Via Instapundit: In Technology Review, Michael Fitzgerald reports on an innovate approach to make digital versions of expensive textbooks available to cost-conscious students.

This infographic is probably the most dense I've ever seen so I won't waste your time (it's the school year, no one has a spare minute) with my blabber. Enjoy the graphic and be sure to share it with your fellow gamification-loving colleagues!

There has been so much buzz around gamification recently that it can be difficult to separate the hype from the reality. With clients asking the first questions about gamification, in this post I'm attempting to draw some lines around gamification in learning. First off, as I understand it, gamification in learning means attempting to apply the principles that make individuals play games for thousands of hours. Gamification is not 'gaming', we needn't create digital games costing thousands of dollars and hours to benefit.

A disappointing return from an investment in computing

At the Techonomy conference, industry leaders discuss the future of three-dimensional printing -- and how the technology will change markets forever. (Credit: Asa Mathat/Techonomy) MARANA, Ariz. - Three-dimensional printing: hype, or hope? That's the question industry leaders sought to answer at the Techonomy conference here in the sunny greater Tucson area.

Game is a great way for learning and doesn't have to be high tech!

Chris Dede and John Richards, editors of Digital Teaching Platforms: Customizing Classroom Learning for Each Student, discuss differentiation and digital teaching platforms.

The Digital Citizenship and Creative Content program is a free, turnkey instructional program. The goal is to create an awareness of the rights connected with creative content. Because only through education can students gain an understanding of the relevance of and a personal respect for creative rights and grow to become good digital citizens.

"The digital teaching platform is an innovative approach to personalizing student learning in a group classroom setting," said Chris Dede, Ed.D., the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and a member of the Research Advisory Board.

A number of experiments are using new kinds of data - such as how many times a student has clicked on an e-textbook or logged in to a class Web page - to measure and guide learning in new ways. That could improve the student experience, but it could also end up dumbing down college, argues Gardner Campbell, director of professional development and innovative initiatives at Virginia Tech.

http://www.ted.com At TEDIndia, Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data -- including a deep look at his SixthSense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper "laptop." In an onstage Q&A, Mistry says he'll open-source the software behind SixthSense, to open its possibilities to all.

Thanks, Matthew. That video was actually filmed three years ago (yes, even before iPhone 4) and I wonder if Pranav is still at MIT Media Lab. Maybe Karen knows more about him and could make an introduction for us? Machine learning and personalizing content for us is already happening. Personally, I like the idea of personalized content simply because nowadays we can be so easily info-overloaded. It is quite normal for CEOs and political leaders to digest pre-screened/selected info by their secretaries and/or advisers, right? And Google has been doing this for advertising to consumers. I don't mind the right ads appear at the right time when I need the product or service. What really strikes me about Pranav's idea is that it reminds me about the movie Inception, where you can transplant an idea into someone's mind and the distinction between reality and the virtual world is so blurry.

This article introduces you to the world of 3D printing in a rather amusing way. Though it doesn't mention about its application in the education field directly, use your imagination.