We’ve seen the face of technology change a lot in a very short period of time. When the iPad hit the market many were wondering why it was even made. It didn’t seem to be more than just a larger version of the iPhone that didn’t make calls. Soon after that people started realizing what had just been unleashed on the world. Similar devices have been put into production and there are several alternatives but the iPad is still the most recognized brand on the market. This has led many to discuss how these devices are affecting the classroom and what it could mean for the future.
The iPad and other computer tablet devices are poised to take a huge step forward and possess the opportunity to become an integral part of the student’s life by becoming the new age notebook. These devices have programs that allow students to use word processing programs, read textbooks, and run applications. Perhaps the most important aspect is the reading programs that support school text. For both textbooks and classic books the computer tablet reading devices have the ability to be the first e-reader will be widely accepted by students.
Some schools are taking the concept of technology integration further than most. A school in Tennessee, as TechSpy reports, is now requiring every student to have iPads as the primary teaching method. From the iPad, children can brows through lesson plans, take tests, and write papers. Though this program is in it’s infancy, it’s likely that this approach will only become increasingly common as the cost of education, child population, and need for quality technological education and exposure increases. It’s hoped that though using many technologies, initially designed for entertainment, and refitting them for educational purposes, our educational system can begin to make up for its many deficits such a lack of teachers and outdated books.
Some argue that their effectiveness is only hampered by the huge cost to consumers. Though the iPad is quite expensive at first and the sticker shock and scare people away, it is a long-term money saving tool. One of the most attractive benefits of the iPad as an e-reader is that e-books will cost less compared to hard copies. Another benefit that makes the iPad attractive is that it brings more to the table than being a simple e-reader. It offers users a wide range of applications that goes far beyond reading a book and, in effect, becomes a single source for information and education.
These devices are beginning to change the landscape of the classroom. More and more people are using them in the classroom. There’re invaluable tools for anything from medical radiography courses to business classes. The apps that are being developed are mirroring this evolution and technology creeps further and further into the realm of education completely changes the way we learn.
Here is a great infographic that runs through the various platforms and smartphone applications within those platforms.
The graphic is created by XCube Labs.
This infographics showcases which affiliate networks are going to bring you the most rewards.
- Shareasale pays $150 for each new referred merchant
- Linkshare has 10 million partners
- 62% of the Top 500 retailers are using CJ.com
- Top Linkshare Clients: GoDaddy, JC Penny, American Express, 1800Flowers & Avon
- Top CJ Clients: Zappos, Dell, Yahoo, Overstock, Buy.com and Home Depot
via Zac Johnson.
I came across a very interesting chart that details how the Huffington Post is now larger than The New York Times in monthly unique visitors.
It seems as though in May, The Huffington Post pulled in 36.6 million unique visitors from the U.S., compared to 35.5 for The New York Times.
This seems an amazing milestone for The Huffington Post, as the site is only really known about in the USA. Im expecting some large International expansions in the coming months and years.
Here are all the vital numbers from the WWDC 2011 keynote by Apple.
- 5200 developers are attending WWDC this year
- The Mac App Store is now the #1 retail channel for PC software over Best Buy and Walmart
- Mac sales rose 28 percent year-over-year during Apple’s last quarter, while PC sales declined 1 percent
- There are now 54 million active Mac users around the world.
- Mac sales have outpaced the broader PC market for 5 years, 22 straight quarters
- Apple has sold 200 million IOS devices to date …
- … which accounts for more than 44 percent of the mobile market
- 25 million iPads were sold in the device’s 14 months of availability
- 15 billion songs have been sold from the iTunes store …
- … making Apple the #1 music retailer in the world
- 130 million books have been downloaded from iBooks
- There are 425,000 apps in the app store
- 90,000 of them are designed specifically for the iPad
- 14 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store in less than 3 years
- Apple has paid some $2.5 billion to developers building apps for the app store
- There are 225 million iTunes Store accounts, all of them with associated credit cards and 1-click purchasing
- There are 50 million Game Center users. XBox Live, which has been around for a lot longer, only has about 30 million
- IOS users send more than 1 billion Tweets a week
- To date, about 100 billion push notifications have been sent to iOS devices
- The iPhone 4′s camera is the second most used camera on Flickr
- OS X Lion boasts 250+ new features and 3,000 APIs
- iOS 5 has 200+ new features and 1,500 APIs
As you may be aware, Groupon has just filed for an IPO and hope to raise around $750 million (even though the company isnt profitable yet).
Here is a run down on who owns what inside Groupon:
- Eric Lefkofsky, who was a cofounder of ThePoint (which became Groupon) and originally financed the company, has 21.6%.
- New Enterprise Associates, which invested in ThePoint and then invested again once the company had become Groupon, holds 14.7% of the company.
- CityDeal Management has 10.3% (Groupon acquired CityDeal in May 2010).
- Groupon Cofounder and CEO Andrew Mason has 7.7%.
- Bradley Keywell has 6.9%.
- Accel has 5.6%.
- Also important is the distribution of Class B shares, which, while making up a small percentage of the overall shares, likely have much higher voting rights:
- Both Lefkofsky and Mason have 41.7% of Class B shares.
