We’re into double figures…

Online population rises by 2m users in past year: Numbers boosted by over 50s, particularly men, and women of all age groups. http://www.nma.co.uk/news/online-population-rises-by-2m-users-in-past-year/3015239.article

PSL reveals the latest theory and practice in partnering in education: Discussion on the need for partnerships in education in a time of public sector cuts. http://www.trainingpressreleases.com/newsstory.asp?NewsID=5524

Research shows iPhone users download twice as many paid apps as Android users: article looks at why Android users are less willing to pay for apps. http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-apps-iphone-ipod-android-2010-6

The Great Outdoors: article about using ICT and technology for schools outdoors. http://technostories.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/the-great-outdoors/

Google to challenge Facebook with new social networking service ‘Google Me’: rumours about Google Me came from a now-deleted tweet. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-to-challenge-facebook-with-new-social-networking-service-lsquogoogle-mersquo-2014621.html

apps, blog, blogs, Education, google, iphone. facebook, partnerships, web

Live Underground map – complete with trains: Live tube map built using information from the London Datastore.  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/iandouglas/100005267/new-tube-map-now-with-trains/

ITV News to incorporate social media into news bulletins: ITV will let viewers chat with the journalists via social media.  http://www.seotops.com/itv-plan-to-make-social-media-a-big-part-of-their-news-programmes_1429/

Global Radio aims to engage mobile users with app ads: The station uses success of their apps to interact with listeners.  http://www.nma.co.uk/news/global-radio-aims-to-engage-mobile-users-with-app-ads/3014925.article

Losing the game: Excellent post on the scrapping of promised tax breaks for the games industry.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/06/losing_the_game.html

Utah firing squad death announced on Twitter: Tweets from an Attorney General spread quickly around the world.  http://www.deathandtaxesmagazine.com/utah-firing-squad-twitter-announcement/

blogs, datasets, Gaming, radio, social media, Twitter

More juicy titbits…

Amnesty uses social media to fund protest ad: Amnesty International to raise funds using social media platforms for a protest ad targeted at Shell. http://www.nma.co.uk/news/amnesty-uses-social-media-to-fund-protest-ad/3013243.article

Sibblingz launches multi-platform game: Social multi-device game released to the public.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/12/sibblingz-launches-multi-platform-social-game-engine-to-the-masses/

Hootcourse – Take your class conversation online: Classroom application uses social media to create a conversation channel for your courses.
http://hootcourse.com/

Channel 4 targets teens via games consoles: Channel 4 Education is to harness games consoles as a core channel to reach teenagers in the next phase of its multi-million-pound online education strategy.  http://www.nma.co.uk/news/channel-4-targets-teens-via-games-consoles/3013310.article

The 21st Century Classroom: An insight into modern teaching by Alfie Kohn.
http://www.openeducation.net/2010/05/03/the-21st-century-classroom-alfie-kohn/

blogs, Charities, cross-platform, Education, Gaming, social media

Round (-up) 3. Fight.

• Mobile phones and literacy in rural communities: MILLEE is studying how underprivileged children can acquire language literacy outside the classroom. http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/mobile-phones-literacy

• Nearly 5 years later, “@gmail” set for a UK comeback: After compulsory switch to cumbersome “@googlemail” because of a legal dispute, “@gmail” to become available again. http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/03/gmail-uk/

• Mozilla gets it right, moves identity management into Firefox: Mozilla puts its browser in charge of your online logins through a new menu item in the main toolbar. http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/04/mozilla-gets-it-right-moves-identity-management-into-firefox/

• Apple iPad to be handled with care, publishers warned: Publishers warned that publishing opportunities for iPad will come with strings attached. http://www.nma.co.uk/news/apple-ipad-to-be-handled-with-care-publishers-warned/3012923.article

• Assessment using technology: BECTA booklet reveals that few teachers are making use of useful technology which can assess and suggest learning tasks. http://blog.core-ed.net/derek/2010/05/assessment-using-technology.html

blogs, Education, email, ipad, literacy, Mobile, Publishing, web

The second instalment…

• Is a new form of digital divide emerging?: What is the relationship between technology use and educational performance in science?
• http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com/2010/04/interested-in-biggger-picture-take-look.html

