Who’s China? India, Indonesia Line Up Global Cyber Threats

A new report suggests spiking attack traffic. Local coordination might be needed. 

John Anderson reports, "China usually gets a pretty tough ride when it comes to any discussion of online threats and cyber-crime."

Photo: IDG Connect

There is certainly a pretty compelling dossier of evidence by now linking state-sponsored actors to advanced and persistent attack campaigns on government and civilian targets outside the Great Firewall, dating back years. The Middle Kingdom also ranks consistently first when it comes to global sources of attack traffic. However, the latest threat intelligence from Asia suggests that focusing attention on China alone would be a dangerous oversight.

Akamai’s quarterly State of the Internet report is a good indicator of where attack traffic is coming from around the globe. (Please see below).

State of the Internet report (PDF)

Read more...
 
About John Anderson
John Anderson has been writing about technology and all things Asia for over a decade. From his perch in the Far East he keeps a keen eye on the global significance of emerging trends in the region.

Source: IDG Connect

Who’s China? India, Indonesia Line Up Global Cyber Threats

A new report suggests spiking attack traffic. Local coordination might be needed. 

John Anderson reports, "China usually gets a pretty tough ride when it comes to any discussion of online threats and cyber-crime."

Photo: IDG Connect

There is certainly a pretty compelling dossier of evidence by now linking state-sponsored actors to advanced and persistent attack campaigns on government and civilian targets outside the Great Firewall, dating back years. The Middle Kingdom also ranks consistently first when it comes to global sources of attack traffic. However, the latest threat intelligence from Asia suggests that focusing attention on China alone would be a dangerous oversight.

Akamai’s quarterly State of the Internet report is a good indicator of where attack traffic is coming from around the globe. (Please see below).

State of the Internet report (PDF)

Read more...
 
About John Anderson
John Anderson has been writing about technology and all things Asia for over a decade. From his perch in the Far East he keeps a keen eye on the global significance of emerging trends in the region.

Source: IDG Connect

Current Site and App of the Week - eSchool News September 10, 2013

Current Site of the Week

Tweet me @eSN_Dennis

"Our Site of the Week is "Digital Learning Transition," a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed) that aims to help K-12 leaders assess their progress and set goals for digital learning in their districts.", writes Dennis Pierce, Editor. 

New MOOC helps with ed-tech planning

Two ed-tech organizations are repeating their MOOC for educators.

Last spring, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation teamed up to offer a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed), a free online course designed to help school and district leaders plan for effective ed-tech use.

The course proved so popular that the organizations have decided to offer it again this fall.
Called “Digital Learning Transition,” the MOOC-Ed aims to help participants understand digital learning’s potential in K-12 education, assess progress and set goals for their schools or districts, and develop a plan to achieve those goals.

Anyone involved in planning and implementing K-12 ed-tech initiatives is encouraged to register for this free, eight-week course, which begins Sept. 30. Participants will learn from digital learning experts as well as other course enrollees.

For more information or to register, click here.  

Related link

The Digital Learning Transition MOOC for Educators: Exploring a Scalable Approach to Professional Development (PDF)

App of the week 

Name: Zorbit’s Math Adventure

 
What is it? 
This app lets preschoolers learn math concepts through practice and play–listening to the storyline. The app covers all the math skills in the U.S. Common Core guidelines for preschoolers.

Features:

• Based on the latest early education research, and matched to Preschoolers’ learning ability.
• Requires no reading ability as all instructions are spoken.
• Designed for little fingers.
• Headphone mode protects children’s hearing.
• Encourages development of listening skills.
• Lots of encouraging words and hints.
• Stickers for completing activities.
• Stars for completing levels.
• Kids progress at their own pace.
• Provides extra tips and practice if a child is struggling (adaptive repetition).
• Parents can monitor child’s progress on screen.
• Builds on children’s willingness to repeat tasks while playing games-essential to learning math.
• No in-app purchasing or advertising.
• No access to the internet required.
• No access to social media within the game.

