Education groups weigh in on digital media use policies

School policies should reflect technology’s potential for teaching and learning, a new report says.

A new report from a number of prominent education groups aims to guide school leaders as they revise their mobile technology and social media policies to better reflect how today’s students want to learn.

The report, “Making Progress: Rethinking State and School District Policies Concerning Mobile Technologies and Social Media,” was produced by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the FrameWorks Institute.

It defines social media as “the set of applications for digital devices that enable the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Mobile technologies are “devices with internet connectivity that can be held easily in one’s hand.”…Read More

Facebook denies it is secretly building a phone

The tech blogs were abuzz Sunday with a report in TechCrunch that Facebook is secretly building a phone. But the company says it’s not true, according to the New York Times. In an eMail, Jamie Schopflin, a Facebook spokeswoman, said the company is, and has for some time, been developing various features and services to integrate its social functions into various mobile phones and applications. But, she wrote, “Facebook is not building a phone.” Here is more of her eMail: Our approach has always been to make phones and apps more social. Current projects include everything from an HTML5 version of the site to apps on major platforms to full Connect support with SDKs to deeper integrations with some manufacturers. Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating deeply into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this…

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iPad competitors lining up

Starting this fall and stretching into early next year, big-name gadget and PC makers are readying their own touch-screen tablets to compete with Apple’s iPad, CNET reports. The big players in the developing tablet race will be familiar: They’re many of the same people who are tussling for consumers’ dollars and attention in the smart-phone realm. As with smart phones, choosing a touch-screen tablet will mean deciding between different operating systems: Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Palm’s WebOS, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, and Microsoft’s Windows 7—except, in some instances, without having to decide on a wireless carrier. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is emerging as a top rival to the iPad. Just officially unveiled at IFA Berlin, it’s an Android-based touch-screen tablet. At 7 inches, it’s smaller than the 9.7 inch iPad, and it’s also lighter. The specs include Android 2.2, Flash 10.1, 16GB or 32GB of memory, GPS, and a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, with autofocus and a flash. The biggest difference between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad is that you can buy the device only through a carrier—meaning there’s also a phone in the Galaxy Tab. The Toshiba Folio also debuted at IFA as an Android tablet. As with the iPad, you don’t have to buy it through a wireless carrier, but you do have the option for Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. There’s a 10.1-inch multitouch screen, an Nvidia Tegra processor, stereo speakers, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, two USB ports, an SD card slot, an HDMI connector for sending video to other screens, Bluetooth communications, and 16GB of memory. Like the Galaxy Tab, it comes with Adobe Flash 10.1 and Android 2.2. Other iPad competitors include the Dell Streak, the HP Slate, and a rumored tablet from Research in Motion, called the Blackpad…

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