Posts tagged Education at Switched

Posts with tag education

Nintendo DS Comes to School in Japan, Teaches English

by Christine Whitney, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 6:06PM

As we recall, our early school years were not that fun. We got in trouble for asking to go to the bathroom and were made to do timed math problems next to the kid who always got nosebleeds. Sometimes we feigned illness so we could stay home and watch 'Treasure Island' and play 'Ninja Turtles' on Super Nintendo.

Nintendo has come a long way since then. And so has school!? Maybe...

The Japanese have again proven their coolness by incorporating Nintendo DS into the classroom. At least in one Tokyo girls' school, the portable gaming device is now doubling as an educational tool! Seventh-graders at Joshi Gakuen Junior High play with DS as a part of their English curriculum, using a talking software program replete with spelling exercises and language drills.

The program is part of a larger course intended to emphasize English conversation and communications skills, and to break away from traditional techniques of rote memorization and boring grammar exercises. Though some dissidents are not yet convinced of the DS' value as an educator, the girls at Joshi Gakuen are into it. One student claimed the English software was her favorite game, trumping even 'Mario Kart' and 'Animal Crossing'. [Source: AOL News/AP]

Local Students Get Free Lesson-Equipped Zunes

by Ryan Block, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 12:04PM

The latest edu-gimmick to hit small-town America: 100-plus media players -- Zunes, to be specific -- are being handed out to local high school and middle school students in Liberty, Missouri and Fort Sumner, New Mexico for listening to lesson-supporting podcasts in the hopes of saving them "lost class time."

Surely this will raise test scores, right? Or at least improve the Zune's cachet? Who knows -- even the district superintendent said, "Is it the next great thing? I don't know. Maybe. But it is another tool."

Maybe the Kindle might make a better tool, but either way, Microsoft apparently intends to release data on the case study later this year. [Source: Yahoo]

Students Avoiding Computer Degrees, Even Though Jobs Are Plentiful

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 10:17AM

IT (Information Technology) pays well and there are tons of available jobs. And guess what? Americans under the age of 30 don't actually seem to want them.

The Computing Research Association's Taulbee Survey is an annual study conducted at universities with Ph.D. programs, and this year's shows a 20% drop between 2005-06 and 2006-07 in students completing bachelors degrees in professional IT fields.

The CRA's study also found that total enrollment in computer science programs at these North American universities fell to 46,227, a 50% drop over five years before. Oh, and if anyone's taking the jobs, it's white men. From the study:

Perhaps even more alarming is the drop in the fraction of bachelor's degrees awarded to women, from 14.2 percent last year to 11.8 percent this year. [The] fraction of new female students is reported now to be less than 10 percent in many bachelor's programs. Ethnicity is also less diverse, with the proportion of white, non-Hispanics receiving bachelor's degrees rising to 66.0 percent from 59.6 percent just two years ago. [These] are serious problems in achieving our field's diversity goals.

Still, it's hard to explain just why the drops are happening. Computer Science is tied for second with health majors for the highest median salary at the bachelor's level ($45,000), and tied for first with engineering at the master's level ($65,000).

We'd need a degree in computer science sociology to figure this one out. [Source: Betanews]

Campuses Moving Online to 'Second Life?'

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 30th 2008 at 3:01PM

It used to be that getting a degree online was a joke. Internet colleges were the new mail-order diploma -- saying you got your degree online was like saying your diploma was found at the bottom of a Cracker-Jack box.

Times have changed. Not only is it now acceptable for classes to be taught online, but schools are considered behind the times if they don't have some online element. Dozens of reputable colleges offer online courses, Ivy league institutions like MIT and Yale offer lectures and course materials for free online and as downloads via iTunes.

San Jose State University has decided to take things even further, moving the entire campus online in the increasingly popular online world of 'Second Life.' Students interact, complete assignments, and give presentations all in a virtual class in a virtual world. San Jose State isn't the only university to buy up land in 'Second Life,' but it is one of the few that has developed it and put it to use.

