Data cost threaten social networking sites

Telegraph (uk) article on falling ad revenue threatening viability of
sites in New Year. Blogged from my nokia so just search the link
yourself.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Andy Black

"Where Technology and Pragmatism Meet"
blog http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com

"One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the
invasion of ideas" Victor Hugo.

Christmas present

No not really but a "gadgetdom" would make interesting present.
Merry Christmas . Photo by Steve (official photographer) at Mlearn2008.

OLPC Nicholas Negroponte visit to Colombia

The OLPC programme has caused much debate you might be interested in seeing Nicholas Negroponte on a visit deploying the OLPC in Columbia. No comment you decided

There are some games where cheering for the other side feels better than winning.

Great story the power of email the cloud and the crowd good on you sport fans thanks @theheroworkshop and digital maverick for putting this on twitter


http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

cheer the other side this Christmas!

Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Source Item from Pew research

Item from Pew research no surprise here but another sign of changing times. my only question is how do you define television any more


link at http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1066/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-source

some key graphs below.



this great table from Pew shows for the young the internet outstrips TV

US SMS growth suggest wider growth of mobile globally

Thanks to Liam Lowe for this

Portio Research have a new research report out which states: link here


 The mobile messaging market is expected rake in $130 billion in revenues by the end of the year, and is on pace to climb to $224 billion by 2013.
At that level, mobile messaging will make up 60 percent of all non-voice service revenues.

At least some of those increased revenues might be due to the higher price of a text message and operators' push to encourage more bundled services at the point of sale.

Interestingly enough, although the U.S. is considered late to the SMS party, Americans now send double the number of messages that Europeans average each month.

Now its seems this data is quite robust and interestingly other data suggests qwerty keyboards on mobiles are more common in the US.

Has the American consumer between the network confusion (caused  US telecoms) and got the mobile bug .

From studying google alerts for mobile over 18 months its seems from UK and European domination the most often picked up mobile learning leads are the US and India.

Predictions for 2009 the world is mobile not. The UN report earlier this year suggesting the next billion internet users will be mobile internet users back this up.

You have to go through it to understand

I blogged Alan Johnstone release back in July

http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com/2007/07/bbc-news-world-middle-east-bbcs.html

I woke up this morning to here this amazing interview of Alan Johnston interviewing  Ingrid Betancourt who was held for five years Columbian Farc rebels . Made particularity poignant by Alan himself having been held captive for four months in the Gaze early this year .
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2008/12/081218_betancourt.shtml

Listen and be humbled by insight into the role of hope despair an the power of family and friends and strangers. Plus the praise for the humble radio.

Now I don't send Christmas cards Medicine an frontiere, Oxfam and Amnesty get my cash I would have spent instead . But if you want a Christmas piece to make your reflect on what you have rather than what you lack just listen .

Merry Christmas

Digital Literacy The Next Generation User Skills Report

Thanks to Joe for giving me a prod on this I had seen only partly read and forgot to post so top reminder Joe read the blog and get to link to download report at
 http://www.joecar.demon.co.uk/2008/12/digital-literacy-next-generation-user.html

Have a read and join the debate. If its half as good as the assesment 2.0 report by SQA it will be worth your time

Mobiles in schools on BBC world service

Huge heads up to those interested in things mobile in education Elizabeth (on person communications team) Hartnell Young along with others has been featured with her work on use of mobile phones in Education on the world service . Goon on yer !!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/digital_planet.shtml

Mobile phones in school
Many schools have banned the use of mobile phones, saying that they distract students from working in class.
But over the past year, 300 pupils in the UK have been involved in an experiment to use mobile phones in lessons to record movies, take photos or set homework reminders.
Reporter Anna Lacey visits Park House school in Newbury to find out whether the project has been a success.

