Miscellaneous post of the week..... 10 July

South Korea plans to withdraw printed textbooks from schools by 2015

 

The South Korean ministry of education has announced a ground-breaking plan to digitize all textbooks which are in use in Korean schools and thus completely phase out printed materials by 2015. This opens a huge market for manufacturers of tablet PCs, laptops and smartphones as the Korean education ministry has revealed it will spend US$2.4 billion on buying appropriate devices and digitizing content for them.
The Korean government's "Smart Education" scheme will see the creation of a cloud computing network in order to allow students to access digital textbooks and store their homework so it can be accessed via any internet-connected device, including tablets, smartphones, PCs and smart TVs. The plan also includes introducing more online classes from 2013 so that students who are sick or unable to attend school due to weather conditions will be able to participate in virtual classes.
The ministry plans to digitize all primary school textbooks by 2014 and all mid and high school textbooks by the following year. Both, digital and printed textbooks, will be in use during the transition period and nationwide academic tests will also be held online. As part of the shift to digital, all schools will have wireless Internet access points set up by 2015 and the ministry will provide free tablet PCs to low-income families.
Korean officials quote the latest OECD report into digital literacy, that aimed to test how 15 year olds from different countries use computers and the internet to learn. The report found that Korean teenagers came out on top compared to students in 19 countries.
"That's why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a paradigm shift in education," the ministry official said in the JoongAng Daily newspaper.
Certainly, such a policy will provide a significant boost to the IT sector in South Korea and the ministry points out that digital textbooks will be cheaper than printed versions.
Source: JakartaGlobe

 

IT tip of the week.... 10 July

How to Create Cartoons and Avatars From Your Photos

 

Creating cartoons or avatars from one’s photos  is fun especially when you want to use them as profile pictures on various online services. Since adding effects to images is quite popular a number of websites providing this service have cropped up in recent times.

 Meez

Meez is an online community that combines a social virtual world with social networking, gaming, and multimedia sharing while being a part of Meez Nation – an immersive virtual world where users can interact and express themselves by creating unique avatars and Meez rooms.

 

Here is an avatar doing a wave dance.

OR

An avatar with customized hair style.

 
Create an avatar or Meez of your own and style it as you want using the elaborate styling options. Items can be selected for free or you can get them buy paying in Coinz, the currency for Meez’s virtual economy.
The avatars can be saved and exported to other social networks, virtual worlds, gaming sites, instant messaging platforms and mobile devices but you need to sign up to do so.

Meez 

Image of the week..... 10July

This photo was captured by me in Cholistan Desert,Pakistan.The fort name is Fort Mir Garh

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Artwork of the week... 10 July

Amazing artwork made of food cans

Quotation of the week.... 10 July

 

 "The greatest danger for most of us 

is not that our aim is too high and we miss it

but that it is too low 

and we reach it. "

(Michelangelo)