Watch: This Android phone is tailor-made for visually impaired people

Rather than downloading various apps and software to accommodate their needs, the visually impaired are getting an Android smartphone developed specifically for them, Mashable reports. Telecom-product manufacturer Qualcomm and Project Ray are partnering to create one do-it-all device for visually impaired consumers. The off-the-shelf Android device will be able to read your messages, navigation and audio books aloud. It also has object recognition and will adapt to users’ preferences and usage patterns. Users will navigate the touchscreen phone using vibration and sound. This phone will reach an entirely under-served market when it comes to smartphones. There are 285 million visually impaired people in the world, 39 million of which are blind. Currently, several smartphone apps help visually impaired people identify paper currency, navigate streets and read text messages out loud. These options might be preferable to some visually impaired people who are strictly iPhone users, as Qualcomm and Project Ray’s phone is Android-based…

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Watch: Twitter boosts college grades and class engagement

Twitter has been credited with — and blamed for — a lot of things. Supporters claim it fueled the Green Revolution in Iran and helped the Arab Spring, critics argue it’s hurting our ability to write and think, Mashable reports. There’s no consensus on the former, but a new study now argues that the second claim is wrong. Twitter may actually give students an educational boost. Christina Greenhow, an assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, discovered that students using the microblogging service as part of their education are more engaged and have higher grades. In fact, she considers it “a new literary practice,” as she explains in her study “Twitteracy: Tweeting as a New form of Literary Practice.” Greenhow taught a class that required each student to have a Twitter account that was used in different ways throughout the semester. She noticed students were more engaged than in the twitter-less past…

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North Carolina criminalizes cyberbullying of teachers

In North Carolina, children and teens aren’t the only victims of bullying. On the internet, teachers report being tormented and provoked by students, Mashable reports. As per a new law, cyberbullying with the “intent to intimidate or torment a school employee” is now a criminal misdemeanor. The School Violence Protection Law of 2012 that recently passed places teacher-bullying provisions in ink. By holding students responsible for their actions online, supporters of the bill hope to curb harassment of school employees on the internet. One in six educators report experiencing cyberbaiting, according to a Norton survey of 2,279 teachers in 24 countries. In some instances, students attempt to provoke school employees to near-breakdown. It’s a growing phenomenon inside and outside the classroom…

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Facebook and Google help launch online safety platform for teens

Teenagers live online — nearly 58% of teens own smartphones and make up the market’s largest growing sector. However, mobile-crazed teenagers aren’t as unconcerned about online safety as some people think, Mashable reports. Non-profit organization Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) partnered with nine tech companies including Facebook, Microsoft and Google to build A Platform for Good. The newly launched online resource provides teens, parents and teachers the tools to raise awareness about efficient online safety practices.

“At Facebook, nothing is more important than the safety of the people who use our service,” The Facebook Safety team wrote. “We believe that helping families teach teens digital citizenship skills is a critical and essential part of providing a safe and secure experience online.”

A recent Pew study shows most American teens are already pro-active about what they share on social networks. Nearly 50% of survey participants decided against posting content online because of safety concerns. Teens regularly use privacy settings, selective friending and message controls……Read More

App for teens turns smartphones into safe driving tools

We know that cellphones and driving don’t mix. Despite the accidents and known risks, 89% of teens say they reply to a text message or email within five minutes, driving or not. So can the technology responsible for distracting many drivers, also serve to prevent roadway collisions and close-calls? Asks Mashable. A new app called DriveScribe turns your phone into a “driving coach.” Aimed in particular at helping those new drivers learn the rules-of-the-road, the app monitors speed, and blocks all texts, updates and calls while the car is in motion. It uses GPS, social media, real-time voice feedback and a jamming function to block texts and calls. The app will tell drivers to slow down if they’re going too fast. While driving, the phone can stay on the seat, in a cup holder or in another mount in the car. And there’s no need to handle the device once you’re on the road; just tap “start trip” before you being driving, then “end trip” when you’ve reached your destination. Parents of teens can sign up for updates that let them know if their teen has violated any roadway laws…

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An apple a day is great, but teachers really want more tech

In the days of yore, teachers routinely wanted paper towels and art supplies for their classrooms, Mashable reports. Now, in this era of trying to teach to digital natives, they just want more technology in the classroom, according to the results of a survey of teachers across the country. The survey was commissioned by PBS LearningMedia, a leading provider of free teacher resources and digital content for use in the classroom. Three quarters of those surveyed said they want more technology in order to better engage their students. One big barrier to more tech in the classroom is the budget. More than half of teachers polled said it’s not a lack of training, but a lack of funding that’s keeping the gadgetry out of the classroom. For more on the survey, see the infographic provided by PBS LearningMedia below…

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Infographic: 91 percent of teachers have computer access

