Facebook researchers are trying to predict when you and your spouse will break up

theverge.com - A Cornell professor and a senior Facebook engineer are claiming to have developed a Facebook algorithm that can accurately identify who you're dating and, especially for new relationships, whether you're in danger of breaking up.The algorithm depends on a new metric the researchers are calling "disperson," which looks at connections between people who have different sets of friends. Close friends are likely to share a lot of friends in common, which social scientists call "embeddedness.

Learner Experiences with MOOCs and Open Online Learning

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The Ultimate D.I.Y. Guide to eLearning Design

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Survey on OER quality and pedagogy in higher education

Educators and researchers working in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER) are invited to participate in a survey aimed at developing and validating a set of quality and pedagogical guidelines for the use of OER in higher education.

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Can A Data Benchmarking Exercise Affect Positive Change Within Development? - Zunia.org

zunia.org - 

Publish What You Fund (PWYF) released its annual Aid Transparency Index and advanced the claim that transparent aid information is a “necessary condition to enable…social change”. However, earlier this week, Duncan Edwards of the Institute of Development Studies argued that the rosy prescription of “openness + ICTs = development outcomes” is fundamentally flawed.

The apparent dissonance between these two views is, in our view, reconcilable. Open data is certainly not sufficient to provoke positive change, but it is also not inconsequential. Open data can be catalytic when complementary efforts are in place to address several other important conditions: incentives are in place for donors to supply useful information; the intended beneficiaries of aid have an understanding of how the information supplied by donors is relevant to their interests; and local stakeholders in the developing world have the ability to put such data to effective use.

Inhaled Stem Cells Might Replace Lost Neurons

scientificamerican.com - See InsideIntranasal stem cell therapy may one day treat brain disordersBy Caitlin ShureImage: Jim KoppMany diseases of the central nervous system involve the death of neurons—so, theoretically, the replacement of dead cells should improve symptoms of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, as well as stroke and brain tumors. Stem cell therapy may do just that even though evidence of its effectiveness is mixed.

Could a Focus on 'Dispositions' in Education Improve Teaching?

educationnews.org - Deborah Schussler, associate professor in Penn State’s College of Education, said that ‘dispositions’ — rapid, calculated judgments and responses — should be included as one element to be evaluated in teacher education programs. According to Schussler, it is important to clarify and build dispositions in teacher education to help future teachers to be better prepared and morally sensible.Explaining dispositions in education, Schussler said they are a teacher’s quick decisions or understandings based on the perceptions of his/her environment and how they affect future actions, Pennsylvania State University said in a statement .

Internet for all: SA towns race for free public wifi

zunia.org - Africa , basic network , city network , communications technology , E-government , electricity , government services , ICT , ICT Applications , internet service , nelson mandela , United States , South Africa , East Asia and Pacific , Europe and Central Asia , South AsiaThe idea that access to the internet is something other than a cutting-edge luxury has been slow to filter into South African discourse.

The new distance learning gets up close and personal

theglobeandmail.com - Jennifer Feschuk already had one degree when she started at Royal Roads University in Victoria last year, but she still had some pre-school jitters before her classes began.The first day involved the typical tour and meet-and-greet with classmates, and she was given time to look around and get her bearings. But unlike her first postsecondary experience, this wasn’t taking place in person – it was all being done online.

Doctors often don't reveal cancer test overtreatment and harms

health.harvard.edu - There’s no question that tests to detect cancer before it causes any problems can save lives. But such tests can also cause harm through overdiagnosis and overtreatment.A study published online yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that the majority of people are never informed by their doctors that early warning cancer tests may detect slow-growing, or no-growing, cancers that will never cause symptoms or affect health.

This Week in Seeding the Change: 20 Teachers Who Are Changing the World

huffingtonpost.com - Every day of the week, The Pollination Project awards $1000 seed grants to individuals working in areas like sustainability, social justice, community health and wellness, arts and media. Our "pollination philanthropy" model of giving money directly to people, instead of established entities, is intended to help change-makers launch new ideas -- and teachers have unique opportunities to strike at the roots and create a more just, peaceful, healthy future for us all.

5 Open Education Resources for K-5 Common Core Math

edutopia.org - There is an abundance of math open educational resources on the web. So many, in fact, that Education Week asked, " Why is There More Open Content for Math than English? "Common Core is driving a lot of the growth in open education production and curation, with new databases and sources popping up left and right. It can be overwhelming to wade through everything, and find a source that works for your classroom.

