Jan 30
There’s been quite a bit of debate recently about the Southern states’ inability to handle what (at least to the North) might barely even qualify as a light dusting
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Aug 21
Raspberry Pi + Indiegogo = One Rural School In Swaziland Kitted Out With A Computer Lab
Posted in: Today's Chili
Most of the million+ $35/$25 Raspberry Pi microcomputers shipped to buyers to-date have been helping U.S.- and U.K.-based makers realise their electronics’ dreams. But the original mission of the project — to inspire a new generation of programmers — remains undimmed. Which makes this Indiegogo campaign, to kit out a rural African primary school with a Pi-powered computer lab, worth a nod.
Earlier this year, the Raspberry Pi Foundation flagged up a self-funded project by a Belgian volunteer group which took a bunch of Pis out to Cameroon to set up a computer lab in another rural African school. The Pi’s low cost price-tag, low energy consumption and support for open source software gives it plenty of potential to gain ground as a first computing platform in developing nations — provided the initial funding can be found to get the hardware out to where it’s needed. So enter crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, in the latest example, to help people push Pi further.
As with the Cameroon project, the Swaziland-based project creators behind the Indiegogo campaign want to use Pi to equip a school — namely Sidvokodvo Nazarane Primary School – with a computer lab for teaching purposes. They’re seeking to raise $2,550 to fund 10 Raspberry Pis used in conjunction with Motorola Atrix laptop docks (a neat combination if you want to use a Pi as a laptop) so they can function as standalone machines without the need to buy monitors and keyboards, plus connectors and spare parts to keep the lab running.
The project is almost at its target, with just over $200 left to raise. If it exceeds the target the money will go towards buying more Pi to increase the number of machines in the lab. One of the people behind the campaign, Piers Duffell, an American volunteer working in Swaziland, notes the Pis will be used for typing tutorials, word processing programs, access to offline versions of Wikipedia, the Khan Academy for mathematics, and may also be used to let kids dabble with programming. Which is exactly what the Pi Foundation was aiming for.
Jun 17
If you thought Microsoft’s effort to push Surface RT tablets into classrooms would stop with a 10,000-unit giveaway, you’d be mistaken. Ryan Lowdermilk, a technology evangelist for the company, revealed that it’s offering 32GB Surface RT slates to K-12 and higher education institutions in 25 countries for $199, more than 50 percent off the $499 retail sticker price. Dropping $249 for each unit will snag organizations keyboard-infused Touch Covers, while bumping the cost to $289 will add Type Covers to the package. Education outfits can take advantage of the deal until August 31st (or while supplies last), but individual students won’t be able to snag a Surface at such a deep discount on their own. The post announcing the program has gone offline since its unveiling, but we’ve reached out to Lowdermilk to confirm that the offer is still valid. In the meantime, you can hit the second source link to snatch an order form for school administrators.
Update: It appears the order form has been pulled, so we’ve replaced the second source link with a mirror of the document.
[Thanks, Suraj-Sun]
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Source: Ryan Lowdermilk (Google Cache), Surface for Education Order Form (PDF)
Apr 23
The highly unfortunate and sad campus shooting incidents have lead to the development of bulletproof school uniforms, at least that is what one Colombian company claims. They have made these uniforms out of the same materials and technologies that are used to manufacture bulletproof vests. Its not a fully body suit, but it does protect a vital section of the human body. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone was already working on a full blown bulletproof clothing line.
