Posts Tagged ‘education’

Microsoft’s Julie Larson-Green Says Windows RT’s Slow Start Is A Consumer Education Problem

Microsoft Surface RT with Touch Covers

Microsoft’s Corporate VP for Windows Julie Larson-Green was at WIRED’s Business Conference today, and she was put on the spot when asked by interviewer and WIRED Senior Editor Michael V. Copeland about the apparently sluggish start for Windows RT. RT’s failure is a consumer education problem, according to Larson-Green, since it’s very different from what’s come before.

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Windows RT, for those unfamiliar or confused by the new familial breakdown of Windows following the introduction of version 8, is a lightweight version designed for ARM-powered devices (vs. x86, the architecture which full Windows OS runs on), which doesn’t offer access to the full suite of Windows software. According to our own Matt Burns, that has resulted in a big app gap, and made the Surface RT essentially a glorified web browsing tablet, which sounds like something different from a simple matter of properly framing the product.

“I think we have some work to do on explaining it to people because it’s different,” Larson-Green said. “They’re just so used to Windows meaning backward compatibility in all the programs that you use today. I use Surface RT as my main computing device, I connect to a corporate network using my virtual smart card and VPN when I need to, Office is already on there [...] it’s just a simpler experience and then the Surface Pro has the flexibility if you want to work on the details.”

“I love my Surface RT,” was a common refrain from Larson-Green even into the Q&A, who later characterized it as a device for casual consumption mostly, especially filling a niche for “weekend” use. Even the dual nature of her defense of the Microsoft tablet shows that it still needs work at Microsoft itself in terms of fleshing out its role in the consumer ecosystem, which probably isn’t helping the company properly explain its purpose to the buying public.

The Surface RT is estimated to have sold only around 1 million units total since its launch late in 2012, far under its reported initial estimates of 3 million or so. Other OEMs have balked at the RT line in the meantime, with Acer waiting on launching its RT slate until at least Q2 of this year.

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Malaysia’s Ministry of Education goes gaga for Google, adopts Chromebooks and Apps for Education

Malaysia's Ministry of Education goes gaga for Google, adopts Chromebooks and Apps for Education nationwide

In the past, “going Google” was something only cities or state and federal governments did — transitioning entire systems to the tech giant’s cloud. But now, entire countries are making the leap and to do it, they’re getting a giant Mountain View-assist. Following in the footsteps of the Philippines, Malaysia’s Ministry of Education is embracing Google’s Apps for Education nationwide, while also doling out Chromebooks to its entire school system. The initiative, part of the government’s Education Blueprint, should go a long way towards reducing the barrier to the web in developing countries, while simultaneously reinforcing its use as a crucial learning tool. It’s a smart move for a cash-strapped country like Malaysia, since Chromebooks are simple to use (there’s no real OS), boot instantly and are relatively low-cost — not to mention, GApps are free. And for Google, it’s a really great way to bolster adoption.

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Lenovo Bringing Chromebook ThinkPads For Education To K-12 Schools Starting February 26

lenovo-updates-ruggedized-laptop-range-with-thinkpad-x131e-0_01

Lenovo announced today that it will be introducing a special version of its ThinkPad X131e, an education-focused notebook, running Google’s Chrome OS, ZDNet’s James Kendrick reports. The Chromebook will be sold exclusively to the education market, and the K-12 segment in particular, beginning February 26 via special bid for volume subscription ordering through schools.

The Chromebook is a version of the existing X131e, which runs Windows and which Lenovo already sells to the education market, but running Google’s lightweight OS. It’ll manage an entire school day’s worth of work on its 6-cell battery, the company claims, with a 1366×768 resolution screen, Intel processor and 4-pound body weight. The company also said that it will be making the new Chromebooks available with customization options designed to help schools configure them to suit their specific needs, Kendrick reports.

Unlike other Chromebooks already on the market, the ThinkPad X131e has a degree of ruggedization that should help it better withstand the rigors of being lugged around and used by younger children. Google has promoted the Chromebook as particularly well suited to classroom adoption, and even ran a program discounting the Series 5 from Samsung to $ 99 during the 2012 holiday season to try to encourage its adoption.

