Schools and Tech #28: The Education Project in Bahrain

Schools_and_Tech_28_The_Education_Project.mp3 Listen on Posterous News of the Week: 1) The Truthy Project  TAT  Truthy is a research project that helps you understand how memes spread online. With our images and statistics, you can help identify misuse of Twitter.2) AP History Students in Virginia High School Forbidden to Research Outside Classroom  TATABC News: Students in one Virginia history course will have to take what they learn in the classroom at face value, as their teachers forbid the use of any outside resources, including conversations with their parents.3) Like a monitor more than a tutor KBHomework helpers are part of a growing a niche industry. But educators wonder if this is another facet of “helicopter parenting.”4) Application Inflation - NYT - CTThe numbers keep rising, the superlatives keep glowing. Each year, selective colleges promote their application totals, along with the virtues of their applicants.For this fall’s freshman class, the statistics reached remarkable levels. Stanford received a record 32,022 applications from students it called “simply amazing,” and accepted 7 percent of them. Brown saw an unprecedented 30,135 applicants, who left the admissions staff “deeply impressed and at times awed.” Nine percent were admitted.The biggest boast came from the University of California, Los Angeles. In a news release, U.C.L.A. said its accepted students had “demonstrated excellence in all aspects of their lives.” Citing its record 57,670 applications, the university proclaimed itself “the most popular campus in the nation.”Such announcements tell a story in which colleges get better — and students get more amazing — every year. In reality, the narrative is far more complex, and the implications far less sunny for students as well as colleges caught up in the cruel cycle of selectivity. 5) Xmarks: Alive and Kicking - TAT (just a quick update!)“...pleased to announce that we’re in the final stages of completing a sale of Xmarks to a new owner who is 100% committed to keep our great browser sync service running smoothly.”Main Topic:   The Education Project conference in Bahrain - dedicated to creating outcomes to education reform Tim's Tech Tidbit:  FiresheepHow to protect against Firesheep attacksCloak your connection to foil Firesheep snoopers Update to last episode:  Network Activity Monitor for Windows:  ZoneAlarm, Comodo PersonalFireWall, Avast!Endorsements: Cammy: Keep up on edtech topics with http://paper.li/ISILBOY and RSA Vision app for iPhone (watch those cool animations like Sir Ken Robinson’s on your iPhone!) Kevin: Google Calendar’s World Calendar Lab extension Permalink | Leave a comment  »