Education
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Chrome OS is getting a built-in screen recorder
In addition to promising 40 new Chrome devices, the company is also bringing accessibility improvements and a built-in screen recorder to the OS.
Spotify gives NYU students the chance to learn how to podcast like a pro
Developed as a collaboration between Spotify and NYU, a course this winter gave students an overview of podcasting with the opportunity to learn from the pros.
Acer's latest convertible Chromebooks are built for classroom mayhem
Acer has unveiled a bunch of new computers meant for the classroom, including a refresh of two of its convertible and durable Chromebooks. The new versions of its Spin 512 and Spin 511 Chromebooks are powered by the latest generation Intel N4500 and N5100 processors, with batteries that can run for up to 10 hours. For connectivity, they have WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support, as well as two USB-C ports.
Apple will build a learning hub in Atlanta as part of its racial equity pledge
Apple has shed more light on its $100 million pledge to improve racial equity. Today, the company announced that it will be making a $25 million contribution to the Propel Center, a learning hub designed for members of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). It will include a physical campus at the Atlanta University Center, a virtual platform for remote learning and events at partner institutions’ campuses.
Intel's 10nm Pentium Silver and Celeron CPUs are a huge leap for schools
While it may seem strange to be reading about new Pentium processors in the year 2021, bear with me. Intel just announced its N-series Pentium Silver and Celeron processors at CES, and they may just lead to some transformative changes for inexpensive education PCs. You can also expect 78 percent better UHD graphics performance, which should be particularly useful for the cool teachers who incorporate Minecraft and Rocket League into their lessons.
Apple quietly launched a one-on-one college mentorship program
Apple has quietly started accepting applications for a new mentorship program that aims to help first-generation college students.
New York is the first state to temporarily ban facial recognition in schools
New York state is suspending the use of facial recognition in schools until it can study the privacy and security implications.
Ford's autonomous cars are delivering fresh produce in Miami
Ford and Argo AI have launched a pilot that uses self-driving cars to deliver fresh produce to Miami-area students learning at home during the pandemic.
AT&T offers cheap wireless data to teachers and students stuck at home
AT&T is giving teachers free wireless data service to cope with the pandemic, but only if enough students sign up for discounted plans.
Bill Nye is pissed
Bill Nye is pissed. The Bill Nye VR science kit is available on Amazon (and soon on Target) for $60, and it includes equipment like test tubes, a beaker, volcano mold, food coloring as well as a basic VR headset and a book with augmented reality bonus content.
Email app Superhuman adds a cheaper plan for students and teachers
They can pay $10 per month instead of $30.
Kano’s first Windows PC is a step toward classroom supremacy
Kano's first Windows 10 machine is a $300 Surface-style tablet. The hardware is good enough, but the bundled learn-to-code software is excellent.
The switch to remote learning has made schools even bigger cyber targets
As homeschooling increased, so did attacks against educational institutions.
Outlier adds Astronomy and Statistics classes to its online university
Fancy learning astronomy or statistics from star academics with real college credit?
How the UK's algorithm-based grading fell apart
Students, parents and educators alike expressed their anger and disappointment over the algorithm’s results. The backlash to Ofqual’s algorithm was only matched by its complexity. The students in each class or year group were ranked and roughly matched up with the grades range provided by Ofqual.
Schools might not have enough laptops for students this fall
Acer and others are warning of laptop shortages for the return to school due to the pandemic, particularly Chromebooks.
Google updates remote learning tools on Meet and Classroom
Consequently, Google for Education has announced a robust set of updates that will enhance Google Meet, Google Classroom and other aspects of the service. The updates were unveiled at Google’s The Anywhere School event -- but if you missed the product keynote, here’s what you need to know about Google’s new tools to facilitate learning in 2020. Google Meet has already seen several updates in the recent months, and updates that will make the app more accessible to teachers and students are still to come.
'Minecraft: Education Edition' is available on Chromebooks
Minecraft: Education Edition is finally making its way to the most popular school computing platform in the US.
Google Meet for Education will auto-block users who don't log in
G Suite for Education will block anonymous users from Google Meet video calls.
Microsoft is offering low-cost certifications to job seekers
Microsoft believes that one of the best ways to help the economy rebound and reduce the staggering rate of unemployment is to help workers learn new digital skills. The initiative will blend new and existing resources from LinkedIn, GitHub and Microsoft, and it will provide low-cost Microsoft Certifications. LinkedIn Learning “paths” aligned with tech roles like software developer, project manager, IT administrator and data analyst will be free of charge through the end of March 2021.