Read: Leap Motion: Making Gesture Computing A Reality | Information Space
Category Archives: Technology
The Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It, Fewer People Create It | MIT Technology Review
Snip: Wikipedia and its stated ambition to “compile the sum of all human knowledge” are in trouble. The volunteer workforce that built the project’s flagship, the English-language Wikipedia—and must defend it against vandalism, hoaxes, and manipulation—has shrunk by more than a third since 2007 and is still shrinking. Those participants left seem incapable of fixing the flaws that keep Wikipedia from becoming a high-quality encyclopedia by any standard, including the project’s own.
8 myths about wearable tech | CNET News
Wearable devices are predominantly technical fascinations at the moment, but they have widespread market potential — if misconceptions can be set straight.
The 8 myths discussed:
- Wearable devices are just another form factor for smartphones.
- Consumers will quickly embrace wearable tech.
- Wearable devices are standalone products.
- The wearable market is new.
- The wearable market will remain a niche.
- First to market is a can’t-miss winning formula.
- Power consumption and batteries will not be big issues.
- Wearable devices are secure.
Read: 8 myths about wearable tech | Business Tech – CNET News.
Evgeny Morozov on Why Our Privacy Problem is a Democracy Problem in Disguise | MIT Technology Review
As Web companies and government agencies analyze ever more information about our lives, it’s tempting to respond by passing new privacy laws or creating mechanisms that pay us for our data. Instead, we need a civic solution, because democracy is at risk.
Snip: “When all citizens demand their rights but are unaware of their responsibilities, the political questions that have defined democratic life over centuries—How should we live together? What is in the public interest, and how do I balance my own interest with it?—are subsumed into legal, economic, or administrative domains. “The political” and “the public” no longer register as domains at all; laws, markets, and technologies displace debate and contestation as preferred, less messy solutions.
But a democracy without engaged citizens doesn’t sound much like a democracy—and might not survive as one.”
A lengthy but thought provoking read on the right to privacy and democracy. Read: Evgeny Morozov on Why Our Privacy Problem is a Democracy Problem in Disguise | MIT Technology Review.
How Professors Are Using Social Media (INFOGRAPHIC) | HuffPost
Article in Full
Professors aren’t so different from the regular populace when it comes to their views on social media.
Just over 70 percent used social media in their personal lives, a survey released last week by Babson Survey Research Group andPearson found. This figure mirrors usage among the general population, according to the Pew Research Center.
Babson and Pearson surveyed 8,000 faculty members from all disciplines in higher education for their report, “Social Media for Teaching and Learning.”
Faculty personally choose to use Facebook more than any other type of social media outlet, according to the report, but were more likely to use blogs and wikis for classroom assignments.
Less than half of faculty — 41 percent — use social media as a tool in class, but that’s up from 33.8 percent in last year’s survey.
“Faculty are not only expanding their use of social media, but also becoming more sophisticated in their use,” Jeff Seaman, co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group, said in a statement. “We see steady growth in adoption year over year; however, there are still great concerns that we hear from every age group, and that holds educators back from full adoption in their teaching.”
Faculty cited “integrity of student submissions” and privacy as their main concerns with social media use. Privacy was a large concern among previous surveys of the general population as well.
An All-in-One Guide to the Maker Culture and 3D Printing | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org
The maker culture is a thriving movement amongst all types of people who want to create and design their own objects, crafts, or computer code. This DIY community is using state-of-the-art technology such as 3D printers to design and craft their own 3D objects. This introductory guide will give you an overview of today’s maker movement, resources for getting started, 3D printer reviews, links to actual project designs and instructions, maker publications, events, and directories, videos about 3D printing and maker culture, and an article list of resources about libraries and makerspaces.
Resources categorized into the following sections:
- What is the Maker Movement?
- Getting Started Guides
- 3D Printers
- 3D Projects
- Maker Events
- Makerspaces Directories
- Maker Videos
- Libraries and Makerspaces Resource List
Read: An All-in-One Guide to the Maker Culture and 3D Printing | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org.
50 Powerful Statistics About Tech Mega Trends Affecting Every Business | Vala Afshar
There are five mega trends impacting the IT departments of every company: Mobile, Social, Cloud, Apps and Big Data. In this presentation, Vala Afshar reveals ten startling stats for each mega trend.
10 Lessons For Design-Driven Success | Co.Design
At the forefront of the economy, good design is a priority. Here’s how to embrace the next wave of innovation.
The 10 lessons discussed:
- Design starts at the top.
- The Apple myth is powerful–and incomplete.
- Today’s disaster is tomorrow’s triumph.
- One size does not fit all.
- Yes, Virginia, penny-wise is pound-foolish.
- Design hunger is real.
- There’s something new under the sun.
- A well-designed product does not equal a well-designed business.
- The big picture is a mass of details.
- It is still day one.
Read: 10 Lessons For Design-Driven Success | Co.Design | business + design.
The Battle of Facebook and Google+ [Infographic] | Social Annex
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Why Kids Need to Tinker to Learn | MindShift
The Maker Movement has inspired progressive educators to bring more hands-on learning and tinkering into classrooms, and educator Gary Stager would like to see formal schooling be influenced by the Maker Movement, which has inspired young learners to tinker, to learn by doing, and take agency for their learning.
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