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11 November, 2016

Strict discipline and pressure to perform? Or a child-centred, individual approach? The debate over the relative benefits of Eastern and Western styles of school education has been kicked off again by two new studies which find evidence that strict discipline in the classroom produces better academic outcomes and a stronger work ethic in students, in results that could have implications for Australia's sliding academic performance internationally.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/strict-classroom-discipline-improves-student-outcomes-and-work-ethic-studies-find-20161108-gsksiq.html

Australian property seekers are now able to tour properties in virtual reality, with realestate.com.au today launching what it says is Australia’s first VR property app. The app, available on Google’s mobile VR platform Daydream

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/virtual-property-tours-now-a-reality/news-story/28ce89436fd874af80da469a799085a2

Ever since USB debuted, it’s been billed as a simple solution to the complex problem of ensuring device compatibility. While the tendency of USB devices to form quantum superpositions was a problem for nearly two decades, the latest USB-C standard promised to end this, with a single, reversible cable. While it’s a great idea, some problems have emerged thanks to the different types of cables that can all use the USB-C standard.

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/239142-caveat-emptor-usb-c-cable-compatibility-safety-turning-nightmare

A Moscow court upheld a decision to ban the professional social network LinkedIn Corp. in Russia on Thursday in a landmark ruling enforcing a personal data law.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-may-block-linkedin-if-company-loses-court-case-on-personal-data-law-1478775414

09 November, 2016

Man faces $9000 fine for using a drone to pick up a Bunnings sausage

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/man-faces-9000-fine-for-using-a-drone-to-pick-up-a-bunnings-sausage-20161108-gsl3q2.html

Samsung has taken out a full-page advert in multiple US newspapers to apologise for the faulty Note 7 phone, which has now been subject to a worldwide recall. The advert in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post, is signed by Samsung’s North America chief executive, Gregory Lee. It offers an apology for falling short on the company’s ambition to “offer best-in-class safety and quality.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/08/samsung-takes-out-full-page-ads-to-apologise-for-note-7-defects

In a scathing critique, the Free Software Foundation is urging the U.S. Government to drop the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions which protect DRM. The foundation argues that DRM is a violation of users' rights, which under the guise of copyright protection is used to harm, control and spy on people.

https://torrentfreak.com/drm-is-used-to-lock-in-control-and-spy-on-users-161108/

The report found that 70% of secondary schools in Britain have installed monitoring systems, across more than 800,000 school-owned devices and near to 1,500 privately-owned devices. Big Brother Watch calls for educators to find a balance between safeguarding and pupil privacy. ‘Ensuring teachers are able to teach, encourage and inspire rather than spend their lessons monitoring student’s computer screens for signs of inappropriate behaviour is critical.’

https://thestack.com/security/2016/11/08/teachers-unwittingly-spying-on-school-children-with-surveillance-software/

Up to 4 million Australians can soon start using Apple Pay following a deal between Apple and a body representing smaller banks and credit unions. Customers with debit and credit accounts held with 31 financial bodies will be able to use Apple Pay to make retail payments from their iPhone following a deal with payments provider Cuscal.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/apple-pay-coming-to-millions-in-australia-with-cuscal-signing-credit-union-deal/news-story/8a8d46cc98a62a18e6d93fe5a6f44ec5

Apple’s MacBook Pro vision fails to plug into the future

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/apples-macbook-pro-vision-fails-to-plug-into-the-future/news-story/470334f622f835c1d3577484959e3600

08 November, 2016

The thrill of roaming a huge warehouse in virtual reality playing games will come to the US from this month with Melbourne’s Zero Latency confirming its first American centre in Orlando, Florida. Founder Tim Ruse says Zero Latency will partner with US-based Main Event Entertainment to operate a 200 square metre (2153 square feet) centre at Pointe Orlando bowling-anchored entertainment centre. Three experiences will be available: a shorter, more intense version of the Zombie Shooter game played in Melbourne will debut at launch, while a space exploring shooter game and puzzle game will come later.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/zero-latency-opens-warehousestyle-virtual-reality-in-orlando-florida/news-story/7045d13ba43e245d52a51f6fd7634ec4

Australian ed-tech start-up Mathspace has landed an exclusive deal with the world’s largest global publisher Pearson, in a partnership that will see the Mathspace platform introduced to millions of students across the US. Mr Jebara describes his app as the world’s first step-by-step adaptive learning technology for maths education, tailoring maths programs in real time based on a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The company’s main competitor, Mathletics, uses multiple- choice answers whereas Mathspace’s platform helps students line by line. According to Mr Jebara, working out and understanding the concept is more useful for a student than picking the right answer.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/aussie-startup-mathspaces-learning-app-heads-to-us-schools/news-story/7001bc8c590cfa76eba1b0fe3fbb590d

Australian students' slide in the international benchmarks for reading and numeracy may not be the fault of the students, the teachers, or even the school system, says Finnish education expert Pasi Sahlberg. He argues there is a key factor being overlooked, a shift so profound and complete we've almost forgotten life without it: the rise of the smartphone.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/education/whats-really-behind-australias-declining-international-education-results-20161026-gsbnuy.html