This post from AppleInsider indicates that the iPad has but into netbook sales by as much as 50%. This is likely just the beginning as other companies bring their products to market. Schools which have invested in a netbook strategy will now find themselves swimming against the current. To me, apps are the difference. The netbook world has nothing to compete with the huge collection of very low cost apps.
Cindy she was doing her classes on blogging this week. She wanted to show some blogs started by students from previous years and was disappointed that she could find none that had been maintained. Perhaps the time between taking the class and teaching is too long. Perhaps blogging is too difficult if you are not getting graded. Maybe future teachers think that posting in Facebook is blogging.
I happened to run across this post on why teachers should blog. I think the message is – are you willing to let the politicians explain what teachers do?
p>TechCrunch today broke the story that IAC had made the decision to shut Bloglines down. Early on, this was my RSS reader of choice and then I gradually moved on. I have a vague recollection that Blogline was in serious trouble before and that must have been when the service was purchased (a post from 2008).
This quote from the article is nearly a perfect description of my experience:
the site has been in jeopardy ever since the launch of Google Reader long ago, compounded by the shift from RSS to realtime news streams. Over the past few years, the site hasn’t launched any new or innovative features to boost usage. While we’ve heard in the past that IAC was considering shutting down the site, the company held off on killing the site permanently and was looking for ways to refurbish Bloglines.
This may not be of interest to most who follow this blog, but this type of situation is why I think authors must have a way to continually upgrade the books they write. The Internet offers the outlet, but publishers must also understand that revision cannot happen every three years. Yes, Bloglines was the example of an RSS system we used in the last edition of our book.
——-
Here is a more “business 0riented” analysis from paidContent.
If you are a Diigo user, you want to pay attention the new list of services provided to free, premium and education users. If you are a free or education user and have been “caching” copies of pages you bookmark, you will find this (and some other) services are no longer available. Why is this an issue? Some sites make content available temporarily and then expect users to pay for access. With caching, this content could be saved. I did always wonder why this was legal. It now appears it is allowed only if you pay ( $40 a year). I still wonder if it is really legal to get around the clear intent of the content provider.
This is the kind of thing I hate about online services. I decide on one service over another (Diigo over Delicious) and then after investing time in developing the resource to fit my interests find that the specific variable that was the deciding factor in the original decisions has changed. Actually, Delicious has some advantages in that it appears to be listed as a “sharing” option from readers I use and Diigo is not.
I guess sometimes you do get what you are willing to pay for.
I happened across a streaming Netflix documentary from Frontline last night. College Inc. examined the rise of “for profit” higher education. I am interested in the topic and I found the analysis of the industry quite enlightening. If you are interested in the cost of higher education or online instruction, you might watch bits and pieces from the Frontline site. The entire program is available from Netflix.
I am always a bit skeptical of investigative reporting, but there were some basic facts in this program that stuck with me. I am assuming the facts associated with the issues are accurate. The first was that the programs reviewed (you would recognize the names) spend more money on advertizing than on instruction. The second issue concerned the audience typically targeted, the costs of the education, and the method of payment. Those who spoke for the industry basically argue that there is a need tech schools and higher education institutions are failing to serve. The need involves students who are often low income folks who work and need a college education to advance themselves. Fair enough. My department actually has an online major and I work in a couple of online graduate programs as a state school faculty member, but I understand the options and the number we can reasonably educated are limited. Clearly there is a need. However, the cost of the commercial programs is not only higher than degrees from state institutions, but also than the average for private institutions.The contrast between the resources of the group served and the cost of the experiences does seem disturbing. Finally, it appears most students find themselves financing their education with student loans and a significant number build up debt levels than cannot repay.
One of interesting positions the Frontline program seemed to emphasize is that those developing for-profit higher education are looking for financially troubled, but regionally accredited institutions. By taking over such institutions, the existing accreditation of the institutions allows students enrolling, often in new online ventures, to secure student loans. The institution is saved and can continue a brick and mortar existence, the money is in the online programs.
The discussion at the Frontline site is quite interesting. As you might expect there are responses from folks who work at online institutions and from students who now feel cheated. My comments here really are focused on the costs incurred by students who cannot repay. I understand the rising cost of an education is a general problem, but the argument here is that those with greatest need are paying the most.
