Because you don't have enough to worry about...

Scientific American's Fred Guterl Explores the Threats Posed By Technology

"Fred Guterl is the executive editor of Scientific American, and in this piece he explores various threats posed by the technology that modern civilization relies on. He discusses West African and Indian monsoons, infectious diseases, and computer hacking. Here's a quote: 'Today the technologies that pose some of the biggest problems are not so much military as commercial. They come from biology, energy production, and the information sciences — and are the very technologies that have fueled our prodigious growth as a species. They are far more seductive than nuclear weapons, and more difficult to extricate ourselves from. The technologies we worry about today form the basis of our global civilization and are essential to our survival.'"

Interesting choice of words. “Can not” is obviously incorrect. “We aren't matching the MAC address to owners YET,” would be a much more accurate statement.

Bluetooth Used To Track Traffic Times

"The City of Calgary, AB has introduced a new traffic congestion/timing information platform for drivers. 'The system collects the publicly available data from Bluetooths to estimate the travel time and congestion between points along those roads and displays the information on overhead message boards to motorists.' Currently only available on the Deerfoot Trail (the city's main highway artery) but will be 'expanded in the future to include sections of Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail in the southwest.' As for privacy concerns the city says it cannot connect the MAC address collected to the device owner."

It's like the weather – everyone complains but no one does anything about it.

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/031959.html

November 28, 2012

Survey - Americans believe higher education must innovate

"Although a majority of Americans believes higher education remains critical to the nation’s competitiveness and the best way for individuals to achieve the American Dream, 83 percent say that higher education must innovate for the United States to maintain its global leadership, according to a new Northeastern University survey. The national opinion poll, conducted for Northeastern by FTI Consulting, underscores the centrality of higher education to the country’s competitiveness and character, but also illustrates the belief of most Americans — particularly those under 30 — that the world’s preeminent higher education system must change."

(Related) The money is there if you can find the hoops and jump through...

http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/29/microsoft-puts-250m-more-into-its-ed-tech-program-partners-in-learning-wants-provide-20m-teachers-with-21st-century-skills/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

Microsoft Puts $250M More Into Its Ed-Tech Program, Partners In Learning; Wants Provide 20M Teachers With “21st Century Skills”

Microsoft today added another $250 million to its Partners In Learning Project, a global professional development program it has created to equip teachers with the skills they need to teach IT and other future-looking subjects.

(Related) And the tools are there if you can find them and figure out how best to employ them.

35 Digital Tools That Work With Bloom’s Taxonomy

1. Creating – In creating, students create projects that involve video editing, storytelling, video casting, podcasting, and animating. Digital tools to allow students to create include: Story Kit, Comic Life, iMovie, and GoAnimate.com, SonicPics, Fotobabble, and Sock Puppet.
2. Evaluating – In evaluating students show their understanding of a topic or participate in evaluating a peers understanding of a topic. Digital tools to allow students to evaluate include: Google Docs, Poll Everywhere, Socrative, BrainPOP, and Today’s Meet.
3. Analyzing – In analyzing students complete tasks that involves structuring, surveying, outlining, and organizing. Digital tools to allow students to analyze include: Corkboard.me, Poll Everywhere, SurveyMonkey.com, Study Blue, Keynote, and Stickyboard.
4. Applying – In applying students illustrate, present, demonstrate, and simulate. Digital tools that allow students to apply include: ScreenChomp, SonicPics, QuickVoice, Fotobabble, Keynote, Podomatic, and Skype.
5. Understanding – In understanding students explain, blog, subscribe, categorize, annotate, and tweet. Digital tools to allow students to understand include: PowerPoint, Google Blogs, Fotobabble, Bit.ly, Twitter, and neu.Annotate.
6. Remembering – In remembering students recall, bookmark, list, search, create mindmaps, and write. Digital tools to allow students to remember include: Pages, Google Docs, Study Blue, Bit.ly, and Wordle.

(Related)

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/031960.html

November 28, 2012

Pew - The changing world of libraries

The changing world of libraries, Lee Rainie, November 28, 2012. "Nine takeaways for librarians:

1. E-reading is taking off because e-reading gadgets are taking off
2. The gadget doesn’t make the reader, but it may change the reader
3. E-book readers are reading omnivores (and probably influencers)
4. E-book readers are not platform snobs AND they like different platforms for different purposes
5. Library users are not always the same as library fans
6. E-book borrowing has foothold – and whopping upside
7. Library users are book buyers
8. Library borrowing patterns are changing
9. Collections are changing"