We stare at our phones all the time not because the devices themselves are addictive, but because we're driven to socialize, according to a recent literature review by researchers at McGill University.
Smartphones dipped in the final quarter of 2017, a period in which Apple re-took the lead over Samsung in worldwide market share.
Currently, policies tend to encourage a "one-size-fits-all" model for teacher certification, tracking accountability and placing seat time above competency in measuring learning success. According to a new report, transforming that model and promoting personalized learning will require educators and policymakers to shift how they "think of school."
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 02/06/18
Mobile phones, particularly high-end smartphones, will lead the segment, which comprises PCs and tablets in addition to mobile phones, and premium ultramobile devices, which include "thin and light Apple and Microsoft Windows 10 devices," will also help to push growth.
Nearly 60 percent of education employees have taken a "mental health day" to deal with work-related stress, a count that's significantly higher than in other industries. That's according to a recent survey of 1,004 office workers and business decision-makers in the United States and Canada. The survey, conducted by KRC Research on behalf of Staples, asked employees in various industries about current trends in the workplace, including health, wellness and stress issues.
In a recent study, 10 percent of simulated phishing e-mails sent to users in education institutions were successful, triggering the recipient to click on a fraudulent link. That's according to the 2018 State of the Phish report from Wombat Security Technologies, in which researchers measured the average click rates on phishing tests across various industries. Education had an average click rate of 10 percent; the industries that performed worst in the tests were telecommunications and retail, with 15 percent and 14 percent average click rates, respectively.
In education there's hot, and then there's important. In the category of K-12 reading and writing, digital literacy may be hot, but it's hardly important. That's just one of the many conclusions shared in this year's "What's Hot in Literacy Report" from the International Literacy Association, which surveyed 2,097 education professionals in 91 countries and territories. The report defined hot topics as "those trending and receiving the most attention among educators, policymakers and the media, whereas important topics are those that are most critical to advancing literacy for all learners."
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/29/18
There's never been a better time to seek funding for education technology. According to Metaari, 2017 turned out to generate the most investment dollars ever in the learning technology industry. It topped $9.5 billion globally, up from $7.3 billion in 2016, which was itself 46 percent higher than the $6.5 billion in investments made in 2015. The latest year's funding went to 813 ed tech companies, the highest ever recorded, according to the learning market research company.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/29/18
Global shipments of PCs showed a slight year-on-year improvement in the fourth quarter of 2017, up 0.7 percent to 70.6 million sales, according to a new report.
Americans also see a range of problems plaguing STEM education, with eight separate issues, ranging from uninvolved parents and disinterested students to outdated curriculum materials and an outsized focus on state standards, cited as problems by 48 percent of respondents or more.