Articles about Education

Geeky students have it made nowadays. You see, there are many outlets for their minds to be put into use. Sadly, before the Internet, it could be difficult for like-minded tech geeks to communicate and collaborate. Quite frankly, a curious mind could go undernourished as a result.

One of the coolest programs for tech-focused students is the Google Summer of Code. Why? For one, it is run by Google, so it is well funded and organized. More importantly, however, is that all of the projects in the program are open source. Today, the search giant begins taking applications. With that said, the window to apply is fairly small, so you had better do it soon.

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Higher education is damn expensive -- yes, damn. Many young people in America are taking out massive student loans to fund their education. As bad as the debt problem is, I stand by the fact that your education is the best investment you can make. It may sound like a cliche, but knowledge is power. You should strive to learn as much as you can. Unfortunately, many people go to college for the degree and not necessarily for the knowledge. This is understandable, as many employers just want to see that you have a degree.

Lately, however, I have been very intrigued by MOOCs. If you are not familiar, it stands for massive open online courses. Essentially, the courses are for the most part free, enabling people of all backgrounds, the opportunity to learn. I am currently taking one with edX -- one of the most popular providers of these open courses. Today, I am pleased to find out that Microsoft is partnering with edX to offer courses taught by its employees and experts. The best part? Most of them are free!

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Last year, I disputed ridiculous assertions, based on widely misquoted NPD data, that 2014 would be "year of the Chromebook". It wasn't. But that designation does belong to 2015—at least in the United States. Measures: Number of new models; adoption by K-12 schools; and overall sales, which are surprisingly strong. Read carefully the next paragraph.

Through U.S. commercial channels and retail, Chromebooks accounted for 14 percent of laptop sales last year, according to NPD, which released data at my request. That's up from 8 percent in 2013. Commercial channels, largely to educational institutions, accounted for about two-thirds of 2014 Chromebook sold. Year over year, sales soared by 85 percent, and the trajectory continues to climb.

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Education is a very important market for computer manufacturers and other technology companies. Just yesterday, Microsoft announced a huge deal with the New York City Public Schools, to offer Office 365 to all of its students and teachers for free.

Today, Dell is presenting new hardware to the education segment; new laptops and tablets running Chrome OS, Android and Windows. By offering a diverse range of form factors and platforms, the manufacturer can gain access to many school systems and classrooms.

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Sometimes a product comes along, that makes so much sense, that you wonder how no one thought of it before. For example, the Snuggie. I mean come on, a blanket with sleeves? Genius! Let us not forget about the George Foreman Grill; that thing makes some damn tasty turkey burgers.

From a technology perspective, however, Intel has a new product for education that is so damn awesome, I'm not sure why it never existed before. The company's Education Content Access Point will provide content to devices even when there is little to no Internet access or electricity. Sounds awesome right? Yep. Best of all? It is powered by Linux!

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Digital technologies have changed the way that college students and prospective students do everything from applying to school and enrolling in courses, to participating in class and taking exams.

If you are a prospective student yourself and you would like to know what the term "digital school" actually means, it is important to have a basic understanding of how new distance technologies and platforms have changed the ways that the modern day student learns.

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Higher education institutions with their rapid turnover of students' devices each year present particular problems when it comes to protecting data.

A new infographic from enterprise security and backup specialist SysCloud looks at the risks higher education bodies face and how they can improve their levels of protection.

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IBM has announced a partnership with Bancroft, a provider of specialized services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which will supply a cloud-based educational program.

The collaboration will enable staff and students to access more than 300 educational and clinical applications securely via an iPad.

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There are many office suites available nowadays such as Google Docs and LibreOffice, but as fine as they are, none compare to the venerable Microsoft Office. When you send your son or daughter to school, you are hoping that they become equipped to handle the "real world" when they eventually graduate. Microsoft Office is what the business world largely uses.

Sure, you may be able to get by with an alternative to Office, but why would you want to? Oh right, cost; LibreOffice and Google Docs are free, while Microsoft Office costs money. Today, Microsoft announces that money is no longer an issue in this regard, as some students and teachers can now easily score a copy of Office for free.

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Regardless of your opinions on religion or beliefs, you cannot deny that the Pope is a powerful man who can enact change. In other words, even though he is a mortal man like the rest of us, when he speaks, people listen.

Pope Francis has been revered by the world's poor, as he has largely shunned riches, in exchange for a more modest lifestyle. Now, the Pope is working with Google services to communicate with young people and bring them together for educational purposes. You see, Pope Francis is in charge of a new learning platform, called Scholas.

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Facebook’s Oculus VR wants to transform the school classrooms of the future with a new breed of virtual reality [VR] headset that its creators think will be big part of the education sector.

Brendan Iribe, chief executive of Oculus VR, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that his prototype that secured the $2 billion [£1.2 billion] takeover by Facebook is even more impressive than the current incarnation.

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Life is a very precious thing, and for various reasons, not all people are lucky enough to procreate. Of course, adoption is also a great option to experience the miracle of seeing a child grow. Unfortunately, the experience of raising a child can turn tragic when something bad happens.

One of the biggest tragedies in the news lately, is toddlers dying in hot cars. When it happens accidentally, the parent will suffer in more ways than one. Of course, they will mourn the child's death, but also, live forever with the guilt. Such a horrific experience can destroy a family. Today, a new product is announced, that should prevent hot car deaths -- the Forget Me Not Child Alert System.

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The BBC is looking to create a new generation of code monkeys with a programming push in schools throughout England. Of all the subjects available to study at school, computer science, IT, computing (call it what you will) isn’t exactly, you know, sexy and exciting, but the Beeb is hoping to change that. Back in the 1980s the BBC -- the UK's license free subsidized public service broadcaster -- spearheaded a drive to popularize computing in general, but particularly programming. Three decades later, the new initiative includes plans for not just one, but several programming-themed TV shows aimed at children.

The BBC has already held talks with Microsoft, BT, Google and Samsung, and has managed to sign agreements with between 10 and 20 partners to help with the new endeavor. In addition to the TV shows, there will also be a range of study guides and other material made available at BBC Bitesize, the broadcaster's online education resource. Jessica Cecil, controller of the BBC's coding and digital creative initiative, said: "It's about giving the next generation a chance to shape their world, not just be consumers in it."

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Nowadays, it feels like many children can be unappreciative (I'm sure yours are great though!). Whenever I go to Walmart or Target, there are sure to be whiny little ones begging and demanding things from their parents. If their parents do give-in and buy whatever they want, there is a chance it will be broken within a week.

This is the problem with buying a child a laptop. Sure, they may need a computer for school, but if you buy them an expensive unit, they could ruin it by spilling juice on the keyboard or stepping on the screen. In other words, buying a top-of-the-line laptop for a child could be like flushing money down the toilet. Luckily, Microsoft has the perfect back-to-school deal; a $199 15.6-inch laptop, that looks very sexy and thin.

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As thousands of students prepare to return to university over the next few weeks, new research by security ratings company BitSight shows that this is a busy time for hackers too.

The researchers found that Ivy League schools, for example, see a 48 percent increase in the number of malware infections during the academic year from September to May.

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