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by Shara Tibken - January 30, 2014 11:10 AM PST "Things are about to get tougher for Apple. Google late Wednesday made an unexpected announcement that it's selling Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion, or less than a quarter of what it paid for the handset vendor just a couple of years ago. During the years Google owned it, Motorola lost money and market share, and the relationship caused tension between Google and the other Android vendors, particularly Samsung. It also led those other phone makers to develop their own software and services, rather than push those from Google. That amplified Android's fragmentation in the market. Overall, Google's purchase of Motorola turned out much better for iPhone maker Apple than for Google. That's now going to change. Google, sans Motorola, can go back to focusing on what it does best -- making a really great operating system and apps. It can mend its relationship with Android leader Samsung and the other vendors. And it can concentrate on unifying and streamlining the Android experience, rather than worry about bolstering its own hardware operations. All of those factors mean that Apple may not be able to win over customers as easily as it has in the past. Related stories: Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for $2.9B With Motorola out, can Samsung, Google be BFFs again? Apple's higher standard: How 51M iPhones is somehow disappointing Apple's iPhone 5C misses the low-cost mark By ditching Motorola, Google frees Android from distractions Behind Samsung's push to rule the world"

"Is Making Learning? Considerations as education embraces the Maker Movement"

"...I don't mean to imply any untoward motives by the makers of MOOCs. I'm not arguing that the content or methodologies of most current MOOCs are wrong because they are based on the dominant Western academic approaches. But I do believe it is important to point out that a powerful emerging educational movement strengthens the currently dominant academic culture, perhaps making it more difficult for alternative voices to be heard."

C'è MOOC e MOOC, of course...

L.A. Flash Cards is a free software program for making educational flash cards to help you learn anything, anywhere. Make audio, image and text flash cards. Learn by repetitive rote learning with intelligent testing. Upload flash cards to your cell phone, iPhone or iPod Touch. Convert them to Google gadgets and learn from the web. Printable flash cards.

"Open Portfolios: What - and how - are you documenting?"

Create and remix the web with Webmaker tools.

"WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE An animated yeti who will then perform the show of a lifetime. HOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT Using the Blockly programming language, you'll customize your yeti and add actions."