Is 'Second Life' the future of the online classroom? Maybe, but probably not. Interacting with avatars is likely just a stepping stone to high quality streamed audio and video that makes taking a class online exactly like being there, though it will make it harder to discreetly make eye contact with the cute girl across the room. [Source: Yahoo! News]

Darwin's Complete Works Now Available for Free Online

by Blake Besharian, posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 11:12AM

Thanks to the U.K.'s Cambridge University, Charles Darwin's complete works are now available for free online at the Web site Darwin-Online.org.uk. The venerable institution has digitized more than 50,000 pages of text and 40,000 images by Darwin, and made them all searchable. Only about 50% of the materials that will ultimately be available in 2009 -- the bicentennial of Darwins' birth -- are currently online.

Some of the materials on the site have never been published or transcribed before, such as Darwin's field notebook from his voyage to the Galapagos. The original notebook was stolen in the 1980s, and the version online has been transcribed from microfilm. Other works first published by the site include the 'Journal Of Researches' (1839), 'The Descent Of Man' (1871), 'The Zoology Of The Voyage Of HMS Beagle' (1838-43) and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th editions of the groundbreaking 'Origin Of Species.' In addition to Darwin's own writings, the online catalog will feature supplementary texts about Darwin, including contemporary views, references, obituaries and recollections of his life.

All of this is impressive and points toward the future of digital libraries and digitized resources. However, we hope that online resources of the future won't look like a public library homepage circa 1995. While we don't judge a book by its cover or anything, we think such a monumental undertaking deserves a bit more flash, and we mean that in every possible sense. [Source: Darwin Online, via BBC]

Virginia First State to Require Internet Safety Courses for Kids

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 8th 2008 at 3:39PM

Virginia has become the first state in the nation to mandate some form of Internet safety courses for public school children. Details on the program are scant at the moment, but the courses came out of concern for teens and pre-teens who may be the target of sexual predators.

As part of presentation in a Richmond, Virginia high school, the state's assistant attorney general, Gene Fishel, showed images of a social networking profile of a convicted sex offender who pretended to be a 15 year-old girl.

It's nice to see a state reach for education as a solution to the problem instead of censorship.

From Slashdot

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Texting Students Force Professor to Walk Out of Class

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 7th 2008 at 1:10PM

We've all had professors who had some absurdly strict class room rules, or a bizarre passive aggressive streak, but Syracuse University professor Laurence Thomas has combined both, much to the ire of his students and their parents.

The rule: No texting in class. A perfectly understandable rule. And one that really the students should have no problem following. But professor Thomas' way of dealing with texting students is more akin to an six year-old holding his breath until he gets that toy he so badly wants. No, Thomas isn't holding his breath at the front of the lecture hall until he simply passes out -- that would be hilarious. Instead, when professor Thomas catches a student texting, he simply walks out of class.

Naturally parents and students, who are spending over $30K a year on this education, are a little peeved. They claim that Thomas has a responsibility to teach or pay up. Thomas on the other hand seems to think his students need to learn a thing or two about respect.

Undeniably, the students shouldn't be texting during class, but the professor's sweeping punishment of the entire class for the actions of one student lead us to believe this guy was teaching sixth graders not that long ago. Then again, at least he's not reacting like the guy in the video above.

From Jossip

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$50 PC Will Teach Chicago School Kids

by Thomas Houston , posted Mar 14th 2008 at 10:34AM

Here's another entry in the expanding line of low-cost computer technology that's geared towards the classroom: Innovations for Learning, a Chicago-based nonprofit, recently debuted its $50 Teachermate handheld, which now joins the OLPC XO and Intel Classmate in the quest to teach kids how to compute on the cheap. The bare-bones PC comes with 512MB of RAM, an SD slot (for external memory), a tiny 2.5-inch display, and a microphone and speaker. It lacks Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) or Ethernet, however, so the Teachermate won't be able to go online. Because the handheld device also lacks a keyboard, it forces the user to maneuver around the onscreen interface with just a four-way directional pad and three buttons.