In the video, Miguel Caballero, the founder of this company proudly shows off their creation. Using a real pistol on a real human being, Miguel shoots from what is almost a point blank range. Though it looks like he was firing blanks, the bulletproof jacket holds up nicely. That said, the psychological effect of dressing your children in bulletproof gear every morning isn’t pretty. However the option is now available for discerning parents who absolutely feel the need for such garments. I sincerely hope though that things do not get this bad, and that some day no one would worry about having bulletproof school uniforms.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Facebook Messenger Android App Updated With Stickers, Samsung Receiving Visits By Top Microsoft And Google Executives, 
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Mar 15
Turns out, sitting hunched over a desk for eight hours a day isn’t all that great for a kid’s posture, and the spinal contortions needed to lean over a flat desk certainly do nothing for a student’s ability to focus on the day’s lessons. However, this rolling chair from Dublin-based industrial design firm Perch aims to keep kids upright, comfortable, and engaged through the magic of deforming plastic. More »
Feb 02
Google has really ramped up its education efforts lately, and it looks like it’s paid off: according to the Mountain View company, its Chromebooks are now in use in 2,000 schools, which is twice as many as there were three months ago. Three of the more recent participants include Transylvania County Schools in North Carolina with 900 devices, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida with 2,200 and the Rocketship Education charter network in the Bay Area with 1,100. The education team has been making efforts in the global community as well, with cloud-promoting appearances at various education conferences such as the Florida Education Technology Conference in Orlando and the British Education Training and Technology show in the UK. We’re not sure exactly which flavor of Chromebook the students are getting their hands on, but we’re sure no matter what they use, they’ll grow up well-versed in what could be the future of computing.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Google Enterprise Blog
Oct 04
Apparently, there is such thing as a valet service for phones. Seriously! Phones, tablets and iPods are banned in New York City public schools and though that rule is typically ignored, 88 schools in NYC have metal detectors, which means those kids have to store their phones with a ‘valet service’. More »
Sep 13
New National School Speed Test hopes to help all K-12 students get effective digital learning
Posted in: Today's Chili 
With 99 percent of the nation’s K-12 schools hooked-up to the internet, you’d think online learning was an educational staple. Sadly, it’s also estimated that some 80 percent of those connections can’t provide the 100Mbps per 1,000 students bandwidth the State Education Technology Directors Association recommends. That’s why NPO EducationSuperHigway has announced the National School Speed Test initiative, with the goal to take actual stock of the state of internet connections in our schools. The NSST hopes to measure the internet capabilities of every K-12 school, and identify those that are lagging behind. Educational staff and students can also help out by checking their own school’s speeds on a dedicated website (linked below). The results of the NSST will be open to the institutions themselves, districts and state departments of education, enabling them to better plan upgrade strategies for the future.
Filed under: Internet
New National School Speed Test hopes to help all K-12 students get effective digital learning originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 15
Kno textbooks arrive on Android with the Galaxy Note 10.1, take on a social side
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Kno’s post-hardware textbook platform has called the iPad its only tablet home for more than a year; it’s about to spread its wings. Starting with a bundled presence on the Galaxy Note 10.1, Kno is an option for K-12 and college students who’d rather go the Android route. While all the 3D, note-taking and navigation features remain the same, there’s an obvious selling point in supporting the S Pen (and hopefully other pens) to more directly put thoughts to virtual paper — or, let’s admit it, doodle in the margins. All of us, Android and otherwise, get a new Social Sharing component that lets us crib each other’s notes before the big exam. We’re still waiting on Kno for other Android devices as well as the already-promised Windows 7 support, but it’s hard not to appreciate at least a little more variety in our digital learning.
Continue reading Kno textbooks arrive on Android with the Galaxy Note 10.1, take on a social side
Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software
Kno textbooks arrive on Android with the Galaxy Note 10.1, take on a social side originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Kno, App Store | Email this | Comments
Aug 06
Kno starts offering K-12 textbooks on tablets, scores industry-first deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Kno’s tablet textbooks have only ever been available to the college crowd; the younger among us have typically had to get a comprehensive digital education from either the tablet maker’s own solution, like Apple’s iBooks 2, or less-than-integrated options. A new deal for K-12 books is giving the students, if not necessarily the teachers, a fresh alternative. Parents can now rent books for home studying at prices under $10 per title. They’re not state-specific books, but their Common Core roots will keep learners on the same (virtual) page as classmates while adding Kno’s usual 3D, links, notes and videos. Just to sweeten the pot further, Kno says its current catalog centers around a pact with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt — a publisher that hasn’t offered K-12 books on any tablet platform until now, according to Kno. The initial focus is on iPad, web and Windows 7 readers, although Android-loving parents looking for that at-home edge will have to wait until sometime “soon” to leap in.
Gallery: Kno K-12 textbooks
Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software
Kno starts offering K-12 textbooks on tablets, scores industry-first deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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