Amazon to allow gifting of Kindle eBooks
Amazon.com Inc. has begun allowing customers to give its Kindle eBooks to others, the Associated Press reports.
Month: November 2010
Review: iOS4.2 software on iPad brings welcome features, unwelcome snags
Apple's eagerly anticipated iOS 4.2 mobile software upgrade finally reaches the iPad today. The free upgrade addresses shortcomings in Apple's otherwise prized tablet software and will feel familiar…
The attention-span myth
Polemicists of various stripes continue to calibrate the effect of technology on attention spans, reports the New York Times.
Opinion: Teaching for America
The Education Department is the “epicenter of national security,” write Thomas Friedman, columnist for the New York Times.
Historically black colleges look to increase online presence
When Michael Hill needed a doctoral program with the flexibility to let him continue working full-time as a Lincoln University administrator, he chose an online degree program from…
More public schools trying single-sex education
Single-sex education appears to be making a comeback, but with a new twist: A small but growing number of traditional public schools are experimenting with separate instruction for…
For high school seniors, a tweet could be worth $20,000
High school seniors trawling the internet for college scholarship programs might want to bone up on their tweeting skills: Louisville, Ky.-based KFC is offering a $20,000 scholarship for…
New effort aims to turn teacher education ‘upside down’
Eight states are beginning a national pilot program to transform teacher education and preparation to emphasize far more in-field, intensive training—as is common practice in medical schools.
Survey suggests college students still tepid on eBooks
Colleges’ embrace of electronic books runs the spectrum from hesitant acceptance to full investment, but students’ reluctance to use the nontraditional textbooks remains, if a new national survey…
Gates urges school budget overhauls
Bill Gates, the founder and former chairman of Microsoft, has made education-related philanthropy a major focus since stepping down from his day-to-day role in the company in 2008.…
Internet censorship one step closer to law
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to pass the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), moving the legislation one step closer to reality, reports ReadWriteWeb.
An unsealed lawsuit indicates Dell hid faults of computers
Documents unsealed Thursday in a three-year-old lawsuit against Dell have raised more questions about how the company handled an unprecedented number of faulty computers sold to governments, schools…
Senators seek probe into education rule making process
Two Republican senators have asked the U.S. Education Department to investigate the alleged leaking by department officials of proposed rules aimed at tightening regulation of the industry, Reuters…
NACAC issues first report on Best Colleges rankings
The National Association for College Admission Counseling surveyed its members on attitudes toward U.S. News's Best Colleges rankings; recently the NACAC/U.S. News & World Report Ad Hoc Committee…
Fairfax school experiments with letting cheating students retake tests
The Fairfax County high school that asked teachers to all but banish F's from its recent report cards has been experimenting with an approach that would allow students…
Web site lends an ear to student woes-then reports trends to schools
Heidi Allstop was a Junior year psychology student when she launched her online business Spill, a web site where students can anonymously submit descriptions of their personal problems…
Student body president in CA is illegal immigrant
The popular student body president at California State University, Fresno has publicly revealed a personal detail he long sought to keep secret: He is an illegal immigrant, says…
Google offers mobile editing on Google Docs–with many restrictions
This morning, Google announced that smartphone users could use its Google Docs site to edit documents on the go, says Rob Pegoraro of Faster Forward.
Facebook messaging poses risks for users: watchdog
Facebook's new online messaging service makes users of the social networking site more vulnerable to identity theft by cybercriminals, computer security firm Sophos warned Thursday.
North Carolina students offered Microsoft certification course
North Carolina is on track to becoming the first U.S. state to offer Microsoft computer training in every high school.
Do students need a social media safeguard?
For college students prone to posting 2 a.m. Facebook status updates detailing the party they just stumbled from, there’s a new web application that might save them from…
Duncan: Ed tech can help cut costs
Calling the crisis facing school budgets “the new normal,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan told school officials Nov. 17 to look at saving money in their districts by increasing…
New web site combines project-based learning, social responsibility
A new partnership between Microsoft Corp., the Smithsonian Institution, and TakingITGlobal will help teachers integrate project-based learning to teach their students core curriculum content, as well as problem-solving…
With divided Congress, school reform faces a tough road ahead
The Obama administration has pushed an ambitious education agenda in the last two years, sending $100 billion to states thorough the stimulus package and spurring reform in many…
California court backs illegal immigrant students
In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal immigrants can be eligible for the same reduced tuition at public colleges and universities as legal…
F.B.I. seeks wider wiretap law for web
Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to meet with top executives of several technology firms about…
Minn. Catholic school deletes student editorials
Editorials in a Catholic prep school's student newspaper about same-sex marriage and gay teenagers are sparking debate about free speech in Minnesota, reports the Associated Press.
New teacher education program headed to 8 states
Eight states are beginning a national pilot program to transform teacher education and preparation to emphasize far more infield, intensive training as is common practice in medical schools,…
Google Voice app finally approved for iPhone
Google Inc.'s Voice calling application has won approval to be on the iPhone after more than a year of haggling with Apple Inc., reports the Washington Post.
Feds propose shifting more airwaves to broadband
Federal officials looking for more airwaves to deliver wireless broadband services are recommending that the government reallocate a sizeable chunk of radio spectrum currently used for naval radar…
More professors give out handheld devices to monitor and engage students
More than half a million college students now use wireless devices, or “clickers,” to register class attendance and take quizzes, reports the New York Times.
Facebook’s revamped messaging: The future of communication?
Facebook is betting that one day soon, we'll all be acting like high school students, reports the Associated Press: more texting and instant-messaging, at the expense of eMail.
Google working on phone with built-in payment tool
Google Inc. is taking another stab at designing a game-changing mobile phone, this time by including a built-in payment system that eventually could enable the devices to replace…
Conference: Technology is helping to ‘redefine … disability’
Assistive technology devices enable students with disabilities to express what they know, and rapid advancements in technology are helping to “redefine ability and disability,” says Milton Chen, senior…
Growth of online instruction continues, though unevenly
Online instruction continues to grow quickly overall, according to the latest snapshot of online education programs in grades K-12. But the shape and pace of this growth remains…
Schools get smarter about ed-tech energy use
Schools across the country are finding that investing in energy-efficient technology has an economic benefit as well as helping to save the environment.
Online college classes: An answer to budget shortfalls?
California’s use of online distance education is “limited,” and campuses across the state should partner with a leading online university to expand students’ access to a college degree…
Should you be snuggling with your cellphone?
WARNING: Holding a cellphone against your ear may be hazardous to your health. So may stuffing it in a pocket against your body, reports the New York Times’…
Questionable science behind academic rankings
For institutions that regularly make the Top 10, the autumn announcement of university rankings is an occasion for quiet self-congratulation, reports the New York Times.
‘Highly effective’ teachers are spread unevenly across District
The District's most affluent ward has more than four times as many "highly effective" public schoolteachers as its poorest, underscoring a problem endemic to urban school systems: Their…