Education

At long last - a bicycle simulator

By Darren Quick

20:40 October 25, 2009 PDT

Simulators are a great, safe way to teach people how to do things properly before they actually have to do them. The first simulators were for airplanes and they cost a lot of money when they appeared 80 years ago. Although simulating an aircraft cockpit and behavior was a difficult and costly business, it had a very effective ROI in terms of planes and pilots. Nowadays, you can simulate almost any environment thanks to the computer - there are low cost safety simulators available for planes, boats, cars, motorcycles, and even the inside of a person’s mouth - but until now, not bicycles. Honda is rectifying that with a bicycle simulator that has been developed for the purpose of traffic safety education. Read More

A new look for an old favorite - the interactive Dora Links doll

By Mick Webb

02:47 October 7, 2009 PDT

Around the same time we reported that Nickelodeon was teaming up with Mattel to produce an older, “tweenage” version of the Dora the Explorer, an explosion of outrage erupted from parents concerned by the teaser silhouette which had many thinking Dora was to become a “sexed up” version of her former self. They need not have worried, as the recently unveiled “Dora Links” doll recreates the much loved kids icon as an “age appropriate” interactive doll that connects to a computer via USB and offers an educational and fun experience both on and offline. Read More

Elonex introduces radical new motion-sensing TV Games Dock for the iPod

By Paul Lester

21:35 September 6, 2009 PDT

When it comes to over-saturated markets in gadget circles, the iPod Dock surely wins hands-down. The massive range of varied designs for a product that’s primarily intended to port audio or video to another source is staggering, but Elonex is about to buck this trend with something truly innovative. Its iGAME dock may not look too inspiring at first glance and, indeed, it's capable of handling music, videos, podcasts and video podcasts in the usual way. What makes it special is that it’s primarily a games console, or more specifically a TV Games Dock, designed to utilise the advantages of Apple’s newest players. Read More

The Mobile Solar Computer Classroom: a complete classroom in the back of an SUV

By Karen Sprey

19:11 April 14, 2009 PDT

A mobile computer classroom powered by solar panels atop a modified SUV is providing computer training to 100 students a day in the east African country of Uganda. The Maendeleo Foundation, which runs the Mobile Solar Computer Classrooms (MSCC), hopes the project will help to launch a local computer services industry, creating jobs by outsourcing the new computer skills, boost the local economy and alleviate poverty. Read More

Give people more freedom to create less selfish societies says research

By Mike Hanlon

16:13 February 8, 2009 PST

Cooperation, despite being now considered the third force of evolution, just behind mutation and natural selection, is difficult to explain in the context of an evolutionary process based on competition between individuals and selfish behavior. But this puzzle, that has haunted scientists for decades, is now a little closer to be solved by research about to be published on the journal Physical Review Letters. Read More

OLPC Give 1 Get 1 laptop program

By Emily Clark

21:20 November 20, 2008 PST

Having already distributed more than 500,000 XO laptops in 31 countries, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) has launched its “Give 1 Get 1” program for 2008. The scheme raised more than USD$35 million in 2007 to fund the delivery of tens of thousands laptops to kids in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mongolia and Rwanda. Read More

Distributed network of laptop accelerometers used as seismic detector

By Noel McKeegan

15:38 November 4, 2008 PST

We're often surprised by the unforeseen applications that emerge when lateral thinking is applied to new technology - and this is certainly one of them. The Quake-Catcher Network aims to create the world’s largest earthquake monitoring system by linking internet-connected computers. The key to the system is its ability to take advantage of Sudden Motion Sensors or Active Protection Systems that are already found in many recently manufactured laptop computers. Day-to-day, these sensors are designed to protect the computer's hard disk from vibration, but by running specially designed networking software they become a far-reaching, low-cost solution for a seismic detection and early earthquake warning system. Read More

SMART multitouch table offers hands-on group learning

By Noel McKeegan

19:45 November 2, 2008 PST

Over the past two decades the role of computers in classrooms has evolved from one of curious optional-extra to core learning tool, and it's not a trend that is about to slow down. One relatively new technology that has great potential within educational environments is the multi-touch interface and this underpins SMART Technologies latest product - the SMART Table interactive learning centre. Looking a little like a retro-arcade game, this brightly colored 29" (73 cm) wide x 25" (65 cm) high table incorporates a 27" (69-cm) screen which can simultaneously receive input from a "virtually unlimited" number of fingers or pen tools. The table is designed to encourage group problem solving and collaboration and its intuitive interface makes it suitable for children in the 4 to 11 age group while teacher input is facilitated by the company's complementary interactive whiteboard products. Read More

The Internet updateable SmartGlobe

By Emily Clark

02:01 October 14, 2008 PDT

This update to the original interactive SmartGlobe from Oregon Scientific makes sure your geographic knowledge is up to date via downloadable weekly information updates. Read More