Innovations for Learning will be launching the new computers in over 500 Chicago public elementary schools during the next two years. While both the OLPC and Intel Classmate are built on freely-available open-source software -- which makes them more versatile and upgradeable -- the Teachermate currently only runs a small proprietary set of classroom management tools and reading and math educational software.

The Teachermate will be available soon on Amazon, for those who are interested in trying it out on their own.

From Engadget

Gallery: Teachermate - $50 PC

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University Lets Students Trade Windows Laptops for MacBooks

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 3rd 2008 at 1:20PM

Oklahoma Christian University Will Let Students Trade in Windows Laptops for MacBooks

Oklahoma Christian University (OC) is the latest in a long line of schools to get on the Apple bandwagon. Handing out new MacBooks to incoming students is hardly unique, but this new exchange program is.

Most of these programs are for new students only, but OC will offer current students an opportunity to trade in their Windows laptops for brand new Apple machines. And if that isn't enough, students will also be offered an iPhone or iPod touch.

OC's Apple hocking programs and campus-wide Wi-Fi put the university at the cutting edge of technology and education, so we're big fans.

From TUAW

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University Gives iPhones to Freshmen

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 27th 2008 at 5:03PM

You're about to wish you attended ACU (Abilene Christian University) in Texas. Why? The university is about to hand out iPhones and iPod Touches to incoming freshmen. Jealous? We know we are.

Giving electronic gadgets to students is becoming the norm for universities and colleges ever since Duke first experimented with handing iPods to incoming students in 2004. Other schools hand over laptops. Some of us here at Switched were lucky if we got E-mail addresses when we went to school.

But ACU wants to stay ahead of the technological curve and has invested in creating several iPhone and iPod Touch-compatible applications for students including homework reminders, classroom surveys, campus navigators, and meal planners. The pilot program involving this year's incoming freshman will decide the future shape of the program, or if there even is one.

From ArsTechnica

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'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 15th 2008 at 4:40PM

PBS just opened up its new online service aimed at children called 'PBS Kids Play!' The activities are aimed at children ages 3-6 and is currently available for a free trial as part of the beta test. When the trial ends, parents will be asked to cough up $79 for the year, or $9.95 a month.

Currently the application only officially supports Windows XP, or Vista. A web version of the edu-tainment games are available to users of Mac OS X and Linux, but let's just say it's still a little buggy. Kids play games with characters from various PBS shows such as 'Curious George,' 'The Berenstain Bears,' 'Bob the Builder,' and even 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.'

PBS Kids Play! is not a social networking service. There is no interaction between children or with children, so safety shouldn't be a concern. Parents can however sign in and check a child's progress in the educational activities or set time limits on play.

At $79 a year, the subscription is a bit on the pricey side. But PBS Kids Play! is definitely more useful than that tote bag PBS is always pushing.

From Reuters

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Yoko Ono Plus All-Star Line-up Announce New John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

by Will Safer, posted Jan 7th 2008 at 8:15PM

There may be a 150-inch plasma TV on the show floor but some of the brightest stars were just outside the convention center at the Consumer Electronics Show Monday, where Yoko Ono was joined by Natasha Bedingfield, the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, and Pat Monahan of Train to announce a brand-new audio and video technology-laden John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.

The bus' mission is to drive all across North America to provide students with hands-on opportunities to make music, produce videos and shoot digital photos in one of the most advanced mobile production studios around.

The presentation started off with a serenade from Bedingfield (her hit "Unwritten") and was followed by comments from will.i.am and of course Ono, who said, plainly, that "music is light and we use it to banish darkness."

The Lennon Bus program was started by two music industry vets, Brian Rothschild and music manager David Sonnenberg (who has shepherded talent from the likes of Meatloaf and the Black Eyed Peas, among many others) to combat the real lack of music education and opportunities for students to get hands-on music production and performance know-how. Major support comes from Maxell, Roland, Sony and Apple.

will.i.am pointed out that two Black Eyed Peas hits were actually recorded on board the previous incarnation of the bus. He also likened the bus to the bookmobile that used to come around his East Los Angeles neighborhood when he was a kid -- but with a big difference. "This bus is like the bookmobile on crack."

Indeed.

From John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.

