-ACADEMIC ADL CO-LAB NEWS REPORT: No. 392-071231
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The Academic ADL Co-Lab News Report is a limited-distribution, weekly executive summary of trends, strategies and innovations influencing the future of learning and technology in higher education. It is prepared by the University of Wisconsin System OLIT (Office of Learning and Information Technology) in coordination with the Co-Lab, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Sloan Consortium and shared with the Academic ADL Co-Lab partners. A searchable archive is available to partners at http://partners.academiccolab.org/ .
This email is provided for information purposes only. Mention or discussion of a product, company or person does not represent any official endorsement or criticism of the same. All authors and organizations retain complete copyright.
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EDUCATION
'Coursecasting' Now A Higher-Education Staple
Report: Girls Blog, Boys Post Video
Educators Divided By Fractions Debate
Little Laptop A Hit In Rural Peru
Green School Buildings Making A Surge
Pay Up Using Text Message
Teaching Low-Income Parents To ‘Work The System’
U.S. Teen Brings New School To Rural Cambodia
Final 2008 Budget A Mixed Bag For Schools
Blog, Blug. To The Writer Doris Lessing, It’s Whatever.
GAMES AND LEARNING
Don't Fool Yourself, Playing Wii Tennis Won't Keep You Fit
High Scores For The Games Of 2007
Xbox Live Suffering From Major Outage. On Christmas Weekend. Ouch.
Manhunt 2 To Face Court Challenge
TECHNOLOGY
Q&A: Author Nicholas Carr On The Terrifying Future Of Computing
FBI Prepping Comprehensive Biometric Database Network
The Technology With Impact 2007
High-Tech Gadgets Top Kids' Holiday Lists
Robotic Arms Take Home Top Award
Microsoft’s Arguments Against Google-DoubleClick Marriage
The Afterlife Is Expensive For Digital Movies
Tech Giants Form Tiny Chip Group
Gifts For Geeks
Intel's Ultrasmall Flash Hard Drive
Dell's All-In-One PC Has The Guts, Design To Compete With iMac
INTERNET/WIRELESS RELATED
Apple Seeks Patent For Wireless Order Processing For Cafes
Blogs Celebrate 10th Anniversary
Will Apple Upset The Rental Cart?
Internet 'Necessary' To Africa's Growth
Apple Shuts Down Rumours Website
Google Working On Internet Encyclopedia
BitTorrent Search Site Loses Case
Should You Get Paid To Facebook?
What Your Phone Knows About You
Queen Launches YouTube Channel
>>>>>>>>>>> EDUCATION
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'COURSECASTING' NOW A HIGHER-EDUCATION STAPLE
Universities increasingly are turning lectures into podcasts.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51181;_hbguid=0b8af8f9-649b-4696-98c2-f4366bd7aa00
REPORT: GIRLS BLOG, BOYS POST VIDEO
Just as girls (presumably) write in diaries more than boys, teen girls also tend to blog more than their male counterparts, a new study finds. But boys post more video, it says.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9835715-7.html
EDUCATORS DIVIDED BY FRACTIONS DEBATE
A few years ago, Dennis DeTurck, an award-winning professor of mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania, stood at an outdoor podium on campus and proclaimed "Down with fractions!"
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071226/NEWS03/712260337/1006/NEWS
LITTLE LAPTOP A HIT IN RURAL PERU
Doubts about whether poor, rural children really can benefit from quirky little computers evaporate as quickly as the morning dew in this hilltop Andean village, where 50 primary school children got machines from the One Laptop Per Child project six months ago.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/24/laptop.village.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
GREEN SCHOOL BUILDINGS MAKING A SURGE
Environmentally friendly schools can reduce energy costs ... and improve learning.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51135;_hbguid=e1b3ccb1-8cd6-45e9-a84e-b26cfd7b8093
PAY UP USING TEXT MESSAGE
University of Cincinnati students weaned on their mobile phones have a new option that allows them to shop without credit cards or wallets.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071224/NEWS01/312240025
TEACHING LOW-INCOME PARENTS TO ‘WORK THE SYSTEM’
Jerry D. Weast, the schools superintendent in Montgomery County, Md., was recently asked what he was doing to improve low-performing schools.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/26/17darden_web.h27.html?tmp=2137812374
U.S. TEEN BRINGS NEW SCHOOL TO RURAL CAMBODIA
Hundreds of Cambodian villagers welcomed the arrival of a new school Wednesday, a gift from an American teenager who raised $52,000 after reading about the hardships of growing up in Cambodia.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22397372/
FINAL 2008 BUDGET A MIXED BAG FOR SCHOOLS
Across-the-board cuts result in a $5 million decline in federal ed-tech funding, though advocates say it could have been worse.
BLOG, BLUG. TO THE WRITER DORIS LESSING, IT’S WHATEVER.