Related links

Becta UK - Mobiles in schools

Nottingham University, UK - Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

cut and paste for ipod touch and Iphone

its a bit of work round but its a start . will install it later and let you know how it goes.

http://pastebud.com/

Educational Jargon Generator

Made me laugh ! Sad isn't it !
>

> http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html

Live Mesh : Expanded Live Mesh for Mobile CTP

Windows mobile 6 works livemesh. Not my OS but worth a look. Thanks
islayian for this

http://blogs.msdn.com/livemesh/archive/2008/12/09/expanded-live-mesh-for-mobile-ctp.aspx

Thanks to Steve Wheeler : timbuckteeth

Steve Wheeler that thinker and doer of Plymouth University who I met for the first time this year has listed me in his friends retro review on his blog very nice words thanks Steve. Also commend you to subscribe to his blog  http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008-friends-retro.html

Steve also co organises a great e-learning conference to whom I have submitted a workshop proposal http://www2.plymouth.ac.uk/e-learning/

get it in your diary now !!!!

PICO projectors are here

http://www.personalprojectors.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/32

I've talked about them often enough now you can nearly buy one in the UK .

Wireless USB

Now I get this but using PCMCIA card odd but watch the next version .
Ratoc introduces Wireless USB kit for your PCMCIA-equipped laptop

Looks very odfd but the principla is sound .

http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/ratoc-introduces-wireless-usb-kit-for-your-pcmcia-equipped-lapto/

Request to participate in survey on Children's Games

Please help a young graduate in some research they are doing its for parents indicate somewhere if you are UK based or not



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am part of a Graduate Project team, and we have been carrying out research into educational toys in the home market.

We have created a survey for parents to assess their views on educational toys.

If you are a parent, then please click the link below to fill in the survey, it will be very helpful for us to get your views on the matter.
It shouldn't take too long to fill in, its mainly drop-down menus and checkboxes, and all personal questions are optional.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gF8A4FrMGdIEi9BnUQItlA_3d_3d

A new UN e-Learning initiative

Interesting development


Berlin, 6 December 2008 " A new UN e-Learning initiative, launched in Berlin last week, offering developing countries opportunities to draw upon a rich array of training and capacity-building resources.

Sixteen UN agencies, meeting at a forum organized by UNEP during the 14th International Conference on Technology Supported Learning and Training in Berlin, agreed to establish UNeLearn - a UN-wide network on technology supported learning to share information and expertise, and to collaborate on the sustained deployment of e-Learning.

http://yubanet.com/world/UN-Launches-E-Learning-Initiative-in-over-160-Developing-Countries.php

Teddies in space make the international and national media

Greetings from Berlin at Online Educa. Geoff Stead sent me this and its great because the learners are the hero's and there bears.

I am using the story to open my presentation on next generation learning very apt in the home of the teddy bear "the stieff bear"  .

Looks at Geoffs posting this is so cool and hopefully my audience will love it

http://moblearn.blogspot.com/2008/12/teddies-and-telephones-in-space.html

John Traxler Interviewed at Online Educa

Mobile learned expert (guru)John Traxler interviewed at Online Educa

download youtube as mp4 files

just found this the button you can drag into firefox is so easy !! great

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/04/download-youtube-videos-as-mp4-files.html

portable mobile projector review

People might like to look at this review of a ultra portable projector .

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/technology/personaltech/05pogue.html?_r=1&em

Everything you always wanted to know about Google…

Now if your a google head or just interested from historical
perspective worth a view.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/02/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-google/

BBC NEWS | Health | Surgeon saves boy's life by text

Who say text isn't for anything serious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7761994.stm

Three Reasons Why Netbooks Just Aren’t Good Enough

Techcrunch it appears doesnt like netbooks now they arent in my opinion for power users a primary device. But stuff my opnion read the article
 
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/29/three-reasons-why-netbooks-just-arent-good-enough/


I also urge you to look at Alan Patricks great comment at his blog

http://broadstuff.com/archives/1411-Netbook-a-small-laptop-or-a-big-smartphone.html

 

I used one of these historic amstrad 386sx20 heavy it was but what revalation was that really 20 plus years ago !!