Archive of ‘iPhone’ category

Privacy data ignored by Android iPhone

 

+++++Under EU law, citizen can demand a copy of all personal data that companies hold about them. However, more than one year after implementation of the new law, most Android and iPhone apps still completely ignore this right, a new study has found. from r/iphone

https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/3407023.3407057

How do App Vendors Respond to Subject Access Requests? A Longitudinal Privacy Study on iOS and Android Apps
the results of a four-year undercover field study.

Besides a general lack of responsiveness, the observed problems range from malfunctioning download links and authentication mechanisms over confusing data labels and le structures to impoliteness, incomprehensible language, and even serious cases of carelessness and data leakage. It is evident from our results that there are no well-established and standardized processes for subject access requests in the mobile app industry. Moreover, we found that many vendors lack the motivation to respond adequately. Many of the responses we received were not only completely insucient, but also deceptive or misleading. Equally worrisome are cases of unsolicited dissolution of personal data, for instance, due to the

apparently widespread practice of deleting stale accounts without prior notice

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New lawsuit: Why do Android phones mysteriously exchange 260MB a month with Google via cellular data when they’re not even in use? from r/technology

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more on privacy data in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=privacy+data

bluetooth and surveillance

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html

Recent reports have noted how companies use data gathered from cell towers, ambient Wi-Fi, and GPS. But the location data industry has a much more precise, and unobtrusive, tool: Bluetooth beacons.

Most people aren’t aware they are being watched with beacons, but the “beacosystem” tracks millions of people every day. Beacons are placed at airportsmallssubwaysbusestaxissporting arenasgymshotelshospitalsmusic festivalscinemas and museums, and even on billboards.

Companies like Reveal Mobile collect data from software development kits inside hundreds of frequently used apps. In the United States, another company, inMarket, covers 38 percent of millennial moms and about one-quarter of all smartphones, and tracks 50 million people each month. Other players have similar reach.

What is an S.D.K.?A Software Development Kit is code that’s inserted into an app and enables certain features, like activating your phone’s Bluetooth sensor. Location data companies create S.D.K.s and developers insert them into their apps, creating a conduit for recording and storing your movement data.

Beacons are also being used for smart cities initiatives. The location company Gimbal provided beacons for LinkNYC kiosks that provoked privacy concerns about tracking passers-by. Beacon initiatives have been started in other cities, including Amsterdam (in partnership with Google), London and Norwich.

Familiar tech giants are also players in the beacosystem. In 2015, Facebook began shipping free Facebook Bluetooth beacons to businesses for location marketing inside the Facebook app. Leaked documents show that Facebook worried that users would “freak out” and spread “negative memes” about the program. The company recently removed the Facebook Bluetooth beacons section from their website.

Not to be left out, in 2017, Google introduced Project Beacon and began sending beacons to businesses for use with Google Ads services. Google uses the beacons to send the businesses’ visitors notificationsthat ask them to leave photos and reviews, among other features. And last year, investigators at Quartz found that Google Android can track you using Bluetooth beacons even when you turn Bluetooth off in your phone.

Companies collecting micro-location data defend the practice by arguing that users can opt out of location services. They maintain that consumers embrace targeted ads because they’re more relevant.

You can download an app like Beacon Scanner and scan for beacons when you enter a store. But even if you detect the beacons, you don’t know who is collecting the data.

The Times’s guide on how to stop apps from tracking your location. For Android users, the F-Droid app store hosts free and open- source apps that do not spy on users with hidden trackers.

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More on surveillance in this IMS Blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=surveillance

Zoom at SCSU

per Reuben Wagenius

Cost: $2,730/year, 25 hosts (approximately $110/host)

Recording Capacity is 100GB cloud storage, shared between the 25 accounts, 100 participants per host

Here is the Zoom pricing plan showing the Basic vs. Pro account plans. https://zoom.us/pricing

Happy to set you up with an account (email provided below) as soon as one become available (5/14 or sooner).

I only ask for your assessment on this tool – pros, cons and overall impression.

CMDLN (Central Minnesota Distance Learning Network) is one of the six regions that make up the LNM (Learning Network of Minnesota). The LNM Board is made up of  MinnState and the UofM representatives. It is a State of Minnesota Grant funded organization connecting Higher Ed to Higher Ed and Higher Ed to K-12. Developed in 1995 to extend education throughout Minnesota. Core role today is connecting campus to campus with interactive video and audio.

Yes, CMDLN is paying for the Zoom Host accounts. SCSU is a member of CMDLN (1 of 8) giving them access to this Zoom account. Yes, as long as Zoom is working as well as it has, CMDLN will continue funding.