Remember when film projectors and PowerPoint presentations were considered cutting-edge in the classroom? As modern technology advances, so does innovation in schools across all levels, Mashable reports. In fact, about 91% of teachers in the U.S. have access to computers in the classrooms, according to data highlighted in a new infographic by Australian-based online course company Open Colleges. Mobile technology is also finding its place in education. About 81% of teachers believe tablets enrich classroom learning, and one in five students have used a mobile app to keep coursework organized. Meanwhile, six in 10 students have used a digital textbook, up from just four in 10 in 2011. As these trends continue, e-textbooks are expected to make up 11% of textbook revenue by 2013. Staying connected is top of mind at many U.S. universities — about 51% said they viewed wireless upgrades as a tech priority in 2011 and 2012. Not surprisingly, research has shown that embracing technology in the classroom is helping the learning process. For example, teachers that integrated digital games into lessons increased average test scores by 91.5% compared to traditional non-digital games (79.1%)…

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Rumor: Apple developing smaller iPad while Amazon works on a bigger kindle

Apple is working on a smaller version of its iPad tablet, cheaper than the current model, the New York Times reports citing several people with knowledge of the project, says Mashable. The new, smaller iPad will have a 7.85-inch screen diagonal and will cost “significantly less” than the “regular” iPad, which starts at $499. Meanwhile, Amazon is working on a bigger version of the 7-inch Kindle Fire in order to compete with the iPad, claims a developer briefed on Amazon’s plans. Steve Jobs has famously claimed that the iPad has just the perfect screen size, and Apple hasn’t even hinted at a smaller version of the tablet yet, so the “iPad mini” stays deep within rumor territory. We’ll find out the truth soon enough, though, as NYT’s sources claim Apple is slated to announce the new, smaller iPad sometime this year…

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Delaware law to give students increased online privacy

Delaware has become the first state to pass a law banning public and private schools from requiring students to give administration access to social media accounts, Mashable reports. The bill forbids institutions from requesting students to provide passwords or account information, asking students to log onto a social media site in the presence of a government agent, requiring the installation of a monitoring device that gives the institution access, or requiring students to add an agent to their online contacts. The bill — which still needs the governor’s signature to be fully enacted — is a significant move in the long-standing fight for digital privacy, say its advocates.

“Since schools generally do not have a duty to monitor their students’ off campus activities in the real world, they shouldn’t have a duty to monitor their students’ off campus digital activities,” Bradley Shear — the attorney who helped draft the social media law…

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Acer reveals student-friendly and budget-minded Ultrabook

PC manufacturer Acer announced on Wednesday a new low-end Ultrabook which will likely resonate with students during the back-to-school shopping season, Mashable reports. Boasting a thin and light design, the lower-end Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 Series measures just .81 inches thin and weighs in at 4.3 pounds. Ultrabooks — which are ultra-slim laptops typically around or under 0.8 inches thick –- have become increasingly popular among manufacturers and consumers, giving on-the-go users a lightweight, full-computer alternative. The M5 Ultrabook comes in 14- and 15.6-inch HD displays, each packing third-generation Intel Core processors (Core i3 and i5 only), a 500GB hard disk drive and the latest in Nvidia discrete graphics. Unusual in an ultra-thin design, the M5 models also have optical drives. The notebooks, which also feature two USB 3.0 ports, tout a full-size chiclet-style keyboard.Those who buy an Acer Ultrabook PC preloaded with Windows 7 (Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate) will be eligible to purchase Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 (U.S.) through January 31, 2013…

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Acer launches sleek Iconia tablet with HD display

PC manufacturer Acer launched on Wednesday its latest Android tablet to hit the market, boasting an HD display and a series of powerful specs, Mashable reports. The 32GB Iconia Tab A700 tablet — which is currently available for pre-sale in U.S. and Canada for $449.99 — runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest mobile operating system. Available in black and silver, the tablet features a 10.1-inch full HD 1080p backlit display that produces beautiful images and HD video, with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution that’s 55% higher in pixel density than many other tablets on the market. Powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, the sleek device caters to fast web-browsing. Other specs include an HDMI port, a micro-USB port for syncing and transferring files and supports up to 64GB MicroSD cards. The Iconia Tab A700, which comes with high-quality Dolby Mobile 3 sound, can also be connected via HDMI to an external sound system…

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Can youth change the world with technology?

At least one thing is true of youth in every country: give them access to technology and a bit of guidance, and they’re capable of changing the world for the better, Mashable reports. Helping young people do exactly that has been the job of the State Department’s Ronan Farrow for the past year. Farrow has served as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s special advisor on global youth issues since the middle of 2011. He firmly believes that technology is radically altering what it means to be a young person today, as social networks give them an unprecedented opportunity to have their voice heard and connect with other youth around the world to fix the problems they face.

“It’s going to be people under 30 that solve this generation’s problems,” said Farrow. “Our principle at the State Department has been, ‘How can we turn to young people using these new technologies and tap them for their solutions?’”

According to Farrow, the State Department recently launched a “hard, honest review” to see if its policies and outreach programs worked for young people. The result? A diplomatic corps that’s been trained in social media and digital outreach, ready to engage youth on myriad platforms……Read More