New York City Schools’ Blended Learning Experiment

Online learning is on the rise, particularly in blended learning environments, as educators find ways to leverage the specific advantages of both virtual and traditional classrooms.


New York City Department of Education’s iZone is taking the lead with iLearnNYC, a virtual learning pilot program that allows participating students to take Advanced Placement (AP) classes and recover missed credits online (using certified, NYC public school teachers certified in their subject areas), as well as experiment with digital technologies in a mix of face-to-face and online platforms.

Read Full Article.

Twitter as an Educational Tool

I found this post on how Twitter may be used as an educational tool for teachers. It's a great blog as it is in-depth and a wonderful resource for educators on how to use Twitter and create their own personal network to find colleagues and followers. Take a look at: Twitter – A Teaching and Learning Tool.

Computer science programs use mobile apps to make coursework relevant

My family and I were at Disney waiting for buses to come and we were complaining about how we wish there was a way to tell exactly when the bus is coming so that we wouldn't have to wait for uncertain amount of periods. Well, guess what? We were not alone in our wish. Students at Virginia tech have partnered with the local transit system and solved the problem.

This is one of the many ways Computer Science programs can make life easier to the average citizen and the possibilities are endless! The classroom of the future is rapidly becoming the present.

See: Computer science programs use mobile apps to make coursework relevant

So Far Rivals Can’t Beat iPad’s Price

The iPad 2, unveiled on Wednesday, offers several sleek improvements over its predecessor. But its most attractive feature is perhaps the same one its predecessor had: the price tag.

See New York Times Article: So Far Rivals Can’t Beat iPad’s Price

Will the iPad Revolutionize Education?

Interestingly there are several companies, such as XOOM, who have the same capabilities to create something similar to iPad2.  Apple is not the only company with that capability. However, it could be a case of "we got there first."

See: How the iPad 2 Will Revolutionize Education by Greg Ferenstein

Agile Development Certification in the Works

Oh la la - One more certification to earn...PMI is creating a certification in agile development.



See: Agile Development Certification in the Works by Susan Hall

K-12: AUPs shape Web 2.0 use, guidelines

This article reminds me of the good old days that we worked on coming up with the perfect AUP for K-12 schools. It now seems they must be updated to meet the demands of Social Networking...

See: AUPs shape Web 2.0 use, guidelines
by: Jenna Zwang

As educational technology transforms teaching and learning, many districts are finding that once-solid acceptable use policies (AUPs) must be updated to reflect students’ and teachers’ increasing use of Web 2.0 technologies and other digital media tools.

Playing in the Clouds

Unnamed sources have tipped off the gaming site Kotaku that Sony will soon be granting PlayStation 3 gamers service the ability to dump their save games to a Sony server instead of their home consoles.


See: PlayStation 3 to Allow Saved Games in the Cloud

Google Jumps Into the Art World

Google is bringing its "street view" technology indoors. With the launch of the Google Art Project, announced at a press conference in London this morning, Google jumps into the online art arena with tools that will allow web surfers to move through 17 of the most prominent art galleries in the world, with the option to look more closely at individual art works, including some that will be digitized so exhaustively that individual paint strokes and hairline cracks in the surface will be visible.

Included among the institutions that have teamed up with Google are some of the most prestigious museums in the world. In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Frick Collection are participating, as is the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art in Washington. Museums in London, Madrid, Moscow, Amsterdam and Florence, among others, are also contributing.
By Philip Kennicott


For more see: Google Art Project

Egypt Turns off the Internet

On Thursday January 27, the Egyptian government did something extraordinary--it "turned off the internet" within the country's own borders. There's no mystery about how this happened -- the Egyptian government owns the largest service provider in the country and had only to make a few phone calls to bring the remaining ISPs in line.


For more see:  Egypt Turns Off the Internet. Now What Happens?
Mubarak's regime is about to come face to face with the "Dictator's Dilemma."

How to use the Droid 2 Smartphone

How To Use The DROID 2 Smartphone From Motorola (25 Video Tips)


If you own the Motorola DROID 2 smartphone, it's probably safe to say it will NOT explode in your face, since this was an isolated incident. And to make better use of your overall Android experience, Motorola has put together some helpful tutorials to help you get started using your DROID 2 phone. If you're worried about your phone exploding, then maybe the most important tutorial to pay attention to here is Managing Your DROID 2's Battery Life.



Check out all 25 of these great tips from Motorola to start using your DROID 2 to the fullest.

Twitter Fights US Court Demands For WikiLeaks Details

Micro-blogging site Twitter is opposing an order from a US court, to reveal the account details of supporters of WikiLeaks. Twitter has called on Facebook and Google to reveal whether they also received similar court orders.

As part of the US government’s investigation into WikiLeaks, a court ordered Twitter, in mid-December, to give details of accounts owned by supporters of the whistle-blower site. Twitter has protested against the subpoena and informed the individuals whose account information has been requested, while raising the possibility that other social networking players have received similar orders.

For more see: Twitter Fights US Court Demands For WikiLeaks Details - Article is by: Brian Prince

Love My Droid! Android passes iPhone in the US!

http://www.techspot.com/news/41896-android-passes-iphone-in-the-us.html

I'm so glad that my research pointed me to the Droid versus iPhone. I feel validated in my search for that perfect Smart Phone!