Tuesday, December 13, 2011

YouTube launches education-only option for teachers worldwide

Even though there’s a ton of nonsense on YouTube that can admittedly be distracting to anyone at any age, there is a vast wealth of informative videos that could serve well in the classroom.

YouTube project manager Brian Truong explained on the official YouTube blog that “teachers that they want to use the vast array of educational videos on YouTube in their classrooms, but are concerned that students will be distracted by the latest music video or a video of a cute cat, or a video that might not be appropriate for students.”

Thus, the video sharing site’s developers have added a network setting that enables school administrators with access only to educational content from YouTube EDU.

YouTube has already put considerable effort into the project, which includes digital content from more than 600 partners, including the Smithsonian and TED. Furthermore, YouTube has worked with teachers to curate over 300 playlists categorized by subject (i.e. math, social studies, science, etc.) and by grade level. Teachers can also suggest their own playlists to YouTube.

For a closer look at the YouTube for Schools “global classroom” initiative, check out the promo video below:




Microsoft introduces OneNote for iPad, updates iPhone version

Microsoft introduces OneNote for iPad, updates iPhone version: Microsoft OneNote for iPad






Microsoft pushed out a native iPad version of the company's OneNote productivity app today along with enhancements to its existing iPhone counterpart. The popular note-taking utility allows users to create and edit documents on Apple's tablet, syncing them across devices via the cloud by way of Microsoft's SkyDrive. OneNote goes beyond simple text entry by offering checkboxes and bulleted items for easy composition of to-do lists, and photos can also be imported from the iOS camera roll to further personalize your work. A Windows Live ID is required to use the free-to-download app, though you'll only be able to create a total of 500 notes at no cost. An in-app purchase is required beyond that point, and is priced considerably higher on...



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