I do not see Zoom as competition with Adobe Connect, just another tool. Just as Skype or Cisco CMS.

Connect does not connect to the video codec classrooms (30 that CMDLN takes care of).

Adobe Connect does not currently connect to China without issues. We use Zoom for the SCSU-Binhai meetings.

Chosen to pilot upon recommendation from my colleagues in other states that are serving the same needs.

 

All that to say, Zoom is in a three year pilot for CMDLN members with interactive video needs.

 

SCSU uses this semester:

PSEL and TSE classes

SW from England

HBS SCSU-Binhai

IM sessions

MTQ student presentations

CMDLN Board Meetings

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more on Zoom in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=zoom

managing phone use in class

3 Tips for Managing Phone Use in Class

Setting cell phone expectations early is key to accessing the learning potential of these devices and minimizing the distraction factor.Liz Kolb September 11, 2017

https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-tips-managing-phone-use-class

Ten is now the average age when children receive their first cell phones

develop a positive mobile mental health in the first weeks of school by discussing their ideas on cell phone use, setting up a stoplight management system, and establishing a class contract
Build a digital citizenship curriculum that includes mobile device use.

Ask your students questions such as:

  • What do you like to do on your cell phone and why? (If they don’t have one, what would they like to do?)
  • What are the most popular apps and websites you use?
  • What do you think are inappropriate ways that cell phones have been used?
  • What is poor cell phone etiquette? Why?
  • How can cell phones help you learn?
  • How can cell phones distract from your learning?
  • How do you feel about your cell phone and the activities you do on your phone?
  • What should teachers know about your cell phone use that you worry we do not understand?
  • Do you know how to use your cell phone to gather information, to collaborate on academic projects, to evaluate websites?
  • How can we work together to create a positive mobile mental health?

Using a Stoplight Management Approach

Post a red button on the classroom door:  the cell phone parking lot.
Post a yellow button on the classroom door
Post a green button on the classroom door

Establishing a Class Contract: Ask them to brainstorm consequences and write them into a class contract.

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more on the use of BYOD in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/04/03/use-of-laptops-in-the-classroom/

trends mobile devices

Report: Google Gaining in U.S. Classrooms, Apple’s iOS Slipping

By Richard Chang 06/21/17

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/06/21/report-google-gaining-in-u.s.-classrooms-apples-ios-slipping.aspx

some of the findings in Kahoot!’s first-ever EdTrends Report :
Google is gaining a stronghold in United States classrooms, with Chrome OS expanding its presence on school computers, while Apple’s iOS has been on the decline since the first quarter of 2015 among students and teachers.

Chromebook had the highest number of users among teachers (44 percent) and students (46 percent), when they were asked about their top devices used. Google’s Productivity Suite (G Suite or Classroom) was the most widely used productivity suite in U.S. classrooms, with 57 percent saying they used it, compared to 23 percent saying they used Microsoft Office 365.

a majority of educators (more than 60 percent) said the purpose of adopting education technology was to increase student productivity and efficiency. Their key educational priorities for 2017-18 are “to improve student learning and outcomes” (88 percent), and to “better leverage available time and motivate students” (71 percent).

Educators saw the top ed tech trends in the next school year as:

  • Digital platforms for teaching, learning and assessment;
  • Personalized learning;
  • Computational thinking, coding and robotics;
  • Increased understanding of data; and
  • Gamificiation.

Some other key findings in the report include:

  • A majority of U.S. public school educators surveyed said they are challenged with budget restraints and lack of resources when it comes to implementing education technology;
  • A majority of U.S. private school educators said they lack training to understand or adopt new technology;
  • Many public and private school educators said they saw the adoption of “technology for the sake of technology” as a challenge;
  • Educators in California struggle with lack of training and “technology for the sake of technology,” while teachers in Texas struggle with bureaucracy, budget constraints and a lack of resources.

The complete report can be read on the Kahoot! website here. Kahoot! will be at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference

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Milwaukee Public Schools to Receive Hotspots, Tablets, Smartphones from Sprint

By Sri Ravipati 06/19/17

https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/06/19/milwaukee-public-schools-to-receive-hotspots-tablets-smartphones-from-sprint.aspx

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), will be receiving some tech handouts from Sprint for the 2017-2018 school year. As part of the company’s 1Million Project — which aims to deliver high-speed internet access to 1 million high school students nationwide — more than 2,500 students at 25 MPS high schools will each receive either a hotspot device, tablet or smartphone.

