A few months ago, Ohio State released a study pointing to Facebook as the cause of poor student performance.  Skeptics (like me) were quick to point out that the study was flawed, and did not prove that Facebook actually causes lower grades.

So Facebook can't be singled out as the cause of student failure... but could it be a determining factor?  Recently two students were caught cheating... thanks to Facebook.

No, the students didn't cheat on or via Facebook, but they did use the social networking site to brag about it.  The Facebook conversations were used as evidence, and  the students got big fat zeros.

Cheaters.  Never.  Prosper.

I've blogged before about digital textbook reader Kindle.  My first reaction to Kindle is that I do not like the idea of it.  Why not? 

Because I love books.  Because to me, a book is something you hold in your hands, ear mark the corners of, carry around.  A good book becomes a travel companion, a source of entertainment, a [I'm going to be completely nerdy and cheesy here] friend. 

Yes, I love books.  But do I love textbooks?  Hm.

Sometimes.

I love when textbooks are really helpful and thorough, and I love when I can find the information I need. 

This makes me re-think my anti-Kindle and anti-digital textbook stance.  Perhaps digital textbooks, with their search functionality and interactive features, really do and will help students learn.

Want to read about some schools that are actually incorporating digital lessons?  Check out this NYT article:  As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks Are History.

How do you feel about digital textbooks and lessons that incorporate online resources?  Do share!

So we're really excited to hear about teachers using twitter in the classroom.

Cole W. Camplese, an EdTech professor at Penn State, incorporated twitter into his lessons by encouraging students to tweet during class, and projecting a live feed onto a screen for the whole class to see.

This wouldn't work in every classroom scenario, but the small class Camplese was teaching embraced twitter and used the feed to share helpful links, add comments, and ask questions.

In another interesting example of teachers using twitter, a high school educator requires his students to check in with twitter every day, in place of taking attendance.

Tweet on!

Are you on Twitter?  How would you like it if your professor encouraged you to tweet during lecture?

It's the buzz of the day- Amazon is releasing a larger, more textbook-compatible Kindle.

If you're out of the loop-- Kindle is a device that serves as a virtual library.  Users purchase and read books, newspapers, and magazines.

This might be good news for you, if you are a student that is tired of the textbook resale racket.  I was always frustrated to purchase a textbook from the university bookstore, use it for a semester, and receive a refund of less than 50% when classes ended-- only for the bookstore to turn around and resell that book at full price.

As it turns out, textbook publishing companies were frustrated by that process too, so some are partnering with and providing their textbook content on Kindle. 

Maybe publishers want to clean up the process and help students save money.  Or maybe they just want their cut of the textbook resale cheese, as the HigherEd Cafe points out. 

Sure, you can let a friend borrow your Kindle, just as you could lend your textbook, but you cannot sell back the Kindle eBook at the end of the semester.  This makes publishers happy, since they don't see a penny from the private resale of used textbooks.

Regardless of the business model behind the device, Read Write Web raises a very important question: Will students even want a Kindle? 

Personally, it's not for me. 

Sure, I had a hate/hate relationship with most of my textbooks, but I still appreciated the ability to use sticky-notes, highlighters, and earmarks while I was reading. 

And, there were a few instances in which I grew to truly love and value my textbook by the end of the semester.  I refused to part with these special books, and indeed to this very day they are collecting dust on my bookshelf.  Could a Kindle do that?  (OK technically, yes it could collect dust too, but you get the point).

Finally, I already have a laptop.  And a smart phone.  Do I really need another device to lug around?  Shouldn't companies be trying their darndest to integrate all of these devices rather than creating a separate device for each function?

Would you use Kindle?  Do you prefer actual textbooks to their digital counterpart?

Go ahead, google your name. 

Hopefully the results shed light on your academic accomplishments and not the embarrassing extracurriculars you wouldn't want a college admissions official to see.

That's right, Gen Y, you should consider your online track record when you apply for college, because the admissions office might.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling released a report earlier this week with at least one noteworthy stat:

Of the colleges surveyed, 26% search the web and/or social networks for information about applicants. 

Sure, it may be unsettling to think that college admissions officers are checking out your latest tweets.  But it is hardly unethical.  Unless you have made your facebook, myspace, twitter, and other online accounts private, you should  understand that anyone- including the dean of a prospective school- can access that information.

Frankly, I'm surprised the stat isn't greater than 26%.  According to this blog, 26% is a misleading percentage, since some of those included in that figure aren't using search engines routinely, but rather for more high-profile candidates (think:  scholarship recipients).

Either way, have you ever considered what an admissions official would think of you if they did an online search?  Perhaps you should!