SkyScout Personal Planetarium for $299.99 at Amazon

By Tim Hanlon

02:44 June 11, 2008 PDT

June 11, 2008 There are few things that reinforce the unfathomable wonder of our existence as much as pointing a telescope at the night sky and that goes double if you happen to be using a Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium. As we have written before, SkyScout technology uses GPS to provide information and history on what you are looking at through the viewfinder – an invaluable educational tool your child, available for $299.99 (51% off) for the next 22 hours at Amazon. Read More

Chinese teams take points in robotic showdown

By Darren Quick

22:20 May 5, 2008 PDT

May 6, 2008 Close to one hundred teams from around the world invaded the Matadome at California State University, Northridge with their robots last weekend for the inaugural VEX Robotics World Championship. An alliance of three teams from China won the fast-paced competition with robots built by the students using the VEX Robotics Design System. The winning alliance teams, Chengdu Shuangliu Experimental Middle School, Chengdu No.7 High School and Nanshan High School Mianyang, were triumphant on the game “Bridge Battle”, which was created by Innovation First, the organization behind the Vex Robotics World Championship. Read More

FIRST crowns science and tech champions

By Emily Clark

19:27 April 21, 2008 PDT

April 22, 2008 FIRST, an organization inspiring kids to engage in science and technology, has crowned this year’s champions at its annual science showdown. The 2008 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta recognized winners across three categories: Robotics Competition, Tech Challenge, and LEGO League. Read More

HP targets education market with new Mini-notebook PC

By Noel McKeegan

17:22 April 9, 2008 PDT

April 9, 2008 Making personal computers more accessible to school students is both a worthy cause and an emerging target market. HP has now entered the arena with the announcement of the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, a full-function, small-format laptop PC priced from under US$500. Read More

Intel's new Classmate PC 'Netbook' unveiled

By Noel McKeegan

20:12 April 3, 2008 PDT

April 4, 2008 Intel Corporation has shown the second-generation design of its classmate PC - a low-cost, Internet-oriented, child-sized laptop computing platform designed to take the punishment dished-out in school environments and broaden access for the 95% of children worldwide who are currently deprived of the benefits offered by such technology. Dubbed a "Netbook", the classmate PC blueprint was unveiled this week at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai and is aimed at giving manufacturers the freedom to tailor laptop models for a variety of education needs. Based on an Intel® Celeron® M processor with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh network capabilities, top of the line models will feature a 9-inch LCD screen, extended battery life, 512 MB memory, a 30 GB HDD storage and an integrated webcam. Read More

3-D virtual reality dental simulator

By Emily Clark

22:41 March 26, 2008 PDT

March 27, 2008 Evidence of dentistry has been found dating back as far as 5500 BC however common knowledge tends to only go back as far as the Middle Ages when dental procedures were performed by barbers or general practitioners (with the aid of pliers and a bottle of whisky). These days patient care is of the utmost importance, which is why dentistry researchers at the University of Illinois (UIC) are developing a haptic training simulator called PerioSim, which uses 3-D virtual reality technology to allow dental students to improve their skills before being allowed near real live patients. Read More

myGreenElectronics: website initiative to reduce impact of electronics

By Emily Clark

17:53 March 17, 2008 PDT

March 18, 2008 Promoting the four R’s of green electronic use (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Rethink), the ‘myGreenElectronics’ website is dedicated to minimizing the impact consumer electronics have on the environment. A simple, clean design, myGreenElectronics provides basic information to help consumers on their path to thinking, buying and acting ‘green’. Read More

Georgia Tech offers Robotics Ph.D

By Emily Clark

20:01 January 31, 2008 PST

February 1, 2008 With the global robotics market expected to significantly expand over the next five years, including gains in both the service and personal robotics fields, the College of Computing at Georgia Tech has announced that it will now offer the first interdisciplinary doctoral degree in robotics in the US. Read More

Education news goes paperless in Houston

By Emily Clark

18:24 December 19, 2007 PST

December 20, 2007 Texas students have access to a customized education portal from the Houston Chronicle that includes an online daily newspaper and numerous education-specific programs. By making the news paperless the Chronicle estimates in the first year of the program it will eliminate nearly one million hard copies delivered to schools. Read More

Texas Instruments releases TI-Nspire calculator range

By Darren Quick

17:09 September 26, 2007 PDT

September 27, 2007 Forty years after the invention of the first portable calculator, Texas Instruments has released TI-Nspire - a product designed to provide up to four representations of a problem at one time in order to engender a deeper understanding of mathematical principles and - believe or not - help students get excited about math. Read More

New line of toys boost scientific learning

By Emily Clark

19:04 September 6, 2007 PDT

September 7, 2007 ToyQuest and Mad Science have developed a new line of science-based toys designed to combine learning with play. The range consists of five different toys for children aged six and up including a Hydraulic Robotic Arm which is powered completely by water. Read More

Study shows finger length can predict SAT scores

By Loz Blain

May 30, 2007 Were you born to be better at math or literacy skills? Work out the ratio of your index finger length to your ring finger length to find out - a new study shows that boys with a higher ratio (ie. longer ring fingers) have a tendency to perform better at math, while girls with a lower ratio (or shorter ring fingers) tend to perform better in literacy tests. Take a look at our Editor's hand here; he's not too happy about these findings! Read More