This is a definite win for Google, which gets to capitalize on Lenovo’s brand to help it further the Chromebook cause, specifically in education where it clearly wants more mindshare. And for Lenovo, it’s another way to attach a market it wants to get into in a bad way. Back in August, Lenovo North America VP and General Manager spoke to Bloomberg about how the company wants to take over Dell’s strong position in the education market, and he said at the time that his company can do so with agressive pricing and “the right products.” A Chromebook is another attack vector for challenging Dell, one that could potentially allow for considerable pricing advantages, since Chrome OS doesn’t carry the hefty licensing fees of Microsoft’s Windows.

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Lenovo Bringing Chromebook ThinkPads For Education To K-12 Schools Starting February 26

lenovo-updates-ruggedized-laptop-range-with-thinkpad-x131e-0_01

Lenovo announced today that it will be introducing a special version of its ThinkPad X131e, an education-focused notebook, running Google’s Chrome OS, ZDNet’s James Kendrick reports. The Chromebook will be sold exclusively to the education market, and the K-12 segment in particular, beginning February 26 via special bid for volume subscription ordering through schools.

The Chromebook is a version of the existing X131e, which runs Windows and which Lenovo already sells to the education market, but running Google’s lightweight OS. It’ll manage an entire school day’s worth of work on its 6-cell battery, the company claims, with a 1366×768 resolution screen, Intel processor and 4-pound body weight. The company also said that it will be making the new Chromebooks available with customization options designed to help schools configure them to suit their specific needs, Kendrick reports.

Unlike other Chromebooks already on the market, the ThinkPad X131e has a degree of ruggedization that should help it better withstand the rigors of being lugged around and used by younger children. Google has promoted the Chromebook as particularly well suited to classroom adoption, and even ran a program discounting the Series 5 from Samsung to $ 99 during the 2012 holiday season to try to encourage its adoption.

This is a definite win for Google, which gets to capitalize on Lenovo’s brand to help it further the Chromebook cause, specifically in education where it clearly wants more mindshare. And for Lenovo, it’s another way to attach a market it wants to get into in a bad way. Back in August, Lenovo North America VP and General Manager spoke to Bloomberg about how the company wants to take over Dell’s strong position in the education market, and he said at the time that his company can do so with agressive pricing and “the right products.” A Chromebook is another attack vector for challenging Dell, one that could potentially allow for considerable pricing advantages, since Chrome OS doesn’t carry the hefty licensing fees of Microsoft’s Windows.

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Pearson buys a small stake in Nook Media, wants a fast track for digital education

Pearson buys a small stake in Nook Media, wants a fast track for educational ebooks

Publishers commonly want to work closely with e-book outlets– possibly a little bit of too closely– however it’s unusual that they include themselves straight. Pearson is taking that unusual action by making a 5 percent, $ 89.5 million financial investment in Nook Media, the joint venture in between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. Some of the reasoning won’t be made public until Barnes & Noble provides holiday sales outcomes on January 3rd, but Pearson is clear that it’s furthering its online education and learning plans: it desires Nook Media’s distribution skills to make a “seamless and efficient experience for students.” Just when we’ll see this consistency is still up in the air, though. Nook Media has yet to describe what Microsoft’s partnership implies for e-books and e-readers, let alone exactly how Pearson consider. We’re not expecting a sea modification till companies begin talking up.

Continue reading Pearson buys a small stake in Nook Media, wants a quick track for digital educationFiled under: MicrosoftCommentsSource: PaidContent

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UK offers long-awaited copyright reform that sanctions format shifting, remote education

UK offers longawaited copyright reform that sanctions format shifting, remote education

Believe it or not, it’s still illegal in the UK to tear a favored CD, or even to reveal copyrighted work in distance education– both reasonable usage authorizations that numerous North Americans take for granted. Some sense is at last occurring now that the Intellectual Home Workplace is advancing copyright reforms that accept a digital truth. The measures clearly accept private copying for personal use, making it legal to shift formats as long as it’s to play purchased material. Numerous of the reforms additionally improve the murkiness bordering institutional usage: analysts, specialists and instructors must have access to copyrighted material over networks, as long as it’s for non-commercial purposes. The reasonable usage terms aren’t as generally outlined as they are in the US– these are exceptions, not general guidelines– but they go a long way to legitimizing exactly what numerous wanted all along. Or, let’s be sincere, were already doing.

