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"Whether you're searching for apps on your mobile device, browser, desktop or any other platform, we make sure you can always find the tools you need. We'll find you apps for every activity and task imaginable. Just answer one question for us: What do you want to do? Quixey was founded in 2009 to solve a problem - millions of apps were being created, but there was no simple way to find them. App discovery was limited to categories, top ten lists, directories and basic keyword search. Quixey was created to help people easily find apps simply by describing want they wanted to do. "

Selected members of the general public will use twitter to ask scientists questions and report on this month's mission to Mar. The "tweetup" is tied to the launch of the NASA mission and is being hosted by CSIRO's Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC).

"This is the first post of a research inquiry that questions the ways in which we have understood the Youth-Technology-Change relationship in the contemporary digital world, especially through the identity of 'Digital Native'. Drawing from three years of research and current engagements in the field, the post begins a critique of how we need to look at the outliers, the people on the fringes in order to unravel the otherwise celebratory nature of discourse about how the digital is changing the world. In this first post, I chart the trajectories of our research at the Centre for Internet and Society (Bangalore, India) and Hivos (The Hague, The Netherlands) to see how alternative models of understanding these relationships can be built."

While there will never be a replacement for a paper book with dog-eared pages, hand written notes in the margins, a broken spine and a proudly worn cover with a hint of dirt and stains, there is an exciting new option to transform the practice of reading to make it more social and collaborative.  Subtext is an intriguing iPad application that allows users to read books collaboratively.  While reading, participants can insert text, emotions, questions, links and thoughts into the margins of the book.  When other readers jump into the text they can see the notations and reply to the existing thoughts in a discussion thread that is neatly tucked away into the margins of the text.

In the world of  tablet technology the warring dividing lines very quickly became the choice between Apple and Android mobile devices. The research began. The comparisons between apps and general capacity for varied uses were central (see my earlier blog posts), but also crucial was the cost. The question, 'why pay for the premium Apple iPad product in a time of fiscal austerity in education?' is obvious. Is the capacity so much better to justify paying extra, or is the iPad a triumph of advertising hype?

Last week, Ben Grey asked me, "In 5 tweets or less, can you share your vision for computing in education?" via Twitter. I'm not sure if anyone else was asked or the motivation behind the question, but I quickly rattled off the following five tweets. I could have accomplished the goal in fewer tweets, but a good tweet is a terrible thing to waste.

Our goal with Duolingo is to provide the absolute best language learning service out there (and also make it 100% free!). In this post I want to talk about something that we believe is fundamental towards this goal: students must be able to read and write complete sentences and be given immediate detailed feedback about their answers. When we started working on Duolingo we noticed that most language learning methods outside of the classroom didn't do this. Some never provide you with any feedback (think of books or the audio tapes from the 1980s), while other more "interactive" ones only provide you with feedback on single words or multiple choice questions. As any educator will tell you, having students read and write complete sentences by themselves, and then get detailed feedback, is significantly better for learning.

This is not mere Google bashing which has become very fashionable these days. It is not about the deteriorating search quality of Google everyone is starting to notice or why Microsoft's Bing is any better. It is really about how the cyber world is changing and shaping the needs and expectations which have evolved beyond mere key word search. Services like Scoop.it will meet those because Google won't. Pretty soon the question will be "have you scooped it?" rather than "Have you Googled it?"

"Mystery Skype is an educational game, invented by teachers, played by two classrooms on Skype. The aim of the game is to guess the location of the other classroom by asking each other questions. It's suitable for all age groups and can be used to teach subjects like geography, history, languages, mathematics and science."

"Artists are constantly looking for new ways to express themselves. Instead of simply sticking to painting a portrait with a brush or molding some clay into the chiseled body of a god, creatives today are exploring the world with new eyes. Their work offers incredible, new perspectives that will make you question what you're looking at. For a dose of creative inspiration, check out the work of these artists who think outside of the box"

"Explore 13.7 billion years of shared history and consider the big questions about our Universe, our planet, life, and humanity. From the big bang to modern day to where we are going in the future, big history covers it all."

"Internet experts and highly engaged netizens participated in answering an eight-question survey fielded by Elon University and the Pew Internet Project from late November 2013 through early January 2014."

During your time at school you will complete many projects and research assignments that require you to find and use information from a variety of sources - many of which will be online. Sometimes, however, searching on the web can feel like you are lost in a jungle of information? You may feel overwhelmed and ask yourself the following questions... Where do I start? Where am I going to get the information I need? How do I know what is 'good' information? Which are the best websites for this assignment? Well, the Research Safari is designed to help you navigate your way through the 'jungle of information' to help you create a dynamic assignment.

"Good stories do more than explain the what, they show the why. They answer the question: "Why is this important to me and my life?" In a noisy world of bland advertisements and pitches, we want to tell the best stories about things that are making a difference in people's lives."

via @rmbyrne

"Since our founding, it's been a core mission of BetterCloud's to spread the word about Google Apps and evangelize for the platform. And after raising a Series A this past January, we've stepped up our hiring process, which has led candidates to ask why I'm betting my career and company on Google Apps. This was a question we encountered throughout the fundraising process and I'm sure it's frequently asked of other ISVs and Google Apps resellers. While I'm obviously biased towards Google Apps, I do wholeheartedly believe the platform will win."

"I went to the homepage of EdcampHome and saw four amazing educators: David Theriault, Karl Lindgren-Streicher, Kelly Kermode, and Shawn White troubleshooting, discussing and working diligently to put this together via a Google Hangout being streamed live through YouTube and simultaneously embedded on the front page of the website. Tweets were flying and being used to communicate issues, compliments, and questions from educators all over the world who have never met face-to-face. It felt as if I was getting the opportunity to be behind the scenes at NASA during a space launch! I hope you take the time to watch even a few minutes of the amazing collaboration between them. The lengthy video is still on the homepage for viewing for now."

"While the term has become controversial since Prensky penned the phrase, the idea is still relevant-and the social perception of the "new students" Prensky was talking about continues to shift with the birth of new digital tools. However, the question that many experts are asking remains: does a fluency in new media tools like Facebook and Apple TV equate to digital savviness?"

The article from the New Statesmen" explores the technology out there that allows parents to spy on their children's online activities and mobile phone. However, the question put is whether it is all good or whether some such actions can be detrimental.

"Google has quietly retooled the closely guarded formula running its internet search engine to give better answers to the increasingly complex questions posed by web surfers. The overhaul came as part of an update called "Hummingbird" that Google has gradually rolled out in the past month without disclosing the modifications."

"Your scientific questions answered SIMPLY by specialists in less than 100 seconds." from Physics World