HGSET561

Indian college classrooms have not integrated technology into learning and teaching, so private companies - teaching the skills needed to perform in their specific career paths - are taking the lead, showing that universities need to catch up.

Article about how "STEM" is a popular acronym/buzzword that many people don't understand.

Article about how I-Pads will make electronic patient records easier to use, less expensive, and eventually transform health care. Interesting to read after our online discussion about AI in informal learning- health communication and medical training.

With the privacy concerns surrounding medical records, HIPPA legislation and the password security that is now required of personnel in hospitals to access medical records with ever changing password authentication tokens, I wonder if iPad wireless communication poses any risk to data being hijacked.

Cherie- I actually discussed this issue with a relative who is a doctor and he said that while his office is trying to switch to digital records, he is also concerned about privacy, increased government/insurance company regulation, and a disconnect in patient care/communication (looking down instead of talking to the patient). He also is concerned about time management with so many patients- the time it will take to record information on a tablet instead of the time he takes verbally recording patient information in just a few seconds.

This article is interesting in light of Haste's article for class. Gladwell dismisses the "Twitter revolution" in Moldova and explains that real activism--real civic participation--is not seen in low-risk online networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps new technology cannot empower individuals enough for real-life civic engagement?

I am not sure that online networks only form weak ties. I am somewhat surprised there was no mention of http://www.meetup.com/ and the soon to be released http://www.jumo.com/ as they both appear to consider themselves to be a means for social change. There is another point raised that we seem to have forgotten activism. This point, if true, may be a good explination as to why social media is not commonly used for social change.

Thanks for posting this Jessica! I've been thinking about this for sometime now and I don't think Gladwell is right in saying that Twitter and FB form weak ties just as the SM folklore claiming that twitter or FB is in the middle of real activism. Social media is a tool for organizing civic participation. Civic engagement is defined by how many participate and only later by the platform/tool they use. Couple of reactions to Gladwell's piece: http://rburnett.ecuad.ca/main/2010/10/1/the-anti-gladwell-small-change-indeed.html http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/tipping_point_author_malcolm_gladwell_says_facebook_twitter_cant_change_world.php

On the lighter side, perhaps you are a prodigy and you just haven't discovered it yet.

Will bendable computer screens save newspapers?

Ha-hah! Thats awesome. I guess it was only a matter of time until we had flexible computer screens. I'm not sure if it will save and/or replace newspapers. I could definitely see consumers buying this screen and having their news constantly updated. Sure you can look to a computer or smartphone for news, but there's something appealing about this newspaper-like screen...

Part 2 of 3 of the great iPad debate

Part 1 of 3 of the Great iPad Debate.

Smartphones effecting our brains?  

Location-based cell phone use

What out for the Android.

K-14 Stem Schools?

AHA! This is really interesting...I have to say I appreciate the upheaval of something we take as a given--that the system necessarily has to work k-12. A guaranteed associates degree is provocative to think about in a range emerging fields. . .

10th grader quits a traditional school to learn at a virtual school

South Carolina school using technology in the classrooms and the school has raised it's test scores.

Interesting video in light of our discussions on AI toys. This is going for a much older audience, but some of the "reactive" qualities would be extremely applicable to products for children.

A new online-based note taking tool... I will be trying this out this week

Curious what math teachers in our class think about this. Anyone worked with these methods?

I was talking with Arene about this. He has taught math in middle school and high school in Singapore. When I asked if teaching this in the US would be effective he had some interesting points. You should talk with him to get an accurate account, but one of the questions he raised in our conversation was the following: Does this pedagogy that works in the cultural context of Singapore transfer to the United States?

For all you English teachers out there who die a little bit inside every time you read shortcut language- I wish you a happy Friday.

The textbook publishers are working hard to stay relevant