering BYOD programs to integrate cost-effective technology into their educational programs. It's a promising idea, especially for schools that lack sufficient technology budgets. BYOD takes advantage of the technology that students already own and are familiar with. However, BYOD programs have been met with some criticism from staff and administrators who believe the challenges outweigh the perceived benefits. Continue reading..."

"This book is designed to provide teachers and parents alike an insight into the bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) revolution sweeping across entire school communities in Australia, the US and UK, and explain the immense implications of these developments. In time all schools in the developed world will move to students using their personal mobile technology in class, rather than it being provided by the school. It is not a case of if, but when. BYOT is like a tsunami coming across the horizon. The forces impelling the change and the potential educational, social development, economic, technological and political opportunities opened by the development will not only bring about its introduction but will soon fundamentally change the nature of schooling, teaching, the technology used, home-school relations and the resourcing of schools."

"Working in technology administration, I have always bowed down to uniformity. I can't help it…it's the way we were all taught in the technology industry. It was routine and comfortable. Everyone got the exact same computer with the same image. Everyone had to login to active directory. Security groups were applied with abandon. I wax nostalgic just thinking about it.Fear of BYOD But those days are coming to an end. This is due to a huge number of factors including ridiculously tight school district budgets, much lower computer prices and cloud computing. I believe more and more schools will soon adopt bring your own device (BYOD) as a matter of economic necessity and recognition of educational potential."

Turn simple photographs into videos using this site. Once you sign up (it's free) you begin by choosing a video template and then adding your pictures from Facebook, Flickr, or your computer. You can set the order of your pictures, add captions to them and add text slides if you wish. Next you add music, either from their library or add your own from your computer. Your last step is to add a video title and any additional text and you're done. Completed videos can be uploaded to You Tube or Facebook and can even be embedded into a website or blog. The site does have a 30 picture maximum but that is long enough for most people.

"Quick Makes is about giving the chance to tinker with a range of applications and programs, each with their own constraints, to discover that creating, making and engaging with technology is not only easy but can be fun, especially when we are focused. From mashing up a website with Mozilla Thimble to creating your own visual with Google Draw, spend a few minutes exploring the potential for technology to make giving a voice to learning more doable."

The 'Art Project' is a "unique collaboration with some of the world's most acclaimed art museums to enable people to discover and view more than a thousand artworks online in extraordinary detail. * Explore museums with Street View technology: virtually move around the museum's galleries, selecting works of art that interest you, navigate though interactive floor plans and learn more about the museum and you explore. * Artwork View: discover featured artworks at high resolution and use the custom viewer to zoom into paintings. Expanding the info panel allows you to read more about an artwork, find more works by that artist and watch related YouTube videos. * Create your own collection: the 'Create an Artwork Collection' feature allows you to save specific views of any of the 1000+ artworks and build your own personalised collection. Comments can be added to each painting and the whole collection can then be shared with friends and family.

"With budgets tight, many schools are hoping to bring technology into the classroom without having to shell out for a device for each student. A solution for many has been to make classes BYOD (short for "bring your own device"), which allows students to bring laptops, tablets, and smartphones from home and to use them in the classroom and share them with other students. It's a promising idea, especially for schools that don't have big tech budgets, but it has met with some criticism from those who don't think that it's a viable long-term or truly budget-conscious decision. Whether that's the case is yet to be seen, but these stories of schools that have tried out BYOD programs seem to be largely positive, allowing educators and students to embrace technology in learning regardless of the limited resources they may have at hand."

"Over the last few days I've featured a couple of free tools for adding interactive elements to your videos. In the last year I've reviewed a few other services and methods for doing the same thing. This is a round-up of the ways that you can add interactive elements to your videos. The first four tools could be used by students to create a series of choose your own adventure videos. These tools could be used by teachers to enhance the short videos that they create for flipped lessons."

Do you dream of a world where you have your choice of laptop, smartphone or tablet at work; all of which connect seamlessly one to another, and are constantly updated? Sitting at your desk, feeling the red mist descend as your ancient XP desktop computer tries and fails to open your inbox, this might seem like an impossible dream. But for some people that day is already here. Continue reading the main story Special Report: The Technology of Business Road warriors struggle to get connected India's richest shrine goes green Can shipping go green? Mall v internet: Mid East goes online Authors going it alone and online Indian internet seeks the masses But there could be a catch.

"Bring your own device is a trend that isn't going anywhere - we've established that. But do we discuss the risks involved with it enough? According to this article by Rebecca M. Abrahams, chief communications officer for Ziklag Systems LLC, a mobile security technology company, not many companies or government agencies have what can be called serious corporate mobile device security policies. And those that do have policies aren't necessarily having them followed."

Past scandals, bad photos, critical comments: the internet has a long memory. As the EU considers the 'right to be forgotten', we investigate the growing business of online reputation management - and learn how you can airbrush your own past

I visited Eric's High School on February 24th to observe Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and his implementation of a contemporary learning environment.  I was impressed.  I was most impressed at Eric's reflection that he was once part of the problem, banning devices from his school rather then embracing the use of the technology.  That has changed and Eric trusts his students to interact responsibly with media and communication tools.  These expectations are being met by staff and students. 

This looks like it could be a good tool to get students enthusiastic about publishing online magazines of their own. I a wondering if I can get some of our writers and reviewers to create a magazine for the library..

An interesting piece on George Siemens and Connectivism. Good background to MOOC's and how the original concept is different from that offered by companies such as Coursera and edX.

"Most of what we do is for the students. The focus of this and many other blogs and websites is about learning, and rightly so, but there are also apps that will make our jobs easier too. I am talking about that catergory of apps that are designed specifically for the classroom teacher. There are plenty and I am sure as more and more teachers gain the confidence to design their own apps, there will be more suitable one to come. Here is a list of apps that you can use to make your job easier."

You can use this to create some unique shows with animation and audio in real time. Iti s easy to pick out actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Movements and audio are recorded in real time for later playback. The free version is limited but the add-ons aren't too expensive if you are careful about your choices. I like the idea of being able to use people and things from my own photos.