MPS students will be receiving devices that come with 3GB of high-speed LTE data (with unlimited data available at 2G speeds if usage exceeds that amount). Students can keep their device up to four years while they are in high school no cost, according to initiative site. Additionally, devices are equipped with filters to block adult content that cannot be disabled and are Free Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant.

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more about mobile devices in education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mobile+devices

apps for special needs students

Android

Categories
Apps
Android Apps for Learners with Autism
Android Apps for Learners with Dyslexia
Android Apps for Vision Impaired

iOS

Categories
Apps
Apps for Dyslexic Learners
Apps for Autistic Learners
Apps for The Visually Impaired
Apps for Learners with Writing Difficulties

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more on special ed in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=special+education

Mobile Language Learning Technologies in Japan

Book Announcement: Implementing Mobile Language Learning Technologies in Japan

New book: Implementing Mobile Language Learning Technologies in Japan

by Steve McCarty, Hiroyuki Obari, and Takeshi Sato

Publisher: Springer Singapore / SpringerBriefs in Education (107 pages)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Contextualizing Mobile Language Learning in Japan

Chapter 2 Mobile Language Learning Pedagogy: A Sociocultural Perspective

Chapter 3 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Case Study:

Smartphone App LINE for EFL Peer Learning

Chapter 4 Osaka Jogakuin University Case Study:

Mobilizing the EFL Curriculum and Campus Infrastructure with iPods and iPads

Chapter 5 Aoyama Gakuin University Case Study:

Blended Learning and Flipped Classrooms utilizing Mobile Devices

Chapter 6 Conclusion: Implementing Language Learning in a Mobile-Oriented Society

Abstract

This book explores theoretical and practical aspects of implementing mobile language learning in university classrooms for English as a Foreign Language in Japan. The technologies utilized, such as smartphones, iPads, and wi-fi, integrate students’ hand-held devices into the campus network infrastructure. The pedagogical aims of ubiquitous mobile learning further incorporate social media, blended learning, and flipped classroom approaches into the curriculum. Chapter 1 defines mobile language learning within dimensions of e-learning and technology-assisted language learning, prior to tracing the development of mobile learning in Japan. Chapter 2 documents the sociocultural theory underpinning the authors’ humanistic approach to implementation of mobile technologies. The sociocultural pedagogy represents a global consensus of leading educators that also recognizes the agency of Asian learners and brings out their capability for autonomous learning. Case studies of universities, large and small, public and private, are organized similarly in Chapters 3 to 5. Institutional/pedagogical and technological context sections are followed by detailed content on the implementation of initiatives, assessment of effectiveness, and recommendations for other institutions. Distinct from a collection of papers, this monograph tells a story in brief book length about theorizing and realizing mobile language learning, describing pioneering and original initiatives of importance to practitioners in other educational contexts.

Authors

Steve McCarty lectures for Kansai University, Osaka Jogakuin University, KIC Graduate School of IT, and the government agency JICA.

Hiroyuki Obari, PhD in Computer Science, is a Professor at the Aoyama Gakuin University College of Economics in Tokyo.

Takeshi Sato is an Associate Professor at the Division of Language and Culture Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.

Ordering information from Springer

Paperback (ISBN: 978-981-10-2449-8):

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9789811024498

eBook (ISBN: 978-981-10-2451-1) or individual chapters:

http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-2451-1

 

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more on mobile technologies in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mobile+devices

social media in academia

Research: Social media has negative impact on academic performance

By Denny Carter, Managing Editor
April 17th, 2013
study released by researchers at The Miriam Hospital’s Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine shows a link between social media use and poor academic performance
My note: weak arguments by the managing editor
  • first: link to the Hospital Center, but not to the study; difficult to check the facts, which are discussed in the editorial.
  • title talks about “social media,” but it is not about social media, it is about texting. danah boyd and Eszter Hargittai are apparently not household names in the house of the managing editor
  • then the author jumps from one issue to another: mindfulness or contemplative computing, but h/she has no clue about these issues also.
    the research, which claims that social media (which is not social media, but more like BYOD + texting) has a negative impact on academic performance is no different the research that shows very positive impact of learning with social media. It is NOT about social media, it is about how it is used (methodology).
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More on contemplative computing in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=contemplative+computing

Also on the connection of mobile devices and sleep:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/04/09/sleep/

clickers and mobile devices

Transform Classroom Dynamics with Clickers and/or Mobile Devices

Getting Students more involved in classroom presentations and assessing their interest is always part of an educator’s goal. Student Response Systems (SRS), also called audience response systems or more commonly “clickers,” have been around in university lecture halls in one form or another for more than two decades.

iclicker_CampusTechnologyGameChanger_onlinefinal

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