• Be the search engine: Geocaching adds an additional physical element to location-based social networking sites like Foursquare and Gowalla. 
• http://jwtto.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/be-the-search-engine/

• ePublish yourself: Not-for-profit website ePad Bud – the YouTube of children’s ebooks – is hugely motivating in the classroom.
• http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=2319

• Spotify takes aim at iTunes, befriends Facebook: Spotify upgraded its service by integrating social features to let users connect with friends and share music.
• http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/spotify-takes-aim-at-itunes-befriends-facebook/

• 100-year-old with impaired vision discovers the iPad: The intuitive way in which the iPad works seems to open doors to the elderly.
• http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2010/04/100-year-old-with-impaired-vision-discovers-the-ipad.html

accessibility, blogs, Education, epad, foursquare, ipad, location, spotify, Usability

We at Open CC like to keep abreast of the latest developments in our sector – and one of the ways in which we do this is to keep a keen eye on some blogs that we like.

We have an internal newsletter which features the headlines from these blogs.

We thought it might be nice to share this newsletter with the readers of our own blog.

Simple as that. Enjoy!

Apple’s 4th-generation iPhone revealed: Gizmodo has revealed images of the new iPhone after one of Apple’s engineers left it in a pub.                       http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/19/apples-4th-generation-iphone-revealed/

LinkedIn makes new connections: Following Twitter’s announcement last week, LinkedIn announces new sponsored groups ad model.                                  http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/client/e3i3a5406892176b1a13aebfc0791db3154

Ingenious: Free music if you talk about it on Facebook or Twitter: Tweet-for-Track and FBConnect-to-Track mean artists can encourage their fans to spread the word about them in exchange for free music.                                                                 http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/ingenious-free-music-if-you-talk-about-it-on-facebook-or-twitter/#ixzz0leC1eEaY

Twitter’s @Anywhere service goes live: This service allows third-party websites to integrate Twitter functionality and content.                                              http://www.nma.co.uk/news/twitter%E2%80%99s-@anywhere-service-goes-live/3012339.article

iPhone and iPod applications for schools: Useful applications for teachers and schools, ranging from an app for managing timetables to a curious ‘PhoneBook’. http://www.teachingnews.co.uk/2010/02/iphone-and-ipod-apps-for-schools/

blogs, iPhone, iPod, LinkedIn, social media, Twitter

So a recent Geek Dad post on Wired.co.uk asks us whether children are getting spoiled by touch screen technology. It raises an interesting point, particularly in the context of Adam Standings description of catching his son: “smearing his hands all over the TV screen in a bizarre fashion. It turned out that he was trying to change channel the same way he had seen me select music on my iPhone by scanning the Cover Flow system.”

It also interestingly echoes Matthew Robson's glib declamation to Morgan Stanley last summer that 'anything with a touch screen is desirable&apos.

With the developments in gesture based control on the Wii, DS, Playstation Move and Natal, not to mention the iPad and MS Tablet, it&aposs not all that wild a speculation to suppose that the not-too-distant future may see office workers in their cubicles flinging images and files around a la Minority report, like a weird and solemn mass game of charades. But is it spoiling children? Are we setting them up for a fall? Well, no. At least, no more than the development of the telephone or the automobile did (which some might argue is a great deal). Let's imagine a situation where someone who grew up believing touch screen control was completely ubiquitous, was presented with a 1980's gameboy. At best it might excite their curiosity, in the same way that floppy disks or betamax do current adolescents. At worst, dripping disdain.

I would, however, be very surprised to see them left paralysedly clueless, pawing ineffectually at its 2 tone screen. But then, I rather naively think I could get along alright without my mobile phone.

What is worth noting is that Adam's son smearing his hands on the television set may be a harbinger of a real step change in UI design. As people's expectations change to the degree that they think every screen is a touch screen, so UI design will have to keep up. It may be that the UI designer's skillset may be virtually unrecognisable in a couple of years.

Design, touch screen, Usability