[ Image credit: Department for Business Advancement and Abilities, Flickr ]

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South Korea plans to extend ‘internet dangers’ education to three-year-olds

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From following year, South Koreans as young as three can be coached on how to save themselves from the pitfalls of electronic addiction. Nurtured by high broadband penetration, such dependency (to online games in particular) has become a genuine issue in components of Asia, leading the Korean federal government to plan a new program in an attempt to stem the problem at an early age. There are currently laws in Korea that prohibit kids and teens from playing on-line games after midnight.

According to the AP, nearly 90 percent of kindergarten children will certainly be coached on “the best ways to control their exposure to digital devices” in addition to “the danger of staying online for long hours.” The government’s objectives with the job aren’t to turn kids off innovation, …

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Lenovo unveils toughened ThinkPad X131e for education, hikes price to $499

Lenovo unveils toughened ThinkPad X131e for education, hikes price to $  499

Lenovo should have struck a chord with schools seeking some rough-and-tumble ThinkPads, as it’s bringing out the ThinkPad X131e even while educators are still drafting their course plans for the fall semester. The new style keeps that better-than-military ruggedness in an 11.6-inch laptop computer while freshening the options of AMD E-series chips or their Intel-made Celeron and Core i3 challengers. Dolby Advanced Sound even offers the speakers improve when it’s not a matter of all work and no play. Educators, in turn, get the standard possibilities for extensive support or individualizing the laptop computers with a little school pride. There’s a premium to pay for placing classrooms on the cutting edge, nonetheless: at $ 499, the brand-new systems are $ 70 more pricey than the launch rate of the X130e portables they change, which leaves fairly a bit less money for notebooks of the paper selection.

Continue reading Lenovo unveils toughened ThinkPad X131e for education and learning, hikes rate to $ 499Filed under: LaptopsLenovo unveils toughened ThinkPad X131e for education, hikes rate to $ 499 appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink|Lenovo|E-mail this|Comments

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SparkTruck Is A Force For STEM Education On Wheels

sparktruck

Budget cuts and bureaucracy have kept engineering equipment from our nation’s schools, so a scrappy Stanford team is taking a truck chock-full of fun tools to the students themselves. SparkTruck literally parks a engineering bench outside of schools, let’s students play with the latest in maker technology, and has managed to have a measurable impact on students’ path towards a career in science.

“The maker movement has the potential to deeply engage kids in creatively using the math, the science, the other skills that they’ve learned, to build real things and see the connection between what they’re doing in schools and the real world applications,” says Joanna Weiss, the Secretary of Education’s Chief of Staff, who watched SparkTruck launch their nation-wide road trip at the annual Aspen Ideas Festival*.

“We believe that if we can get kids to make things and take them home, they’ll start thinking of themselves as makers that can create real impact in the world,” writes co-founder Jason Chua. For many students, science is a textbook, a brick of words and brightly colored images, which only has use in preparing them for a multiple choice test. One survey of student attitudes towards STEM found that “it is almost universal that mathematics and science is seen as boring and not related to real life” [PDF].

The maker movement, a trend towards mass, amateur engineering, is like Legos on steroids, complete with 3d printers, circuit boards, and anything else a child would need to create their toys from scratch.

SparkTruck sounds nice, but does it work? Stanford Education PhD student and resident researcher Kathayoon Khalil finds that students exposed to the SparkTruck glory see a sizable increase in how they identify themselves as builders (39% vs. 56%), which some psychological evidence suggests is a reliable predictor of actual behavior change. Khalil estimates that around 1-2 out of 100 students will pursue a STEM major in college as a result of SparkTruck. It may not sound like much, but educational interventions are usually (disappointingly) tiny.

One longitudinal study found that experience with high school scientific research bumped the actual decision to choose a career in science about 13%. SparkTruck is only an afternoon with some fun tools. So, as far as workable solutions go, it’s a relatively solid (and inexpensive) solution.

Check out SparkTruck’s road trip guide here.

*Disclosure: I consult for the Aspen Institute on a separate government innovation-related conference.



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Microsoft launches Office 365 for Education

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Microsoft has launched a new version of its Office 365 online productivity suite and it’s aimed specifically at educational institutes. Office 365 for Education replaces Microsoft’s previous Live@Edu service, with all previous customers getting an automatic upgrade to the new version. Like other versions of the online suite — such as the recently launched Office 365 for Government — users have access to apps like Microsoft Exchange Online and Office Web Apps, and the service maintains the same level of security, with support for standards like EU Safe Harbor and the US Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The likes of Dartmouth College, Cornell University, and Gonzaga University have already signed up, and Microsoft told I…

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