Gallery: John Lennon Educational Bus

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Action Movies Teach Kids Bad Physics

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 17th 2007 at 11:04AM

Sure it's cool in big summer blockbusters when the hero drives the car and jumps 14 others, or shoots one bullet through three guys, but the truth is moves such as those are physically impossible. You may be sitting there saying to yourself "yeah... I know, it's just a movie," but apparently, some kids are are getting some bad education from these movies with completely fantastic physics.

Two professors at the University of Central Florida have written an article published in the German physics journal "Praxis der Naturwissenschaften Physik." Costas J. Efthimiou, one of the authors of the article, complains that some people actually think a bus traveling at 70 miles-per-hour could jump a 50 foot gap, just like in 'Speed.' Older students may know that movies are not real, but apparently kids have a tendency to believe what they see on the screen.

Is it so surprising? Maybe not. Science scores are down across the country in most grade levels, according to the Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 report, and even worse, only a third of students were considered proficient in the sciences at their grade level.

Efthimiou has begun teaching a course called Physics in Film to try and engage his students at UCF, but as the title of his article says, "Hollywood Blockbusters: Unlimited Fun but Limited Science Literary."

From Slashdot and Physorg.com

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A New Game for Your Brain

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 1st 2007 at 4:17PM

The huge success of the 'Brain Age' series from Nintendo has created a whole new sub-genre of puzzle games that aren't just fun fun, but also make you smarter. 'Brain Age' is certainly the most popular, but not everyone has a Nintendo DS, which leads us to Lumosity. It's a so-called brain fitness game that presents you with a number of seemingly simple challenges that tax your noodle and, hopefully, help whip it into shape.

Some games test your reactions, like asking you to quickly identify whether a given symbol is the same as the last one that was displayed. Other games get a bit more complex: One of the harder ones shows you a wilderness image with a white box in the center. For an instant a small picture of a bird will appear somewhere on screen and a letter will flash in the box at the same time. You need to not only click where the bird appeared but then remember what letter was shown. Eventually the letters will spell the name of the bird, or you can gain some bonus points by guessing it earlier, 'Wheel of Fortune' style.

The games are fun and short and actually do seem like they could make you a little quicker with certain mental tasks. It's all free to boot, at least for the moment. Now just don't get caught playing at work.

From TechCrunch

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Text Messaging Stunts Writing Skills

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 1st 2007 at 11:37AM

In a recent report, Ireland's Department Of Education expressed concern that text messaging is beating the smarts out of its students' heads. The report, which observed 37,000 students aged 15 and 16, states that, "Text messaging, with its use of phonetic spelling and little or no punctuation, seems to pose a threat to traditional conventions in writing." The report not only blames texting's shorthand vocabulary for poor spelling, it also hints at a larger problem: that children trained to write at a rapid-fire pace are failing to think analytically about test answers. They instead answer quickly, with little thinking and few words.

Teachers in the U.S. have seen the same pattern. So the question is: Is the English language being flushed down the toilet, or is it naturally evolving? In a New York Times article about kids using IM shorthand in class, Jesse Sheidlower of the Oxford English Dictionary was quoted as saying, "There is no official English language. Language is spread not because anyone dictates any one thing to happen. The decisions are made by the language and the people who use the language." OMG.

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Nintendo DS Comes to School in Japan, Teaches English

Local Students Get Free Lesson-Equipped Zunes

Students Avoiding Computer Degrees, Even Though Jobs Are Plentiful

Campuses Moving Online to 'Second Life?'

Darwin's Complete Works Now Available for Free Online

Virginia First State to Require Internet Safety Courses for Kids

Texting Students Force Professor to Walk Out of Class

$50 PC Will Teach Chicago School Kids

Gallery: Teachermate - $50 PC

University Lets Students Trade Windows Laptops for MacBooks

University Gives iPhones to Freshmen

'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children

Yoko Ono Plus All-Star Line-up Announce New John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

Gallery: John Lennon Educational Bus

Action Movies Teach Kids Bad Physics

A New Game for Your Brain

Text Messaging Stunts Writing Skills

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