How to Read

This week I learned about Google Reader and all its applications. This tool will be useful for gathering information and finding what I need to find quickly. It will help specifically in my International Studies and Environmental Science classes, where current issues and articles are important. In college I will be able to link RSS feeds to my Google Reader to follow sites and blogs geared towards teh subjects relating to my classes.

Ipads For Science

This article http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/ipads-help-mandan-students-get-excited-about-learning/article_5003e5f2-e949-11e0-afcd-001cc4c03286.html explains how Mandan High School is currently experimenting with the use of Ipads in their science department. They are only using the Ipad in class, and only some students are allowed to bring their Ipads home. This limited use is good at enhancing the productivity of the Ipad because it is only used on class for specific classroom uses. A major problem with for the students taking Ipads home is that their is no insurance for the $500 Ipads. Ipads are much easier to damage or break than books, and many accidents can still happen. Also, restricting Ipad use to only in class assignments for certain science classes does not take full advantage of all the uses of Ipads in school.

Colleges Monitoring Social Media Is Not That Important

Many colleges are now trying to recruit and evaluate students through the use of TargetX, a company that now monitors what these students are saying on Facebook and Twitter. This monitoring system will provide the colleges with a much better view of what some students are thinking, but much of what they are thinking will not matter all that much to each college. Looking at these social media sites can help colleges recruit students who might be interested in attending their college, but you can still learn much more about what a student wants by contacting them directly. The new monitoring tools will help, but other forms of learning about students will still give a more accurate picture of who they will be in college.