Sal Kahn presents at MIT (also a bit about the MIT collaboration with the Kahn Academy).
Apple and the cloud
Has Apple faded or should we assume a new “wow” product is soon to be revealed?
We all likely have our opinions on this question. For me, I have nearly all the gadgets I can handle. Glasses that function as an interface or a watch that does whatever is not of great interest.
What I wish Apple would develop is a more productive cloud strategy. It is cool I can synch my multiple iTunes accounts, but this is fun and not a productivity issue. As proprietary as Apple tends to be, it is strange that the company does such a poor job of leveraging the cloud. This is an area in which I see actual productivity benefits (written from my Chromebook Pixel).
Here is a similar and more detailed analysis from TechCrunch,
Adobe goes for the subscription model
It appears Adobe no longer wants us to “own” its products. It would rather we rent.
This sucks – you can quote me.
I hope this opens up a viable business model for a serious competitor.
Reading from devices
Scientific American, a source with reasonable scientific standards (although not above taking advantage of trendy topics), has a recent article on reading from the screen.
Even so, evidence from laboratory experiments, polls and consumer reportsindicates that modern screens and e-readers fail to adequately recreate certain tactile experiences of reading on paper that many people miss and, more importantly, prevent people from navigating long texts in an intuitive and satisfying way. In turn, such navigational difficulties may subtly inhibit reading comprehension. Compared with paper, screens may also drain more of our mental resources while we are reading and make it a little harder to remember what we read when we are done.
I wonder what we really know about reading from the screen at this point. You have to admit it is a relatively novel experience for all of us. One of the first questions I ask anyone who has something to say about this topic is how many books they have read from a device. How many books have you read on your phone, your ipad, your computer? I can say I have read several books on each of these devices. I have done so in order to say that I have read a book on my phone. Am I willing to argue that students should read books on their phones? Hardly! I find it tedious on such a small screen.
However, once we do serious work on a device I think we may have different opinions and research may demonstrate different outcomes. This requirement may occur as a result of necessity. So, I now read nearly all journal articles as pdfs from some device. Would I do this willingly? Probably not. But, it is likely we do not understand the role past habits may play in this reaction and in the exercise of actual skills. I find that as I read almost exclusively from the screen my strategies for serious reading have changed. The danger in the research is a confounding of past habits and the demands of a given format. If we scan from the screen and read paper differently, how much of the difference is a function of nature vs nurture?
thereNow
The AERA (American Educational Research Association) convention has not been where I expect to review new educational tech gadgets, but the conference and the exhibitors have changed.
thereNow offers products for recording classroom behavior. The products could be used by researchers or supervisors working with preservice teachers. Two devices (see image) were presented. The most mobile option comes in a carrying case with two cameras (one on the class and another on the teacher). A wireless mike picks up the audio.
The second device is a bit larger but provides the opportunity for remote camera control. In both cases an Ethernet port pumps the content to the company’s servers for storage and review.
The devices go for $3500 and $5000 with an additional fee per user.
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Are you smarter than a 4th grader (or me for that matter)
I find this interesting. PEW has a short 13 item, online quiz to test your knowledge of science. Results are broken down by age, sex, education, etc.
I admit I missed one. It was the question with that was the most difficult (20% correct), but I should have been able to figure out the correct answer (MC) by a process of elimination. I would have had no chance based on recall.
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