Massive open online courses: a first report card

theguardian.com - Many foreign students are running the text of their work, readings and lectures through translation software multiple times. Photograph: Gary S Chapman/Getty ImagesWho's going to grade all that homework?Those of us who are engaged in teaching "massive open online courses", or Moocs , find ourselves answering a lot of questions these days, and that's one we hear a lot.One month into my own effort for Northwestern University, I've heard so many versions of that one on the street, in meetings, and even when doing TV interviews, that I have a quick and facile answer:

Studying an Education Management PhD Online

Education management PhD online degrees are particularly useful if you want to progress in a career in school or college management. This page provides more details ...

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How to Practice Project-Based Learning Using Technology?

Let’s learn about some great practices of Project-Based Learning with the use of technology.

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Twitter Hires Google Advertising Executive Ahead of IPO

mashable.com - Twitter has hired a Google advertising executive to be head of retail, as the company ramps up hiring and works to expand its business ahead of an initial public offering.J.J. Hirschle, who directed media and entertainment advertising at Google, will be responsible for the team selling advertising products to retail companies, Will Stickney, a spokesman for Twitter, said Wednesday. He starts Oct. 28.

Bright poor 'held back for decades'

m.bbc.co.uk - By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent17 October 2013 Last updated at 01:22 Blue Peter generation: Social mobility had not reached education in the 1960sThe level of qualifications achieved by adults now in their 40s, 50s and 60s was influenced by social background as much as their own intelligence, according to a long-term study from the University of Oxford.It found that children of the same ability went on to achieve very different levels of exam results.

Australian scientists plan to relocate wildlife threatened by climate change

theguardian.com - Australian researchers have developed the “first rigorous framework” on how to relocate animals displaced due to climate change.The study, conducted by academics from four Australian universities and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), devised a formula on how to decide whether to relocate a species, which species to prioritise for reintroduction and where and how to move them.

Applying Early Decision: 5 Good (And 4 Bad) Reasons To Do It

huffingtonpost.com - By Winnie MaIf you're currently a high school senior, chances are your life has turned into stacks of colorful college brochures, scribbled pros-and-cons lists and books about applying to college, all piled so high around you that you're wondering where the light at the end of the tunnel went. Let's admit it -- you just started the college application process, and you already want it to end! Not only do you have to finalize your list of ever-growing colleges, but you also have to decide if you want to apply early decision to one of them.

Connected and Healthy: Using ICTs to Improve People’s Health

zunia.org - Africa , global development , ICT , ict4d , icts , internatinoal development , mobile technologies , public policy , sustainable development , Health , Open DataIn Kenya, the open data movement has allowed creation of health maps to monitor the spread of diseases such as malaria. These applications combine the power of technology with the appeal of a simple-to-use map and the transparency of an open data platform.

Keeping the Lifeline Open: Remittances and markets in Somalia

zunia.org - Each year, Somali migrants around the world send approximately $1.3bn to Somalia in an expression of solidarity, faith, patriotism, and generosity. These flows represent a significant share of Somalia’s economy and help to reduce Somalia’s reliance on assistance from foreign governments and international organizations.Continued support from the Somali diaspora is essential for Somalia to successfully emerge from its protracted humanitarian emergency and political crisis and build the foundations for its long-term development.

This just in: why news is Twitter's next frontier

theverge.com - Twitter is moving more aggressively into the world of journalism, building a new alert system for breaking news and hiring someone to build new partnerships with the media industry. Together, the moves point to a service that is as much a broadcaster as it is a social network, owning live events with a core product that predicts its users’ interests without having to ask for them. Whether it realizes that vision remains anyone’s guess — but if its latest experiment proves successful, Twitter will have gotten a lot closer to it.

Labour backs parent-led schools, shadow minister insists

bbc.co.uk - Labour is behind parents who want to set up schools and would not shut any existing free schools, the new shadow education secretary insists.Tristram Hunt told the Mail on Sunday he wanted to address the perception Labour was not on the side of parents.He said a Labour government would push ahead with its own version of the principle - parent-led academies.The government accuses Labour of saying it will end free schools and then promoting them under another name.

