Archive of ‘Library and information science’ category

Facebook European privacy law

Facebook moves 1.5bn users out of reach of new European privacy law

Company moves responsibility for users from Ireland to the US where privacy laws are less strict

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/19/facebook-moves-15bn-users-out-of-reach-of-new-european-privacy-law

Facebook has moved more than 1.5 billion users out of reach of European privacy law, despite a promise from Mark Zuckerberg to apply the “spirit” of the legislation globally.

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Facebook To Offer Users Opt-Outs That Comply With New European Privacy Rules

April 19, 20182:50 AM ET https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/19/603824213/facebook-to-offer-users-opt-outs-that-comply-with-new-european-privacy-rules

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who offered congressional testimony last week, has also been asked to appear before the European Parliament.

As we reported earlier this week, a federal judge in California ruled that Facebook could be sued in a class-action lawsuit brought by users in Illinois who say the social media company improperly used facial recognition to upload photographs.

Also on Wednesday, TechCrunch reports that Facebook is investigating a security research report showing that its user data is vulnerable to third-party JavaScript trackers embedded on websites offering the “Login With Facebook” feature.

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

Bitcoin Georgia

How The Tiny Nation Of Georgia Became A Bitcoin Behemoth.

April 23, 20188:15 AM ET ANDREW NORTH https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/23/597780405/how-the-tiny-nation-of-georgia-became-a-bitcoin-behemoth

Georgia is now ranked second in the world for cryptocurrency mining — behind only China.

A single U.S.-based technology company called Bitfury has been accounting for much of this mining activity, from a vast data center filled with computer servers which it opened on the outskirts of the capital Tbilisi. It has generated plenty of controversy too over claims that it received overly generous terms for its electricity bills. But scores of smaller data centers have now sprouted up, with many more people mining from home with processors bought online from China.

making an average of $800 a month mining a currency called Zcash, with the extra electricity load costing about $80.

Bitfury has also been talking to the authorities in nearby Ukraine about using blockchain technology to run future elections there.

When supporters log on to its website, they are given the choice of allowing their computer processors to be used to mine Monero, a newer virtual coin being marketed for its extreme anonymity.

Facebook groups now regularly advertise conferences and gatherings to share ideas, addressed by people who call themselves “blockchain evangelists.”

Like the original Klondike, Georgia’s digital gold rush has attracted some colorful characters hoping to make their fortune.

Take Andrew Thornhill, an energetic financial entrepreneur from Chicago and founder of a cryptocurrency startup called Spotcoin. He first came to Georgia a decade ago to provide Internet-banking advice. In 2011, he was briefly imprisoned for fraud, but he says his conviction does not restrict him from running a financial business either there or in Georgia.

Concerns that cryptocurrencies are being used as a money-laundering vehicle have been overdone, Thornhill says when we meet at Spotcoin’s Tbilisi headquarters. “Criminals are using dollars and euros every day, but we don’t blame the currencies,” he says. And blockchain technology has the potential to make financial transactions far more secure, he maintains.

 

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

In memoriam: Avicii

Avicii

Bergling took his name from the Buddhist term for hell, avīci

https://soundcloud.com/skrillex/avicii-levels-skrillex-remix#t=30:16

Tracks including Levels, Fade Into Darkness and Silhouettes were slick, massive, earnest and unapologetically pop-oriented. (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/20/avicii-appreciation-the-poster-boy-for-edm-who-struggled-with-the-spotlight)

Ibiza Ibiza Ibiza Ibiza

edtech implementation fails

5 All-Too-Common Ways Edtech Implementations Fail

By Chris Liang-Vergara and Kerry Gallagher (Columnist)     Apr 6, 2017

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-04-06-5-all-too-common-ways-edtech-implementations-fail

On the surface, adopting technology to support teacher needs or student challenges isn’t terribly complex: define the problem you’re trying to solve, identify the right tools for the job, and implement the tools effectively and with fidelity.

challenges. End users are too often removed from the decision-making process during procurement. Educators argue that too many products don’t actually meet the needs of teachers or students. Still others worry that it is too easy to implement new and popular technology without considering whether it is research-based and effective.