- Bradley Keywell has 16.7% of the Class B Shares
SEOmoz have put together a great infographic to better explain to everyone the HTTP Status Codes.
It’s called the cloud, that nebulous, inter-computer realm of software sharing and file uplinks. Sites like Google thrive on their cloud-hosting capabilities, providing software to companies at a fraction of the price of traditional, out-of-the-package software and offering an astonishing variety to meet their clients’ demands. It’s a new way of managing computing resources and takes the infrastructure of a company’s, or school’s, computers out of a central hub and puts it in a manageable, scalable format provided by a third party. Yet cloud computing has another side, one that is breaking into classrooms across the country and changing the way teachers and students interact. However, just like any new technology, for as many benefits as cloud computing presents students and teachers alike, it also presents challenges and pitfalls that must shape how interactions, and content, are managed in the cloud.
One Teacher’s Experience
Les Pang , a Program Director and Collegiate Professor in the Graduate School of Management and Technology at the University of Maryland University College implemented cloud computing in his Information Technology Foundations course. He used Google Docs, a cloud computing alternative to traditional word processing software, in the class. Students created a Google account and posted their assignments to the account. All students could view the responses of other students and the professor could display any document on a projector screen at the front of the room. As Pang notes, this created an online education environment in which collaboration and group discussion was easily facilitated. It eliminated the need for flash drives, e-mails and network drives to move documents from the student’s computer to the professor’s.
At the same time, Google Docs took some students out of their comfort zones. They had tried-and-true software with which they were familiar, and oftentimes they had difficulties interfacing with the new software. This was particularly pronounced when it came time to load PowerPoint presentations. Overall, Pang found that cloud computing enriched his classroom experience, but he, like many teachers, has reservations about the extent to which cloud computing should be employed. For each advantage, there is a disadvantage.
Advantages
Among the advantages that Pang noted in his classroom was the ease with which cloud computing facilitated collaboration and classroom discussion. Students could view documents prepared by other students before the class ever met. It also standardized the technology that students used, meaning they were able to interface and collaborate on the same software across the platform.
Cloud computing also allowed students to access their documents regardless of the computer they were using—all they required was access to the Internet. Likewise, most software available over the cloud is compatible with a variety of operating systems, adding to its ease of use.
The Smart Schools Program offers further observations of the uses to which cloud computing technology can be put in the classroom. Using cloud computing software, it is possible for students to create independent workspaces that still offer collaborative capabilities, and teachers can customize the software applications they employ to create a truly virtual learning experience. It also reduces the need for backup files and file transfers, which can be the bane of the teacher’s existence. Similarly, it speeds up the processing of information to make for easier demonstrations, and it gives students a constant link to the learning environment.
Disadvantages
Still, just as cloud computing offers a wealth of opportunities for teachers and students alike, there are a number of disadvantages that highlight the fact that teachers should proceed with caution when integrating cloud computing into their classrooms.
Primary among them are the Internet ethics that, while students should know by the time they reach high school, they may not. Cloud computing is another form of interactivity, and programs like Google Docs offer students the chance to interact together in a way similar to that of social networking sites. While it would be nice to think that students will behave responsibly, the reality is that there is always a small percentage that will not. Unfortunately, as the Smart Schools Program points out, misuse of the technology will fall upon the shoulders of the teacher. Thus by using cloud computing in the classroom, teachers will become responsible for teaching and enforcing Internet ethics.
Cloud computing may also leave computers and documents more vulnerable to malicious attacks. Internet filters might limit the risky sites which student can access while in the classroom, but the very aspect of using cloud computing technology carries an inherent risk. Unauthorized visitors could also gain access to the site, leaving personal information vulnerable, Pang noted.
Conclusions
Ultimately, cloud computing offers a new frontier to integrate technology into the classroom. Students of all ages can benefit from the collaborative environment and convenience that cloud computing offers, but it must be introduced with care and circumspection. Security of both students and their personal information must be paramount, and consideration should be given to those who may not have easy access to the Internet or a computer. Still, cloud computing offers promises for creating a collaborative learning environment that extends beyond the walls of the classroom and integrates itself into students’ daily lives.
There are thousands of blogs that have been effected by Google’s recent Panda update. After viewing the 3,300 comments on this article via the Google Help Forum it seems as though they dont caremuch about feedback on their results.
I wanted to write a quick article here on Crenk to show how Google’s Panda update has hurt our site. I’m hoping that someone from Google actually reads this article and notices that there is still a big issue here!
Yesterday one of our authors wrote an amazing how to article titled: How to Download and Burn Hulu Movie to DVD.
The article is completely original, it’s over 400 words in length and provides a detailed step by step guide. This article is the epitome of original content!
I wanted to see where this article was actually ranking within Google for the keywords: burn hulu movie to dvd.
I would have thought that the original Crenk article would have been in the top 50 at least. However, after searching the top 100 article we didn’t appear. Bad times!
Then, I discovered that 4 websites scraping our content are ranking within the top 100, one even ranks just outside the top 10. How is this providing good search results?
It would be great if someone from Google could please take a look and let us know why this is happening!
Have you every wondered how RIM was performing compared to the other smartphone brands in market, well here is a great infographic that outlines this and more.
Geekaphone‘s RIM vs the World Infographic