What Does It Mean to Be a Connected Educator?

edutopia.org - My story began while I had to stay home to convalesce from a recent spine surgery. That sounds bad, but its all good now, so no matter. While I was home recovering, iPad in hand, I began exploring. Edutopia was a good place to start. I had already been using the resources on this site for several years, and had meant to post a note, or read an article... One in particular, commenting on the value of Twitter for establishing a PLN, piqued my interest in exploring that medium.

11-year-old designs a better sandbag, named 'America's Top Young Scientist'

nbcnews.com - 1 hour agoAn 11-year-old boy from Florida has designed a new kind of sandbag to better protect life and property from the ravages of saltwater floods. His invention took top honors at a science fair this week, earning him a $25,000 check and a trip to Costa Rica."Living in Florida, I'm keenly aware of hurricanes and saltwater flooding," the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge grand prize winner Peyton Robertson , who is a sixth grader at the Pine Crest School in Ft.

Blind man sees with help from tooth-implanted lens

medicalxpress.com - (Medical Xpress)—In 1998, Ian Tibbets lost vision in his right eye, some time after he severely injured the cornea with a piece of scrap metal. Later on he also lost vision in his left eye. Tibbets was eventually referred to Christopher Liu, a surgeon at the Sussex Eye Hospital, and was qualified for a radical procedure known as osteo-odonto-keratoprothsesis (OOKP). The procedure sounds a little strange, and it is, but for Tibbets and the five other patients who have undergone the procedure, it worked.

Wireless Witch: How to Test Your Wireless Performance

pcmag.com - Slow Internet and network performance are annoying. However it's hard to troubleshoot issues when you just feel that performance is slow. You've got to know the kind of performance you are getting in order to improve it. Let's take a look at a few ways you can actually gage and monitor network performance.

The first order of business is to understand the difference between bandwidth and throughput.

UK firm seeks to market world's first malaria vaccine

bbc.co.uk - British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is seeking regulatory approval for the world's first malaria vaccine after trial data showed that it had cut the number of cases in African children.Experts say that they are optimistic about the possibility of the world's first vaccine after the trial results.Malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year.

Becoming an eTeacher

sites.google.com - Hello and welcome to Becoming an eTeacher, a five-module course on getting online and becoming an eTeacher.We will follow Fifi, our teacher, as she learns the essential skills needed to begin eTeaching.This course is in five parts, preceded by an introduction video (to the right). You can preview the modules to see which of them you want or need to complete on its own, or you can complete them all one-by-one in your own time, at your own pace.

Apps for Every School Leader to Consider

itouchthefuture.pbworks.com - When properly configured, tablet devices like the iPad or those running an Android OS are great tools for school leaders. There are all kinds of productivity and utility apps that can be used to streamline tasks and help leaders make better use of their valuable time and resources.Use the links on this page to explore the possibilities.The categories listed here also work well as titles for folders you might want to create on your iPad.

Google Vs. Facebook: A Map Of Global Conquest

npr.org - Mark Graham/Stefano De Sabbata / Internet Geographies at the Oxford Internet InstituteThe U.K.'s Oxford Internet Institute has put together an interesting illustration of the most popular websites around the world. Not surprising, Google and Facebook dominate the globe.We're not quite sure what the data mean, if anything, but you can be the judge.The institute, using data from the Web analytics site Alexa , crunched the numbers and came up with this:

How Twitter Is Going to Take a Billion Dollars From YouTube

allthingsd.com - Twitter’s public S-1 filing revealed much-awaited metrics about the company’s revenue, monthly active users, growth rate and more. Dispersed throughout the 164-page filing are details on tweet distribution and plans for growing ad revenue through Twitter Amplify and real-time TV ad targeting. These plans and details show how Twitter could take $1 billion dollars in ad revenue from YouTube.Yes, YouTube is the de facto video distribution provider on the Internet.

Exercise may be ‘as effective’ as drugs for treating common diseases

foxnews.com - Routine exercise has long been touted as a preventative lifestyle choice that can help lower an individual’s risk for developing health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.But now, new research has shown that exercise may be equally as effective as certain prescription medications at treating these chronic – and sometimes deadly – diseases.In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers from the London School of Economics, Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine were interested in comparing the benefits of both exercise and drugs from past clinical trials, to see how they measured up in terms of extending a person’s mortality.