Related link 
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: eSchool News

Current Site and App of the Week - eSchool News September 10, 2013

Current Site of the Week

Tweet me @eSN_Dennis

"Our Site of the Week is "Digital Learning Transition," a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed) that aims to help K-12 leaders assess their progress and set goals for digital learning in their districts.", writes Dennis Pierce, Editor. 

New MOOC helps with ed-tech planning

Two ed-tech organizations are repeating their MOOC for educators.

Last spring, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation teamed up to offer a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed), a free online course designed to help school and district leaders plan for effective ed-tech use.

The course proved so popular that the organizations have decided to offer it again this fall.
Called “Digital Learning Transition,” the MOOC-Ed aims to help participants understand digital learning’s potential in K-12 education, assess progress and set goals for their schools or districts, and develop a plan to achieve those goals.

Anyone involved in planning and implementing K-12 ed-tech initiatives is encouraged to register for this free, eight-week course, which begins Sept. 30. Participants will learn from digital learning experts as well as other course enrollees.

For more information or to register, click here.  

Related link

The Digital Learning Transition MOOC for Educators: Exploring a Scalable Approach to Professional Development (PDF)

App of the week 

Name: Zorbit’s Math Adventure

 
What is it? 
This app lets preschoolers learn math concepts through practice and play–listening to the storyline. The app covers all the math skills in the U.S. Common Core guidelines for preschoolers.

Features:

• Based on the latest early education research, and matched to Preschoolers’ learning ability.
• Requires no reading ability as all instructions are spoken.
• Designed for little fingers.
• Headphone mode protects children’s hearing.
• Encourages development of listening skills.
• Lots of encouraging words and hints.
• Stickers for completing activities.
• Stars for completing levels.
• Kids progress at their own pace.
• Provides extra tips and practice if a child is struggling (adaptive repetition).
• Parents can monitor child’s progress on screen.
• Builds on children’s willingness to repeat tasks while playing games-essential to learning math.
• No in-app purchasing or advertising.
• No access to the internet required.
• No access to social media within the game.

Related link 
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: eSchool News

Current Site and App of the Week - eSchool News September 4, 2013

Current Site of the Week

Tweet me @eSN_Dennis

Dennis Pierce, Editor writes, "Our Site of the Week is LearnBIG, which aims to simplify the search for high-quality online content. LearnBIG curates and reviews digital learning materials from around the web, and its format gives users an easy way to search for resources by subject, grade level, platform, and popularity."



Online and digital learning are transforming education, but finding the right tools can be a challenge. A new website called LearnBIG aims to change that.
Launched Sept. 4, LearnBIG provides access to more than 14,000 online educational resources for students of all ages— including pre-kindergarten, K-12, and continuing learners—in one easily searchable location, its creators say.

Photo: LearnBIG

LearnBIG curates digital resources from around the web, such as websites, apps, games, courses, and videos. The website is community-reviewed by parents, teachers, and learners, and its format provides an easy way for users to search, filter, and compare results by subject, grade level, platform, and popularity.
LearnBIG features a large online community of parents, students, and teachers who share their experiences about each resource. Each LearnBIG user can review and create collections based on their specific learning needs. This allows the most popular resources on the site to rise to the surface, so users can find them easily, according to the site’s creators.

A core feature of the site is LearnBIG’s Career Paths, which are intended to guide high school and college students—or anyone who’s changing careers—toward achieving their goals. The Career Paths provide a set of skills and a roadmap for users to become proficient in whatever area of expertise they choose.

LearnBIG can help teachers direct their students to enrichment materials for after-school learning, its creators say. Resources can be sorted by Common Core State Standards to ensure they match what students are learning in class.

“LearnBIG’s breadth, depth, organization, and user experience [give users] the power of choice to find exactly what they need,” said Victor Alhadeff, CEO of LearnBIG and former CEO of Egghead Software.


About LearnBIG

LearnBIG is based in Seattle, WA, but we are hoping to change the way people learn all over the world.  We’re dedicated to transforming education by providing a site that combines the power of technology, community, and ease of use for all types of learners.  We firmly believe that regardless of income, age or geographic location, everyone should have access to the tools that will help them reach their goals and succeed in whatever area they choose.

Our company is made up of educators, parents, grandparents, and students – all with a thirst for knowledge and a penchant for changing lives.  We’re passionate about finding innovative ways to bring personalized learning solutions to everyone. In more ways than one, we love our job.

App of the week 

Name: Grammar Pop

What is it?
Grammar Pop, from the award-winning Grammar Girl http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl , lets users match words in sentences with 1 of 11 speech parts. The game starts off with the basics (nouns, verbs, and articles) and advances through 14,000 words and 28 levels of difficulty. Higher levels include more advanced concepts, such as gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Users can start at Level 1 or move between levels at will, collecting coin prizes and earning achievements along the way. 

Features:

• The game includes “help” text that reviews the parts of speech. Additional supporting educational content is also available at GrammarPop.com for teachers who wish to include Grammar Pop in their language-curriculum.
• Dozens of Grammar Girl fans, many of them English language educators, beta tested Grammar Pop, giving it high marks for its fast, fun pace, and its ability to help players truly master parts of speech.
• Quick and Dirty Tips consulted a linguist to ensure the highest level of accuracy, and Fogarty also compared the game sentences to the Common Core standards to ensure that the sentences represent a wide range of the concepts educators are striving to teach.

Read more...

Related link 
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: eSchool News, LearnBIG and LearnBIG's Channel (YouTube)

Current Site and App of the Week - eSchool News September 4, 2013

Current Site of the Week

Tweet me @eSN_Dennis

Dennis Pierce, Editor writes, "Our Site of the Week is LearnBIG, which aims to simplify the search for high-quality online content. LearnBIG curates and reviews digital learning materials from around the web, and its format gives users an easy way to search for resources by subject, grade level, platform, and popularity."



Online and digital learning are transforming education, but finding the right tools can be a challenge. A new website called LearnBIG aims to change that.
Launched Sept. 4, LearnBIG provides access to more than 14,000 online educational resources for students of all ages— including pre-kindergarten, K-12, and continuing learners—in one easily searchable location, its creators say.

Photo: LearnBIG

LearnBIG curates digital resources from around the web, such as websites, apps, games, courses, and videos. The website is community-reviewed by parents, teachers, and learners, and its format provides an easy way for users to search, filter, and compare results by subject, grade level, platform, and popularity.
LearnBIG features a large online community of parents, students, and teachers who share their experiences about each resource. Each LearnBIG user can review and create collections based on their specific learning needs. This allows the most popular resources on the site to rise to the surface, so users can find them easily, according to the site’s creators.

A core feature of the site is LearnBIG’s Career Paths, which are intended to guide high school and college students—or anyone who’s changing careers—toward achieving their goals. The Career Paths provide a set of skills and a roadmap for users to become proficient in whatever area of expertise they choose.

LearnBIG can help teachers direct their students to enrichment materials for after-school learning, its creators say. Resources can be sorted by Common Core State Standards to ensure they match what students are learning in class.

“LearnBIG’s breadth, depth, organization, and user experience [give users] the power of choice to find exactly what they need,” said Victor Alhadeff, CEO of LearnBIG and former CEO of Egghead Software.


About LearnBIG

LearnBIG is based in Seattle, WA, but we are hoping to change the way people learn all over the world.  We’re dedicated to transforming education by providing a site that combines the power of technology, community, and ease of use for all types of learners.  We firmly believe that regardless of income, age or geographic location, everyone should have access to the tools that will help them reach their goals and succeed in whatever area they choose.

Our company is made up of educators, parents, grandparents, and students – all with a thirst for knowledge and a penchant for changing lives.  We’re passionate about finding innovative ways to bring personalized learning solutions to everyone. In more ways than one, we love our job.

App of the week 

Name: Grammar Pop

What is it?
Grammar Pop, from the award-winning Grammar Girl http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl , lets users match words in sentences with 1 of 11 speech parts. The game starts off with the basics (nouns, verbs, and articles) and advances through 14,000 words and 28 levels of difficulty. Higher levels include more advanced concepts, such as gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Users can start at Level 1 or move between levels at will, collecting coin prizes and earning achievements along the way. 

Features:

• The game includes “help” text that reviews the parts of speech. Additional supporting educational content is also available at GrammarPop.com for teachers who wish to include Grammar Pop in their language-curriculum.
• Dozens of Grammar Girl fans, many of them English language educators, beta tested Grammar Pop, giving it high marks for its fast, fun pace, and its ability to help players truly master parts of speech.
• Quick and Dirty Tips consulted a linguist to ensure the highest level of accuracy, and Fogarty also compared the game sentences to the Common Core standards to ensure that the sentences represent a wide range of the concepts educators are striving to teach.

Read more...

Related link 
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: eSchool News, LearnBIG and LearnBIG's Channel (YouTube)

[FREE WORKSHOP] How to easily create engaging, interactive presentations using LectureTools.

Attend this live webinar below:   

LEARN HOW TO USE LECTURETOOLS
Increase learning, the easy way.

Online Session:
Thursday, 5 September 13:00 BST (UTC+1) (UK) (Local time zone) 

With the second half of 2013's teaching calendar underway, now is the time to consider using LectureTools, the world's leading student engagement system. Studies have shown that engagement levels in classes using LectureTools rise from 3 percent to 65 percent!

Join us for this free workshop and learn how to use LectureTools from the inventor himself, Professor Perry Samson.

IN THIS 60-MINUTE WORKSHOP, YOU'LL LEARN: 

• How to create a course, upload your presentations and add polls, quizzes and questions
• Best practices and tips for using LectureTools in your teaching
• How LectureTools increases student engagement
• How easy it is to incorporate LectureTools into your teaching

Using LectureTools, instructors can easily generate engaging classroom conversation and get real-time feedback by uploading quizzes, polls and questions into their existing presentations. Students (even the shy ones) are empowered to participate using the mobile phones, tablets and laptops they already own. You won't want to miss this insightful session to see how this active learning solution engages students and puts the fun back in teaching. 

Learn more about the world's leading student engagement solution, LectureTools. 
Register for this free session

[FREE WORKSHOP] How to easily create engaging, interactive presentations using LectureTools.

Attend this live webinar below:   

LEARN HOW TO USE LECTURETOOLS
Increase learning, the easy way.

Online Session:
Thursday, 5 September 13:00 BST (UTC+1) (UK) (Local time zone) 

With the second half of 2013's teaching calendar underway, now is the time to consider using LectureTools, the world's leading student engagement system. Studies have shown that engagement levels in classes using LectureTools rise from 3 percent to 65 percent!

Join us for this free workshop and learn how to use LectureTools from the inventor himself, Professor Perry Samson.

IN THIS 60-MINUTE WORKSHOP, YOU'LL LEARN: 

• How to create a course, upload your presentations and add polls, quizzes and questions
• Best practices and tips for using LectureTools in your teaching
• How LectureTools increases student engagement
• How easy it is to incorporate LectureTools into your teaching

Using LectureTools, instructors can easily generate engaging classroom conversation and get real-time feedback by uploading quizzes, polls and questions into their existing presentations. Students (even the shy ones) are empowered to participate using the mobile phones, tablets and laptops they already own. You won't want to miss this insightful session to see how this active learning solution engages students and puts the fun back in teaching. 

Learn more about the world's leading student engagement solution, LectureTools. 
Register for this free session

Feminists launch model for online learning

Photo: Hajer Naili

Hajer Naili, a New York-based reporter for Women's eNews reports, "This multi-university online course emphasizes feminist contributions to technological innovation and a collaborative approach that contrasts with the MOOC. "Expertise is distributed throughout the network," says a facilitator."

Photo: FemTechNet

A year after The New York Times ran an article about Silicon Valley, which opened with "Men invented the Internet," FemTechNet is about to launch an online curricula highlighting the significant contributions of feminists to technology.

FemTechNet, which describes itself as "a global network of feminist, students and artists who work on, with and at the borders of technology, science and feminism in a variety of fields," is calling the curriculum a DOCC, or Distributed Open Collaborative Course.

"Dialogues in Feminism and Technology," its first DOCC course--running from Sept.16 through December in 15 universities across the United States and Canada--is something of a pilot, which starts in North America and aims to expand across the globe in the coming year.
Two goals are preserving the history of feminist contributions to technological innovation and advancing feminist principles of social justice in future educational models and pedagogies, FemTechNet said in a press statement.
Read more... 


About FemTechNet  

Who?
FemTechNet is an activated network of scholars, artists, and students who work on, with, and at the borders of technology, science and feminism in a variety of fields including STS, Media and Visual Studies, Art, Women’s, Queer, and Ethnic Studies.
Members in the network collaborative on the design and creation of a work of feminist technological innovation for the purposes of engaging the interests of students on advanced topics in feminist science-technology studies.  This project seeks to engender a set of digital practices among women and girls, to teach and encourage their participation in writing the technocultural histories of the future by becoming active participants in the creation of global digital archives.


What?
In 2013, FemTechNet initiated a networked learning experiment involving instructors and students from several institutions in the creation of a collaborative open course structure called a DOCC:  Distributed Open Collaborative Course on the topic of Dialogues on Feminism and Technology.
The first iteration of the DOCC 2013 will take place from September-December, 2013.
Read more... 

Source: FemTechNet

Feminists launch model for online learning

Photo: Hajer Naili

Hajer Naili, a New York-based reporter for Women's eNews reports, "This multi-university online course emphasizes feminist contributions to technological innovation and a collaborative approach that contrasts with the MOOC. "Expertise is distributed throughout the network," says a facilitator."

Photo: FemTechNet

A year after The New York Times ran an article about Silicon Valley, which opened with "Men invented the Internet," FemTechNet is about to launch an online curricula highlighting the significant contributions of feminists to technology.

FemTechNet, which describes itself as "a global network of feminist, students and artists who work on, with and at the borders of technology, science and feminism in a variety of fields," is calling the curriculum a DOCC, or Distributed Open Collaborative Course.

"Dialogues in Feminism and Technology," its first DOCC course--running from Sept.16 through December in 15 universities across the United States and Canada--is something of a pilot, which starts in North America and aims to expand across the globe in the coming year.
Two goals are preserving the history of feminist contributions to technological innovation and advancing feminist principles of social justice in future educational models and pedagogies, FemTechNet said in a press statement.
Read more... 


About FemTechNet  

Who?
FemTechNet is an activated network of scholars, artists, and students who work on, with, and at the borders of technology, science and feminism in a variety of fields including STS, Media and Visual Studies, Art, Women’s, Queer, and Ethnic Studies.
Members in the network collaborative on the design and creation of a work of feminist technological innovation for the purposes of engaging the interests of students on advanced topics in feminist science-technology studies.  This project seeks to engender a set of digital practices among women and girls, to teach and encourage their participation in writing the technocultural histories of the future by becoming active participants in the creation of global digital archives.


What?
In 2013, FemTechNet initiated a networked learning experiment involving instructors and students from several institutions in the creation of a collaborative open course structure called a DOCC:  Distributed Open Collaborative Course on the topic of Dialogues on Feminism and Technology.
The first iteration of the DOCC 2013 will take place from September-December, 2013.
Read more... 

Source: FemTechNet