Only 33 percent of parents surveyed by the Learning Assembly said their child’s school did an excellent job using technology to tailor instruction.

  • Understanding Purpose

Technology is just a tool, not a means in and of itself. Any school or teacher that sets out to use technology for its sake alone, and not in the service of personalizing learning or addressing specific needs, is on a mission to fail.

  • Insufficient Modeling of Best Practices

A survey from Samsung found that 37 percent of teachers say they would love to use technology but don’t know how, and 76 percent say they would like a professional development day dedicated to technology.

ideos that focus on scaling and modeling best practices (produced by places like the Teaching Channel and The Learning Accelerator) can help teachers and schools do this.

  • Bad First Impressions

Teachers face initiative fatigue: They are constantly being asked to implement new programs, integrate new technologies, and add on layers of responsibility. In one Wisconsin district, nearly half of teachers felt ongoing district initiatives were a “significant area of concern.”

Forward-thinking schools take the time to learn from the challenges of other schools, and recruit a coalition of the willing.

  • Real-World Usability Challenges

Relying on multiple devices (remote, clicker, iPad, computer mouse) to launch or navigate technology can be difficult. Additionally, teachers may start to use a tool, only to realize it is not flexible enough to meet their original needs, fit into the constraints of their particular school or classroom, or allow them to integrate their own content or supplemental resources.

  • The Right Data to Track Progress

Lack of useful data, problem definition, weak teacher buy-in, first impressions, and usability challenges all have the potential to torpedo smart technology products.

 

practical about VR and AR in schools

Beyond the Hype: 5 Ways to Think About Virtual and Augmented Reality in Schools

By Jenny Abamu     Feb 7, 2017

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-02-07-beyond-the-hype-5-ways-to-think-about-virtual-and-augmented-reality-in-schools

1. Ask Yourself: Why VR or AR

AR and VR are mediums for the transmission of information, and many people will judge these mediums by the content that is produced within them. For educators seeking to gain buy-in from administrators and other colleagues it is critical for them to justify the reasons their content requires new reality media.

2. Just Dive In

Gartner Hype Cycle’s “slope of enlightenment”—meaning the technology is just entering public acceptance.

Given the newness of these mediums, it is no surprise that few curricular resources exist to support courses around VR and AR. Professional development sessions on new reality tools are almost non-existent, which means educators seeking to use virtual or augmented reality simply need to dive into the subjects.

3. Go Beyond Storytelling

Studies using VR demonstrate the ‘Proteus Effect’—taking on the psychology of inhabiting a different body and unconsciously changing our behavior to conform to it (learning empathy through VR)

4. Master the Machines

“The equipment matters. If there is a latency between the computer and the VR set that can cause a lot of problems,”
With VR equipment ranging from about $15 to $600 educators will have to check the budget or start writing grant proposals to gain access to the higher quality machines.

5. Understand Your Student’s Needs

described as a “quantum shift” in the way we interact, learn and experience.

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more on VR and AR in schools in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=virtual+rality+education

ed leadership and edtech

Edtech playground: Helping teachers choose better tools

By Nicole Krueger Leadership

https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=2177

A virtual reality headset can take students on an immersive journey to another world. But no matter how cool it is, if that $3,000 piece of equipment enters a classroom and doesn’t provide any real instructional value, it can quickly become a very expensive paperweight.

Most schools don’t do edtech procurement really well yet. Sometimes we buy products that end up in closets because they don’t fit the instructional needs of students, and we end up not being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Located in the district’s central office, where hundreds of teachers and staff members stop by each week for professional development, the playground offers a creative space that encourages teachers to explore new tools that have been vetted and approved by the district’s tech department.

In the United States, K-12 schools spend more than $13 billion a year on edtech — often without any idea whether it will make a difference in learning outcomes.

 

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

more on digital literacy for ed leaders in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+literacy+EDAD

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