Research on Distance Education for First Nations/aboriginals, from IRRODL, Vol. 15, No. 1
Tony Bates, online learning, distance edcuation resources, February 28, 2014

Tony Bates reviews an article from the latest issue of IRRODL (International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning) dealing with the impact of distance education on Firts Nations / Aboriginal communities in Canada. Bates notes, "This paper, written jointly by two First Nations people and two academics from the University of New Brunswick, is focused on distance education in a M’kmaw community in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick). It is unusual as it seeks the views of 20 aboriginal students from the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick who have taken distance education courses."

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#Schoolprivacyzone: emerging best practices for a contentious issue Advocacy group C
Anya Kamenetz, Digital/Edu, February 28, 2014

Good question: "Where does targeted advertising end and personalized learning begin?" I suspect the answer would have a lot to do with the locus of control. The Software & information Industry Association takes a different approach, "That data should be used only for educational purposes, that its use should be fully disclosed and transparent and full consent obtained from families, that all reasonable security procedures should be followed and schools be notified in case of actual data breaches." Scott McLeod comments, responding to Katherine Varker, Associate General Counsel for McGraw-Hill Education, that "The fact that you don’t know – or don’t care – means that I don’t want your company anywhere near my kids."

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A story about the failure of institutional eportfolios
David T. Jones, The Weblog of (a) David Jones, February 28, 2014

I like reading stories about the failure of things because they show that I'm not the only person who fails. This item is about the failure of e-portfolios. David nJones relates the story of how "a personal story about how the one eportfolio I was required as a student to make on an institutional eportfolio system has now disappeared for good (to me) with no communication from the institution." All the more reason not to depend on institutional support for things.

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Harvard U. Committee Proposes Standards for Email Searches
Lawrence Biemiller, The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog, February 28, 2014

Just another leading indicator of an increasing concern about individual online privacy. "In the wake of a 2013 ruckus that cost a top Harvard University dean her job, a committee appointed by Harvard’s president has recommended that the university adopt institutionwide standards for gaining access to email and other accounts used by students, faculty members, and employees."

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200 Million Smart Phones in Active Use in North America Alone
David Nagel, Campus Technology, February 28, 2014

It's the end of double-digit growth in smart phone usage in developed economies. This will lead to increasing price pressure, which makes Apple seem like the outlier. When this last happened, Apple recovered by introducing iPhones and iPads to replace their sagging computer market. What this time? Meanwhile, mobile networks will also be hurt by slowing growth, which will both force them to watch costs and at the same time motivate them to start offering premium content.

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