Gene scans solve mystery diseases in kids, adults

news-sentinel.com - They were mystery diseases that had stumped doctors for years — adults with strange symptoms and children with neurological problems, mental slowness or muscles too weak to let them stand. Now scientists say they were able to crack a quarter of these cases by decoding the patients' genes.Their study is the first large-scale effort to move gene sequencing out of the lab and into ordinary medical care, and it shows that high hopes for this technology are finally paying off.

Singapore tests effectiveness of diabetes management app

futuregov.asia -  The IT arm of the Health Ministry, Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS), and Singapore General Hospital ( SGH ) have developed a mobile app, SGH Diabetes Pal, to assist type 2 diabetes patients determine the amount of insulin they should inject at the appropriate time.

Moocs: from mania to mundanity

timeshighereducation.co.uk - After the hype is over, e-learning will be the norm, predicts Stephen HaggardEducation by computer software will be the norm for post-school learning. Most of us will earn our degrees at a screenThe supernova effects of massive open online courses include a warping of time. Academics running Moocs report working 100-hour weeks. FutureLearn invites applause for its burn rate: 10 months from zero to a full clutch of courses.

Social Media Detectives: Is That Viral Video For Real?

opb.org - Whether it’s an uprising in Egypt or a video of a fake twerking session gone awry , news outlets need to know everything they can about a video before they run with it. That’s where Storyful steps in. The company helps journalists figure out what’s real, and what’s not.“We use the same forensic process of discovery and verification for Syria as we do for hoax videos,” says Executive Editor David Clinch.

Thalidomide: Were more babies affected?

bbc.co.uk - New scientific research appears to suggest the drug Thalidomide may have caused a wider range of deformities than previously thought. A new group of "Thalidomiders" now believe they should get compensation for their disabilities.Gary Grayson shows me the very first pair of wooden legs he had to wear as a child. They are painted pink, but are heavy and ungainly.The feet are not hinged and there is a complicated harness of steel and leather.

India framing national mission for ICT in education

futuregov.asia - The Government of India is developing a National Mission on ICT aiming to create a national IT platform connecting all schools, providing students and teachers with opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge.

How Should You Act on Social Media When Applying to Grad School?

mashable.com - Many of us have cleaned out our Facebook profiles or Googled our names before applying to a job. After all, 90% of hiring managers will check an applicant's social media accounts. But what about when you're applying to school? Do the same rules apply?Our Twitter Advice Column, #MashAdvice , will help you navigate digital questions related to relationships, productivity, fitness and more. Answers will come from your fellow digital natives who most likely have first-hand experience with the very same issues.

Social media's window on the animal kingdom

articles.philly.com - Nature-watching - an outsider's hobby, right?Geese crisscross the sky, eagles nest all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey, hawks and falcons are on their way, and elk whistle ghostly in Benezette.But birders, hunters, conservationists, and animal enthusiasts of all furs are also turning to Twitter, Facebook, blogs, apps, and a proliferation of "hawk cams" and "eagle cams" to get their beast on. Here, as in so many realms of human life, social media help people build communities around shared interests.

The Complete Guide To Twitter Hashtags For Education

teachthought.com - What is a hashtag?A word or phrase preceded by a “#.”How do hashtags work?Twitter can be a busy place with lots of tweets–and thus lots of “noise.”A #hashtag is a way to aggregate tweets that are appended with a hashtag. Picture it like a magnet that attracts all messages categorized by that topical word or phrase.Who can use hashtags?Anyone. When you tweet and want your message to be part of a larger conversation beyond your followers, add a relevant hashtag from the list below to the end of your message, and you’ll automatically reach anyone who is monitoring the same hashtag.

10 Art Apps That Will Swill Creative Juices

blog.remind101.com - By Aditya BansodThe web and mobile devices have changed the way kids view art. Now instead of “pretending” their creations are a living, breathing part of them, 3D apps breathe life into kids’ imagination. It’s a beautiful development, but how — art teachers want to know — can they use mobile in the art room?Teachers can use Remind101 to text kids ideas to think about — if you were a piece of furniture and an animal, what would you look like?

Amazon Snaps Up Online Math Instruction Company TenMarks To Help It Make Education Apps

techcrunch.com - Amazon has announced plans to snap up online education company TenMarks . The company offers an online math curriculum currently, and Amazon VP of Kindle Dave Limp says that together, “Amazon and TenMarks intend to develop rich educational content and applications, across multiple platforms, that we think teachers, parents and students will love.”TenMarks was founded in 2008 and has raised debt funding several times over the last few years.