How can you be a better student this year?

(Click for article link)

Apparently you just need to get more use out of your computer.

I consider myself relatively tech savvy but even I have never even thought about (or desired to) using some of the apps and tools suggested in the article. Call it antiquated, but my sloppy pen-and-paper notes were the most useful ones. Still, it’s interesting to see how enthusiastically the author pushes students to adopt these modern conveniences.

Thanks to Lifehacker.com

Trends in Ed has survived its Freshman year! We’ve brought you a slew of new tools, services, products, and ideas that have made a splash in the education sector. In this special installment you will find Trends’ 10 hottest topics of 2009 and speculations of their impact in the coming year.

Rundown of the countdowns

The end of the year always compels people to make predictions about the coming year. Big thinkers, the practically-minded… they all have their ideas of what will happen. With that, I give you 3 of the 2010 trend lists that I found particularly intriguing...

5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010
from THE Journal
1. eBooks Will Continue to Proliferate
2. Netbook Functionality Will Grow
3. More Teachers Will Use Interactive Whiteboards
4. Personal Devices Will Infiltrate the Classroom
5. Technology Will Enable Tailored Curricula

Wow, this is heavy on the tech side! What happens, though, to the schools who can’t keep up with any/all of these trends? And the divide widens… though, I do agree with the increased use of Netbooks.

5 Higher Ed Tech Trends To Watch in 2010

Out of touch with tech

What is the current and future role of technology in higher ed? CDW-G has tackled this question in its latest study, “The 2009 21ST century campus report: Defining the vision.”

Over 1000 students, faculty, and IT staff members reported on their engagement with technology on campus and with educational materials. Some interesting findings:

The PhilPapers Survey asked 3226 philosophy faculty, grad students and others their views on certain philosophical issues. One feature I thought is cool about the survey is that you can sort the results by respondent (i.e. faculty, student, those without a philosophy affiliation...) and AOS, which I am assuming stands for area of study. The researchers had set out to explore the distribution of views within the field, which is why the sorting capability is so flexible.

I found myself holding the minority opinion a lot of the time (ESPECIALLY on the zombie question. Don't even get me started). How do your views compare?

It was bound to happen: XXX apps. While Apple’s app store remains (and will likely stay) clean of this genre, other smartphones, like the Android, are open to third party developers…which means these users could be in for some adult entertainment. Mikandi (nope...not gonna link to it), an app store with hardcore content for smartphones, is there to supply the demand. Mikandi launched just last week and has already had over 70,000 downloads. Recession proof, indeed.

Source: amNewYork

Bionic Schmionic

“Intel researchers in Pittsburgh told journalists today that brain implants are harnessing human brain waves to surf the Internet, manipulate documents, and much more.”

From ReadWriteWeb

Leave it to Intel. Though, I have yet to see an “Our computer-controlling brain chips aren’t like your computer-controlling brain chips” commercial. The technology isn’t exactly new, but the fact that it’s garnering more mainstream attention is. Could Captain America and his comic book brethren have been justified in their exuberant extolment of transhumanism?

Take some excitement, mix in a little incredulity, and sprinkle in some anxiety and that’s how I feel about the whole thing.

Ed Techies: Get yourself a digital ethnographer to stay relevant!

It’s been drilled in us for a while now: the key to successful projects is to understand the user experience. We saw examples of behavior observational studies done by Frank Migliorelli and his design firm. Here’s one more phrase to add to your UX lexicon: digital ethnography (the study how people interact with technology).

Michael Wesch, professor at Kansas State University, has been dubbed “The Explainer” by Wired magazine. His research focuses on exploring the impact of new media on society and culture. He is a leading digital ethnographer and has produced several videos on mediated culture. Here’s one for example.

Cleveland has rock and roll, Cooperstown has baseball. And how about my hometown of Rochester, NY? Why, the ball and stick of course.

Watch this clip from The Daily Show to find out the latest inductees to the Toy Hall of Fame.

Be the illustrator of your own digital story.

I was inspired after reading The value of visual thinking [blog post]. A lot of us rely on it but many of us can’t do it ourselves. It can be difficult (and frustrating!) to actively construct your ideas when you have little to no confidence in your ability to do so. But visuals can be so key. They can help you explain your ideas; they persuade people to buy into what you are saying. A sketch, regardless of its messiness or illegibility, sends the message that you have thought your idea through, at least enough to capture some of it down! Scratched out on the corner of your legal pad, barely distinguishable from a doodle… that’s your evidence of cleverness.

Visuals command attention. People want to figure them out. Take this guy for example: