It’s back to school time, and it’s time to bring your dorm into the digital age. Whether it’s a new coffee maker or a new alarm clock, there are several new electronic devices that will make your life easier and your roommate jealous.

Here’s a list of this school year’s hottest gadgets:

Clocky Alarm Clock ($39): No longer will you be able to blame your tardiness on your alarm clock. Clocky has wheels attached to the sides and rolls away out of your reach to keep you from hitting the snooze button excessively.

Pivot Power ($25): This bendy power strip lets you shape it to fit any space. You can twist it, curl it or stretch it. Do whatever you need to do to make all those power cords more organized and less noticeable. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember the Jetsons? The futuristic-cartoon sitcom, complete with a robot maid and flying car, was supposed to take place in the year 2062. It’s only 2010, and while we haven’t totally caught up with the whole flying-car thing, The University of Southern California is testing a robot that can teach.

These teaching robots stand three feet tall and can maintain eye contact with its student. This recent technology has been proven to be most successful in children with developmental problems. Currently, it can only teach simple skills like vocabulary and household tasks.

Right now, these robots have mostly been used in experimental settings, and they’re directed by artificial intelligence software including speech recognition and motion tracking.

These “teacher’s aids” seem to be best used in settings that require the most repetition like foreign language or for teaching autistic children. Read the rest of this entry »

DormNoise application

According to ReadWriteWeb.com, DormNoise, a system that allows colleges and campus groups to upload dates of official events to a online calender, has secured additional funding, which will aid in the company’s marketing efforts.

While the system’s creator, Jay Rodrigues, points to the system’s ability to keep users in the loop about campus events, I wonder if this is another instance in which technology allows us to sit in our rooms, not interacting with one another because all the information we need is available online?

One of the most disconcerting things about starting college is the feeling you’ll get that you’re lost in a sea of people, none of whom you know. Thankfully, the nature of college makes it almost impossible for that to continue long. Between classes, meals, and just general interaction, you’ll meet hundreds of people on campus. That’s one the best parts of going to college.

As an adjunct professor, I can already see technology changing the way college is experienced. Lecture notes and assignments are often posted online, making it unnecessary to go to class.

As a student, I once took a class where students were required to facilitate a discussion by posting responses to a question posed by the instructor to a website. It was one of the least informative “discussions” I’ve ever been a part of. Seventeen responses posted over a four-day period does not great discourse make.

So why take steps to eliminate more face-to-face interaction, even on a small level such as this?

Going up to that cute girl or guy in sociology class and asking, “Hey, do you know of anything fun going on this weekend?” is certainly going to do more for your social life than clicking a calendar.

Yes, it is convenient to know about all the happenings on campus and to be able to find that information in one place. But at what cost comes convenience?

Story via ReadWriteWeb.com.

Also read:

• Academic Earth Provides Free Courses and Lectures Online

Oregon’s Department of Education  recently announced that they will now offer the Google Application Education Edition to all of the public school districts in the state budding from an effort to save the schools $1.5 million dollars annually.

The application allows teachers to access Gmail, Google Docs, and programs for spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, and video hosting remotely, specifically from their classrooms, computer labs, homes, city libraries and other places.

One looming problem however is the potential of server failures or power outages that could potentially result in inaccessible data.

Despite that potential drawback, analyst Melissa Webster says, “the growth in adoption of Google Docs should worry Microsoft. Google’s momentum could indirectly threaten some of Microsoft’s Office 2010 upgrade revenue by providing buyers some negotiating leverage. And in the longer term, the two are on a collision course.”

Recently, the city of Los Angeles also announced that the city’s 30,000 employees will be switching from Novell GroupWise to the Google App as well.

Via PCWorld

Social media brands (via FrancisAnderson.Wordpress.com)

I absolutely hate it when I forget my phone at home. The thought of passing the day without text messages, access to the Internet, or calling my friends has made me late to class on several occasions because I had to go home and get my BlackBerry. My friends like to joke I’m addicted to my “CrackBerry” and other forms of social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

As it turns out, they might be correct.

A recent study conducted at the University of Maryland has concluded that “college students are ‘addicted’ to the instant connections and information afforded by social media.” 

Read the rest of this entry »

When I hear Peach Pit, it makes me think of frozen yogurt, one of my most favorite things in the world. And for those who are a few years older than me, the name is synonymous with the 90s television show, Beverly Hills 90210.

Turns out, Peach Pit is neither frozen yogurt nor is it Dylan, Brandon and Kelly’s favorite burger joint; it’s even cooler.

Peach Pit is a company that publishes “top-notch books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, web design and development, digital video, and general computing.”

In addition to their books, Peach Pit offers online video products, eBooks, and a conference series. Peach Pit guarantees their award-winning products will be easy to use, and have “time-saving techniques, savvy insider tips, and expert advice for computer users of all sorts.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Here's my OnlineStudentPlanner for this week!

Being in college is probably one of the busiest times of my life. I have never had more assignments to turn in, tests to study for, and jobs to work.

I’ve tried several ways to stay on top of things. I used to try to keep an agenda in my head, but I’d always forget something. Then I tried a notebook agenda, but I didn’t like writing everything down and eventually regressed to trying to remember it all.

But now, a new website has solved my planning problems!

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week’s announcement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs about the release of the company’s newest gadget, the iPad, has set the e-reader world ablaze. For a few years, Amazon’s Kindle has lead that market, making it possible to read everything from novels and cookbooks to magazines and blogs on a conveniently thin digital reading device. Now, heads are turning toward the iPad with similar expectations. One market in particular, college students, who are a key market for Apple, wants to know if the iPad for textbook claims are realistic, and if they trump the Kindle. Read the rest of this entry »

What would you think if, on the first day of school, your teacher told you to take your phone out and prepare to learn, instead of threatening to throw your phone away if you used it during class?

Personally, I’d be shocked. As far as I knew, all teachers thought cell phones were pure evil. But evidently, I was wrong.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I do not understand something that I should have learned in class, my first step is to hop online and hit up Google or Wikipedia. Sometimes I do not find what I am looking for and am forced to do my research in tangible media forms likes books and newspapers. But now, a new website, CosmoLearning.com, has made my search for knowledge a lot easier.

CosmoLearning is a free educational website for students and teachers and offers educational materials in 37 courses. These courses range from anthropology to French to religion to music and sports. Basically, anything you need or want to learn, you can find on this site. Read the rest of this entry »