Doris Lessing will never be confused with the Internet’s exhibitionist personality Tila Tequila, but winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in October helped Ms. Lessing’s status on MySpace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/24/business/media/24lessing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
>>>>>>>>>>> GAMES AND LEARNING
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DON'T FOOL YOURSELF, PLAYING WII TENNIS WON'T KEEP YOU FIT
Think working up a sweat playing Nintendo Wii Tennis is a substitute for exercise, think again.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006128.html
HIGH SCORES FOR THE GAMES OF 2007
For gamers 2006 was all about the introduction of Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii systems; there weren’t many great games released.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html?ref=technology
XBOX LIVE SUFFERING FROM MAJOR OUTAGE. ON CHRISTMAS WEEKEND. OUCH.
Hard to say whether it's caused or correlated, but just about everyone with an Xbox is probably tying to get online today in order to avoid spending that precious, invaluable quality time with their amazing, loving fam -- problem is Xbox Live has been down for friggin hours, and doesn't seem any closer to getting back online.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/22/xbox-live-suffering-from-major-outage-on-christmas-weekend-ouc/
MANHUNT 2 TO FACE COURT CHALLENGE
British censors have won the right to fight the UK release of video game Manhunt 2 in the High Court.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7156169.stm
>>>>>>>>>>> TECHNOLOGY
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Q&A: AUTHOR NICHOLAS CARR ON THE TERRIFYING FUTURE OF COMPUTING
Nicholas Carr is high tech's Captain Buzzkill — the go-to guy for bad news.
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-01/st_qa
FBI PREPPING COMPREHENSIVE BIOMETRIC DATABASE NETWORK
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is preparing to collect a vast amount of biometric data, including an individual's characteristics, such as "the way they walk".
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/35409/113/
HIGH-TECH GADGETS TOP KIDS' HOLIDAY LISTS
Owing in part to a phenomenon known as 'age compression,' technology is replacing traditional toys for ever-younger children.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51209;_hbguid=3ad7db05-1aa7-447b-813a-71992715bc01
THE TECHNOLOGY WITH IMPACT 2007
The last 12 months have seen plenty of talking points around technology - from the iPhone, to Facebook, the launch of Vista and the XO laptop - but what were the developments, stories or gadgets which had the biggest impact?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7153642.stm
ROBOTIC ARMS TAKE HOME TOP AWARD
A robotic firefighter and a walking android have been trumped by an industrial mechanical arm to win a Japanese government-run competition.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7153446.stm
MICROSOFT’S ARGUMENTS AGAINST GOOGLE-DOUBLECLICK MARRIAGE
It is well known that Microsoft has been leading a heated effort to block Google from purchasing DoubleClick.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/microsofts-arguments-against-google-doubleclick-marriage/
THE AFTERLIFE IS EXPENSIVE FOR DIGITAL MOVIES
Time was, a movie studio could pack up a picture and all of its assorted bloopers, alternate takes and other odds and ends as soon as the production staff was done with them, and ship them off to the salt mine. Literally.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/business/media/23steal.html?ref=technology
TECH GIANTS FORM TINY CHIP GROUP
Seven of the world's leading chip makers are collaborating on chips which contain transistors with features just 32 billionths of a metre wide.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7149704.stm
GIFTS FOR GEEKS
Find the perfect gift for the technology and science enthusiasts in your life.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19973/
INTEL'S ULTRASMALL FLASH HARD DRIVE
The chip maker has announced a drive that could bring the power of desktop computers to handheld devices.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19933/?a=f
DELL'S ALL-IN-ONE PC HAS THE GUTS, DESIGN TO COMPETE WITH IMAC
Something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design.
>>>>>>>>>>> INTERNET/WIRELESS RELATED
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APPLE SEEKS PATENT FOR WIRELESS ORDER PROCESSING FOR CAFES
The application describes a system in which a person approaching a cafe or restaurant could wirelessly place an order that would be received by an in-store computer.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205203690
BLOGS CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Ten years ago, the phrase "Web log" — which was then shortened to "blog" — was born.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17562078
WILL APPLE UPSET THE RENTAL CART?
A plan to offer online video rentals could turn up the heat on Netflix and Amazon—and reinvigorate interest in Apple TV.
INTERNET 'NECESSARY' TO AFRICA'S GROWTH
A professor whose work in spreading information technology in Africa has been awarded by the Internet Society has hit out at critics who say the continent should focus first on basics like water and sanitation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7149788.stm
APPLE SHUTS DOWN RUMOURS WEBSITE
Apple has settled a legal row with tip site Think Secret that will see the website shut down.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7155332.stm
GOOGLE WORKING ON INTERNET ENCYCLOPEDIA
New online research tool could rival Wikipedia, but critics question whether it would be any more reliable a source of information.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=51156;_hbguid=b1b8aee8-8825-421d-b30b-058f2886b9a2
BITTORRENT SEARCH SITE LOSES CASE
A website which facilitated the online exchange of films, music and TV programmes without permission has lost a US copyright case.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7153323.stm
SHOULD YOU GET PAID TO FACEBOOK?
Social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace have been among the most successful business ventures of recent years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7153637.stm
WHAT YOUR PHONE KNOWS ABOUT YOU
MIT's Sandy Pentland finds surprising implications in patterns of cell-phone use.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19968/
QUEEN LAUNCHES YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The Queen has launched her own channel on the video-sharing website YouTube.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7157947.stm
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