learningIT

20 Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know

I couldn’t help it. I know I am on holiday. I promised myself not to use a computer. Having drafts available was just too tempting.

Here are some articles that may be of interest.

Data Visualization Is Reinventing Online Storytelling
Today’s consumer seems to have an insatiable appetite for information, but until recently making sense of all of that raw data was too daunting for most. Enter the new “visual scientists” who are turning bits and bytes of data — once purely the domain of mathematicians and coders — into stories for our digital age. 

Is Facebook Growing Up Too Fast?

Wikipedia: Exploring Fact City
“Contributors to Wikipedia have wondered aloud lately if — perish the thought — they are running out of topics.”

And have a look at SearchCube. It is a “…visual search engine that presents web search results in a unique, three-dimensional cube interface. It shows previews of up to ninety-six websites, videos and images.”

I found this immediately after I posted the last entry.

Why Social Networks Are Good for the Kids

Which side are you on? Good or Evil? Black or White? VHS or Beta?

Social websites harm children’s brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist (from Daily Mail)

Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, an eminent scientist has warned.

Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred.

The claims from neuroscientist Susan Greenfield will make disturbing reading for the millions whose social lives depend on logging on to their favourite websites each day. Full story here.

The value of teaching 21st-century skills (from The Boston Globe)

THINK strategically. Use technology wisely. Work collaboratively. Communicate effectively. Recognize how the world around you connects to everything you do. Employees are expected to be steeped in these and other skills their first day on the job. In today’s weak economy, the resumes of those who don’t speak the language of the 21st century are quickly passed over. Full story here.

Students tap into technology (from Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Since 2003, Penzera has invested a great deal into technological advances for her classroom, including “smart” whiteboards to remote-control quizzes and videoconferencing.

English teacher Diane Penzera rarely uses books these days.

Instead, her students at Greater Latrobe High School use their laptops to read “Don Quixote” and Dante’s “Divine Comedy” on the Internet, then organize their notes with a computer program. Full story here.